The first thing I notice is the warmth.
Not the biting cold of the storm outside. Not the familiar ache of exhaustion in my bones. But warmth—solid, inescapable, pressed against every inch of my skin.
A slow, steady breath stirs my hair, and then the weight of an arm draped possessively over my waist.
My eyes fly open.
The fire in the hearth has burned low, the last embers casting faint, flickering shadows against the stone walls. The heavy scent of him lingers in the air—dark, rich, intoxicating. My body still hums, a phantom sensation of his touch trailing along my skin.
Panic claws at my chest.
I turn my head, pulse hammering as my gaze lands on him.
The vampire sleeps soundly beside me, his face softened in sleep, deceptively human in the dim morning light. His dark lashes rest against his pale skin, his lips slightly parted, his breathing slow and even.
For a moment, I can't move.
The memories crash into me like a tidal wave. His lips against mine, the way he had murmured my name with reverence, the desperate hunger in his touch. My body betraying me, responding as if I had wanted him.
But I hadn't.
The spell.
A sickening realization spreads through me.
He made me want him. He forced the desire into my veins, turned my own body against me.
Rage swells in my chest, warring with the nausea curling in my stomach. My hands shake as I lift the blanket, confirming what I already know. I'm bare beneath the sheets, my clothes strewn haphazardly across the floor.
I feel sick.
I don't know how long I stare at him, horror twisting inside me, but then his fingers twitch, and a soft sigh escapes his lips. He shifts slightly, his grip around my waist tightening as if his body instinctively seeks mine even in sleep.
That snaps me out of it.
I have to leave. Now.
Biting my lip to silence my ragged breath, I inch away from him. His warmth clings to me as I carefully lift his arm, moving with slow, precise movements. My heartbeat is a deafening roar in my ears, every muscle tensed, waiting for him to wake.
When he doesn't stir, I slip from the bed, my body stiff and sore. I grab my clothes in shaking hands, pulling them on as quickly as possible. My fingers fumble with the buttons, my mind screaming at me to move faster.
The air is frigid as I creep toward the door. The storm has quieted to a whisper outside, the heavy snowfall blanketing the world in eerie stillness.
I pause only once—just long enough to glance back.
The vampire hasn't moved. His expression is still peaceful, unaware. Unaware that when he wakes, I'll be gone.
A bitter taste fills my mouth. I was never yours.
Then, without another breath, I slip outside into the cold and run.