Page 41 of Beast of Blood and Roses (Dark Ever After Fairytales #1)

Chapter Forty-One

Fierro

Someone whispered in my ear, her voice soft and trembling with emotion. “Drink from me. I love you and offer you my blood freely.” Warm lips brushed over mine with infinite tenderness, the touch pulling me back from the dark void I’d been sinking into.

I recognized that voice immediately, even through the haze of death. It was Rosalie. My Rosalie.

The moment consciousness returned, I inhaled deeply and caught the scent of something that made every cell in my body come alive—metallic, warm, intoxicating.

Blood. A fierce, primal hunger overtook me unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

It crashed through my system like a hurricane, consuming every rational thought.

My fangs lengthened instantly, sharp as razors, and my eyes flew open with bloodthirsty intensity.

Through my vampire vision, everything was vivid and heightened.

Rosalie knelt beside me, her beautiful face pale but determined.

She had pulled her dark hair away from her neck, exposing the delicate curve of her throat.

There, just below her pulse point, was a thin bleeding scratch she’d made with something sharp. It wasn’t much—barely more than a paper cut—but the few drops of crimson blood were enough to awaken a hunger that had been denied and suppressed for far too long.

The scent filled my nostrils, making my mouth water and causing my hands shake with need. My vampire nature roared to life, demanding I take what was being offered, demanding I feed on the woman I loved.

But even through the bloodlust, I could see the trust in her amber eyes—and the very real fear of what I might do to her.

“I won’t kill you,” I promised through gritted teeth, even as my hands shook with the effort of controlling the hunger raging through me. I prayed to whatever gods might listen that I could keep that promise.

“I know you won’t.” She brushed my hair with gentle fingers, but I could feel the slight tremor that betrayed her fear. “Drink, please.”

It was my turn to prove what I truly was underneath this handsome human face. Was I still the monster who had killed without remorse, or had her love changed something fundamental in me?

I leaned forward and sank my fangs into the soft skin of her neck. The moment her blood hit my tongue, I nearly lost all control. It was the sweetest thing I had ever tasted—not just blood, but life itself, love itself, flowing into me like liquid starlight.

Hunger exploded inside, primal and demanding. I wanted to drink and drink and drink until I was drunk on her essence, until I was stronger than I’d ever been, until I’d taken every drop she had to give.

My fangs went deeper, and I heard her sharp intake of breath—part pain, part fear—but she didn’t pull away.

More blood flowed, rich and warm, and the vampire in me roared with triumph, compelling me to take it all.

The same ravenous hunger pulsed through me like a living thing, wanting to drain her completely, to feel the intoxicating rush of power that came with taking a life.

More, the monster whispered in my mind. She’s offering it freely. Take what you need. Take everything.

Her blood was like aged wine in my veins, rich and intoxicating, awakening every predatory instinct I’d been unable to quench for months.

I could feel her heartbeat against my lips, could sense the life force flowing through her delicate body.

It would be so easy to let go, to give in to the hunger that had been denied for so long.

My hands gripped her shoulders tighter, and she trembled slightly. The scent of her fear mixed with the metallic sweetness of her blood, and part of me—the part that had been Enzo’s enforcer, that had killed without remorse—reveled in it.

But then I heard her soft whisper. “I trust you.”

Those three words cut through the bloodlust like a blade. This wasn’t just anyone—this was my Rosalie. The woman who had seen past my monstrous exterior, who had defended me against her own father, who had just declared her love while offering me her very life.

I tried to stop drinking even as my body screamed in protest. Every swallow was a battle between the beast I had been and the man she believed I could become .

Stop. Just stop. I commanded myself, but my fangs seemed to have a will of their own, wanting to sink deeper, to take more of that intoxicating life force.

This was the woman who had seen past my monster’s face to something worth saving. This was the woman who had offered me her blood freely, trusting me with her very life when she had every reason to fear me. This was the woman I loved more than my own existence.

She gasped softly, and I could feel her pulse racing against my lips—rapid, frantic, like a caged bird.

Fear was pumping through her bloodstream faster and faster, and I could taste it in her blood, smell it in her scent.

I was terrifying her. The realization slapped me back into reality.

Was I still a monster, or had I become something else?

This wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted her to trust me, to see that her faith in me wasn’t misplaced. But here I was, a predator with my fangs buried in her throat, taking from her while she trembled with fear.

With tremendous effort, I tore myself away, my fangs withdrawing slowly from her neck. The hunger roared in protest, demanding I finish what I’d started, but I forced myself to resist.

I had to prove I was more than my nature. I had to prove her love could save us both.

I kissed the tender spot where I had bitten, my lips gentle against the two small puncture wounds that were already beginning to heal.

Then I moved up to capture her parted lips in a kiss that held all the love and gratitude I couldn’t put into words.

I stared into her half-hooded amber eyes, still glowing with trust despite everything.

“I love you,” I whispered against her lips .

“You stopped,” a voice behind us said with something that sounded like wonder.

I jerked up protectively, my entire body going rigid. Tinker Bell stood there, studying me with a curious gaze that seemed to see straight through my soul. Trystan and his pack of wolves flanked her, but they all stood back as if giving the powerful witch a wide berth.

I wrapped my arm around Rosalie and lifted her off the ground, positioning her safely behind me as I faced the woman who had cursed me. “Don’t hurt her.”

“You love her,” Tinker Bell said, and there was genuine amazement in her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe someone like me was capable of such an emotion.

I held my head up high, meeting her gaze without flinching. “I’d do anything to protect her. I’d die for her.”

Rosalie’s hand found my arm, her touch warm and steady. “And I love him with all my heart.”

Tinker Bell finally smiled; not the cold, calculating expression I had seen before, but something that almost looked like approval. “I know you do. You have both proven yourselves, Fierro Bastia. I have lifted the curse. Keep her safe.”

A surge of fierce joy and determination rushed through me, followed by something even deeper—pure, overwhelming love.

The curse was broken. I could protect her properly now, love her completely, as the man I truly was meant to be.

I pulled her closer against me, my heart finally whole.

“I will,” I vowed, my voice rough with emotion and absolute certainty.

“With everything I am, everything I’ll ever be, I’ll keep her safe. No one will ever hurt her again.”

Tinker Bell’s expression softened as she looked at Rosalie. “Magic recognizes magic, Aurora Nightshade. I have felt your power since the moment you arrived. Your true heritage calls to you now. It is time to reclaim who you were always meant to be.”

Rosalie’s grip tightened on my arm, her nails digging into my skin as she processed this final revelation. “My parents, are they...” She swallowed hard. “Are they in hell because of what he did?”

“No, dear one.” Tinker Bell’s voice was gentler than I’d ever heard it. “Your Uncle Tobias has powerful allies. The Archangel Michael himself ensured their souls were protected. Anyone who gives their life for another has made the greatest sacrifice of all.”

I stiffened at the mention of the Archangel Michael, my vampire instincts screaming warnings. My kind definitely wasn’t on his list of favored creatures, and the fact that Rosalie’s family had his protection made our situation infinitely more complicated.

My phone rang with a harsh, jarring sound that cut through the peaceful moment.

What the hell? I slipped my hand into my pocket, confusion washing over me.

I hadn’t carried a phone since everyone thought I was dead or missing.

How was this even possible? I gave Tinker Bell a curious look and she shrugged, but I caught a hint of mischief in her expression.

Rosalie wiped away the tears from her cheeks, her amber eyes still shining with emotion.

I glanced at the screen and my blood ran cold. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “It’s Angelo Santi.” The name felt like poison on my tongue.

Her face went completely white, all the color draining from her cheeks as if I’d just said the name of her worst nightmare. Her entire body went rigid, and I could feel her trembling against me.

She had worked for him. She’d been a waitress at Crimson Stakes. She’d probably served Angelo without knowing the true monster he really was.

My mind raced. How did Angelo even know I was alive? And how did he get this number? I answered reluctantly, my voice guarded. ‘Yeah?’”

“Where the hell have you been?” Angelo’s voice exploded through the phone, sharp and furious. “You’ve been missing for months, Fierro! Months!”

Ice ran through my veins. I’d never heard Angelo this angry, and I knew what he was capable of when crossed. “I uh...I’ve had some complications?—”

“Never mind that,” he cut me off with typical impatience. “Are you hiding Enzo and Joy? Because I swear to god, if you’re protecting them after what that bitch did to Serenity…”

Joy? I didn’t even know who that was, but I wasn’t going to correct him, not when he was in a rage like this.

I had seen what happened to people who crossed him and no way did I want to end up in his secret room or have him come here.

I frowned, genuinely confused. “No. I don’t even know where they are. ”

“They’re hiding from me.” Angelo turned deadly cold. “Joy hurt my mate during a magical outburst. Serenity’s been in a coma for a week. If I find out you’re sheltering them...”

“I’m not lying, Angelo.” I remained calm despite the ice forming in my chest. “Trystan’s standing right here, and he can vouch for where I’ve been.”

Rosalie’s hand found mine, squeezing gently, as Santi family politics crashed back into our newfound happiness.