Azrael's POV
*****
Six days.
It's been six full days since he made a private decision to give Celeste some space.
Yes, they discussed the 'biting incident'. Yes, he explained enough to make her see him as anything but a monster. But that's just it. He didn't reveal the whole truth of why he was the way he was around her.
He... Lied.
Lies have always been helpful. Vampires were experts at it, manipulating truths and creating holes in the victim's perspective.
But Celeste wasn't a victim. She was his to protect. Most especially from himself.
All this weighed heavily in his mind as he sat in the audience section of the Crimson Expanse. Across the field, he spotted Celeste moving side by side with her brother.
He noticed the subtle way her eyes swept through the place. Searching. He could also feel the bond humming with her need. A need he desperately wanted to indulge in.
