Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 46

It was just after midday when Vince drove into another town. By now what little sense of direction I possessed was fried. As we drove through the city, I noticed a lot of people having lunch outside the cafés, obviously lured out by the warm sun. It was mostly the elderly at this hour, and even the foot traffic was leisurely and relaxed.

The journey here had been fraught with tension. Vincent had been utterly silent, something which I intuited was uncharacteristic. Even now, as he slowed down, the summer sun did nothing to diffuse the arctic temperatures in the tinted car. I only took a cursory glance at the crowd outside - that is, until Vincent parked the car in a shady spot outside one of the cafés.

"What're you doing?" I asked in alarm.

"Feeding you," he replied, pulling on a cap before he stepped out.

What was wrong with him? Couldn't he see the crowd? "I don't want to be fed!"

He reached into the car and dragged me out, then pulled me to his side and marched me to a shady table. "That's another peculiarity with you - you never seem to want to eat," he hissed in my ear. "Still, you didn't have breakfast so you're having lunch whether you like it or not because I won't have you dying of starvation!"

"I'm sure you want all the credit for my death," I shot back.

He pulled out my chair, hissing, "Exactly!"

My heart skipped a beat and I felt utterly helpless. I plopped into the chair. He leaned closer to me, but I couldn't feel his cool breath as he whispered, "You're going to behave yourself. We'll keep playing the happy couple to slip under the radar. Got it?"

I looked around at the people here, having a good time. It felt like he'd taken them hostage. I couldn't cause a scene here. Who knew what would happen if he lost control? So far all he'd done was meant to piss off Warren and possibly Victor, but he hadn't tried to hurt me. He was mad now, however, and I didn't want to find out what he was capable of. He scared me more than I ever wanted him to know.

I nodded mutely. Once he was sure I agreed, he went round the table. A blond waitress spotted him, smiled and began to wend her way over. It still surprised me how easily Vincent caught women's attention - but then again, he had a magnetic aura around him that even Victor didn't possess. Somehow, girls were drawn to him like moths to a flame, and even their natural fear of him couldn't seem to stop them.

I turned to him. He was in the chair across from me, his grey eyes watching me closely. He was smiling, and I was almost sure his good humor was back. I took a breath and tucked my hair back, preparing myself. It was a good thing I'd discovered my acting skills because I needed them now. And then I took a moment to assess just how insane my situation was.

I was about to look death in the eye and flirt.

"Hello, I'm Sondra." The waitress had arrived and was now stealing glances at Vince. "What would you like to order?"

"Babe?" Vince prompted, his eyes soft.

"Um, I think I'll just have a chicken wrap with a side of fries and vanilla shake."

"Okay, and for you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said, turning his full charm on her.

She blushed and giggled, "Okay, coming right up." She backed away, tripped over a chair leg and only just braced herself on a table. She fled, her face burning.

"Do you enjoy doing that?" I asked curiously.

His smile was sly now. "It has it's perks. Like when I need to feed. Are you sure you'll be okay with what you ordered? You don't need anything else?"