Bound to Me Read Free

are a perfect pair.”

 
    CHAPTER TWO
    T he hall clock had just finished chiming the two o’clock hour when we stumbled, laughing like fools, into the town house Valerio was renting. We didn’t bother lighting candles as we moved through the pitch black residence; our eyesight was keen enough to easily make out the sparsely decorated hallway with its wide staircase to the upper floors.
    Grabbing a handful of my skirts, I placed my other hand on the railing leading up the stairs. “I’ll quickly change into some trousers and then we can head to the gaming hells,” I said as I started up the stairs.
    Before I could climb more than a couple of stairs, I was jerked to a sudden halt as the sharp sound of ripping fabric tore through the silence. Twisting around, I found Valerio standing at the bottom of the stairs with a wicked grin on his lips. In his hand was the torn hem of my dress.
    “I think you could use some assistance in getting changed, cara ,” he murmured, his eyes traveling over the length of my sapphire gown.
    Releasing the handrail, I grabbed another handful of my gown, pulling the hem free of his grasp. “Don’t even think about it, bloodsucker,” I growled. “I like this gown.”
    “Then run, cara . Run like a little rabbit if you wish to protect that precious gown of yours.”
    I didn’t hesitate. With my gown grasped tightly in both hands, I hiked it up to my knees and ran up the stairs, my slippered feet silent on the hardwood. As I reached the top stair and turned down the hall toward my room, I heard another, louder rip of fabric, but I didn’t look back to see the kind of damage that Valerio had wrought. Biting my lower lip to hold back the laugh, I ran down the hall and threw open the door to my bedroom, but I knew that Valerio had only been playing with me. He was older than me by centuries, making him stronger and faster. I had always known that he would catch me in the end. Which was, of course, the point.
    Valerio wrapped his arms around my waist from behind as we entered the room together and kicked the door shut with his foot. He spun me around, his mouth finding mine in a rough kiss that kept me from screaming in frustration at the sound of fabric tearing. Valerio had slipped his fingers down the bodice of dress and gave it a quick, sharp jerk, shredding the dress down the front.
    Placing both of my hands against his chest, I pushed away from him with all of my strength, but I only managed to stumble a couple feet away from him because he had allowed it. Around the room, candles flared to life as I lost control of my temper and my hold on my powers faltered for a second. It only caused Valerio’s smile to widen as he reached for me again.
    I smacked his hand away from me, not caring about the fact that I now stood stark naked before him. “I loved that dress.”
    “I’ll buy you another dress. Another exactly like that one if you want,” he promised, beginning to stalk me once again. “I need you, Mira.”
    I hit the end of the bed. Quickly, I crawled up onto it and continued to back away from him on my hands and knees. “If you need me so badly, then you should allow me to disrobe you in the same barbaric fashion.”
    Valerio’s shoulders stiffened and he straightened from where he was leaning over the edge of the bed toward me. His hand ran over the front of his black jacket and crisp white shirt. “Come now, Mira. Let’s be reasonable. You should never discuss a man’s wardrobe in such a manner. It’s just uncivilized.”
    “Uncivilized!” I shrieked. “You destroy my dress and I’m not to lay a finger on your clothing because it’s uncivilized ?” Reaching behind me, I grabbed a pillow and flung it at his head with all my strength. He deftly deflected the missile, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing a second. “Get in this bed right this minute or I’ll burn the clothes off of you.”
    Before I could blink, the nightwalker was on top of me, pinning me down to