Synopsis:
To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I've been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with.
It was theirs.
It's always been theirs.
I
didn't open my eyes. "No staying in bed all day?"
"About
that…" Ethan sighed. "The good news is it will feel like we've been
in bed for days when really it could have been mere hours."
"Hmm?"
I perked up. "Well, that's a nice trick."
"I'm
full of them." His eyes sparkled. "Care to know more?"
"Yes,"
I whispered, my mouth finding his.
With
a groan, he pushed me back against the mattress and loomed over me, his naked
body glorious-looking against the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Perhaps we'll stay a bit longer."
"Yes."
I nodded my head eagerly. "I'm your mate, after all. Don't you want me to
be pleased?"
"You
were pleased at least four times last night, possibly five, if we count the
time I—"
"Shh."
I put my hands over his mouth.
He
smirked. "Afraid the dust will hear?"
I
rolled my eyes.
"Ethan!"
Alex's voice boomed on the other side of the door. "Feed her!"
"Ignore
him," Ethan hissed.
The
knock got louder. "For the love of God, she's human. Give her food."
"He's
a siren. He knows nothing." Ethan continued kissing me.
"Mason
will break down the door if he has to." Fighting broke out in the hall.
"Ethan, I can smell the sex from here. One immortal to another, feed her
before you can't feed from her anymore."
Ethan
growled and pulled back from me. "They have no manners."
I
was half-tempted to cover my face with my hands. Had they heard us? Of course
they'd heard us, and they knew, and they could… Yeah, I wanted to crawl under
the bed and hide for a few days. Instead, Ethan pounced from the bed, put on a
pair of jeans, and jerked open the door while I tried to hide beneath the
covers.
Alex
peered over Ethan's shoulder and waved.
I
had no choice but to wave back and hope that I wasn't as red as I felt.
"She's
alive." Alex held up his hand for a high five. "No? Not funny? Too
soon?"
"Horrible
joke," Mason said next to him. "I made eggs. She's going to need
food. Make her eat everything on the plate and—"
He
was still talking when Ethan slammed the door in his face and brought a giant
plate of food over to me.
"Forgive
them." Ethan scowled. "There aren't typically secrets between us, and
they're just concerned for you."
I
pointed at the eggs, ten slices of bacon, and toast. "Clearly, they don't
want me to starve."
"Wolves."
Ethan looked heavenward. "He should be more concerned with his own diet,
the ass."
"It
does smell good." I moved up the bed so I could lean against the
headboard. "Do you eat?"
Ethan's
lips curved into a predatory smile. "I ate several times last night. Care
for me to refresh your memory?"
My
cheeks burned.
"So
tempting." He reached for a piece of bacon and held it to his lips, taking
a small bite that had my entire body clenching to keep from reaching out and
attacking him. "And yes, I can eat. I typically do eat but haven't been
because when we drink, we don't need normal food."
"But
before me…" I grabbed a piece of toast. "You were eating normal
food."
"I
like you better." He winked. "But yes, I was."
"Good
to know I'm better than bacon."
"Your
taste…" His eyes brightened. "…is unlike anything I've ever
had."
"Hmm…"
I licked my lips.
"Stop
it," he hissed and looked away. "Damn, I can't watch you eat. I'm
going to shower while you eat your entire plate as per Mason's orders, and then
I'll contemplate letting you leave this room so you can go to the
bookstore."
"Ah!"
I almost knocked over the food. "My job! Am I late? Will I get
fired?"
Ethan
burst out laughing. "It's eight in the morning. He's expecting you when I
drop you off. No sooner, no later. You won't get fired. He wouldn't dream of
it, and you really are adorable."
"And
hot." I sighed.
"That
too."
"No,
I mean hot, as in, it's scorching in here."
Ethan
winced. "You may be that way for a few days."
"Hot?"
He
nodded.
"Why?"
"Too
much vampire blood makes you overheat a bit." He shrugged. "It won't
turn you— You're very much human, like I've said before, but sometimes the
vampire blood causes a type of burn to take over in your bloodstream, not
painful, just not exactly pleasant if it's a hundred degrees outside."
"Good
thing it's Seattle." I bit into the toast.
"Yes,
well, I imagine at this point, raindrops would simply turn to vapor if they
landed on your skin."
I
smiled.
"Shower."
He nodded. "I'm going to turn around now and walk away."
"Narrating?"
"Apparently,
that's what I do when I can think of nothing more than ripping that sheet from
your body, slamming you into the nearest wall, and possessing you all over
again."
I
dropped the toast.
He
growled, taking two steps toward me, then swore and turned back around.
"Have
a good shower!" I called.
Another
growl was his answer, and then his jeans went flying. I wasn't laughing
anymore.
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!
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