Page 14 of Every Bite You Take (Midnight Siren Supernatural Cruises #1)

CHAPTER 14

DAMIEN

T he cruise was zipping by quicker than any other, and I wished I could find a way to slow it down. When I met up with my bandmates for practice, they joked and laughed, but I remained detached, unable to join in.

Kylie’s impending departure weighed heavily on me.

“Man, what’s going on with you?” Van nudged. “You trying out for the role of broody vampire in an upcoming production?”

“Just have stuff on my mind,” I muttered.

“Does it happen to take the form of a woman with purple hair?” he teased with arched brows.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “Kylie.” I grazed the strings of my guitar.

Cal snorted. “She really has you twisted up inside, eh?”

“I don’t know what to do.” I put down my guitar and ran my hand through my hair in frustration. “I feel things for her—stronger than I’ve ever known. And I don’t know how to handle it. She’s leaving in just two more days.”

“Well, what you need to do is focus on the set tonight,” Angus snapped.

I scowled at him. He was right, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

“Same with you.” Caleb snarled at Angus. “Focus on your performance, not your ego.”

“Ha, that’s rich coming from a gargoyle who’s more rock than roll.”

Oh no, here we go again. The bickering with these two. No one said band life was easy with all the creative ideas and egos clashing, but these two were like granite heads butting.

“Easy, boys,” Van said, smoothing his hands to each side. “Let’s focus.”

After a few more barbs, Angus and Caleb abandoned their strife and we got back to practice. While we played, I thought about Kylie leaving. What the hell could I do? We lived in different worlds as two different species. We would part ways eventually.

Was there anything I could do to change that?

I met up with Kylie after our set and she went to see a musical in the theater. My senses heightened just being near her.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to be normal—or at least sound that way. “How was the show?”

“Incredible.” She beamed with a wide smile and told me about the performance.

My muscles clenched as I braced myself for what I had to do—push through fear of rejection so I wouldn’t live with regret.

“Can we go somewhere and talk for a minute?”

“Sure,” she replied with a warm smile. “Where?”

We found a quiet nook near a window at the back of the Celestial Lounge while “Unchained Melody” played softly in the background. Time to man up and lay myself bare.

“Kylie,” I began and reached across the table to take her hand. “I know you’re leaving to go home in two days.” A tightness formed in my throat and I forced it down. “What I was thinking was—what if you didn’t have to go yet?”

She tipped her head and let out a soft laugh. “Of course I do.”

“But…couldn’t you stay onboard longer?”

She snorted a laugh. “It would be nice to extend my vacation, but cruises cost moolah.” She pulled her hand away and rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “And I’m not rich.”

“I mean… I was thinking…” Wow, I was really killing it in the eloquence department. “I have some money saved and I can pay for another week. Beyond that—we’ll figure something out. I’ll talk to someone about a job.” I watched her, searching for her reaction. When her smile faltered, dread crashed into the tiny flicker of hope that blazed inside.

“Damien, thank you, but no,” she said gently. Her gaze shifted out the window to where the dark waves tumbled away. “That’s a pretty big gift. I can’t accept that. Besides, I have a plane booked. A job to return to. I can’t just drop everything for a vacation fling.”

Ouch. Those last two words hit me like a stake. The air around me thickened as the sting of her rejection settled. “I don’t think of this as a fling.” I motioned between us. “It’s real,” I implored her. “I know it is.”

Her eyes met mine and softened. She nodded and gulped. “I know what you mean.” After taking a shaky inhale, she let out a slow breath. “But it doesn’t change anything. I have a life back home. I need to go,” she declared with forced determination, but I caught the tremble in her tone.

I leaned back in my chair, reeling from rejection, as a growing ache spread within.

Kylie leaned closer and took my hand in hers. “We only have such a short time left together, Damien. Let’s not dwell on it ending and enjoy it while we can.”

Although I tried to follow Kylie’s lead and live in the moment, the hours rushed by too quickly. I wished I didn’t have to sleep at all so I could spend more time with her. Explore Alaska outdoors with her during sunlight.

But that was a decision I’d made a decade ago, and it was one I couldn’t change. I knew the consequences of becoming a vampire and had to live with them.

When I woke on the final night of the cruise, I had to prepare to play with the band. Damn, I wished I could call in sick and just lock the two of us together in my cabin. Kylie dragged me out of my brooding, saying she wanted to see me play one more time.

While we played a set featuring hits from the 2000s, she sat in the audience, watching me with her lips parted. My fingers danced over the strings, strumming with longing as my heart spilled out my reluctant goodbye.

Piper stopped by to chat with Kylie, and it reminded me of when I’d met her just last week. How had so much happened in such a short time?

After I was done for the night, Kylie and I had a drink.

“Stay with me tonight?” I asked her.

She put her wineglass down. “I almost forgot I had a cabin.” She grinned at me. “My bags are packed and ready to go. So I’m all yours.”

For just a few more hours…

We returned to my cabin soon after. Once I closed the door, her scent wrapped around me, that intoxicating lilac fragrance that stirred the beast in me. Her heart raced in her chest, beating like an enchanting melody. As we kissed, the hunger for her rose. My fangs itched to bite and claim her, and I struggled to control the bloodlust.

“Damien,” she murmured, her voice husky. “I want you.”

That soft plea echoed every instinct that pounded inside me. As we undressed, tearing off each other’s clothes with desperate need, a growl spilled from my lips. I pulled her closer and ran my hands over her soft, exposed skin, tracing every curve to memory as her blood teased me from just beneath the surface.

I couldn’t get enough of her and pawed at every inch with feral need. My cock was achingly hard, aching to be inside her.

When I slid my fingers between her legs, I groaned. “So wet…”

“For you,” she whispered.

I needed to taste her, feel her pleasure explode over me. Pressing kisses down her body, I slid down and breathed in the irresistible scent of her arousal. Then I tasted her sweet, sweet ambrosia. With my hands and mouth, I explored her, bringing her to the brink and back until she moaned and begged me not to stop. I added more pressure the way she wanted, and this time I didn’t pull back. She cried out, her body arching, and shattered.

More. I wanted more.

Giving her a few seconds to recover, I slid back over and kissed her, letting her taste how delicious she was. I pushed the tip inside, slowly at first to let her adjust, while she slid her hands down my back and encouraged me to go deeper. Once I was fully inside her tight channel, I rocked in and out. She moved against me from below, and we soon joined in rhythm.

The hunger grew, clawing at the edges of my restraint, but I refused to let it consume me—especially not tonight.

“I see you struggle, Damien,” she said with gentle understanding. “Don’t fight it anymore.”

I froze, staring down at her. “What?”

“It’s okay.” She brushed my cheek. “You can bite me.”

Anticipation surged through me with volcanic ferocity. Those words voiced my deepest fantasy, but I had to make sure she meant it. I searched her face for fear or uncertainty but found trust—and desire that mirrored my own.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

She bit her lip and nodded, keeping her eyes on mine. “Yesss,” she purred. “I’ve been thinking about it. I want it…want you to.” She tipped her head, exposing her smooth, inviting throat. “Please.”

Strong emotions crashed over me, leaving me heady with anticipation. The thought of tasting her, what I’d longed for since the first moment we met, sent raw hunger coursing through me. I fought to control my thirst as my fangs itched desperately for me to taste her.

I bent down and my lips brushed her throat, her pulse throbbing just beneath it. Her scent, now slightly tinged with salty perspiration, flooded my senses. Then I opened my mouth, extended my fangs, and sank them into her flesh.

She gasped and clung on to me. Her blood flowed over my tongue, a vibrant bouquet of rich flavors, utterly exquisite…

Her heart pounded and then— mine. The faintest hint of my heart beat softly, joining the rhythm of hers. They came together like a masterful symphony, and I knew I was forever changed. She was the one—the only one. She stirred my heart to beat in a way I hadn’t felt since I’d been turned. A bond had formed, a soul-deep one that connected us.

I could happily die there, just like that, listening to the sounds of her pounding heartbeat and ragged breaths. Being buried inside her hot, welcoming body while I drank her irresistible essence was bliss beyond anything I’d ever known.

Although I’d paused my movements to taste her, I began to rock into her once more, almost on an instinctual level. She dug her fingers into my back, moaning with each quickening thrust, and she bucked against me from below. Her body tensed and her moans grew louder. I sensed her getting closer.

With a cry, she shattered, bringing me with her. A powerful climax roared through my veins, and I had to pull away from her throat. I exploded into her hot body with a fierce growl, losing all sense of time and space. When I finally regained some sort of cognition, I gently lowered myself onto her and she held me close, her heart still beating hard.

“Kylie,” I whispered, my voice rough. I wanted to beg her not to leave, to give us a chance. But she’d made her decision and I couldn’t make her stay. I whispered, “I’ll miss you.”

She ran her hands down my slick back and released a small sigh. “I’ll miss you too.”

She was the one. My mate.

And she was leaving me.

I had to let her go.