Chapter 1: Forbidden Touch

A tingle of fear crawled up her spine when she realized that he gained the upper hand.

His strong grip trapped her wrists together as he lifted them above her head. Before Ember could react she was thrust up against the wall, Donovan's solid body pinning her in place.

Ember struggled to free her wrists from his grip, a small growl of frustration escaping her.

Donovan tsked her mockingly as he lowered his mouth to her ear. "What a predicament you have gotten yourself into," he said in his deep throaty voice.

The sensation of his breath on her neck sent a different type of shiver up the skin of her back which only made her anger grow.

"Get off of me, you snake!" Ember snarled, still trying to free herself from his grip. She was answered with the rumble of his laugh reverberating off his chest.

"We both know that isn't what you want, Miss Woods," he said turning his face so that his lips were mere inches from the nape of her neck.

Ember's heart skipped a beat before it hammered violently in her chest. She pictured his razor-sharp canines piercing her skin and renewed her struggles desperately.

A low growl rumbled through Donovan as he buried his nose in her neck and inhaled deeply.

"My my," he muttered quietly with an edge of danger in his voice. "You have the most intoxicating scent. Did you know that I've been wanting to taste you since the day we met?"

His words made her want to shy away from him, but the smell of cardamom and the sound of his deep voice so close to her ear made her body feel like it was on fire.

"And I've wanted to stake your heart since that day," Ember muttered, furious at herself for how much she let Donovan affect her. With a violent yank of her hands, she freed herself from his grip.

Donovan must have been slightly shocked because he was unable to dodge her next move. With a powerful kick to his chest, she managed to gain precious distance between the two of them. Donovan's face sobered quickly as he regained his composure.

Without wasting any precious moments, Ember reached into the waistband of her evening gown for her small dagger and whipped it out. Clenching the handle of the blade tightly she turned it on him, her breath coming in quick ragged successions.

Onyx eyes watched her dangerously as she crouched into a defensive position.

Ember dared to glance around the great hall, trying to stay one step ahead of him. The moon shone in from the ceiling-high windows, casting a blue glow on the suits of armor lining one side of the room.

Her eyes landed back on Donovan who was smiling menacingly, revealing his razor-sharp canines which sent Ember's stomach into somersaults. The Nightstalker pinned her with his menacing gaze as he matched her stance, his long black cloak rustling around his legs.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, his voice dark and threatening.

Instead of answering, Ember kicked off the ground and charged at him with deadly intent. Donovan didn't move as she closed the space between them. Once close enough, Ember swiped her dagger at him which he dodged with ease. Gritting her teeth, she struck out again, only to hear him chuckle as he easily maneuvered himself around the blade.

With a snarl of anger, Ember swiped at him again and again, but each time was in vain. Donovan moved like he was phasing in and out of dimensions, appearing and disappearing just out of reach of Ember's furious attacks.

Mustering up all her stamina, Ember tried to sense where he would appear next. That's when she felt his presence to her left. Without thinking she swung on him, her arm arcing high before bringing the blade down hard and finally making contact with a sickening sound as it pierced his skin and sunk into his flesh.

Donovan cursed in pain mixed with fury. Ember's satisfaction faded as fast as it rose within her as she caught the glimpse of bloody rage in his eyes. What were once deep pools of pitless black, were now a fiery ruby. She'd never seen him like this before and the sight of his predatory eyes narrowed on her with such fury caused Ember's confidence to falter.

This one moment of vulnerability was her downfall.

He ripped the blade from his shoulder and before Ember could even comprehend what was happening, Donovan had phased behind her. All she could manage was a gasp of fear as he locked one of her wrists in his hand before yanking it behind her. Her blood ran cold when he pressed the cold steel of her own dagger to her throat.

Ember didn't dare swallow as he pressed it tightly against her flesh, causing her to lift her chin away from the blade in fear.

"That was a mistake, Miss Woods," Donovan hissed. "If you will forgive me, I've had enough of playing these games with you."

His grip on her wrist as well as the dagger tightened even further, causing the blade to dig into Ember's flesh. She couldn't help the small whimper escape her as she grasped his wrist with her free hand, hoping to pull the danger away ever so slightly. But his iron grip was immovable.

"Here I thought I had been quite amenable to your presence here in my home. I welcomed you with open arms, sheltered you, and fed you. I let you stay as if you yourself lived within my walls. And yet, here we are…"

"Do not act as if you are so charitable," Ember interrupted with as much force as she could dare, her voice strained and trembling against the dagger's blade. "You would have let any woman into your home for the chance at making them your next meal. You wouldn't want your prey to be thin and malnourished now, would you? That's why you took the utmost care of me, you were plumping me up for your own satiation!"

Donovan was quiet for a mere moment before he laughed softly. "Much good that did," he said as she felt his free hand wrapping around her waist. "You're still as lithe and slender as the day I met you."

To Ember's rage, she felt Donovan's hand drop to her thigh and slide around to give her a*s a gentle squeeze. "Aside from this, that is," Donovan finished, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke.

Forgetting the blade altogether, Ember let out a snarl of rage and fought against his touch, but it was a mistake. The dagger made a clean cut across the skin under her ear, but only enough so that a fine trickle of blood started to travel down her collarbone.

Time seemed to stop as Donovan stiffened and Ember froze, realizing what had happened… but it could not be undone.

A ruthless growl started low in Donovan's throat. With swift and precise movements, he spun her around kicked her legs out from underneath her, and dropped her with controlled force to the marble floor.

Ember cried out in fear as she struggled, but once again he had both of her wrists trapped in his grip before he pinned them above her head. She was losing control of her composure and when she saw the feral look in his eyes, what she had left evaporated like water on a scorching day.

Donovan had no remaining resemblance of a human in his eyes.

No. It was primal, animalistic hunger that had replaced the charming, devilish expression she had grown to know over the last few weeks.

"F*ck," Ember whispered in terror, knowing that her time on this earth had just run out.

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture happier times at that moment, not wanting the last thing she ever saw to be a blood-sucking vampire.

Ember felt as Donovan moved his face towards her throat and she let out another whimper.

Swallowing hard, Ember squeezed her eyes tighter.

A sharp gasp of surprise escaped her as his tongue swept up the expanse of her throat beneath her ear, a satisfied hum escaping his lips as he cleaned the blood from her neck. Clenching her fists, she waited with bated breath for him to puncture her throat and drain her of her lifeblood.

But after long agonizing moments, the pain of his bite never came.

Barely daring to breathe, Ember slowly opened her pale blue-gray eyes. Donovan was hovering over her, his eyes having regained some resemblance to a human's, but still sharp and dangerous.

"Tell me, Miss Woods," he said, a hint of restraint in his voice as he watched her, sounding as if he were trying to catch his breath. "Was it always your intention to betray me like this? I know our time spent together wasn't without exchanged glances of longing…" The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile then. "I could smell your desire and hear you as you whispered my name alone in the dark."

Ember's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly in shock.

Donovan took advantage of the opportunity and dropped his mouth to her own, kissing her before she had the chance to fight back.