Twenty-year-old Claire must deceive a vampire prince to infiltrate the monarchy and discover their secrets while resisting her desire for him.
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Nothing in my life has ever been easy. Including the mission my family has sent me on.
My sister and...
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Toucher (verb) to touch, to feel, to affect
My breath came in short sips that did nothing to fulfill my need for oxygen. Sweat prickled down my back, and every inch of my skin tingled as the vampire held me against his muscular form.
What was happening to me?
I hated this man. Was terrified of his bite. But by Diana, something inside me wanted him this close. If only just to feel him against me.
Bastien's nearness caused a tingling nervous heat to settle low in my stomach that refused to leave.
I was disgusted with myself for allowing him to have this effect on me, and I gritted my teeth together. Focusing on my mission and my hatred of him and his kind.
He wasn't holding me out of desire. He was holding me because he was going to drink my...
Blood.
The thought made me feel sick, and I held my breath like I was about to jump into the frigid, white capped rapids of the Starfall River and closed my eyes tight.
Then the strangest thing happened. As if I jumped in the river, and water had filled my ears, the wailing of the violins disappeared, along with the low conversation of the crowd.
All of a sudden, I felt like I was floating. Like I was drifting in a current, and the only person I wanted to listen to was him.
I swallowed a curse. The wretched vampire was in my head again.
Without moving my lips, I asked him, "What are you doing?"
Silence.
"Well?" I prompted him.
"Your fear is inhibiting my ability to transform." His voice was gravelly and rough. Each word sounding like it cost him something. "I need you to relax, or this won't work."
How was I supposed to relax while in such a compromising position, on stage, in front of hundreds of people?
"I can't relax. It's not possible," I said.
He growled in frustration, and the sound vibrated against my ear, sending unexpected little bolts of pleasure down my spine.
"You have to make everything difficult. Don't you?" Bastien gritted out.
"I'm not trying to make things difficult, my lord," I said through the unspoken connection between us, "but this whole thing is unnatural. The people. Your brothers. I've never been around so many strangers in my life."
Why had I given him that truth? I needed to be more careful with my words. Much more careful. The less he knew about me, the better.
There was a pause, then he said, "Let's try something else."
