Page 63 of Caller of Crows

The mortal's gaze was glassy, his expression dazed, but when he heard his name, his eyes met Altair's.

"Bite me," the mortal whispered.

Altair did.

As his release pulsed out of him, he sank his fangs into Sven's throat, piercing his vein again.

Sven let out a moan as his blood filled Altair's mouth, his body shuddering, his inner walls still quivering with aftershocks.

Altair groaned, savoring Sven's taste on his tongue.

He had to stop, though. If he took any more blood… there'd be no going back.

Sven seemed to sense that too, because when Altair tried to withdraw, Sven tried to hold him in place. "Alt…"

"No," Altair said.

He was so damn close to giving Sven everything andanythinghe wanted. Except that Sven didn't know what he was asking for, and Altair had to remind himself of that, no matter how much his vampiric soul wanted to turn this mortal into his eternal companion.

His hand shook ever so slightly as he broke Sven's hold on him. As his fangs retracted from the mortal's skin.

Sven stared up at him, his expression hurt.

"Why won't you turn me?" the mortal asked.

"Sven…" Altair closed his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"Alt," Sven repeated.

The desperation in his voice was impossible to ignore.

Altair opened his eyes again, studying the mortal.

The vulnerability, the longing, on the human's face… it made his heart ache.

"Give me a chance," Sven whispered. "Please."

Altair gazed into his dark, expressive eyes, at his full, kiss-swollen lips. The bite marks on his throat were still fresh, and Altair couldn't help but think that the mortal was utterly, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Don't just use me," the mortal begged. "I can be more than that."

"Sven, I'm not—"

"Please."

Fuck.

Altair couldn't take it anymore.

He rose from the bed and picked up his pants from the floor. When he pulled them on, though, something vibrated against his leg. Sven's phone. He'd almost forgotten he was still carrying that around with him.

He reached for the phone and checked the display if only to give himself something to look at that wasn't Sven because he didn't think his resolve could handle much more begging. He'd been so close to making a terrible mistake just now it made him angry with himself.

Sadly, checking the phone didn't make him feel any better. "Your mother has taken a turn for the worse," he admitted to Sven.

That news seemed to be enough to cut through the haze in Sven's mind. "What?" The mortal sat up, his expression a combination of horror and disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"She was admitted to the hospital," Altair read from the messages. "And the doctors aren't confident."