Page 155 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

A flicker of pain crossed Seb’s face at my words, his jaw tightening. The meaning hadn’t escaped him—that promise of “always” held different weight for an immortal vampire than it did for my fragile human life.

My heart thundered in my chest. Seb’s eyes snapped to my ribcage, confusion etched across his features.

“I mean it.” I squeezed his hand tighter. “Always, if that’s something you want.”

He studied my face intently, processing the weight behind those words. The possibility I was offering hung between us like smoke from the burning raft.

“I love you,” I said. “And I want to stay with you forever.”

“Forever?” His voice caught on the word. “You’ve never been in love before, Flynn. You’re so young. We’ve known each other barely longer than autumn leaves cling to their branches.” Then gently he said, “You can’t possibly know how you want to spend the rest of your life.”

“My mum and dad met young and got married one month later. They loved each other for twenty years, until the accident that killed my dad.” I lifted my chin. “So don’t mock me for believing in love at firstsight. Don’t take away that little bit of magic from the world.” My voice wavered. “Unless you… don’t feel the same?”

“Flynn.” He cupped my face in his hands. “You’ve brought light back into my world. Made me feel alive again when I thought that part of me had died centuries ago. I love you. I’ve told you that a thousand times, and I plan to tell you a million more. But…” His thumbs traced my cheekbones. “Do you truly want to be with a vampire? I can’t give you a normal life. No growing old together, no Sunday brunches out—”

“Don’t be silly,” I interrupted. “I’ll just eat two portions at brunch.”

“But no days spent in the sun,” Seb said, his dark eyes fixed on the horizon. “No lazy afternoons at the beach. No—”

“We’ve got that sorted.” I gestured at his ridiculous ensemble and the umbrella. “Besides, I spent ten years living next to a beach. Trust me, they’re overrated. Sand gets everywhere.”

His lips twitched, but the worry didn’t leave his eyes. “I’m half married to my job, chained to that hotel.”

“That creepy old hotel feels like my home now.” I pressed closer, breathing in the dark spices that clung to him. “And I know you love your job. I’d never want you to stop that. Who else would keep Kit in line? Or stop Rory adopting more zombie pets? Or make sure Felix actually sleeps instead of coding for forty-eight hours straight?”

The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. “You’ve been thinking about this.”

“Course I have. Ever since that night with Magdalena.” I traced the lapel of his coat. “Life’s too short. Or well, potentially very long in my case, if you’d…”

I trailed off, letting the words hang in the air between us. His hands tightened on my waist.

“Flynn…” The way he said my name, like a prayer and a warning all at once.

“You’ll never be alone again,” I whispered.

I touched my chest, where my heart beat steadily, pumping blood around my body. If he turned me, it would stop. That thought shouldhave terrified me more than it did. I’d spent so many nights lying awake next to Seb, imagining what it would be like. The stillness. The silence. The hunger.

But wasn’t I already changed? Magic flowed through my veins now, that connection to water marking me as something more than human. And hadn’t I already left my old life behind, watching it burn and sink beneath the waves? The thought of transformation didn’t frighten me half as much as the idea of leaving Seb alone again, of becoming another ghost in his centuries of memories.

“I know what I’m asking for,” I said softly. “I know it’s not all lollipops and rainbows. But I still want this. Want you.”

I pressed my palm flat against his chest. When I’d first listened to the silent stillness of his dead heart, I’d been distraught. Now, I felt a strange sort of peace. Like I was finally steering my boat into the right harbour after years of being lost at sea.

“You don’t want an eternity doomed as a monster.”

“An eternity with you?” I smiled. “What could be better? We won’t need to worry about being lonely ever again.”

I could see it in his eyes—how much he wanted that, even if he’d never admit it.

“It doesn’t have to be right now,” I continued, watching his face carefully. “Not this year, even. I’d like to look a bit older first, actually. My baby face is bad enough without being frozen in time forever.”

His lips quirked. “I quite like your baby face.”

“I got ID’d buying paracetamol last week.”

“Ah.”

The last of the sun slipped beyond the horizon, and Seb folded his umbrella up.

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