Page 95 of Ruby Red Sky

CHAPTER 28

Lukas

Cassia had an easel set up near the window; the canvas stretched over a rectangular frame. Soft light filtered in through parted curtains, bringing each stroke of her brush into sharp relief. A single hair was trapped in a swath of paint, but she probably couldn’t see it.

Nor could she see how she left pieces of herself in everything she created, the microscopic bits of her spirit and skin she deposited with every brush of her fingers against the linen.

As I stood in the doorway, I watched her careful work. A portrait was taking shape, displaying the jagged peaks of home with a tall figure standing on a ledge, facing the mountains. When she mixed together shades of white, beige, and lemon and swept the brush down on the fabric, I realized she was painting me.

My heart stilled. Vampires, especially those of my ranking, did not have photographs taken or their likeness memorialized in any form. It was considered a security risk, as well as gauche.

Not once did I think she would immortalize me.

My silent footsteps brought me directly behind the stool where she sat working diligently while she miraculously caught the rays of sun in my hair. She alternated between carefully tracing the slopes of my shoulders and making my hair sparkle, while balancing multiple paintbrushes between her fingers.

I’d never witnessed a talent like hers, not in all my years. Somehow, she seemed to channel exactly what she saw in her head directly onto fabric or paper. But it was better. It was such fine work and held something extra that made it hyper realistic and incredibly unique.

“That’s beautiful, my love,” I said.

“Fuck!” She yelped, dropping her brushes. “Why are you lurking around like a creepy mannequin?”

A mannequin, of all things. “You should know when I’m close. Perhaps I need to feed you more.” Just the thought sent heat straight to my groin.

Her face flushed and she glanced at her work. “It's you. That day we went hiking.”

“I can see that. When we get home, I’ll frame it and put it in my office.” I tore my eyes away from the portrait. “We’ll hang your work throughout our home.”

She looked stunned. “Really?” Her eyes tracked back to the canvas. “I’ve never been that good. But sure, yes. I’d love that.”

“I’ll kill whoever told you such a lie.” The idea that anyone would lie to her about her natural talents filled me with fury.

A sheepish smile graced her face. “You left him in pieces in my living room.”

“Good.”

Cassia turned back to her easel and gathered the fallen utensils. One had rolled near my shoe, and I picked it up, dropping it in a cup full of cleaning liquid.

“Thank you,” she said, and walked to the ensuite.

I heard the water turn on. The room was getting colder, so I waved my hand at the fireplace. Strong flames popped up, and the temperature change was immediate as the logs sizzled and popped with a shower of sparks.

Cassia returned and wrapped her arms around me where I stood. “I’m glad you like the picture.” Her voice was mumbled by fabric. “That means a lot to me.”

A different warmth filled me, entirely separate from the fire I’d started. So many others had taken human mates, and I’d thought them crazy and reckless. Regret never crossed my mind when I punished them for their foolish ways. I never expected I’d be the fool.

All it had taken was my own morbid curiosity, the desire to discover what would cause so many to throw their lives away, and then I’d become smitten, myself.

I still wasn’t entirely sure what had driven me to make the decision beside Elijah and Selena’s love for each other. But the very second I saw Cassia, I knew she was the one.

My hand traveled up her side, feeling the soft heat of her skin through her clothes. She let out a sigh and moved her own hand, pressing it against my lower back. My cock twitched hungrily against her stomach and my fangs strained my gums, begging to be satiated with their favorite food.

As I slid my hand to her neck, I felt it. The sting of electricity in the air.

“What is it? What is that?” Cassia asked, her voice changing from breathlessness to concerned as she spoke.

My fingers tightened around her slender column as my body tensed under the assault. “Annalise...,” I said, letting go of her neck and grabbing her hand instead.

Her eyes darted to the window, and my gaze followed, spotting heavier storm clouds that gathered on the horizon. They loomed low over the tree line, swirling and gathering in a gust of wind that tore at the curtains.