Chapter 10: Delectable

Catarina escorted Sidia back to her room, humming the melodies of one of the songs the musicians played earlier that evening. She seemed to be in a much better mood after feeding, but she barely said a word to Sidia before pulling the door closed. Sidia didn't mind though. She craved some time alone, but even now, was she really alone?

Since she arrived, she had learned vampires had superior speed, strength, hearing, and other magical abilities. Could they turn invisible too? What if there was a spy in her room right now?

She shuddered, trying to shake the thought out of her mind. More importantly, she wanted to shake away the sorrow encroaching on her heart. Now that a vampire's voice wasn't lacing the air with magical music, the shame and heartache from what she did in the throne room intensified. She had no idea if Marcus left because he was disappointed in her or if he perhaps did have feelings for her, feelings shattered when she declared herself to Severus. Either way, she despised the way he looked at her.

Damn it! Sidia cursed to herself and started disrobing. She needed to get out of this dress. She unlaced everything as quickly as possible, shaking and fighting off the tears the entire time. Why did so much have to happen at once? She needed to save her family, but didn't it mean something that Marcus made her feel this way? She had never thought twice about anyone before. Never. Now that she was finally experiencing romantic feelings, there was nothing she could do about it.

It's not fair! Sidia finally had the fancy clothing off and was down to a silk slip. Tears of frustration poured down her cheeks. She wanted trousers and a shirt, for goodness's sake. Couldn't she have at least one thing she truly wanted?

Sidia groaned and huffed as she dug through the wardrobe for the most casual dress she could find. Sleep was going to evade her, and she wasn't going to waste time staring at the ceiling. She had noticed something very important when Catarina closed the door. Sidia hadn't heard the click of a lock.

Sure enough, Sidia pulled the door open with ease. She wasn't sure if it had been left unlocked on purpose, but she didn't care. It was easy enough to find her way back to the library, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she entered. There was no one there, and the smell of leather and parchment soothed her.

She needed to go back to researching vampires, but her mind was exhausted. Above all else, she needed to rest and relax. This time when she perused the shelves, she looked for comfort reads. It didn't take long to gather a stack of poetry volumes. The library had wondrous collections of verse from Beowulf to Shakespeare and Milton, Spenser and Wordsworth. She settled into a chaise lounge with a beautiful copy of the Faerie Queene and lost herself in the lines.

After some time, she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat deliberately, trying to announce their presence. Sidia looked around and her stomach lurched as she saw Marcus across the room, standing straight with his arms behind his back.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Surprisingly, his tone was gentle and soothing. His expression, however, was guarded. He just seemed like a concerned friend, a future brother-in-law.

"I can't sleep." Sidia admitted. Perhaps she should try to hide her emotions around Marcus, but he didn't seem absolutely loyal to his brother. There was no way she could test his loyalty without risking everything, but maybe she didn't have to hide everything. Was there a way she could show him she was only pretending to side with Severus without revealing her intentions? No, that didn't sound possible.

"What is troubling you?" he asked. His tone was guarded, but he seemed curious.

"Everything." Sidia sighed. "But what do you care?"

Marcus frowned. "You should be careful with Severus."

"I don't need you to state the obvious." Sidia couldn't keep the bitterness out of her words. Why was Marcus like this? The way he looked at her before leaving the throne room devastated her, yet he stood here still trying to protect her. Why? This back-and-forth made her head hurt.

"With the way you're throwing yourself at him, it doesn't seem like it's that obvious to you." Marcus relaxed, resuming his normal arrogant demeanor as he leaned against a book shelf.

"I'm not throwing myself at him!" Sidia hissed. "What would you do in my situation? I'm just a human, thrown into what feels like a brand new world. I spent my whole life thinking the world was practical and real. I never dreamed the creatures and fantasy in books could ever possibly be true. Everything is shattered for me, and I just wanted to survive. What would you do?"

Marcus dropped his smirk for a moment. He stared at Sidia for a long time, as if he was calculating.

"This just isn't how I anticipated you would handle it," he finally responded.

Sidia stared at him incredulously. "What? This isn't . . . what?" She stood up from her chair, seething and trembling with rage. "I'm not living up to your expectations?" she snapped. "You don't know anything about me. You couldn't possibly understand how I feel."

"I know plenty about you." Marcus growled. Sidia blinked, and he was suddenly right in front of her, inches away. He stared down his nose at her, eyes practically burning from the intensity of his gaze.

Despite her irritation at his audacity, Sidia's heart raced. He was so close to her, just within reach. It would be so easy to wrap her arms around him, invite him to hold her.

"Who do you think Severus sends to watch your family? Who do you think he trusts enough to remain hidden and observe the women destined for our coven?" Marcus' voice was so low, so deep. If they were embracing, pressed together, Sidia just knew she'd be able to feel the rich tones reverberating in her chest.

"What do you mean?" Sidia could barely speak.

"Exactly what I said." Marcus stood so perfectly still as he answered.

"But why would he send you? You said he trusts you, but I've only seen you challenge him. You don't seem all that devoted." Clarity managed to reach through the haze of Sidia's desire. Here was an opportunity to learn more about Severus. Any information could help. How much would Marcus reveal?

Marcus smirked again and stepped away. "I have nothing but love and devotion for my dear brother, our true emperor."

Sidia rolled her eyes. "You mock him."

"How dare you suggest such a thing? I would never." Marcus moved past her, reaching for a book from her stack. He thumbed through the pages, back turned to Sidia.

She was about to try and press him further but stopped as he started reading out loud.

"I heard a thousand blended notes, while in a grove I sate reclined, in that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts bring sad thoughts to mind. To her fair works did Nature link the human soul that through me ran; and much it grieved my heart to think what man has made of man."

Sidia knew there was more to the poem. She recognized it as Wordsworth immediately. But Marcus stopped reading. He gently set the book back down and turned around, a somber look in his eyes.

"Why did you stop? You read that so beautifully." Sidia couldn't help but remark on it. He had a natural lilt to his voice that made the rhythm flow through the air. She ached to hear more.

Marcus tilted his head, regarding her in a way she couldn't describe. What was he thinking? What did he see when he looked at her? Did he notice the rapid tapping of her heart? Could he hear the way she lost her breath when he was near? And what did he make of it?

"You should go to bed. I don't think Severus meant for your room to be unlocked. We have newer vampires who struggle to control their thirst. And you smell . . . delectable." Marcus inhaled before using that word to describe her.

Sidia shuddered. It took all her strength not to offer him a taste. The fire that had been burning in her core since she met him flared once more. He had to notice the way her cheeks flushed, the way her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe normally, so overcome with desire.

But did he feel the same? He was so still, unreadable. He stared, yes, but he kept his thoughts hidden.

Sidia gulped and stepped forward, closer to him. He didn't move, said nothing. She took that as a good sign and came closer. Each step seemed to take hours. Everything slowed down as she stopped right in front of him. They were so dangerously close to each other. She could smell sage and bergamot, an earthy scent lingering in the space around him.

Without thinking, acting only on instinct, she reached for his face, fingertips desperate to touch his skin, to pull him towards her. She lifted her feet, shifted to her toes to stand taller, and she leaned in to kiss him.