Page 100 of Burn Falls

A wave of sadness washed over me at the fact that I wasn’t pregnant. It wasn’t because I wanted to have a baby right now, but not being pregnant meant that Draven and I weren’t soulmates. I didn’t know what I expected from our relationship because it had just started, but I wasn’t used to dating someone I didn’t think I could potentially have a future with.

“Whatever happens, know that I’ll always love you,” I whispered. I knew he could hear me with his super hearing, but Draven didn’t say anything back, and that was okay. After learning about Mary, I understood why he wasn’t taking the next step. Knowing that he cared for me and wanted to keep me safe was enough since there was a timeframe on our relationship. It sucked, but that was what I got for being in a relationship with a vampire. But it didn’t stop me from loving him because you can’t control who you fall in love with.

“Is there anything else you found out tonight?” I asked, needing to fill the void of silence.

“Yeah.” He paused for a moment and then walked to where he kept the whiskey. After pouring a few fingers and downing it, Draven said, “Donovan said that Renzo has ties with the Russian Mafia.”

“O—kay?” I didn’t understanding what that meant or why he would have a problem with it. Russia was far away and a completely different country.

“Athan lives there.”

“Oh. Right.”

“And he has never said anything about Renzo having ties with the Russian Mafia.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know? Russia’s a big country. Isn’t it the biggest country?” I walked toward him. “I think it’s possible, especially if he’s not in the same area. I wouldn’t be worried until you talk to him. As far as I know, Athan has been nothing but a good friend to you. Don’t be mad at him for something you don’t know for sure.”

Draven nodded slowly. “You’re right. Tonight has been information overload.”

“It has. Are you going to call Athan to come back so you two can talk?”

He thought for a moment and grinned. “No. You promised me I’d get laid tonight, so he’s giving us time alone.”

I laughed. “That I did, and it will be nice to not have him on the other side of the wall.”

“I need to feed again.” He started to walk into the kitchen, but I stopped him.

“Wait.” I didn’t know how much time we had left together or what would happen tomorrow night, so I said what I thought I’d never utter in my entire life. “I want you to feed from me.”

He paused and turned around. “You do?”

I shrugged. “This night has been an emotional rollercoaster, and there’s no telling what tomorrow will bring. I want to experienceeverythingwith you.”

“Calla—”

“I understand, Draven. We can’t be together forever. I get it. Just let me have this.”

We stared at each other. “Are you sure?” he asked again.

I took a deep breath. “Draven, I like you. I really do. So much that I love you. I get that we aren’t meant to be together, and that fucking sucks, but given everything, I just want to be with you. I’m not ready to start dating someone else. I’m swamped at work, and our schedules work together. Let’s just—have fun.”

I meant everything I was saying to him. While the hopeless romantic in me wanted Draven and me to be soulmates and live together forever, I knew that wasn’t possible given we weren’t true loves and I didn’t want to become a vampire. I wanted what we had now, and just because there was some underlying vampire rule about when they could conceive a baby, I wasn’t going to let that keep me from being with the one I loved. Even if it was temporary.

“It hurts,” Draven finally stated, referring to him feeding from me.

“It does?”

“That’s where compulsion usually plays a huge part.”

“How long does it hurt for?”

“It’s the initial sting of my fangs, but then once my venom mixes with your blood, you’ll feel pleasure.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “I can handle that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I smiled.