Page 92 of Fated to the Vampire Prince
“I do,” she rushed to say. Those two words helped to put my reservations at ease. “I want you in the same way. But…” Claire hesitated, biting her lip in a way that made it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
“But you told me that you were going to send me away when our year was up. That you could never be with me because of the laws.” She swallowed hard and cast her gaze down to the floor.
I cursed myself for making her feel this way and for putting anyone or anything in front of her. If she let me, I was going to spend a lifetime making it up to her in a million little ways.
“Claire, look at me. Look at me.” When she refused to meet my eyes, I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes. She needed to see the truth. She tried to look away again, but I held her in place. “Do you truly believe some law could keep me from you?” She didn’t answer. Just stared back at me. I knew I needed to try harder and be more honest, even if words were not my strength. “You’re more than just my mate. Claire, I love you with every shred of my soul.”
She relaxed and stopped fighting against my grip. Her eyes widened. Cheeks pinked with a fresh flush. She was silent for a long moment. I waited patiently for her to find her voice, and when she did, each word came out haltingly.
“I-I don’t really know what love is,” she explained with sadness in her eyes. “I’ve lived so long without it that…” Her words broke my heart. How could she not know love? “Bastien, this feeling between us is what Ithinklove should feel like. It’s warm and exciting and drives me crazy most of the time, but it’s there.”
I kissed her once. Hard. Then again, softer. Her mouth opened for me, and I slid my tongue inside, rubbing it against hers just like my fingers were rubbing against her swollen clit.
She loved me, too. In a deeper way than just because we were fated. That knowledge made her next words even more meaningful.
“Bastien, I need you. Now. Please.”
I couldn’t disobey her. Not anymore. Reluctantly, I pulled my hand from her undergarments, and only after licking her sweetness my fingers, did I open the door to the room beside us. I lifted Claire into my arms and carried her inside, shutting the door behind us.
Chapter 44
Rougir
BASTIEN
Ilowered her down until her back was resting against the mattress and her head was cradled by a pillow. She gazed up at me with so much adoration and trust that the weight of this moment sank deep into me. This might be her first time with a man, but she wasn’t a meek girl waiting to be deflowered on her wedding night, unsure of what was going to happen.
She knew.
The pull to seal our mate bond demanded that I take her hard and deep, devouring her until I was completely spent and my cum dripped out of her, slicking her thighs. My instincts were driving me to make an heir, but that couldn’t happen. I couldn’t burden her with the pain of carrying a vampire child.
Her fear of blood would make it impossible. Especially after the babe was born. No, I had to be careful. I had to prioritize her well-being. She was mine to protect. This was all we could have. Each other. And it was more than I could ever want.
My moonflower. So beautiful. So alive.
Distracted, I traced the sharp edge of her cheekbone with my finger until I reached the curve of her lips. I coaxed them open, parting her lips ever so slightly until they pursed around me. All warm and wet. Sliding it deeper, my finger trailed over her tongue before I pulled it out. Watching her take me, even in this small way, had me thickening for her until I was painfully hard.
“Are you going to make love to me?” Claire asked, looping a finger through my chain and dragging me an inch closer.
Holding my bloodstone in the palm of her hand like she held my heart. I gazed down at her with the same adoration and made a pledge to make this moment one she’d never forget.
“Oh yes. I’m going to make love to you,” I said, parting her lips and sliding my finger in and out again. I dropped my voice to a rasp. “And when you’re ready, I’m going to fuck you like you were made for me. Because you were, Claire. You were made for me, just like I was made for you.”
I pulled my finger out of her mouth and kissed her hard, swallowing whatever she wanted to say, then broke off the kiss just as quickly, leaving her breathless.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped, reaching for me.
I kissed the top of her knuckles, then said, “Close your eyes.”
She did not obey, and her obstinate frown made me grin. She’d always been fearless, but now my little witch had confidence. She was bold and fierce with fire in veins, not just her heart. Gently, I ran my hands down her face, encouraging her to do as I asked. When her eyes fluttered shut, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against the shell of her ear, expelling a breath against her skin, just like I had the night of my Sanguination Ball.
She reacted in kind, arching her back and pushing herbreasts into me. My hand melted around her, holding her against me. I had to bite my own lip to keep from sinking my teeth into her. For so long, I’d been teetering on the edge, holding back the primal desire for her. I wanted her to know the torturous pleasure that accompanied having to wait for what you so desperately wanted.
“I want you to need me so bad you can’t hold still. I want you to need me so desperately that you can’t focus.” One of her hands twined into my hair, twisting the strands. “I want the anticipation of our first time to fill your mind and steal your breath until the only word you can speak is my name. And when you say it, it’s a strangled gasp that only I could understand.”
My hand slid around her waist until it found hers and guided it down,down, down,over the thick wool of her dress until she was cupping the warm spot between her thighs. A cry of pleasure left her lips when I squeezed her hand. “I want you to touch yourself to dull the need so you can make it through another second without my cock inside you.” My next breath caressed her skin, and I gripped her harder. “I want you begging for me. Then, and only then, will you know how I’ve felt. How I have felt since the moment you stormed into my life.”
“I’m already there,” Claire gasped, squirming under my touch. “I already can’t stand it. I’m already begging.”
