Page 20 of Bite of Midnight
I push forward, slow but deep, sinking into her until she gasps, trembling beneath me. I pause, letting her adjust, then start to move, slow thrusts turning harder, deeper, until the air fills with our sounds, our rhythm, our breaking point.
“Damien, I’m so close. I’m going to come,” she moans.
“Not until I tell you to, sweet Calla. Wait for me.” I thrust harder, deeper, into her slick heat, every movement pushing me closer to the edge. Her tight pussy grips me like she was made for me, and for a moment I swear I could burn the world down with the way she feels.
“Now, sweetheart. Come for me.”
Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she breaks apart, trembling and gasping my name. The sound of her pleasure wrecks me. I sink my teeth into the soft curve of her neck, tasting her essence as I spill inside her. The rush is blinding, pure, consuming bliss.
It’s a taste of what eternity could be, though not quite the bond itself. That would require her drinking from me too. She’s not ready for that yet.
When we finally still, I pull out of her trembling body with a low groan. She shivers, her skin slick and glowing. I head into the bathroom, wet a washcloth with warm water, and return to her side.
“What are you doing?” she whispers, breathless.
“Spread your legs, sweetheart. Let me take care of you, my mate. My darling. My love.”
She parts her thighs without a word, trusting me completely. I clean her slowly, gently, wiping away the evidence of us before tossing the cloth into the sink. When I come back, I pull her against me, her head resting over my chest.
The room is quiet now, filled only with the sound of our breathing and the faint crackle of the fire. The sheets are tangled around us, soft against her skin, warm against mine. She lies half in my arms, her fingers tracing idle patterns over my chest like she’s memorizing the shape of me.
Her voice is soft, almost hesitant. “I can feel it. Your heartbeat. I thought vampires were… dead.”
A low laugh escapes me, quiet and rough. “We’re very much alive. Our hearts still beat, we just age slower. Much slower.”
She tilts her head, studying me, curiosity softening every line of her face. “So you can die?”
“We can,” I say. “It just takes more than time to kill us.”
Her fingers pause over my heart, feeling the steady rhythm beneath her touch. “You don’t seem like something that can die.”
“Neither did you,” I murmur. “And yet, you nearly stopped mine tonight.”
She blushes, a small smile curving her lips before fading into thought. “You said… slower. How much slower?”
I brush a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “I’ve lived a thousand years, Calla.”
Her breath catches. “A thousand?”
I nod once. “And not one of them meant anything until tonight.”
Her gaze flicks up to mine, wide and full of wonder. “Children,” she says suddenly, the word like a question and a revelation at once. “You said vampires can have children?”
I nod again, slow and deliberate. “Yes. But only once we find our mate.”
Her brow furrows slightly. “How?”
I cradle her cheek in my palm, my thumb brushing her skin in small, reverent circles. “When we bond, part of what I am becomes part of you. Not enough to change what makes you human, but enough to bridge the divide between our worlds. It’s rare. Sacred. The bond makes new life possible.”
She’s quiet for a long time. Her eyes search mine like she’s trying to decide if she should believe me, if what I’m saying could be real. Then, softly, almost to herself, she whispers, “You mean… I could carry your child?”
Something inside me stirs, hope, fierce and dangerous. I smile faintly, my thumb still resting against her lips. “You could. If you chose it. If we chose it.”
Her breath shudders out, her eyes glimmering with a mix of awe and disbelief. “That’s… impossible.”
“So was finding you,” I whisper. “And yet, here you are.”
She looks away, blinking hard, as if the weight of it all, the bond, the fate, the future, presses down too heavily to breathe. I pull her gently against my chest, holding her close until her heartbeat steadies again beneath my hand.
