Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

“Adam, I don’t know what happened, but I’m not the enemy.” She kept her voice level and didn’t break eye contact. “Tell me what happened, Adam. I trust you.”

His fury visibly receded. His eyes cleared and his face lifted.

She nodded at the shift. “Let’s talk about it.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

She swallowed. “Will you sit with me?” Maybe if he calmed down she could get it out of him. “We should put something on that gash.”

He glanced at his arms where more cuts marked his skin. Looking back at her, he frowned. “Were you hurt?”

He was bleeding and probably in need of stitches, yet he worried about her wellbeing? “I’m fine. Grace... Your sister got me out of there.” How had that happened?

He let out a jagged breath. “She should have been watching over you. I should have stayed with you.”

“Adam, I’m fine.” She shrugged. “Come sit down.” He watched her like a distrusting animal follows a predator. “Please.”

He staggered to the bed, collapsing at her side and pulling her into his arms with surprising aggression. Her hand fluttered to his back.

“Hey,” she whispered, and his face burrowed into her shoulder, his lips pressing to her throat as he drew in a long, shuttering breath. “It’s over.”

“I’m sorry,” he rasped.

She pulled back, forcing him to look into her eyes, startled to find his shimmering with unshed tears. “Adam, talk to me. What’s over? I don’t understand what happened.”

He glanced away. “No more talking, Annalise. I’m tired from so much talking.” His stare found hers. “I’m tired of waiting.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Annalise stilled, her concern falling to the wayside, as his words settled in. The air fizzed and snapped with implication, as he waited for her to respond, but she wasn’t sure how to react. Maybe the fight caused his adrenaline to surge and he needed an outlet.

His body practically vibrated with unspent tension. He wasn’t angry with her, but angry in general. And like a teapot, he needed a release valve, or all those emotions were going to blow.

She wasn’t sure she could be that release for him. While she was coming to admit some attraction existed, she wanted answers more than anything else. She also worried his current state of mind might unleash a level of predatory intensity she couldn’t handle.

“You’re hurt.”

“I’ll heal.” His answer was quick, too quick, as if he anticipated the excuse.

“I... I thought you wanted it to mean something.”

“When I heard your screams in the field, I heard your concern. It will mean something. I know you care about me, Annalise. I felt your fear.”

“Something was attacking you.”

“Regardless, you were stricken, heartsick, my pain became yours on an emotional level.”

She shifted and lowered her gaze. “I was just worried about your safety.”

“You were worried about me.”

“Fine. Yes, I was worried about you. But that doesn’t mean we should go to bed together.”

He took her hand in both of his, brow tight as he studied the delicate bone structure of her fingers. “Anna...” His lips twisted as he struggled to put his thoughts into words. “I’m coming undone. Our proximity, our nearness... It soothes and tortures me and I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.”

Palpable tension wrung from him, bleeding into her and pricking her empathetic heart, but she needed more. She needed the truth.

“Tell me what happened in the field? What didn’t Grace want me to see and how did she get me back to the house?”

“Anna...”

“No more secrets, Adam. You’re assuming we share this connection I can’t find. Well, you were the one who said without trust we have nothing. Trust me with the truth.”

His shoulders lifted on a long breath. He lifted her fingers, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “The man touching you... You mistook him for me.”

She frowned. “It was you.”

“No, ainsicht. It was my twin.”

The blood rushed from her head and her arms prickled. “Twin?” She vaguely recalled being told he had a twin brother when she first arrived.

He nodded. “Cain. And he will never lay a finger on you again.”

A chill crested her shoulders and ghosted down her spine. “Wait a minute.” Her brain wasn’t computing. Something wouldn’t add up.

She untangled herself from his hold and pushed her hair out of her face. “Your twin?”

“Yes. Cain.”

“But, he acted like you.”

“People often confuse us—”

“No, Adam. It wasn’t an accident. He knew I thought he was you and he...” She frowned. “That’s why he laughed.”

“You could tell us apart?”

She sensed how badly he wanted her to say yes, but she couldn’t lie. “No. But I honestly think it would have only taken a few more minutes to figure out he wasn’t you. He doesn’t act like you or move like you or smell like you.” She’d been about to put it together when...

Her gaze lifted to his. Confusion plucked at her memory, making a lot of noise but little sense.