Page 51 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

Come to the kitchen.

Please.

If you want to talk.

I’m here alone.

My thumb hovered over the screen. I touched my graze absently, remembering the gentle press of his thumb, the hunger in his eyes as he’d lifted it towards his mouth. The intimate tension of that moment made my cheeks flame even now. Facing him after that felt impossibly awkward.

Another message appeared.

But I could call someone else here as well, if you’d feel safer.

Something in my chest tightened at those words. I didn’t want him down there thinking I was up here terrified of him.

Because I wasn’t, truly.

I’m coming.

My feet dragged against the floorboards, each step feeling heavier than the last. Then I hesitated at the doorway, my hand gripping the frame. Through the gap, I spotted Seb standing by the counter, arms folded across his chest. He was wearing fresh clothes—another tight shirt, rolled up to reveal those magnetising forearms of his, though no tie for once. He’d showered, and his dark curls were damp, clinging to his face in a way that made him look younger, softer somehow.

When I finally pushed through the door, Seb’s eyes widened before he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I didn’t expect you to be in those pyjamas again.”

“Well… it’s nighttime…” I gestured vaguely at myself, trying not to notice how different Seb looked out of his usual coat. His new burgundy trousers still hugged his legs in a way that—nope. Not going there.I forced my gaze away and made a beeline for the kettle.

I avoided looking at him while I filled it, staring at the white glazed tileson the walls, and their spiderweb cracks.

“So…” I pushed the kettle to boil, finally turning to face Seb. “You’re a vampire.”

“I’m a vampire.”

A giggle escaped me before I could stop it. “How did that happen?”

“I was turned by another vampire. A very long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

He paused. “Almost exactly five hundred years.”

“Holy shit.” I spun away from him, pressing two hands on the counter. I’d thought him thirty-five at most. “Holyshit.”

Five hundred years.

I tried to wrap my head around the number, those centuries stretching out like an endless horizon where the sea meets sky. While I’d spent my adult life measuring time by tides and seasons, he’d lived through entire eras, watching empires rise and fall like waves against the shore.

He’d lived through the Renaissance, through wars and revolutions, while I’d barely managed to survive twenty-five years of existence. No wonder he carried himself with such quiet authority—he’d had centuries to perfect it.

“Are you okay? Your chest—”

“No. Not right now. I just…” I swallowed hard. “It’s hard to process. Five hundred years. It’s a lot. It’s… a lot of years.” I pressed my lips together to stop my burbling.

The kettle clicked off. I poured water into two mugs, added milk, and handed one to Seb.

“I remember very little about my human years, and my diaries from that period detail little aside from my descent into religious fanaticism. But I can tell you I was lucky enough to be born into a minor noble family in Toledo, Spain. But there’s about where the luck ran out.”

“So…” A million vampire questions danced on my tongue. “What about sunlight? Does it hurt you?” I couldn’t help but stare at him like he was a science exhibit.

“Sunlight…” He traced the rim of his mug with one finger. “It won’t turn me to ash, if that’s what you’re thinking. But still, it’s… unpleasant. Like a severe sunburn that happens very quickly. We can tolerate it briefly, with proper precautions.”

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