Chapter Twenty-Two
Keryth
A nton was suddenly in front of me, turning my seat to the side so he could kneel there. He took my hands in his, gripping them tightly.
“Keryth, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I promise you I’m fine. I’ll be okay.”
My chin quivered, and my voice came out quiet. “You’re not… you’re not dying?”
He shook his head. “No, my darling. I’m so sorry I scared you. Everything will be alright.”
I stared into his pretty hazel eyes, and I could see the truth of his statement in them, so I blew out a slow, calming breath. “Okay. Okay.” I took another breath, then furrowed my brow. “Then what’s wrong?”
He sort of winced before he sighed. “I don’t like the taste of blood anymore. Or rather, most blood.”
I blinked at that. “What? Why? What do you mean? What kind of blood do you like?”
His eyes searched mine for a long moment. “Since the night we met and you let me drink your delicious blood, I… haven’t liked any other. It tastes like ash in my mouth, so it’s hard to get down.”
I took a second to absorb that. “Are you telling me that you only like the taste of my blood?”
He dipped his head, looking sort of… ashamed.
Gently, I tilted his chin back up. Then I canted my head to the side. “Then drink from me.”
He sucked in a big breath. “Darling, I… there’s nothing I’d love more, but I cannot.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re already supplying Trayben with your blood. There’s no way I can take more from you. That isn’t fair to you in any way.”
“But you’re supplying Tray too. In fact, I know he drinks more from you than he does from me every day. If you can give him that much blood, why can’t I let you drink from me too?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Why don’t you drink a little? Or will that make the issue worse? Would it make it even harder to drink the other blood?”
I could barely wrap my head around the fact that he’d been suffering this way for over two years. How in the world… why in the world didn’t he tell me? Even when I was angry at him, if I would’ve known it was hurting him, I would’ve offered up a vein right away.
Mystified, I asked, “Honey, why didn’t you tell me? Even when… even when I was angry with you, I would never have wanted you to suffer like that. Surely, we can do something. I can drink more tonic. Maybe if I talk to Ailin or Seb, they’ll know of a better tonic or something. We can figure this out. You can drink from me, and then you’ll feel better, and I—”
He cut me off when he surged up and kissed me. It was a hard kiss, and it lingered, but he didn’t try to open my mouth up. When he pulled back, he sat down on his heels, staring up at me with this… adoring expression. It made my heart flip.
“My darling, I’ll be alright for a few more weeks. We can let Tray try other blood. And then, once he’s ready, we can talk about this again. I appreciate your offer, but I won’t do anything that risks you.”
I glared. “It won’t risk me if you drink a little.” I tilted my head to the side again, making sure my shirt was hanging off that shoulder to expose more skin. “Drink from me, Anton. Please.”
He sucked in a breath, staring at my throat with want in his eyes.
“Just a little, Annie.”
He snorted. “Don’t you start with the ridiculous names.”
I grinned at him. “I won’t if you drink from me.”
“Oh, now you’re extorting me. I see how it is.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
He lifted up on his knees, and I spread my legs, pulling him closer until his chest was pressed against me.
A yelp fell from my lips when he pulled me off the chair and into his lap, sitting back on his heels again and holding me tight to his chest. Anton buried his nose against my throat, and I hummed, liking him there.
It was the perfect spot to drink from. Mmmm.
“Drink from me, Antiochus. Please.”
He groaned and murmured, “Are you sure, beloved?”
“Absolutely. Drink from me. Please.”
He sucked in a breath, and his words ghosted across my skin. “Only a little.”
I didn’t flinch when the sharp sting of his fangs hit me, but it went away quickly. The first pull of blood in his mouth had a moan escaping me as pleasurable sparks rushed over my skin and through my body.
He groaned so loud, and the fulfillment and delight he felt from tasting my blood echoed back to me through our bond. I closed my eyes and reached for that bond, a smile spreading over my face when I found it stronger than before and growing stronger still with every moment we spent together.
With every conversation. With every touch.
With every sip.
“Mother of All,” I moaned out, burying my hands in his hair, and I couldn’t help but rut against him.
Anton held my upper body still, but I was able to move my hips, and I rubbed my length against his. He moaned back, and again, our bond made the pleasure loop back between us, intensifying every single little movement.
It was intense.
It was overwhelming.
It was the most amazing thing I’d ever felt.
My hips moved slowly as he drank from me, sipping just as leisurely to make the moment last longer.
When he finally pulled away, I yanked his head up and captured his mouth, my hips moving frantically now. The metallic notes of my blood were strong on his tongue, but it wasn’t bad. In fact, that somehow made it hotter. Knowing that I gave him what he needed. Knowing that only my blood tasted good to him. Knowing how badly he wanted me.
“Fuck, Ker, you taste so good.”
That made me groan, and I felt the first sparks of my orgasm, and I knew I couldn’t hold back.
“Keryth,” he moaned out, and that was it.
He ground up into me, and we moved together, holding on as tight as we possibly could as my orgasm shot through me. I gasped and rode it out, bliss making my body feel electrified. Anton could feel my pleasure, and it brought on his own.
He moaned loudly, then broke our kiss to suck on my neck and lick my skin as his own bliss echoed through our connection.
My body reacted to his orgasm, shaking as sparks ignited.
We didn’t pull away as we came down, and his mouth found mine again. We didn’t stop kissing, Anton’s arms tightening even more on me.
Finally, I broke away and rested my forehead against his, my fingers still buried in his hair, breathing hard.
I… hadn’t expected that.
I really hadn’t expected to come in my pants like a teenager. I didn’t regret it, but I was already… sticky. And gross.
Great .
I was going to have to do the walk of shame inside my own home.
Anton let out a small laugh. “Don’t worry, my darling, I’ll get something to clean us up with and a change of clothes.”
I knew he meant he could use his vampire speed so no one would see his own messy pants, but…
“Don’t get up yet.”
He smiled at me. “Alright.” He moved off of his heels and sat on his butt to lean against a bookshelf and get more comfortable. He did it with such ease without letting go of me. He was always so graceful.
Not like me, who tripped over my own two feet sometimes.
I started running my fingers through his hair with our foreheads still pressed together as we breathed each other in. He smiled and rubbed his thumb over my cheek, and when he dragged it over my bottom lip, I kissed it.
He was such a handsome man, and the wrapping had nothing on the inside. He was a beautiful soul, and I was so lucky to be a part of his life.
And even though I thought it was a bit ridiculous, I knew—I could feel—that he felt the same way about me.
We stayed that way for a long time. Not talking, just… being together, small brushes of fingers or lips, and simply… absolute peace.
We hadn’t had a true peaceful moment since we’d gotten back together, and this was just… so wonderful. It made my heart fuller than I thought possible.
But eventually, we did need to get up. My pants were practically glued to my skin, and when we stood, I couldn’t help but laugh. Anton laughed too because his pants were just as bad as mine.
He used his vampire speed to run up to our rooms for new pants and wet washcloths. Thank the Mother of All for small miracles. The last thing I wanted to do was see any of Anton’s fledglings—or my girls—looking like this.
When he returned, I kept my back to him as I cleaned myself off because it was gross, and my vampire did not need to see that.
I was grateful for the t-shirt and sweatpants he’d brought me. Yeah, I’d dressed up for the date, but now I was ready for some snuggling, and sweats were the best for that.
Once we were cleaned up, I grabbed his hand and led him toward the couch.
“What about your dinner? You didn’t eat enough.”
With a sigh, I grabbed my plate, but still took him over to the couch. I wanted to snuggle and relax.
“Isn’t it cold? I can heat it up in the microwave for you.”
I let out a small laugh. “Anton, it’s fine. It still tastes good, and the only thing I want from you is cuddles.”
“Well, that can be arranged.”
“Good.”
He snorted, and we settled on the couch with my legs over the top of his thighs, my plate in my lap, and Anton’s hands on my shins. Once I finished eating, I planned on getting even closer to him.
“I like that plan.”
I smiled. “You heard my thought.”
He nodded. “I’ve been getting a few here and there.”
I took a bite of my food and swallowed it down. “Why haven’t I gotten any of yours?”
He tilted his head to the side. “I suppose I have a little practice with bonds and locking emotions down.”
“Hm. The bond with Tray feels nothing like this to me, though.” I ate another bite.
“True enough. This bond is certainly more… full. Deeper. But when I was a fledgling, I had to learn how to hide my emotions from my maker. She… did not appreciate emotions.”
I stared at him for a few seconds, stabbing another bite with my fork. “Were you with her for a long time?”
“A little over two hundred years.”
My eyes widened. “Wow. That’s a long time.”
“Not compared to how long my children have been with me.”
“True.” I didn’t know exactly how long, but they were all a few thousand years old, even Jed, who was the youngest, so clearly, they’d been together for a long time. “But that still seems like a long time to me. I… can’t even comprehend how long you’ve been alive.”
“Understandable.” He brushed his fingers through my hair. “But we’ll have many thousands of years together still.”
I grinned at him. “Yes, we will.” He pecked my lips, and after grinning at him like a loon for a long time, I ate another bite. “So… did you leave your maker for any particular reason?”
He grimaced. “She was… very violent. For a long time, I followed her, and we… we left plenty of carnage behind us. I didn’t like the person I was when I was with her, and she didn’t understand. She was one of those people who believed vampires are the ultimate species and that humans are nothing but food. She… wasn’t a very good person.”
Even though thousands of years had passed, I could tell that Anton still felt guilt over what he’d done. I honestly couldn’t imagine him ever doing anything like what he suggested, but a few thousand years was a long time to change… for the better. His guilt hurt my heart, so I grabbed his hand and pressed my lips to his palm.
“I’m sorry you went through that. But you’ve done so much good for the community here. You’ve been doin’ good for years and years.”
He made a face like he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. Oh boy.
“I know you helped my cousin when he was out on the streets. You offered a safe place for him to land when he needed it, and I know you let anyone, whether they’re buying a book or not, come in out of the cold. You even let them charge their phones and things while they’re there.”
He waved that off. “That’s nothing. That’s simply being a decent person.”
I shrugged. “And yet, it makes a big impact on others. And you teach your employees to do the same. And don’t think I don’t know that you donate to the food bank every month. You give them a large part of your bookstore’s profit.”
“How do you know all this?”
I smiled. “I… maybe looked into you when we weren’t talking. And I asked around. People had a lot of nice things to say about you. Like all the nice things. I couldn’t find anyone that thought you were a bad person.” I shrugged, then shot him a smirk. “It kinda pissed me off, to be honest.”
He let out a startled laugh. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to be angry with you, but I kept hearing about what a good person you are.” I tucked his hair behind his ear. “I know you carry guilt with you, but you’re doing everything you can to make up for what you did in the past. And, my kind vampire, it’s been a very long time. You need to let go of that guilt.”
He shook his head. “I… don’t want to.” When I went to speak, he held up a hand. “I don’t want to… forget. I want to remember exactly why it’s good not to give into my vampire side entirely and become the monster in all of those old fairy tales and horror stories.”
That made me… sad. Although I understood, to a degree. I doubted that letting it go would change him in a negative way—I knew his heart, I knew his soul, and they were both beautiful—but if he thought it was helping him, then… who was I to tell him differently? As long as he didn’t let it rule his world and harm him, then, I suppose I should just keep my mouth shut about it.
Plus, I’d already won one battle and got him to drink from me. That one was going to be a lot harder and a much longer road. Anton was amazing, and I was going to prove it to him… eventually.
Leaning in, I kissed him softly for a few seconds before pulling back and eating a few more bites. When I had enough, I set the plate on the coffee table, then I bent my legs, twisted, and slotted myself right up against my vampire.
He smiled softly at me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me even closer.
He surprised me by grabbing a laptop off the end table, saying, “Would you like to watch a movie with me?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“If I say a scary story, will you cuddle even closer and hide your face in my chest?”
I laughed and smacked said chest. “I’m sorry to tell you, but I actually like horror movies.”
“You do?” He looked so disappointed it was hard not to snicker at him.
“Yep. But you can clutch me and bury your face in my chest if you want.”
He tilted his head, thinking. “I… think I’d like that.”
I laughed again. “Alright. Sounds good.” My vampire tucked in my arms sounded real good. “Which movie did you have in mind?”