“I knew you would listen to your heart.”
“How did you know?”
“I…I just do. When it comes to you, everything is easy and intuitive and so…so…”
“Intense?” he breathed.
She moaned. “Yes. Physically. Emotionally. I can’t explain this connection to you, but it’s there.”
He traced his gaze over her features, toying with a tendril of her hair. “I think I can explain it. At least one part of it.” Gently, he took her hand in his, studying her palm before raising his gaze to hers. “Do you trust me?”
Swallowing, she nodded.
“This will sting, but it’s the only way I’ll know for sure.”
“I’ve been pricked by a million needles. I can handle it,” she assured him.
He brought her index finger to his mouth. Though her heart thudded with dread, she wasn’t frightened. Fitz’s canines lengthened; then, with care, he bit her finger. She hissed at the sharp, sudden puncture.
A head of blood bloomed, and he wrapped his lips around the cut, gently moving his tongue over it.
She suppressed a shiver. Her nipples tightened and her sex clenched in response to his silken mouth gently sucking her fingertip. It was strangely erotic. A tingling in her head transformed to a buzz, dizzying her.
He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his back to her. “I knew it.”
Alarmed, she asked, “What’s wrong? It’s my disease, isn’t it? Did I make you sick—?”
“No,” he replied in an aching tone. Slowly, he faced her. “Gaelen, it is your blood, but it doesn’t make me sick whatsoever. It does the opposite. Because you’re meant to be mine.”
What? She went to grab a bandage to wrap her finger, then realized the cut wasn’t even there. She was still lightheaded and trying to understand. “What are you talking about?”
He clasped her hands in his. “Fateblood vampires like me have a predestined soul mate. From the moment we stop aging, a…longing begins, a yearning for that special connection. It never goes away until we find our eternal partner. It’s written in our Entyre Law that we will only know by blood, but once you know, it’s absolute. Finite.” He blinked and exhaled, shaking his head. “I never thought I’d be worthy to ever meet mine. Not every fateblood does. A few have gone mad from never finding the one they are meant for.”
She started to shake. Destined to be his…? “W-what does that mean for me?”
He smiled tenderly. “You don’t have a disease, Gaelen. You’re meant to be a vampire. For some reason, you were born human, but your blood is fighting your human side. I’m guessing as soon as you reached your maturation age is when it began, the age when your immortality was trying to seal. Doctors and specialists can’t explain it because it can never be diagnosed by human tests. One drop of your blood told me what they haven’t been able to.”
Her mind spun. Could it be true? The pull to Fitz was sudden and inconceivable. Some part of her clung to the explanation, the other part couldn’t fathom a supernatural explanation. After all she’d been through…
Then again, nothing about Fitz or their night together had anything to do with the reality she was used to.
She absorbed this, wanting to deny it because it was too good to be true, but couldn’t. “I...believe you. Somehow, it makes sense. The puzzle pieces finally fit. But I was born human. I’ve never felt different or special. Other than my illness, I’ve lead an ordinary life. Why would I be born human at all? Have you ever heard of this happening to someone else?”
He shook his head with a sympathetic gaze. “This is a first.”
A devastating thought crippled her. “Fitz! I thought I was dying.”
He pulled her in, holding her head to his chest.
They stood like that for a while. She clung to him, if only to assure her sanity. Sunrise was close and the hospital would soon be abuzz with the morning staff, new patients, and visitors. Fitz would be trapped. The truth of her destiny gave her a sense of peace and she knew she had to go with him. She’d leave a note and disappear.
“Let’s go to the roof,” she murmured in his jacket.
Holding Fitz’s hand as they stood overlooking the city, she finally accepted her decision. “How long do we have before sunrise?”
“Thirty-four minutes.”
She laughed softly at the incredibly specific amount of time. “How do you know?”
“I’ve lived a long time. I can smell the sun before it rises.”
Of course he could. She smiled up at him. “So I’m meant to be yours, am I?”
He touched his forehead to hers. “Now and forever.”
“But you barely know me and I barely know you.”
“I know enough. And we have time. Lots and lots of time to figure out why we’re soul mates, Gaelen. We can go slow and get to really know who we are. But in the end,” he brushed his knuckles down the side of her face, “I’ll love you regardless.”
Tears gathered at the beauty of his words, but she blinked them back. “I’ll have to say goodbye to everyone I know, won’t I?”
“That’s up to you. You can’t be out during the day, even when it’s raining, not for a little while at least. You’ll just have to limit seeing your human family and friends after sunset.”
Relief came over her. So her life wasn’t changing too drastically…yet.
“What?” he said, searching her eyes. “You thought you’d be turned and I’d steal you away underground, never to be seen again?”
She laughed. “Yes. Exactly.”
“I want you all to myself of course, but I don’t own you, and you don’t own me. We simply belong together. We’re fated souls, not slave and master.” He smirked. “Unless you like to play that game in bed.”
She laughed, closed her eyes, and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m ready. Turn me, Fitz. Turn me now.”
A smile tugged his lips as he tipped her face up to his and kissed her, slowly winding his tongue in with hers. An energy ran from her spine to her toes. She clutched his jacket and molded her body against his. That wonderful, undeniable fit. Fitz moved from her lips to her cheek, below her jaw, murmuring his devotion, his gratitude to have found her.
“What do I have to do?” she asked.
He paused. “You have to die.”
Dazed, Gaelen gazed up at the moon. Scared. Literally to death.
Praying she had the strength to endure whatever lay ahead in her new life, she braced for what was to come. “How?”
He kissed her neck. “I…have to drain you. But, don’t be afraid, the pain will be brief.”
What could she do but trust his word? “Okay.”
“Hold on to me. I belong to you,” he whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Frozen, Gaelen braced herself. His smoothed his lips along her neck, then without warning, clamped onto her neck.
She cried out in stunning pain. Pure adrenaline exploded in her head, and instinct told her to make him stop because it hurt. That it wasn’t natural for someone to bite and drink her blood. Instead, Gaelen held the back of his neck, limbs trembling, legs going weak and feeble. Fitz caught her, holding up and against him, not allowing her to fall.
Eyes wide open, blitzed by a pleasure-pain she’d never experienced before, Gaelen shivered, trapped, yet freed. Pulses of electricity licked her spine, spread through every nerve, every cell, and for one excruciating, stunning moment, her heart stopped.
Frightened beyond description, she gasped as Fitz swallowed, growling, sinking in deeper.
And then her world went black.
Four
When she blinked her sore eyes open, her vision was fuzzy. Starting to panic at her disabled sight, Gaelen sat up, chest heaving.
I’m alive.
A warm, masculine hand grasped hers.
“It’s okay,” Fitz told her soothingly. “Your eyes are adjusting. Give them a moment.”
His deep, familiar voice pacified her. Seconds later, the fuzziness vanished and her
surroundings sharpened with piercing focus. The adjustment dizzied her for a moment, then subsided.
She looked around, amazed at the vibrant reds, bright coppers, shiny silvers, and energetic blues in the room. Everything appeared in high definition. Moving her gaze to his, she smiled, his eyes a lighter green than she remembered. Unbelievable. She traced over the line of his jaw, nose, and mouth, which moved in a small smile at her assessment. God, he was gorgeous.
“You recognize me, I hope?”
“How is it possible you’re even more handsome now?”
With a chuckle, he kissed the back of her hand. “It’ll take a little bit of time to assimilate to your new condition. You’ve been out for hours. Are you all right? Tell me the truth.”
She nodded, swallowing at the emotional knot in her throat. “Where are we?”
“At my loft in Manhattan.”
New smells revived her. New sight. New teeth. She ran her tongue over them.
“Your canines are your—feeding teeth. Those will grow at certain times,” he told her. “Mostly just when you’re hungry, when your adrenaline kicks in, or if you’re pissed off. I’ll teach how to control them. Your senses and skin will be extra sensitive for a few days.”
A shaft of sunlight speared through a small slit of an upper window. “I can smell the sun.” She looked up and licked her dry lips. “How do I look?”
He shook his head in awe. “Like you, as beautiful as ever. How do you feel?”
Strong. Healthy. Reborn.
Even though Fitz gave a look of concern, he allowed her to climb off the bed unaided. It felt good to move and stand up.
Then she caught her reflection in a large, full-length mirror and walked toward it.
She gasped, holding a hand to her stomach.
Talk about transformation.
Her hair was fuller, thicker, the color a rich, glossy brown instead of the lifeless, thin mane tortured by the prescription drugs she’d taken. She ran a hand along her forearm, the skin flawless of sun damage and buttery soft. Instead of tired, her eyes looked bright.
She undressed, evaluating her whole body. The scar on her right knee? Gone. Even the birthmark on her hip had vanished. She brushed a hand over one breast, down her stomach, a throb growing between her legs. Curious, she grazed her fingers between the folds and gasped, finding herself slick with heat and arousal.
Extra-sensitive? No kidding.
“Gaelen.”
She turned around.
Fitz clenched his jaw, gripping the edge of the bed, feral heat in his eyes.
He wanted her.
Her eyes widened at the transparent waves emanating from him. She could actually see and smell his desire for her. They snaked around her, raiding her senses. She inhaled deeply, eyelids fluttering at the instant high.
“How do you feel?” he asked hoarsely.
She exhaled, smiling. “Like myself.”
He grinned wickedly.
Seriously. Was it possible to get even more wet?
He cleared his throat, standing, the result of his arousal in his pants exciting her. “There’s so much I have to tell you. That you need to know…” His voice trailed as she crooked a finger.
“I need you. Right now.” Her body tingled with sexual craving. Talk could wait.
She climbed on the long dining table. Leaning back on her hands, she gave Fitz a salacious smile and slowly spread her legs. He flew toward her with such speed, her hair flew back. “You’re going to have to show me how to do that.”
“Come here,” he said huskily. He grasped her waist and plunged inside her.
She cried out at his ruthless penetration before he clasped a hand around her neck and crushed his mouth to hers. Under his command, she opened and received his forceful tongue. Thrusting his cock in and out of her, Fitz’s entire body was covered in a sheet of sweat.
So needy for him, she yelled his name as he bucked. From over his shoulder, she could see their reflection in the glass, his toned ass clenching, the muscles in his back rippling. She ran her tongue up the side of his neck, the flavor of his sweat thrilling her.
Every nerve screamed in ecstasy, every second of their fevered lovemaking supplying a new height of heart-wrenching pleasure. Wanton and wild, she encircled one arm around his neck and twined her tongue with his, sucking it, and scraping his bottom lip with her new teeth.
He released a raw groan and sank his hips even harder. He hooked an arm around her lower back, moved his knee to the edge of the table, and drove deep. Their carnal fucking caused the table to scrape along the floor with every push of Fitz’s hips. They hit a bookshelf, a few volumes tumbling around them.
Collapsing to her back, she clawed the wooden surface, arching.
With her orgasm so close, she knew she had no choice but to succumb. When Fitz growled and lowered his head to her chest, sucking her nipple, then circling her clit with his thumb, she was done. Her whole body froze before she threw her head back and cried out.
Fitz buried his face in the crook of her neck, pumping into her, teeth sharp and muscles taut. So virile, so male. And all hers. A possessiveness told hold, and she wrapped herself around him, hooking her ankles and holding him tight. “Fitz, I love you,” she moaned, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions.
With a long, helpless groan, he came, shuddering in her arms.
For a while, wrapped in one another, they heaved for breath and said nothing. Eventually, he pushed up and carried her to the bed.
She stroked his hair as he laid her down. “I’m not tired.”
“I know,” he drawled, crawling between her legs. “You’ll be insatiable for a week.”
“That’s it?”
He chuckled low, and pressed kisses on her cheek, nose, and lips. “Yes. A side effect from being avowed to a fateblood.”
She softly laughed. “Oh, you poor man.”
His eyes were twinkling. “I can accommodate you all you want this week, but we’re leaving Manhattan soon.”
“Because of what you did last night?”
She was so perceptive. “Yes. While it was essentially the right thing to do, it will certainly rub a lot of people the wrong way if they find out. And I don’t want us involved any deeper. It’s important we keep a low profile, at least until the Centurias.”
Once he explained what the Centurias was, and why it was vital to go, she sighed, overwhelmed. There was a whole world she didn’t know a thing about, and it bothered her.
Fitz met her eyes. “What is it?”
“I feel like I’ll drag you down. I’ll be so dependent on you and I hate that—”
“I’m dependent on you, Gaelen. Don’t, for one second, ever think you aren’t everything to me. Yes, you won’t know everything there is to know about living as a vampire right away, but that doesn’t mean you’re slowing me down. I’m excited to bring you in my world and make it ours.” He kissed her lips. “You’re fearless and special. And you’re mine.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. He was so confident, so sure, yet, she wasn’t.
He kissed her tenderly, then moved along her neck. She smiled. They were going to make love again. “Where will we go?”
“I don’t know yet. I have several residences we can choose from. We’ll talk about it later.”
She arched beneath him while his hand explored her body. “And when is this Centurias?”
“January.”
“That far away? What are we going to do until then?”
“A lot of this,” he murmured, working his way down her chest and stomach. “And a lot of traveling. There are so many things I want to show you, places to visit, people to introduce you to.”
She gasped at the thrill of seeing new places with him—and how he dipped his tongue in her navel. I can’t believe this happened to me. Why me? What makes me so special? She fingered his wavy hair, marveling the whole new existence she was now living in, hoping she’d be able to keep up with him.
Things seem
ed to be going very fast. So many questions and unknowns, potential and anticipation for what lay ahead.
Five
A blindfold was placed around her eyes, her lover’s sexy voice deep and silken in her ear.
“Don’t move.”
Gaelen let out a small laugh. “I’m afraid to.”
“Don’t be afraid of anything. Now, I’m going to go to different parts of the loft. You have to concentrate and feel where I am and find me. Don’t worry, I won’t cheat and hide in any of the closets. You only get one chance for every move I make.” He pressed a kiss on her shoulder and blurred.
She waited, fidgeting her fingers, and started to cautiously walk around the living room.
For over a week she’d been a vampire, and it’d been a slightly awkward transition. She had hoped she would fall into it like a duck to water, but no, she was more like a duckling trying to learn to walk, quack, and float, let alone swim.
Fitz possessed bottomless patience and never once expressed any frustration, even when her old human habits kicked in. Several times she’d gone to his fridge for a snack, only to realize she wasn’t hungry for food, but blood. The first time she tried to take from his wrist, she didn’t find the vein quite right, and it was like sucking through a broken straw. He cut the vein, squeezed a fist over a cup and let her drink that way. When she did eat real food, it tasted different than she remembered, and nowhere nearly as satisfying as it used to be. Moderation was everything. Food, blood, and now, energy.
Sometimes she couldn’t sleep through the daytime, feeling as though they should be up and active. Sleep only claimed her after Fitz made vigorous love to her until she could barely keep her eyes open anymore. Even so, she was up before sunset, allowing Fitz to rest while she sat on his garden terrace, read novels, and ordered new clothes online, since they’d given away almost all of her possessions to a women’s shelter. It had been her idea. She wanted to leave everything of the old Gaelen behind.
But when he woke up, she was eager, ready to learn and try more.
Tonight, they were working on her sensa intake. She was thirsty to feed, and Fitz said she needed to learn how to absorb another’s energy instead of relying on blood and food.
Fitz Page 5