Page 78 of Love Bites

There was no going back for him.

He couldn’t change his mind, or walk away.

We were mates.

And it wasn’t necessarily what I wanted, but there was no getting away from it. No use in pretending we were anything else.

I didn’t have to fall in love with him—but I did have to be his partner for the rest of my life, just like he had to be mine.

The bond made us a team.

And that was really, really intense.

I finally looked away from him, biting my lip as I curled up with my pillow on our bed and closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

My breathing evened as I drifted in and out of sleep, hovering on the edge as Damian, mymate, dried off and slipped into bed with me.

As he turned toward the pillow, but didn’t cross it.

As he brushed a hand lightly over the top of my hair, smoothing a few loose strands away from my face like he didn’t want them to bother me.

And in my half-conscious state, I finally admitted to myself that if I had to spend my life with someone, I could’ve done a lot worse.

seventeen

BLAIR

Our gamequickly became one of my favorite parts of my life. Not because of the sex—though that was incredible—but because it was justfun.

Damian tried to catch me off guard.

I made him hunt me down.

We both walked away from it grinning, every time.

I tried harder to integrate myself into vampire society, as well. We went to the movie nights in the pool every week, and though my sisters were there, I tried to get to know other people too.

My sisters would always be my sisters, and we would always be close, but I wanted to be part of the community too. Not just as Vamp Manor’sBig Mama B, or the siren who was mated to the king. But as myself.

So, I socialized.

The time passed quickly.

I realized it had been an entire month since we made our agreement one morning, while I was sitting at breakfast.

Damian wasn’t there, but he’d texted me about a video meeting he had with some backwoods vampire clan that morning. So I’d known he wasn’t going to make it.

I considered bringing him something to eat, but didn’t want to make things weird.

And what if he’d already asked someone to bring him something?

Then again, it wasn’t weird whenhebroughtmefood.

It wouldn’t hurt just to ask if he’d eaten, would it?

I was eyeing my phone when someone dropped into the empty seat beside mine. I glanced over at the man, offering a smile in greeting.

“Hey, Mama B.”

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