“I reached for her through the darkness, but she was gone. Like dominoes folding over, the rest of the mirrors collapsed down on top of me. The impact caused the world around me to vanish.”

“For the first time since we began our sparring match, I was suddenly aware of him—all of him. Aware of the soft black curls tumbling across his forehead; aware of the firm muscles on his chest and stomach; aware of the intense heat in his silver eyes. Most of all, I was aware of the strong current coursing through my body, luring me toward him. Without further hesitation, he laced his fingers through my hair and pulled me deeper into him. His lips collided against mine, drawing me out of the darkness toward a warm, safe light. With a simple kiss, he had managed to dispel so much of my pain.”

“Sebastian then turned to the redhead. I didn’t want to know her name. I already had a perfectly fitting nickname for her in my head. “This is Selena Alvaro.” “Please call me Lena,” the girl smiled, extending a manicured hand. I shook it politely. Whatever Sebastian's issue was, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of showing that I cared. “Do you know Bast well?” she asked me. Ugh. That nickname again. “I guess not,” I replied curtly, shooting him a pointed look. “He's just one of the vampires in town.”

“His tone made me think that he wasn’t just talking about this date with Lena, but I didn’t have long to contemplate the thought. I was completely distracted by the fact that his arms had somehow found their way around my waist and were gently pulling me to him. My own body responded with a slight tremble, spilling over with tension as his mouth slowly sought out mine. “I wanted to do this all day,” he murmured huskily. His lips inched closer as I lifted mine to meet them.”

“Oh, alright,” I conceded. “But if you try something, I swear I’ll use my pet dagger to cut off—” “I said I’d behave! Though, you’re making it kinda hard to be good with all that talk of wanting to have your way with me.” I released my grip on his neck and smacked the top of his head.”

“Charlotte shrugged. “In the end, greed makes the world go round,” she proclaimed. “Although, revenge isn’t very far behind either.” She chuckled at her own joke.”

“I thought that you said that your name was reserved only for family.” A small smile broke through his stoic expression. “The way I see it, even if you don’t come around and realize that you can’t resist my striking looks and enticing charm, and that you desperately want to spend the rest of your life in my arms—” “Which will never happen…” “—you’ll eventually end up with my silly little brother. Who, just to warn you, despite being a great guy, is nowhere near as handsome and charming as I.”