Page 36 of Blood Bond

“Had me lashed.”

“Because of Katherine.”

“Because of his blind heart. He had no true understanding of what he possessed.”

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Seth's demeanour has shifted. The rest has revitalised him, and as he moves closer, there's an intensified strength, a more potent aura surrounding him.

“Did you see my dream?” I ask because I don’t understand how he knows exactly what I’m talking about, nor does he question. His answer is so simple as if we’d been watching the same thing.

He gazes at me, a seemingly eternal moment passing between us. "These things you must learn on your own. It will come when the time is right. Everything happens when it's meant to." He steps closer, so near that I could reach out and touch him, and I find myself wanting, needing to. My body quivers with the urge.

The dream lingers in my mind, an ethereal whisper of memory, echoing Seth's essence. Emotions surge within me, a yearning to close the gap between us, to soothe the palpable concern radiating from him. In Seth, power and responsibility intertwine, each amplifying the other.

Katherine's emotions swirl through my thoughts like a haunting melody. Her yearning, her tender care for him, and the shadow of sorrow for her own fate are tangible. Amidst this emotional tapestry, there’s an unmistakable thread of love—a love so pure and unique, it defies the understanding of their world.

"My mind feels impatient. I feel ..." My words trail off as I lock eyes with him. "About you. I feel ..."

His gaze is piercing. "Confused?"

I dislike the word 'confused.' It doesn’t quite capture the complexity of my emotions.

His hand lowers to my cheek, his thumb lightly caressing my skin.

I feel myself drawn into him. "You're unlike any vampire I've ever met," I whisper. "I've been around your kind since childhood, but this ... it’s indescribable. I should be afraid of you. But you're not like them," I find myself admitting, despite my reservations. Unlike Crevan and the others. ‘You never take anything from me. Back at the compound, when I offered.”

“You are not here for that.”

When we had fallen, and Killian and his people had taken us back to their place. I offered to feed Seth. He had been injured, similar to how Layla was when we found her. Killian had wired Seth up for transfusions, a plan so well-executed it seemed premeditated. But Seth had needed to heal faster, and despite his weakened state, he had refused my offer to feed him, even when I almost forced him. The only reason he gave in was to save us.

“What am I here for?” I pause, piecing together this complex puzzle. "You walked in the sun because you fed from me? There is something with my blood?"

He closes his eyes briefly, as if fending off unwanted thoughts. "Yes," he admits, his thumb lightly caressing my lower lip, feather-light.

"What is it?"

He lowers his hand to mine, gently taking it and guiding me to stand with him. I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Seth does what he always does, placing a finger under my chin to direct my face towards his. It's against my nature to maintain eye contact, trained as I am to look away, but with Seth, I find myself drawn to his eyes, to his face. My heart pounds, blood surging through my veins as our other hands remain entwined.

“I do not know exactly, but it calls to me, you call to me.” Slowly, he lowers his face, his lips meeting mine with a gentleness I don’t expect, warmer than I anticipate. A small gasp escapes my throat, a sound of surprise and awakening desire.

The warmth of his lips against mine sends a shock through my entire being. It's as if the world around us fades into nothingness, and all that exists in this moment is the intoxicating sensation of his touch. His lips are soft yet firm, moving against mine with a mesmerising rhythm that makes my head spin.

My heart races even faster, a wild flurry of emotions swirling within me. Desire blooms deep within my core, igniting a fire that I never knew existed. With each passing second, the boundaries between us blur, and I find myself losing control to this whirlwind of passion.

His hand tightens around mine, grounding me in reality as our bodies press closer together. The heat radiating from him seeps into my skin, warming every inch of me. In this embrace, time ceases to exist, and all that matters are the sensations coursing through my veins.

I melt into his touch, surrendering to the overwhelming desire. Every nerve ending comes alive under his gentle caress. It's a dance of tongues and sighs, an intricate symphony of shared breaths and tantalising kisses.

I float away, losing myself, as something in my mind opens—a spark, a door? I'm uncertain. A gasp escapes my lips.

"Show me where you are," demands a voice, thick, fluid, commanding and intrusive.

In my mind's eye, he appears as though standing before me—his handsome face, a physique exuding both command and deceit. His wicked grin sends chills through me, both pushing and pulling at my senses. He struggles to grasp my mind, toying with it.

"No," I resist, pushing back, fighting his intrusion.

"Show me, Payton. I will come for you," he insists.

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