Page 8

Neo

Sitting here with Dorian was amazing. It felt right, like this was exactly where I belonged—no, exactly who I belonged with.

When he finally stopped sniffing me—what a cute dork—he bit into his wrist and held it in front of my mouth. This time there was no hesitation. Grabbing his arm, I put my mouth over the bleeding wound, then gulped in as much as I could before it healed. I could feel Dorian growing hard behind me, which surprised me. I didn’t think letting me drink from him would have the same effect as him, a vampire, would have drinking from me.

I licked his wrist clean, then whispered, “Your blood tastes good. It doesn’t really taste like blood.”

“Vampire blood generally tastes better than human blood—although almost all blood tastes good to me—but for you, mine might be even better since we’re True Mates. Your blood is the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“Really?”

He grunted. “Mhmm.” Then he leaned his chin on my shoulder. “You’re delicious.”

I snorted at that because it sounded ridiculous, and I leaned back into him as I stared at the majestic tree in front of us. I couldn’t believe that the scary monsters I’d always heard about had come from such a beautiful thing. Not that they were actually scary monsters at all. So far most of the vampires had been kinder to me than many humans. I wonder how they got such a terrible reputation? I wonder if there’s any truth to those scary stories?

The wind blew and I shivered from it.

Dorian wrapped his arms tighter around me. “Is it cold? I can’t always tell.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty chilly because of the wind. We’re lucky it’s not snowing.”

“Is it that cold out?”

“No, but some of the humans were saying that they figured it was sometime in February, but obviously they could’ve been wrong.”

He grabbed the edges of the blanket we were sitting on and managed to wrap us up in it together. “I haven’t kept track of the month since we fled our home.”

“Did you keep track before that?”

He nodded against my shoulder. “Before things got bad, we had electricity in our underground home. We were lucky that our running water came from a well, so we still had that after the war started. I used to have a TV, and there was a big radio in the common room. The antennae was run above ground so we could listen to the radio. It was a good set up.”

“I was pretty young when we lost electricity. I think I was maybe ten?”

“So that makes you around thirty?”

“I think so.”

“Mm. So young.”

I lifted the shoulder he wasn’t leaning on. “I mean, you only have what? A hundred and fifty years on me? That’s not too bad.”

He chuckled and kissed my neck, so I tilted my head to the side to allow better access. He trailed kisses up and down my neck for a minute, then buried his face there and groaned. “Even your skin is delicious.”

“You don’t have to stop.”

He spoke against my skin, so his words were mumbled. “Actually, I do. I need to take you home.”

Disappointment shot through me, but I tried to hide it. “Oh, um, okay.”

He lifted off my shoulder and tried to see my face. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“Okay, no.” He pushed the blanket off us, making me shiver again. “That’s not how this works.” He picked me up and turned me, placing me on his lap, just as easily as a freaking flower or something. He cupped my jaw and turned my head to look at him. “If you’re upset, you have to talk to me.”

I looked off to the side without moving my chin from his grasp and sighed before looking into his brown eyes with silver rims.

“Talk to me, Neo.”

“Fine. I’m… upset—no, um, I’m disappointed you want to take me home because I thought you were going to feed from me again tonight, and I thought that maybe…” I trailed off with a shrug and looked down because now I was also embarrassed. Ugh .

I could feel him staring at me for a long moment, then he finally jerked his head back and said, “Wait, do you think I meant take you back to your home?”

I nodded once.

“Oh, my treasure, I’m sorry. I meant that I want to take you back to my quarters, to my home.”

“You don’t want me to go back to the rec room?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’d rather you never go back there.” He grabbed my arms and put them over his shoulders.

“What does that mean? Where would I go?”

He smirked. “To my room, of course.”

I squinted at him in confusion, and he chuckled.

“You’re my True Mate, Neo. And as such, I would love for you to stay with me.”

“Like… live together?”

“Yes.”

“Until when? Until I get my own place…?”

He leaned in and kissed my chin. “No, my place would be your place—our place.”

I squinted again.

He smiled and laughed. “Move your belongings to my—I mean our quarters and never leave.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

“I’ve known you for like two nights.”

“And you’re my True Mate.”

“But you don’t know me.”

“I know enough.” He rubbed his hands up and down my back. “You don’t even have a bed, Neo.” He stared at me for several seconds, then sort of sighed. “If you’re not comfortable sleeping with me, you may take the bed, and I’ll take the floor. You’re a human and more fragile than me.” That sort of sounded like an insult, but it was true, so…

“It’s just… you don’t know me.”

“But our souls know each other.” I was about to argue, but he stopped me with a finger on my lips. “I know by human standards we haven’t known one another long at all. But you’re my True Mate, and I’ll go crazy if you’re far from me, especially if I know you’re sleeping on the floor. If you’re not comfortable sleeping in my room, I’ll come to you. I’m sure I can arrange a sunlight-proof area in the room or find a sun-proof sleeping bag or something. But that way, you’ll still have the other humans around you. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“You would do that for me?”

He nodded. “Anything, my treasure.”

That was a pretty bold statement, so I wasn’t sure I fully believed it, but he looked sincere and so freaking serious, it was hard not to.

“My parents met in February, too, you know.”

“Wh-what?” I was confused by his random subject change.

“You said that you think it’s February, and I was reminded of a story.” Running his fingertips over my cheek, he smiled at me. “My parents met at a tiny grocery store. Not like a grocery stores like you remember, but a small… shop, I suppose is the word. Anyway, they met and fell in love, and a week later, they were married on Valentine’s Day.”

“Seriously?”

He grinned. “Yes. They were very much in love and grew old together.”

“Did they… know?”

“That I’m a vampire?”

I nodded.

“No, they believed I died when I was twenty-two. That was the vampire way before humans found out about shifters and the world exploded around us. But I used to visit them every year, the night before Valentine’s Day. I would leave cigars for my father and chocolates for my mother from all over the world. I checked in on them and sometimes I left them money when I knew they were struggling. They had money problems like many people, but the one thing they never lacked was their love for one another or for me. Not a day went by growing up where I didn’t feel loved by them. They were wonderful parents.”

I buried my fingers in his hair. “They sound like it.”

He smiled sadly, then kissed my nose. “So maybe it’s fate that we met in February, too. Maybe in a week we’ll be mated and in love and start our life together, just like my parents.”

My chest filled with so much warmth, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I kissed him instead. I held his head and played with his hair as I devoured his mouth, and he wrapped me so tight in his arms it was like he never wanted to let me go.

But then he broke the kiss and whispered, “May I drink from you?”

I groaned out, “Yes.”

He leaned in, pushed my collar to the side, and bit down on my neck. It stung again, but only for a split-second before it turned to bliss, and we both moaned. Why did being fed from feel so damn good?

Dorian drank from me and ran his hands over my back, arms, ass, and into my hair. I felt like he was everywhere, yet I wanted more. More of his touch, more of his skin, more of him. I had the urge to lean down and bite his shoulder, which was so weird, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Is vampire blood addicting?

He pulled his fangs out, and I groaned in protest, but he licked my wound closed and whispered, “I can’t take more after drinking from you last night, too.” He kissed my shoulder. “Thank you, my treasure.”

Cupping his jaw, I pulled his mouth to me, giving him a deep kiss so I could taste my blood on his tongue. He moaned loudly and moved his hips under me. I wanted him so fucking much. I wanted every piece of him.

He broke the kiss. “Will you let me take you home—to my home tonight? We can take it one night at a time?”

“Yes.”

He blew out a relieved breath and kissed my lips again, but pulled back. “If I don’t stop kissing you, I’m afraid I’ll lose myself and try to take you right here, and…” He glanced over my shoulder. “I don’t feel right doing that here.”

“Uh, yeah, you’re right.” I glanced over my shoulder at the Holy Tree. “Yeah, definitely right.”

He chuckled, then abruptly stood up. Since I was on his lap, I was afraid I’d fall, but he lifted me with him, then gently placed me on the ground before picking up the blanket and the basket. “Let’s hurry. Your scent is killing me.”

I let the vampire lead me by the hand all the way back to his quarters, and once I was inside with him, I sorta never wanted to leave. Maybe this whole True Mate and living together thing was real; maybe I should give it a chance—give Dorian a chance—give us a chance.