I tasted blood in my mouth before realizing I'd bitten Arthur's lip.
His eyes widened, the haze of desire suddenly replaced by shock. For a moment, we froze, our bodies still pressed together on the bed, our breath mingling. Then he jerked backward, one hand touching his lower lip, a small drop of blood on his fingertip.
"I'm sorry," I gasped, my chest heaving. "I didn't know how else to stop you."
Arthur shook his head as if trying to clear it. "No, I should be apologizing. I nearly—" He cut himself off, rising unsteadily from the bed. "This isn't... I'm not this person."
I sat up, pulling my rumpled blouse closed. "It was the drug. Your grandmother's doing."
"I should have recognized what she was planning." He kept his distance now, pacing again but staying far from the bed—far from me. "I'll sleep in the bathroom."
"Arthur—"
"It's better this way." His voice was firm despite the slight tremor in his hands. "I don't trust myself right now."
