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“Eduardo is an asshole,” Amaliya’s voice said from the doorway.

“Yeah, I know.” Cian glanced toward her. “What happened?”

“I ran into him and he was an ass.” Amaliya said dismissively. “He was hitting on me.”

“He hits on you because he knows you’re attracted to him,” Cian said, not with malice. He hated Eduardo, but he wasn’t foolish enough to discount the man’s appeal to Amaliya. Whenever they hunted together, Amaliya always went after the men who perfectly fit the classification of bad boys. Cian enjoyed watching her feed off of them, her power dwarfing theirs. The sexuality of Amaliya’s predatory nature appealed to him and he enjoyed seeing it in action.

“Yeah, but he’s a fuckin’ dick. He only wants to sleep with me to put his mark on me or something. He might as well just piss on my leg and get it over with.”

Cian burst into laughter. Rocking back in his chair, he swiveled it around so he could see her clearly.

Amaliya leaned against the doorjamb, one hand on her hip. “Honestly, tonight, he kinda freaked me out.”

“How?”

“Other than him boasting about eating out some chick out while she’s on her period, he was just...” Amaliya hesitated. “I felt he was hunting me.”

“Well, Liya, he has been. Since he first saw you.” Cian shrugged. “You’re beautiful, dangerous, and forbidden. He’s going to want you. Plus, he hates me. He probably feels if he can seduce you it’s a way of asserting himself over me.”

“I’m not property.” Amaliya scowled.

“No, but he knows how much I love you.” Cian rocked lightly in his chair. “He’s figured out that the best way to get to me is through you. Though, he’s been saying shit to Cass more and more, too.”

“Is this going to be an issue? Seriously? Eduardo sniffing around the women in your life?”

“It’s just his way. He’s a coyote. A trickster. Causing shit is second nature to them. He’s going to keep sniffing around you until you give in, or he finds another way to annoy me.”

“I’m not going to give in,” Amaliya sniffed. “His hot factor went down a few notches tonight.”

“I’m not threatened by you sleeping with someone,” Cian said. “As long as your heart is mine, I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

“Really?”

“Well, we’ve never agreed to be monogamous.”

“No, we haven’t.” Amaliya tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in thought. “Do you want to be?”

“Throughout my very long life, sex had played many roles in in my existence.” Cian leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He felt the past weighing heavily on him. He had lived many lifetimes and sometimes they blurred together. But there were certain lessons he had learned that had shaped him. The most recent was that he could never be a human man again. During his engagement with Samantha, he’d been very careful with her, trying to hide his vampire nature. It had been difficult, so their sexual relationship had been muted. That was not the case with Amaliya. “My first lover was my wife. I loved her dearly. I somewhat remember our first time together. How awkward it was, but how much it meant. Yet, I can’t remember her face or voice anymore.”

Amaliya’s blue-gray eyes took on a sympathetic expression. “I’m sorry. That must hurt.”

“It bothers me sometimes that I can’t remember her, because I know I loved her with all my heart. We were good Catholics that started having children right away. It was a hard life, yet I was happy. And then...I became a vampire. Nothing was the same afterward. Food and drink had no meaning. Love was replaced with much more base emotions. Sex became part of feeding, power plays, manipulations, and seductions.”

Amaliya ventured closer to him. “Are you saying you didn’t love anyone all that time?”

Cian settled back in his chair. “Honestly, no. Not like I loved my wife. I lusted. I had feelings for women. I was completely enamored with Etzli. I can’t say any of it was actually love. I wanted desperately to love Samantha, but I never really did. Not in the way I should have. I failed her in that regard. I wasn’t in love with anyone other than my wife. Not until you.”

That brought a smile to Amaliya’s face.

“So sex as part of a loving relationship is new to me again. I love you. I also lust you. Sometimes the two intermingle. Other times, they don’t. Sometimes I feel completely content just watching you play those damn drums or doing simple mundane things. I feel utterly enthralled with you. Other times I just want to fuck you. And then there are times when sex feels like making love.”

Amaliya swept her hair back from her face. “So, basically, what you’re saying is that sex isn’t love.”

“No. Sex with you is intense and exciting, but I don’t regard it as the core of our relationship. Do you?”

She wagged her head no. “Nah. It’s great, but...I agree. Honestly, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to stick with the monogamy thing for like...eternity.”

Cian laughed. “As long as you and are committed to being together, united, and in love, I am not worried.”