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He is mine. And I am his.

Finally.

21

SISI

His mouth trails wet kisses down my cheek, his stubble tickling me as I shift in bed. My eyes open, my pupils accommodating to the light as I take him in—freshly showered and insanely attractive.

"You didn't shave," I whisper, my palm cupping his slight growth.

"I know you like me when I embrace my less than civil side." He smirks at me and my own lips pull up in a smile.

He's right. I do like when he leaves his gentlemanly ways at the door. Especially since losing his manners has never been sweeter.

"What time is it?" I ask groggily as I try to rouse myself.

"Time for a surprise," he says rather vigorously, gathering me in his arms and lifting me off the bed.

"What?" I'm suddenly alert, frowning in confusion. "What surprise? Where are we going?"

Though I am wont to admit, I'm a little sore from our activities last night.

"You'll see." His mouth quirks up as he carries me out of the room and to the basement. "You probably noticed that the entire basement is custom made," he starts as he plugs in a password toyet another steel door. "And I made something for you too," he tells me, and I can tell he's entirely too excited about this.

Once the door is open, he takes me inside a rather sterile looking room, with only a chair and some tools in the middle.

"Are you going to torture me?" I ask, amused. The entire setting looks like a torture chamber, and knowing Vlad's affinity for torture, I wouldn't be surprised.

"There's only one type of torture I have reserved for you, hell girl," his voice is low and seductive as he blows hot air into my ear, "and it's the type you beg for," he continues, and without even turning to him I can feel his arrogant smirk.

I shake my head, unable to wipe the smile off my face.

"Stop this and tell me what we're doing here," I demand, a little too curious about hissurprise.

He strides to the middle of the room in two steps, carefully placing me in the chair. Laying a quick kiss on my forehead, he drags a table with tools toward me, motioning with his hand at the various devices.

"I'm giving you a tattoo," he declares proudly, opening up the kit to reveal a tattoo gun and other tools.

"A tattoo," I frown, a little taken aback by it.

"Yes!" he exclaims, and his excitement seems to have doubled. "You asked me for one a while back," he continues, slowly unbuttoning my nightgown to reveal the scars on my chest.

After I'd found out that his many tattoos were to hide his scars, I'd been overly enthusiastic about getting one too. But Vlad hadn't been too receptive at the time, saying he didn't want anything on my skin.

I wonder what changed his mind…

"Why now?" I narrow my eyes at him.

I'm only too happy to get a tattoo, but I also want to know what prompted his change of heart, since he was pretty adamant about no tattoos in the beginning.

"Because you want it," he starts, choosing his words carefully, "and because I don't want you to have bad memories from that place—ever again."

I stare at him dumbfounded for a moment before a stupid grin slowly appears on my face.

Grabbing his cheeks in my hands, I bring him closer for a kiss.

"Thank you," I whisper against his lips.