"I don't know," Viktor said, averting my gaze.

I didn't know how to react to his unexpected shyness so I just kept walking with him.

Was it possible...? I shook my head as I dispelled the thought that was forming in my mind. And yet, stranger things had happened that night... Could it be true that Viktor Volkov loved me? Was Raoul right? Too many thoughts swirled around in my head, things I heard Viktor say, things I saw him do.

None of it made sense, there were far too many contradictory facts. However, there was still one answer that he owed me. Viktor walked ahead of me on our way back down to the lobby. I grabbed his arm and made him stop to look at me. My face must have shown him it was serious.

“Where were you, Viktor? Why did you leave?” I asked.

He stopped suddenly and pulled me closer to his body. I could feel the heat of him, and my breath caught in my throat. He cupped my face in his hands, tilting my head up so that our eyes met.

“I went to England… to seek your family,” he said. My jaw dropped and I searched his eyes for any lies hidden there, but none emerged. “I know how much they mean to you, especially your sisters. They are safe, but I won't lie to you. I had to fight some of Naran's minions who were on their way to capture them." My heart started to race so fast I thought my heart would leave my chest. I couldn't stand the thought of anything bad happening to them. "It's all right," Viktor assured me softly, his words like a soothing balm on my skin. "Her henchmen are dead now."

"Oh my God, Viktor..." I gasped, a cold sweat running down my back.

Viktor slowly trailed his fingertips down my neck, calming my nerves. His warm breath whispered soothingly in my ear as he tenderly pulled me close, running his hands through my hair.

"I made sure Naran couldn't find them, so I moved them somewhere safe,” he promised.

I sighed in relief, melting into his embrace. My family was safe! I wondered if they were scared, what they were thinking, but the important thing is that he saved them. “They are?” I asked him.

“Yes. I can take you to them soon if you want to go,” Viktor said.

I nodded. Of course I would like to see for myself that my family was unharmed. It brought me relief knowing Viktor hadn’t abandoned me in the middle of the night, but it also saddened me. That I thought he left me here, and how I disobeyed him by putting myself in harm's way. Anything could have happened... Well, a lot did happen. Flashes of my fight with Dario and of my hands radiating light came back to me and I shivered.

I held my hand over his where it was resting against my cheek. Viktor went all the way to England to check on my family… Wait. Viktor went all the way to England in one day? We travelled for days from London to Paris!

“How… How did you reach them in a day, Viktor?” I asked with a slight tremble in my breath. I hoped he wasn’t lying to me about my family.

Viktor's face hardened. “I can show you,” he said. “But not here.”

He spun away and hurried to the reception area. He started talking to the man in charge, asking about their suites. What could he be hiding from me? Something that he didn’t want to show me out in the open? There weren’t many things that one needed to keep hidden behind closed doors. But what did that have to do with how Viktor went to England in one day and back?

Viktor wanted to rent a room for us at the hotel. When I asked, he said it was so he could show me something but I immediately thought of only one thing. The reason he left be damned. All he needed to show me then was how much he missed me, and how much he needed me.

“Give us the best suite you have. I don’t care about the price.” Viktor said to the man at reception.

That’s all it took. My thoughts spun in one direction. He must have wanted the same thing that I did. To take each other apart the moment the door to our room closed. Just the thought of it made me drip into my underwear. I wanted to take it all off right there as we made our way to our suite.

When we finally arrived, Viktor opened the door gentlemanly, revealing an opulent and luxurious hotel room. The walls were lined with expensive fabrics, a large ivory sofa stood in the corner and a table with drinks had been set up in the middle of the room. The lightning of the oil lamps created a romantic atmosphere.

My eyes darted to the massive bed with a canopy and crisp white sheets. I couldn’t help but imagine myself and Viktor fucking on it. I saw us entwining our bodies in pleasure as we explored each other for hours on end, never wanting to leave this wonderland we created for ourselves.

Viktor closed the door behind him with a soft thud that sent shivers down my spine. But instead of pulling me into his arms and pressing his lips against mine, he walked towards the table.

“Would you like something to drink?” Viktor asked. I nodded. It would certainly help calm my nerves. “Sit, please,” he told me.

And of course I did as I was told. I sat down on the bed and sipped on my drink. I wasn't used to drinking alcohol so it tasted like hell but having something to do distracted me from my raucous thoughts. However, I almost choked on my drink when Viktor deliberately took off his shirt in front of me, revealing his supple white skin. My fingers ached to be exploring the hard contours of his abs. I wanted to follow the line of hair that descended from his navel and traced its path to my deepest desires.

I bit the rim of my glass when my eyes landed on his pubic hair, knowing what waited for me just a bit lower. My clit pulsed as Viktor turned around revealing his robust back. I wanted to slide a hand down my slit and start masturbating as I continued to stare.

But that’s when I saw it. There was something about Viktor’s back that was abnormal. I'd never seen it before. I put my glass to the side as something moved under his skin. I leaned in but it wasn’t necessary. Two huge, black wings popped out of his back, and stole the very breath from me.

I had forgotten why we were here, but this was how he did it. This was how he travelled to England and back in less than a day. Viktor could fly!

“So… what do you think?” he said almost shyly. “They’re disgusting, aren’t they?”

“Viktor… no,” I said, and stood up and moved closer to him. I wanted to touch the wings, but I didn’t want to hurt him. So instead I took his face between my palms. “They’re not ugly, they’re beautiful. Is that why you didn’t want to tell me about your special vampiric power before, by the pond?”

Viktor nodded. “It is. I… I didn’t know what you would think of them. It scares me you might find them hideous, and think I’m a monster.”

“I don’t, Viktor. I might even think that they’re sexy,” I said as I quivered my eyebrow. “You're not a monster. You're wonderful.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for a few silent moments until I leaned in wanting to kiss him. However, something stopped me. I still didn’t truly know if Viktor loved me. But then I spied a tear that threatened to slip down his cheek.

“I’m sorry, Lucy. For everything,” he said. He pulled me impossibly close. “There are so many things I would have done differently if I could go back. My feelings terrified me. I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you. Way before you even knew I existed. But I was scared. I didn’t want to hurt you... nor to get hurt again.”