Page 258 of Flirting with Darkness

I turned my head and exposed my neck. “Then take me. Claim me…please, I need you.”

He chuckled at my plea and grabbed my legs; lifting them, he pushed slowly but firmly into my body. I grunted and breathed through the feeling of discomfort and fullness.

“Don’t stop,” I told him when he hesitated.

“I can’t. You feel so fucking good,” he huffed, rolling his hips.

The feel of his weight on top of me, his blood pumping through my veins as he fucked me, was overwhelming in the best possible way. He angled his hips and I instinctively moved with him. Excitement made me claw at his back as I anticipated what was about to happen. I leaned up and kissed the side of his mouth then scraped my teeth over his jaw before dropping my head back and exposing my neck.

I groaned as Dav’s fang’s punched deep. At his first draw I detonated, my whole body spasming. With each suck of his lips another shock of pleasure took me—until I screamed, my body on fire. Dav drove his hips home harder and harder, frantic and wild until his rhythm stuttered. Warmth emptied into my body and he gave a strained roar, which stayed trapped in his throat. He was as reluctant to release his hold on me as I had been with him.

His pace slowed until he stopped. Breathing hard, he released my legs and unhooked his fangs from my skin, laving the wound once. Satisfaction burned in his gaze. He supported his weight on his elbows as he rested his forehead on mine.

“Wow,” I breathed.

Davlov stared down at me, my own love reflected in his eyes. “Wow, indeed.” He leaned down and kissed me tenderly before rolling the tip of his tongue around my fangs. “You’re mine now. My mate. And you mean everything to me.”

I swallowed the ache in my throat. It was overwhelming to know that his words were completely and utterly true.

“Sleep now,” he said, slowly pulling from my body.

I didn’t care about the after effects of our claiming, the mess, the soreness, nothing.

“You’ll need it, love. ‘Cause no one else is getting near you now. I’m the one who will feed you to get you through this part of your bloodlust.”

Pleasure shuddered through me at the thought of taking his blood and his body again. I smiled sleepily. “I can’t wait. This was perfect.”

Dav smiled and kissed me languidly before he rolled onto his back and pulled me closer, half draping me across his body. I let my head relax onto his chest, my mate’s scent surrounding me and his strength buzzing through my veins. I’d never felt so content or sosafein my entire life. And the best part? It was forever.

“I love you,” I whispered against his skin.

“Good, ‘cause I adore you. And you’re stuck with me now.”

EPILOGUE

ELLIOT

Six Months later

“I wish we’d had you on our side when that damned Rift from Hell opened,” Vito said, as we strode up the gravel drive towards the castle.

I raised my brows. “Really? Why’s that?”

Vito grinned and slapped my shoulder. “Because you’ve turned into a badass fighter, kid. Of course, it’s all down to your training partner. You wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Jesus, Vito, arrogant much?” But I was grinning. Dav was busy and had a job to do, one I’d told him I didn’t want to interfere with. It wasn’t possible for him to train with me everyday to improve my skills to the level the Count required of his security staff. Instead, he’d tasked Vito to be responsible for my combat training. The trouble was, the vamp was damned good at his job, and he knew it. Then again, that was Vito all over. Arrogant. Self-confident. And a good guy.

“Who? Me?” he asked.

I laughed at his innocent expression. “You’re an idiot.”

He grinned back.

We walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. Birds tweeted from the nearby trees and the moon lit our way. It was a warm summer night filled with the heady scent of flowers, and it was almost dawn. That meant Dav would be back from the Gambit with the Count and Sorcha. My stomach lurched with familiar excitement at the thought of seeing my mate. I smirked. I’d only seen him a few hours ago, but it felt like too long.

We’d spent the past months spending as much time as possible together, getting to know each other. I’d discovered a passion for learning the piano. I wasn’t bad at it, but I wasn’t good, either. At least, that’s what I thought; Dav had thought otherwise, saying I had a natural talent that needed to be nurtured. He’d paid for lessons, and I’d loved every minute of them, working hard to make the most of his belief in me. But most of all I enjoyed playing just for him in the castle music room when I knew no one else was around. I touched the scar beneath my ear. The Count had removed Victor’s rune, which to me had been like unlocking shackles and freeing me from my past. I had Dav’s initials tattooed in vampire runes over my heart now. I touched the area and smiled. Some days I had to pinch myself to make sure my new life was real. I was happy, content in a way I hadn’t thought possible. Physically, I was as big and strong as other vampires. My vampire side had all but swamped my human side now that I’d gone through bloodlust, and though I knew it was still there, I felt more vampire than anything.

Davlov and the Count agreed that my mother must have been from an ancient Original family and that my body and blood were almost entirely vampire now that I regularly fed from Davlov. I could still go out in daylight. Whether that was my human blood or Davlov’s ancient blood, I didn’t know, but it meant we could spend more time enjoying our lives together, exploring places and doing amazing things that I’d never had the opportunity to do before.

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