Page 18 of Vacation with the Vampire
The rest of the day felt like something out of a dream. A better version of the trip I had planned. We walked through history, real history, not just guidebook summaries. He pointed things out casually, places I would have missed or never understood. The Notre-Dame Cathedral, which he was horrified to discover had nearly burned down fairly recently, though the city had already worked hard to restore the historic place. We saw the Place de la Bastille, the Palais-Royal, all of them layered with meaning I hadn’t expected. Stories told by him of actuallybeingthere when these sites became part of important historic events.
Lunch was at a place he casually informed me was run by a werewolf. I didn’t even question it. He was right, though, the croissants were even better here, so flaky and buttery that the pastry melted on my tongue. Dinner was somehow even better than magical croissants baked by a werewolf.
Afterward, we walked along the Seine, the water reflecting the golden glow of the city lights as the sun dipped low. It really was perfect; the perfect date, the perfect gentleman. Exactly what I’d wanted this trip to be. Except now, instead of Logan, I had Raoul, and that was better in every way. He was conscientious, attentive, and he seemed genuinely interested in anything I said.
There was a small street vendor selling magazines and popular books we passed at one point. I slowed, glancing at the window display out of habit, and then burst out laughing. “Raoul,” I said, pointing. He followed my gaze and then went very still.
Displayed prominently on the front shelf were rows of vampire romance novels: dark covers, dramatic titles, brooding men with glowing eyes. Admittedly, some of them were favorites I’d devoured with great enjoyment.
His expression shifted from confusion to horror, which I watched happen with my breath stuck in my chest, full of expectation. “This,” he said slowly, “is a gross misrepresentation.”
I grinned, practically bursting with giddy happiness. “Oh, you have no idea.” He glared at the books, hooked his arm through mine, and urged me to keep walking. If he could have gotten away with hissing at those books and baring his fangs without scaring the shopkeeper, he would have.
By the time we returned to the hotel, the sky had deepened into evening. The hallway was quiet, deserted. The moment felt inevitable after a day like today. My belly danced with butterflies, and my cheeks ached from smiling so much. Today was such a good day after the madness of yesterday.
We stopped at my door. He looked at me, and I looked at him. He was going to kiss me, I knew it, wanted it. My hands reached for his shoulders, clung, as his head bent to mine. Pale hair slid forward, framing his face. The kiss came softly, a tender brush that lingered, clung, building into something that mademy pulse race and my thoughts scatter. My hand curling into the front of his shirt as I leaned into him.
This was it. What we’d probably been building to from the moment we met. Sparks had sort of flown, even in that dark, scary tunnel. My hand fumbled with the door, opened it, while the other tightened on his shirt, intending to pull him inside with me. The bed—more kisses—those were my priority.
“Promise me something,” Raoul husked, lifting his head. I blinked in confusion, pulling back slightly. He was so close I could feel the hard planes of his body, the sleek muscle his dusty suit had previously hidden.
“What?” I whispered, my mouth wet and my lips swollen. His expression had shifted, not heated with passion, but serious, focused. Something dark danced behind his eyes, and I wondered, possibly for the first time, if he now thirsted for my blood.
“You will go inside,” he said, “and you will sleep.” That was not at all what I expected him to say. I stared, my confusion mounting. Sleep? Wasn’t he going to come in with me? Weren’t we about to...
“What?” I whispered, much smaller now. My passion was snuffed out, and something cold replaced the languid warmth this perfect day had brought. What was happening? I thought we’d been on the same page, but apparently I’d misread the situation terribly.
“You will not leave this room,” he continued. “You will not wait up for me.” The cold thread of confusion grew, and dread settledin my stomach. I opened my mouth to protest, perhaps to ask why. He silenced me with a stern glare, his eyes beginning to glow gold. “Promise me.”
The tone in his voice… It wasn’t a suggestion; no, he was commanding. “Why? Where are you going?” I tried anyway. The fact that he was leaving was becoming obvious, and it was so unexpected I struggled to wrap my head around it.
“That is not your concern.” Ouch, he was beginning to sound like a dick, and I did not like it one bit. He sounded more like the guy I’d woken from his slumber yesterday. I wouldn’t stand for it, but it was hard to combat when he was already slipping from my grasp. His fingers untangled my grip from his shirt, his expression closing off.
“That is absolutely my concern!” I barked, jerking my hands back and crossing my arms over my chest. He was putting physical distance between us, and it made the glowing day feel as if it ended in cold, lonely darkness. I hugged myself tight and glared.
“Susie,” Raoul sighed, and something in the air shifted. He reached up, and though I flinched, he cupped my chin. “Understand, I must put my affairs in order. How could I…” He faltered, his gaze growing golden as it swung from my face to the bed behind me. “Nothing would be more perfect than to celebrate the night in your arms, but that wouldn’t be fair to you when I come with so much…baggage.”
He was the one with baggage? It was my carry-on that was slashed to bits, and that had been the excuse for him not leavingmy side. I’d felt as if he’d stayed to protect me, but now he was telling me he was going for the same reason.
The kiss he brushed against my forehead was so fast it was just the barest touch of his lips to my skin. “I will be back, and we will have more days like today. Now stay inside and sleep.” He turned and walked away. I was left standing in the doorway, heart racing, mind spinning as he disappeared back into the city alone.
Chapter 10
Raoul
I did not like leaving her. The realization followed me down the corridor, down the stairs, and out into the Paris night like an unwelcome shadow. Each step away from that door felt wrong. Ill-timed. Ill-advised. The night felt incomplete, as if I had left unfinished business waiting in that room, not out in the city.
The memory of her lingered: warmth, laughter, the way her hand had fit so easily in mine as we walked along the river. The way she had looked at me, unguarded and bright, as though the world had not just unraveled beneath her feet. I’d seen her vulnerable and hurt, seen her bright and happy, and now I’d shaken that bold sass and confidence by abandoning her just as we’d grown so close.
That kiss had been a promise of so much more, and my blood heated. I slowed briefly as I stepped onto the street, the echo of it still sharp enough to distract. I had meant to keep it restrained—that kiss—measured. A nibble, not a banquet. Instead, it had deepened without permission, without strategy. Her body aligned with mine, her breath catching, her hand curling into my shirt as though she had already decided…
Ah, merde, enough. I exhaled sharply this time and forced my thoughts away from the passion that had exploded between us so naturally. That path led to one conclusion, and I could not take it. Not yet. I needed answers first; I owed her that before I bound her to me by accident and she found herself unwillingly trapped at my side. It was a thought I could not bear.
Desire was simple, immediate, and easily indulged. What stirred beneath it, what had awakened alongside me in that tomb, was not something to be taken lightly. If Susie was what I believed her to be… If she was meant to be mine… Then I would not claim her amid uncertainty and unanswered questions. I would not bind her to a life I had not yet regained control over.
First, I needed answers, and there was only one place left to begin. I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen just as the vampire teller at the bank that morning had shown me. “Calling” for a vehicle was surprisingly easy, and shockingly fast. In just a few minutes a sleek black car pulled up and a vampire driver stepped out. He did not speak beyond a respectful greeting, and I did not invite conversation.
I got in, told him where I needed to go, and off we went. The city passed in a blur of light and motion. Paris, reborn and reshaped. She was louder, brighter, more relentless than the one I remembered. Yet beneath it, I could still feel the bones of it, almost literally. So many buildings were still recognizable, still built from the same old stones. Yes, it took some adjusting, but already I was beginning to feel at home again.
