Page 18 of All Night Long

“Again, overwhelmed with positive emotions.”

“You asked, I answered. So now tell me how you feel.”

“Achy, like the beginning of the flu.” Henry could see Gray moving his jaw from side to side.

“I get twenty-four hours away from you, then.”

“You can do a lot with that. Fuck anyone you want. Spend the night with your dick buried in their ass.”

Gray’s jaw hardened and Henry furrowed his brow. “I can’t.”

“What? Why not? I had sex with Jess after you left.” And hadn’t that been fun? Not.

“You did what?” Gray roared, causing Henry to shrink back into the bed.

“I had sex with my partner, the one I told you about.”

Gray jumped on the bed and pulled Henry out, snarling in his face. “No one but me touches you.”

“But my touch repulses you,” Henry whispered. “Why does it bother you if I find a guy who actually wants to be with me? You don’t. You’ve made that clear, so why can’t I have someone who likes me, who doesn’t think I’m shit for being human?”

“Because you’re mine!” Gray shouted.

“But you don’t want me,” Henry murmured. “You don’t even like me.” He shook his head slowly. “Makes me wonder why you saved me all those years ago.” Holding up his wrist, Henry showed Gray the scar he carried. “You grabbed my wrist and bit me, leaving this scar. I forgot all about it. Probably blanked it from my mind, but I remembered and I knew it was you who saved me and marked me. Did you know then who I would be to you? Is that why you did this?” Henry rubbed the scar on his wrist. “A way to avoid me if you ever saw it again?”

Gray’s mouth had fallen open as he stared at Henry’s wrist. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Stupid delusional human.”

Henry heard the words, but there was no heat or anger behind them. Just a voice that trembled. “You do. You remember.”

Gray’s eyes shifted from Henry’s wrist to him. “It meant nothing. It was years ago, and it was a way to scare a stupid child from walking home alone in the dark where the things that hunt humans could find him.”

“Well, that worked. Never did walk on my own again, until I was older.”

“A thank you would be nice.”

“Sarcasm will get you nowhere, mate.”

Henry saw Gray’s eyes widen, his nostrils flare and wondered if he was pushing the vampire too much. Not that he’d really done anything, but he didn’t know Gray and didn’t know how he would react. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why? It’s the truth. We fucked, you bit me, and now we’re mates. I’m the one who has to live with that.”

“So do I,” Gray muttered harshly. “I’m the one who can’t fuck anyone else. It’s you from now until we die.”

“Whereas I can fuck another man or I wouldn’t have been able to with Jess.”

“I swear to god if you mention his name again I will find him and kill him.”

“Is murder a crime for your species?” Genuine concern for Jess flooded through him, and Henry waited. He didn’t think Gray would do anything to hurt Jess, but then again, he had no idea about the vampire he was mated to. His life had been altered and now he had to live with it, as did Gray.

Gray grimaced and turned away. Henry took the time to get out of bed and stand on the opposite side, away from Gray. “Yes.”

“I’m surprised you answered me.”

“Me too.” Henry watched the muscles tense in Gray’s back, then Gray spun around. “A bed won’t protect you.”

“It gives me a false sense of security which I need right now.”

Arching an eyebrow, Gray appeared directly in front of Henry, causing him to jump back. “Don’t do that.”

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