Page 23 of Taste of Forever (Vampires of Sanguine #3)

How I would love to send a vampire DNA sample to some old friends from grad school. A few were now pioneers in genome sequencing and would be frothing at the mouth for a research project like this.

Soren would probably appreciate such a sample, but I wasn’t eager to make things easier for that asshole. Thinking of Soren made me recall what he’d wanted to know in the break room.

“How long do vampires live?”

Laith frowned. “I’m very disappointed you’re asking a general question instead of one specifically about me.” His smile quickly returned, a sign that he was joking.

“Well, if I’m your blood mate, then how long is this supposed to last? If you live forever, will you find another blood mate after I die?”

“Oh no. No, it doesn’t work like that.” He chuckled. “Our average lifespan is eight hundred years. Lucky ones can make it to a thousand.”

My eyes went wide. “Oh. Holy shit.”

“When we have human blood mates, there’s a ceremony.

It’s kind of like a wedding, officially declaring ourselves as life partners.

But there’s also a ritual that binds our lifespans together.

You will age at the same rate as me and only die when I die.

So we’ll stay together not only in life, but in the afterlife too. ”

The romantic in me thought that was so beautiful, and melted at the thought. The scientist in me, on the other hand, was highly skeptical.

“How is that possible?”

Laith wiggled his fingers. “Magic.”

“Okay, but seriously.”

“Seriously. It’s a blood magic ritual. Only those from the clan Temkra’s Blood can perform it because they come from the same bloodline as our goddess.”

“And you know this for a fact?” I pressed. “You’ve seen a human live to eight hundred years or whatever.”

“Well, not personally. The last known human blood mate died when I was a juvenile, maybe eighty years ago.”

“Eighty years? How old are you?”

“A hundred and forty.” He carried on like he hadn’t just dropped an absolute bombshell. “One of my clan mates got mated to a human a few months ago, but obviously neither of them have aged much in that time.”

“You’re seriously one hundred and forty years old?” I found myself leaning closer, still stuck on his age.

His skin was incredible, with no visible pores and definitely not a wrinkle in sight. I thought at one point he might be younger than me at thirty. No wonder Soren’s employer was so desperate for information. Vampires had apparently tapped into the fountain of youth.

“Am I a slide under a microscope or are you just happy to see me?”

I jerked back, my face heating as I realized how close I’d leaned toward Laith’s face. Easily within kissing range, not that I would have done that.

“Sorry.” I laughed and tried to smooth over my embarrassment by reaching for my water. “Although I would like to see your cells under a microscope. I bet they’re fascinating.”

“Aw, thanks.” His grin broadened, head tilting as he rested an arm along the back of the couch. “You sure know how to compliment a guy.”

Trying to stifle my laugh turned into a full-on grin that matched his. “You’re ridiculous.”

“That and all kinds of other things.”

“So, this magic blood ritual,” I said after a lull of silence. “Is it the only way for a human’s lifespan to match a vampire’s?” Soren would absolutely want to know the answer to that.

“As far as I know, yes. And it can only be done when a blood mate pairing is found.”

“And you can’t perform the ritual yourself?”

Laith’s grin turned wry. “Why, looking for a little taste of forever already? An elopement instead of a full-on ceremony?”

“Me? No.”

I protested maybe a little too quickly. Laith’s easy, open expression flickered with a touch of hurt.

“I’m just...curious,” I added unconvincingly.

“Sure,” Laith said with teasing skepticism.

“Well, I’m sorry to say the ritual is a closely guarded secret of Temkra’s Blood.

When you’re ready to make it official, we gotta do it in front of them and all of Sanguine.

But”—he held up an index finger, eyes bright—“we can do that thing humans do after getting married. What’s it called again? A sugar moon?”

“Honeymoon?”

“Yes, that’s it! A little of your tradition, a little of mine. It’s only fair, right?”

“True.” I laughed uneasily. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

One of the reasons Justin and I hadn’t gotten engaged after several years together was that we could never agree on wedding plans.

How was this vampire I barely knew already more willing to compromise on ceremony and tradition?

Laith’s tone was light and joking, but I had a feeling if I gave him the green light, he’d be more than willing to give me the wedding of my dreams.

There you go again. My resentment demon announced her presence with that condescending tone. Comparing your lame boyfriend to the ageless hottie who wants to lock you down and give you endless orgasms. I mean, is it really a comparison?

I scooted away from Laith and shouldered my purse. “I better get going. Should we do this again in three days?”

He stared at me for a beat with a strange intensity in his eyes. “You know you don’t have to leave, right? You’re welcome to stay longer than the five minutes it takes for me to feed.”

“I just...I?—”

“Do you want to dance?”

I stopped short. “What?”

“Dance. The DJ’s playing a great set right now.” He angled his head toward the stairs, where the heavy bass and electronic beats of some remixed rock song floated up from the floor below. “I’ll be appropriate, promise.” Laith lifted his hands. “No excessive touching. Just dancing.”

Truth be told, I loved to dance. In college, hitting dance clubs and raves was my favorite way to unwind after intense exams and long hours in the lab.

Once upon a time I had lived for the warm nights of summer music festivals, dancing until I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. Then I’d sleep all day and do it all over again the next night. It was the happiest, most freeing time of my life.

Justin didn’t care for the dance scene. It wasn’t about the music or unwinding to him. He just saw it as a lifestyle of partying and drugs. While he’d never outright told me to stop, he made it abundantly clear he didn’t support the hobby.

“You need to grow up at some point,” he’d said. “Do you really think you’ll make it through grad school and the professional world hopped up on psychedelics and partying every night?”

That had been our first major fight. He’d made me sound like an immature child even though I always put my responsibilities first. I never missed a class and never received a grade lower than a B.

And what little drugs I did partake in were minimal.

I studied chemistry for shit’s sake, I knew what those substances could do to me. Did he think I was stupid?

My dancing days had stopped not long after that because it felt more important that Justin wasn’t uncomfortable.

He was the man I loved, after all. It seemed ludicrous to choose a hobby over him, even though I missed it.

Sure I could listen to music anywhere, but dancing in a club or at a festival was a completely different experience.

I missed feeling the sound move through my body, and letting the music move me.

It had been years since I felt that total freedom, and Laith had no idea what asking me now meant to me.

“You really want to dance with me?”

Laith let out a soft huff like the answer was obvious. “Hell yeah.” Then held out his hand.

When I placed my fingers on his, it felt like an act of defiance.

It felt like taking a step toward returning to myself.

A little thrill ran through me as Laith stood up, gently pulling me along with him.

He kept me close as we went down the stairs, taking the steps slowly to not rush me.

Some other vampires passed us on their way up to the VIP section, giving nods with murmured greetings to him, and curious glances at me.

The dance floor was becoming packed with bodies. Laith kept a firm grip on my hand as he weaved through the crowd. Maybe it was his height or just his presence, but people, vampire and human alike, seemed to instinctively clear a path for him.

When Laith turned around to face me, he lifted our joined hands. I held on and instinctively spun in a little twirl, my body already humming for music and movement, for the pure joy of feeling.

He grinned broadly when I faced him again, fangs on full display. The current song ended and he leaned in to speak in my ear before the next one began.

“I’ll let you lead.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, weaving on my feet slightly with the gentle opening notes of the next song. For once in a very long time, I wanted to just feel and not think. And with my eyes closed, I’d be less self-conscious of him watching me.

As the music started to build, picking up in speed and intensity, everything that worried me started to melt away.

I turned in place, lifting my arms above my head and let my hips follow the beat.

I felt the cool, sweat-slicked skin of others on the dance floor, the bass echoing in my chest like a second heartbeat.

My neck and shoulders loosened, my spine rolled and arched as it followed the music. I felt like a snake shedding heavy, constricting skin and finding my new self underneath.

Or, rather, the self I had lost years ago.

Fingertips touched down gently on my sides after I started really loosening up. I knew without looking that it was Laith, following my movements from behind me.

“This okay?” He had to yell the question in my ear.

I answered by reaching up and finding the back of his neck with my hand. Our eyes met for a few seconds, the chemistry between us as palpable as the beat of the song. Laith was smiling gently, like it made him happy to see me this way.

The music swelled into its crescendo and I threw my head back, brushing it against his chest. We moved together, rhythmic and synced to the same moment. His palms rested on my ribs but he still kept a respectful distance behind me. It wasn’t the type of music to grind and simulate sex to anyway.

We danced for three more songs and, like stars caught in each other’s orbit, found ourselves coming gradually closer. By the time my unpracticed feet were screaming for a rest, Laith’s arms were wrapped loosely around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

I could rationalize it as friendly, platonic affection. My friends and I back in school would be slumped all over each other after hours of dancing all night.

But with my head leaned back on Laith’s shoulder, letting him support my weight as my hands rested on top of his, it didn’t feel platonic at all.

I realized I never wanted the night to end.

And for him to never let go.