Page 152 of Craving Carla

I stare, slightly surprised as I watch him gulp it down entirely without coming up for air—though I suppose as a vampire, he doesn’t need to breathe. He finishes nearly half of it before stopping, and I notice him wince. The taste of old blood clearly bothers him.

I start to offer my wrist to him, but he flinches away.

“No, Carla. I am not feeding from you, not right now,” he says firmly.

“Why not?”

“Because you used a lot of magic today, and I’m not about to be selfish and take more energy from you just to replenish myself. Let me have some respect for you, please.”

I giggle and let my arm fall as he goes back to drinking. He finishes the gallon and clears his throat.

“Horrible,” he moans, “but it’s getting better.”

I finish my food and gulp down my juice. Amari takes the tray along with the empty jug and in a flash, he’s gone and back within seconds. I smile as he slowly walks back into the bedroom and climbs into bed, pulling me into his arms.

“Do you ever get urges to go back to Midnight Moon?” I ask. “Or to your company? Do you miss your old life before me?”

Amari narrows his eyes. “Why are you asking me that? You feel the mate bond, so you should understand.”

“Yes, I do, but it still kind of bothers me that you’re giving so much of your life to be here with me. I remember how much you hated Wintermoon and called it a cage, that you wanted to take me out of here.”

Amari sighs and pulls me closer against him. “You’re right about all those things, and I still feel that way sometimes. But I understand now why you need to be here. I understand why this is a home for you despite how you’re treated.”

“And you still feel the same about Wintermoon being a zoo?” I ask cautiously.

He chuckles. “A little. I plan to meet with King Amir and Queen Anora to discuss setting better boundaries with the humans. If they’re going to come here, they need to respect us. This isn’t a matter of money—Wintermoon doesn’t need to worry about that. Our land is rich in resources.”

I smile at him claiming Wintermoon as his home.

“But the way they behave on the tourist island,” he continues, “it’s no wonder the spider was able to infiltrate our land.” He pauses. “What do you plan to do with it? I noticed you didn’t kill it.”

“I couldn’t,” I admit. “Verde and Petra were still in there—I could feel them. It’s still sentient, just... different now. But maybe there’s a way I can turn it into one of my children.”

“Is there a way I can come to limbo with you? To make sure you’re protected?”

“No,” I shake my head. “I don’t want you to go in there. I’ve got it in a special place. If I can’t control it, I’ll destroy it.” I swallow hard. “But it will hurt me because it will feel like another one of my children has been taken from me. But I don’t know that for sure. I’ve just got my powers back, and I’m learning more about myself with each passing second.”

Amari gently rubs my back.

“What’s next?” I ask. “We’ve stopped whatever Alexis was planning... but now what?”

“The fight isn’t over,” Amari says. “While you’re dealing with limbo and coming into your role as Queen of the realms, I’ll be busy making sure Brookstone and Blackburn Enterprises gets taken down. I’m going to help Bobby in any way that I can.”

“Does this mean you’ll have to leave Wintermoon sometimes?”

Amari gives me a wicked grin. “Need I remind you that we’re in the digital era? I can be in many places at once due to technology.”

I giggle and playfully slap his chest.

“No way am I leaving you,” he says more seriously. “At most, it would be to the tourist island or royal island, but even that isn’t feasible for me right now. I want you with me always.”

I blush at that.

“It will be hard for me when you have to travel to limbo,” he admits.

“I’m still figuring things out,” I say, “but I’m not just going to pull you in there without knowing it will be safe for you.”

“I have some of your magic, so it’s probably safe.”