Yet Ryder had gifted me clothes.
Curiosity caused my feet to move into my room, my hands immediately seeking out the outfit he’d left for me on the bed.
A white T-shirt that smelled like him.
And a pair of too-big gym shorts.
They were probably the thickest materials I’d ever been allowed to own. Not worn or translucent, but actual clothes.
Who are you? I wondered at him, disturbed by his behavior. Why are you doing this? I’d never met a royal before, but I knew their reputations well. They enjoyed playing with their food, their games notoriously cruel.
Was he doing this to placate me? To give me a false sense of hope?
If that were the case, he’d have to try a heck of a lot harder.
I didn’t buy the whole chivalrous act.
All vampires had ulterior motives. He claimed he wanted me to teach him about society, but as a royal, he already knew the rules. Except he wasn’t acting the part of a royal. Starting with his home. Where are all the Vigils? His harem? His mortal staff?
The only being I’d seen so far was Damien, who had acted more on par with my expectations than Ryder. Yet their easy candor had been unique, too.
Oh, but when they touched me together, I thought I’d just become dinner. And rather than feel terrified, I’d felt… hungry. Interested. Intrigued, as Ryder would say.
Which was so damn wrong.
Yet, also expected.
Vampires were alluring creatures of the night, their flawless looks and hypnotic appeal two lethal traits that aided in their ability to captivate their prey.
And I’d fallen victim to their allure.
I’d almost leaned into Ryder, to entice him to bite me.
Only, he said I wasn’t ready, thus implying he intended to make a meal of me in the future. While also using me for information.
I shook my head, the entire experience morphing into a cataclysm of confusion.
What I needed to do was rest, take advantage of the amenities while I had access to them, and plot my next steps. Becoming Ryder’s dinner wasn’t going to work for me. But I couldn’t escape until I had a better idea of where we were, as well as a notion of where to go.
I pulled on his shirt and shorts, then slid into the sheets on the too-soft bed. Sitting up, I frowned down at the plump mattress. Why was it so cushiony? Where were the lumps? The hard cement slab beneath? How could anyone sleep like this?
Rather than try, I pulled the blankets off the mattress and made myself a proper bed on the floor. No pillow.
It was much better. More solid. Reminding me of my previous home.
A life I no longer lived.
A world I left behind.
For a future I didn’t understand.
6
Willow
Three days later and I still didn’t understand Ryder.
“You want me to attack you,” I said slowly, eyeing his position on the mat.
We were in his training room, surrounded by a variety of weapons. He’d given me a knife to use for our sparring match—an activity that was his idea, not mine. Just like everything else we’d done over the last few days.
“I want you to try, yes,” he replied. “Consider it a test of your abilities. Or do you prefer the term exam? You’ve referenced that a few times when discussing your courses.”
The man was obsessed with my university experience. It made no sense. He should already know what courses I took, what marks I earned, and the paths they opened me up for in this world.
Yet he questioned me as if he knew nothing about the current world, something I found hard to believe since he was a royal vampire. Except, he didn’t act like any of the ones I’d studied before. He lived alone. No security. No servants. And he asked me to do strange things like spar with him.
“All of my exams involved human opponents,” I informed him. “I’ve never attacked a superior.”
“Oh?” He cocked a brow. “So the hammer incident was meant to seduce me, not hurt me?”
I flinched. “That was different.”
“How so?”
“I wanted to escape. It wasn’t an exam.”
“And do you want to escape now, pet?” he asked, stalking toward me, his dark eyes smoldering with malevolence. “Is that how I provoke you into a fight, by evoking fear?”
I swallowed and stumbled backward, only to find myself up against the wall with a shirtless vampire closing in. I tried to dart to the side, but his hand shot out, his arm blocking my path. Then he repeated the action on my other side, caging me between him and the wall.
“Is this the inspiration you require, Willow?” He leaned in, the heat of his body a luring prospect against mine.
He was lethal.
Gorgeous.
A predator cornering his prey.
A darkness I shouldn’t admire.
And yet, my heart skipped a beat at his proximity, the minty quality of his breath an invitation between us.
Just three days ago, I’d wanted to fight for my life. Then he’d shown me a kindness I’d never experienced before, he spoke to me as if I mattered, and he fed me, clothed me, and gave me a bed.
Every move he made floored me.
I sensed the danger lying beneath the surface, but his actions were unbearably foreign. He called me his pet, yet it sounded more like an endearment than a classification.
He pressed his nose to my cheek and drew a line to my ear, the light caress stirring a swarm of butterflies inside. I didn’t know how to process this. My body nearly leaned into him, but my mind held me back.
This was all a trick, his vampiric abilities overriding my sensibilities.
He’s not a lover.
He’s not a friend.
He’s the enemy.
“You’re supposed to be piquing my interest,” he reminded me softly, the warmth of his breath tickling my neck. “Playing this mousy role isn’t very appealing, Willow.”
I shivered, my lips working without sound. What did he want me to say? Perhaps nothing. What he really wanted was for me to fight. I still had the knife in my hand, and my arms were free at my sides.
It would be easy to attack him.
To hurt him.
Then maybe I could run.
That’d been my original plan. I’d ignored it these last few days because I needed time to acclimate to my new situation. But I was just as confused today as I was when I woke up several days ago.
“I know you’re struggling with your memories,” he murmured. “Have you forgotten how to fight as well?”
It wasn’t so much a struggle as it was a fog. I remembered everything, but there was this intangible gray film over every thought, shading my recollections with a dreamlike filter.
The only experiences I couldn’t recall at all revolved around my time at the breeding camp. Something terrible had happened there. Something I didn’t want to think about. Something that involved glowing green eyes.
Instead, I focused on my university background, the classes I’d taken, the friendships I’d made, and worked on pulling those into my mind. They weren’t perfect, but they were there, lurking inside the bizarre mist I’d mentally contrived.
Ryder sighed. “If you don’t want to spar, then I’ll just eat you instead.”
My focus flew upward to his smoldering irises once more, his expression severely serious. He’d bite me right here, right now, if I didn’t do as he required. I could see the conviction in his stare.