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Belatedly, I realized that with the drama of watching him awaken, no one had actually fed him.

He was probably in a lot more pain than he was letting on.

Bryan and Tobias seemed to have come to that conclusion at the same moment I did. Because they glanced at each other with matching expressions of dismay.

Then Tobias winced and said, “I’ll go get a blood bag.” He paused, giving Danny and I a dubious look. “On second thought, I’ll grab several.”

And, somehow, in the midst of all of Rico’s enthusiasm, I found myself relaxing. And I knew that Danny had, too. Everything wasn’t all better or anything, but I could feel his guilt and shame easing. It would probably linger for a while. There wasn’t much I could do about that, except be there for him. When he needed me.

And I could feel Danny starting to forgive himself, just a little. This was helped by the fact that Rico—now that his initial shock and anxiety had worn off—seemed completely unflappable. And relentlessly determined to see the positives in just about everything. Every time he opened his mouth, it was like sunshine pouring out.

And when Bryan showed him how to use his vamp-speed, Rico became insufferable, zipping around the basement in short bursts of blurry speed, grinning ear-to-ear like he was on an amusement ride. That is, until Thierry came back downstairs, took one look at the proceedings, and then informed Rico that he would bind him with silver unless he stopped.

“Well, you’re not much fun, are you?” Rico huffed, frowning at Thierry.

Thierry arched a single eyebrow at him. “No, I’m really not.”

When Danny and I grinned at each other, I finally felt it for the first time since I had become a vampire: happiness.

We were together.

Against all odds, Danny had come back to me. He had chosen me, just like I had chosen him. And maybe not right now, but someday soon, we were going to be okay. More than okay. And it felt right to be happy about that.

“Hey,” I said aloud, so quietly that I doubted the others could hear me. “I love you.”

He slipped his hand inside mine. “I’ll love you for an eternity,” he countered.

I pulled him close and kissed him. When I pulled back, his eyes were wet.

“What is it?” I asked, even though I thought I knew.

He swallowed. “Michael, I got so lost.”

“But I found you,” I said, pulling him against me, where he belonged, and holding him tight. “I’ll always find you, Danny. For forever, if that’s what it takes. I promise.”

He nodded, then slipped his arms around me. He laid his head down on my shoulder. His eyes drifted shut, but there were tears on his lashes. And he had never looked more beautiful.

My perfect mate.

Maybe Rico was right. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing. After all, we would have an eternity to love each other now, wouldn’t we? To learn how to do it properly. And forever didn’t seem like such a bad thing, if he was by my side.

No,he agreed, smiling a bit against my shoulder. He let out a happy sigh.It’s not such a bad thing at all.

EPILOGUE || MICHAEL

“You needn’t be afraid.” A tall, dark-skinned woman with a regal face and an accent that sounded like it had everything but the kitchen sink in it flashed us an amused look. “We won’t bite.”

It wasn’therbitingusthat I was afraid of.

But it had been a little over three months since I had asked Thierry to turn me into a vampire. We should have been fine to be in mixed company by now, according to both him and Bryan.

Still, a bar full of people seemed like it was pushing it.

Danny gave my hand a squeeze and I glanced over at him. I could sense through our bond that he was just as wary as I. We had essentially placed ourselves on house arrest the moment we’d gotten to Seattle. His dark eyes met mine.

Are you okay?

I nodded back at him. Surprisingly, I was. Certainly, I felt steadier than he did. I could sense his anxiety rippling through him. What if he lost control? What if he hurt someone again?