Page 10 of The Boys
“In the week I’ve known you, you’ve shown me nothing but kindness. You’ve made me feel safe and welcome; you even put a Christmas tree in my room. No one has ever shown me so much love as you have.” I stretched up on my toes enough to pull him in close enough to kiss his cheek. “My heart would shatter if I didn’t give you a chance.”
“Are you sure?” he asked with a spark of hope in his eyes.
“Yes,” I whispered as he lifted me enough to cradle me in his arms while I rested my hand on his cheek. “I want to try.”
“Then we shall,” he said in his thick accent. For a moment he held me while I took in every strange feature. I knew I shouldhave been afraid of him, but my heart had other ideas. His skin was rough and aged, but somehow, he didn’t look old.
“How old are you?” I managed to ask as he settled me back on my feet.
“Are you sure you want to know?” he asked with a sly grin as one of his eyes squinted nearly shut.
“Maybe not,” I said and smiled back at him.
“One moment, I don’t want to startle any of the guests,” he said before taking a step back and transforming to the human form I recognized.
I was so caught up in his revelation I’d forgotten anyone else was here besides us. He’d shut the door when we’d walked into the room, and no one had tried to open it. “Has a guest ever seen one of you?”
“None that lived,” he said, and I knew he was weighing my reaction.
“But only the evil ones, right?” I asked and stared at him, waiting for him to confirm once again what he’d told me a few times.
“Yes, love. It is true that we do need to feed but only at Yule.”
Once again, I let his words wash over me as I considered if I could accept knowing that he not only murdered people yearly but ate them. “You said you only come home for Yule and therest of the time you’re hunting for next year’s victims. How could it work between us? Would I only see you when you come back here?”
“I would want you with me always,” Caleb said. “We could travel together. I don’t stay long at any one place. Only long enough to find those that will come for the holiday and to secure a means for them to end up here. I want to be with you.”
“How will we live?” I asked and hoped it wasn’t as bad as I was currently imagining.
Caleb smiled then and cradled my cheek. “I promise I will take very good care of you for the rest of your life. The best of care. You will never want for anything ever again.”
“What about when I get old? I mean obviously you will live longer than me.” Visions of me as an old man while he still looked as vital and strong as he did now flashed through my mind as my breath sped up.
“Shhhh. If you are my mate, you will no longer age as you do now,” he whispered. “I wanted to wait until we were somewhere special. But I don’t want to wait any longer. I feel youaremy mate, and there is no one else I’d rather spend my existence with than you. You are all I will ever want.”
“We barely know each other,” I whispered back.
“You know me better than any before you, and I know you in ways no one else ever will.”
“What about—” I tried not to blush but couldn’t stop the warmth from spreading across my cheeks.
“Sex?”
“Yeah, I mean can we—”
“Yes, as many times and any way you want to. In fact, it’s been hard for me to resist you. Your scent, and the feel of your skin, your warmth, it all calls to me,” he growled, and my dick twitched at the sound. Then he smirked.
“Oh my—”
“Come, love, let’s go explore each other in a more private setting,” he cooed and ran the tip of his nose along my neck while inhaling deeply.
My eyes closed and I could picture him fucking me. Wild and unrestrained, and with more intensity than I’d ever experienced. “My mate.” The words fell from my lips with ease, and I was filled with a sense of right as Caleb’s eyes met mine just before he pulled me close and kissed me.
Epilogue
Caleb
The Next Yule
