Accidentally Married to…a Vampire?(Accidentally Yours #2)(21)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“But I won’t tell anyone,” she argued. “Who’ll even know? Don’t you trust me?”

Helena suddenly found herself pinned beneath him. A flicker of anger danced in his eyes. Was she finally going to see her unshakable vampire lose his cool?

“I will know,” he said. “And it is you who does not trust me, Helena. It is you who asks me to betray you by breaking my vows because you would surely pay the price, just as I would.”

Huh? This wasn’t making any sense. She looked away from his hypnotic gaze. She knew all it would take was one sweet kiss and she’d be lost again. Lost in his hard body, his powerful arms, and his silky hot tongue. Then he’d disappear again.

She clamped her eyes shut, feeling the sumptuous weight of his body on top of her. No. Dammit. Be strong. She snapped her head toward him and met his eyes. “I don’t care what you vowed, Niccolo. I need the truth. Now. So either find a way to tell me or no wedding. No forever.”

He pounded his fist into the bed beside her, leaving a gaping hole. Feathers from the comforter rained down on them. In the blink of an eye he was across the room, standing in the corner.

Against the blond hardwood floor, white walls, and furniture, Niccolo looked like a menacing black panther waiting in the shadows to take down his prey.

“Please,” she rose slowly to approach him, but he held out his hands, gesturing for her to stay back.

She suddenly regretted her earlier wish. Watching him lose control was frightening. But she couldn’t back down; this was just too darn important.

She eased herself on the edge of the bed. “You’re being unfair, Niccolo. You’re asking me to give up my life to be with you.”

“Sì, and I value your life more than I value fairness. You will marry me. We will be together. I will not discuss this again.” His dark eyes turned into bottomless, black pits. “Capisce?” he growled.

Barbarian. Or, is he a medieval bastard? Dammit why didn’t I pay closer attention to time periods in history class?

Helena sighed. Didn’t matter what she called him, he wasn’t changing his mind. Not now. Not in the seven days left before their wedding. She would have to follow him blindly into the darkness of his world or leave him. Plain and simple.

So what would it be? She knew what her body said: Stay.

She knew what her mind said: Leave.

But what did her heart say?

When it came down to it, she really knew nothing about Niccolo. Certainly not much more than the night she’d met him in Mexico. This was not how she wanted to start a marriage, one that would last for an eternity.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“Love?” he growled. “Vampires do not do love.”

“Excuse me?”

He looked at her, his eyes as black abandoned coalmines. “What does love have to do with it? We are mates. Our bond is eternal.”

What does love have to do with it? After everything she’d given up, that was his answer? “Love has everything to do with it, Tina! Everything!” She stomped her foot. “We’re over! You arrogant vampire, I’m not marrying you. Capisce?”

“Why the hell are you calling me ‘Tina’?! And I thought you wanted to be with me,” he said bitterly, but clearly didn’t give any credence to her words.

“Not anymore! Who the hell wants a life with someone who doesn’t ‘do love.’ That’s…that’s…just sad!”

In a heartbeat he grabbed Helena and held her up under her arms, staring angrily into her eyes. “I know you do not mean it, Helena. Because you love me. And for you, that’s everything.”

Oh, that does it. Maybe she was human. And a bit smaller. Okay, a lot smaller, but she wasn’t afraid of him and wouldn’t stand for being bullied. Physically or emotionally. “Unless you plan on killing me, you’d better put me down, Vampire! Because I’m not marrying you. In fact, I’m going home! Back to my old life. I don’t want what’s behind door number three. I don’t want your old stinky donkey! I want my beaches, sunshine, lots of real Italian food”—God, how I miss eating garlic!—“I want to start my career and see my mom and friends whenever I want, and…”

She wanted to say something to hurt him, to pierce that undead heart of his and pay him back for not loving her, not trusting her, and treating her like a child. “And men who aren’t so bad in bed they avoid sex like the bubonic plague.” Jeez, that was so stupid. There was no other man on earth who was probably more skilled than Niccolo. She didn’t have to sleep with him to figure that one out.

She watched as fury engulfed his face. Still holding her in the air, his voice thundered, “Your old life is over, woman! There is no more mother or friends or sunshine for you! You live in my world now, and if you ever threaten to be with another male, I will chain you to my bed.”

“Put me down! You outdated, archaic, crusty old Italian vampire! And…who the hell doesn’t know about Tina Turner?” Helena screamed.

Niccolo cursed at the ceiling, “Why me? I should have listened to Cimil. She warned that a human bride would only cause me trouble.” He slowly lowered Helena to the floor and glared down at her. “Maledizione! A f**king curse! That’s what she said. But I didn’t care! I wanted this anyway. But she was right, Cristo sacro! It is a curse to be bound to—to food!”

Helena gasped. “Food? Did you just call me ‘food’?” Helena felt her face turn red hot.

“What the hell do you think vampires eat? Cookies?” he screamed so loud the windows rattled. “And get used to it, because you’ll be calling humans food, too! There is no other blood we can survive on. None!”

Helena froze. “None? How about wild game or…bunnies?”

“Bloody inferno, woman! You read too many silly books. Those cannot sustain us.”

Inferno was right. Helena had never really thought about it. She just assumed she could drink animal blood—no big deal; after all, she was a die-hard meat-atarian. But he’d just said “humans.” If he turned her, she would have to drink…people?

Ick! Ick! Ick! And who would it come from?

Hey, whose blood has he been sucking? It sure as hell hasn’t been mine, she thought absurdly. No. This is all wrong. What was she doing with him?

“I was a total idiot to ever think I could be happy with you! Your world is dark and miserable. You are dark and miserable.” She kicked him hard in the groin, and bolted for the door.