Page 64 of Fated to the Vampire Prince
I wasn’t much for prayers, but I said a silent one now, asking for some amount of strength because this wasn’t fair. Why did the gods see fit to mate me to such an exquisite temptress? I bit down on my lip, knowing I should look away, but I was unable to stop myself. Taking in each line of her body. Memorizing every inch as I stalked toward her. The black stockings and lace stark against the creamy color of her skin. Her lilac hair framing her heart-shaped face.
I lowered onto my knees, and the scent of my mate’s arousal had my cock thickening, needing to serve its one purpose, which was to bring this woman as much pleasure as possible.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Let’s get this over with.”
I hummed low in the back of my throat. “When you’ve been alive as long as I have, you learn there’s no reason to rush every little thing,chérie.” I ran my hands up her calves, letting my palms trace the nylon stockings. Her breath hitched, andby the gods, there was no better sound. “In fact,” I continued, “you come to understand that the best part of being alive is theanticipation.”
I caught her behind the knee and guided her leg over the back of the couch, spreading her open for me. My fingers traced the path down her thigh, unhurried, until they pressed against the wild beat of her pulse. I watched with pleasure as she gripped the couch, breath coming in and out, making her chest heave. Her nipples turning into tight little peaks. The fire in her was burning hotter than ever.
Our eyes locked. “Unlike you, I’m not immortal,” she said. “I can’t live that way, or I’d never get anything done.”
I ran my fingers up and down her thigh. A barely there touch that had her biting back my name. “If I want something,” she said, all gasps, “I have to… t-take action.”
I lowered my lips to the sensitive flesh just below the apex of her thighs, and my mouth watered. Anticipating the sweet taste of her blood as I transformed into the hunter that I was. Fangs lengthening.“I’m well-versed in taking action, chérie, make no mistake.”
I licked her skin with long strokes of my tongue to soften it. Her back arched, and her hip slid down an inch. If only I could pull the lace to the side and lick her center the same way.
“Bastien.Please.”
My name, so sweet on her lips.
“Easy, Claire,” I purred, kissing her thigh once again. “I need you to hold very,verystill.”
Fitting one hand under her backside, I gripped her hard, lifting her to my mouth and sank my fangs into her. The taste alone nearly undid my sensibilities. She was…delectable. Claire writhed beneath my touch, moaning softly. My eyes rolled back as the flavor of her blood raced down my throat, but I needed to focus on the alcohol, not the taste. It took only a few minutes until her blood ran clean. Once I was done, I released my hold on her but was careful to catch the soft dribbles of red running from the already healing wound with my tongue.
The buzz of alcohol swam in my head, and I couldn’t believe how much she’d had to drink.
Claire lay sprawled across the couch, her eyes hazy, her cheeks pink. “Youaretrying to punish me.”
Something deep inside me purred with satisfaction. I knew exactly what she meant. But that little tease was not punishment. Not compared to the sharp pain I’d felt after catching her half-naked with another man. “I swear, I’m not trying to punish you.”
She pushed herself into a seated position and asked, “Then why are you making all these unfair rules for me?”
I hesitated. “May I?” I asked, gesturing to the space beside her.
She nodded.
I sat. Daring to brush a wild strand of hair aside. Our eyes met, and hers were wide, dark pupils like twin moons. Without the alcohol swimming in my veins, I struggled to deny her. But with it, I found myself admitting a dark truth.
“I make these rules because I am protective of you. I—” My breath caught on something sharp lodged in my chest. “You and I shared a special moment—have shared many special moments. I’ve gotten closer to you than any other sanguine partner. I can’t stand the idea of your first time being with a man who doesn’t know how precious you are.”
My voice was a bare whisper. Told as only dark secrets were. But it was only a half-truth. What I truly meant was that I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else having her…but me. No one could care for her the way I could. We were bound by blood and a fated bond.
What we would share could never be replicated.
For the sake of my duty, I was trying to tell myself she could be cared for well enough by others. She was right. Who she took to bed was none of my business. But I couldn’t shut off my feelings. The part of me that was mated to her wouldn’t allow it.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” she said dejectedly. “I know I’m not precious. I’m?—”
“Don’t you dare say worthless, Claire Donadieu. You are fire. Remember?Fire. Who else dares to defy my orders, in my own castle?” She gave me a half-hearted grin. “Only you.”
“And Lord Tyson.”
“Don’t mention his name. Not now.”
A moment of charged silence stretched between us. Her, staring into the hearth. Me, staring at her. “So this is about preserving the sanctity of my first time? Nothing else?”
No. It wasn’t about honor—it was about wanting her for myself, even though I couldn’t have her. I had a moment of weakness where I wondered if a different life was possible, but tonight proved I couldn’t trust Tyson. The instant I stepped away, he’d torch Château Rose in some misconceived plot. I swallowed that dark truth. “Yes. Exactly.”
