Read Online William by Claire Cray - Free Book Online Page A

and then
a bedroom lit only by the last traces of dusk and the flicker of
lanterns on the balcony outside. Merrick laid me down upon the bed,
straightening my clothes before moving down to pull off my boots. I
was perfectly still, a look of bliss still painted on my
features.
    Merrick set my boots on the floor and sat
down on the bed beside me, reaching down to brush the hair from my
forehead with a look of almost painful fondness. Then he lifted his
own wrist to his mouth.
    There was a confusing moment of darkness, as
though my eyes had fallen shut, and when I opened them I found
myself back in my body. Merrick was holding his wrist against my
lips, and his sweet blood was blooming over my tongue.
    "There you are," he murmured.
    I blinked at him drowsily; my hand had
covered his wrist to hold it close. I swallowed my first sip of
that strange elixir, and then, with a stifled moan, I closed my
eyes and began to drink.
    "Yes," Merrick whispered, leaning over me
with one elbow beside my head, his free hand stroking my hair.
"That's it."
    My God, why hadn't he told me it was
delicious? No, delicious was not the word for it. No words existed
for such a liquor. It was rushing up and down my limbs in sparkling
cascades, making me shiver. I moaned again, sharply, and wrapped
both hands greedily around his forearm.
    Merrick exhaled and flexed his fingers.
"That's it. You're almost there."
    Yes, I was filling up; I could feel it
reaching its zenith. My entire being was abuzz with it, my soul
spread open to accommodate every last drop of bliss he could spill.
And then, just when I felt quite nourished, the thirst disappeared
with a clean, delightful snap.
    I broke free of his wrist with a gasp, going
stiff for a moment. The last few drops went down with a shower of
satisfaction surpassing any I’d ever felt, blanketing my soul in a
wonderful languor. I relaxed into the bedding, which felt
impossibly plush and inviting beneath me, and slowly opened my
eyes.
    Merrick looked just like his old self. The
shadows and fine lines beneath his eyes had disappeared, and his
skin had regained its silky smoothness. For a moment he looked at
me with his usual solemn calm. But then a smile broke like dawn
upon his face, and it spread so wide that his eyes crinkled.
    My heart exploded.
    "We have a strange night ahead." Merrick took
my hand to hold it against his chest. "But I’ll be with you now, at
last."
    A hundred tons had been lifted from my
shoulders, but I could not yet speak. I was still overwhelmed by
the sensations that had just roared through me, and still overjoyed
by the warmth and purity of his smile. I laced my fingers through
his, biting my lip.
    "Careful." He lightly touched the corner of
my mouth. "Your teeth will be sharp by night’s end."
    "Good," I replied, and the word came out in a
drunken slur.
    The smile returned, and when he gathered me
into his arms I had no doubt that his burden had been lifted,
too.

CHAPTER TEN
    A strange night, indeed. Delightfully so. I
lay in happy silence against his side, my hand still clasped
against his chest, wanting nothing but to breathe in the night and
listen to the beat of his heart. The windows were open, and now and
again the warm breeze brushed over my cheek like silk. The street
below us was lively, a steady hum of voices and footsteps, cart
wheels and livery bells, horse hooves on the cobblestones. It all
had a musical quality of a kind I'd never heard before, like a folk
symphony of the night. Beneath my arm and cheek and thigh,
Merrick's body was firm and solid. He smelled divine, and I
realized with wonderful surprise that I could detect the fragrance
of his blood, now that I had tasted it. I turned my nose into his
chest and inhaled deeply.
    Merrick smoothed his hand up my spine and
looked down at me. I turned my face up to meet his gaze, smiling
when I remembered how beautiful he was. My thoughts were still too
scattered for words. Merrick didn't seem to mind, and I was content
to