The moment Drake walked into that hideous feeding room, I knew I’d found my mate. Of all the places, in all the world, I found him here. When our eyes locked, I realized that my mate is the worst possible option of a mate for me, a vampire. The Moon Goddess must have a sick sense of humor.
However, as the night went on, I realized that Drake is more like his grandfather, not his father. And while I’m not thrilled that my mate is a vampire, Lily encouraged me not to make the same mistakes that she’s made with hers.
“Give him a chance, Lea. Don’t judge him too quickly,” she had said as we got ready for bed. I had pulled his sweatshirt over my head and nearly moaned out loud at his scent. I never gave much thought to the scent of ice, but it is interesting to me that Lily is mated to a Prince that smells like snow and now I find that I’m mated to a Prince that smells like ice. Maybe it's some kind of royalty thing.
I’m sure Lily has noticed all of my not-so-casual glances at Drake tonight, but I can’t help it. I’ve never thought of a vampire as being sexy, but this man….wow. He’s built differently than a werewolf. Alphas are big and beefy, full of muscle. Drake is tall and lean, but there is no mistaking the muscle under this clothing. He walks with a grace that models would kill for and his face looks like it was carved by angels. His long, dark, curly hair is just begging for me to run my fingers through it, and I’m dying to find out if it’s as soft and thick as it looks.
After Lily and I get into bed, I hear Drake open the door and speak to someone. Whatever that man says, it doesn’t makes Drake happy. When he comes back in, he locks the door and sits back down. My back is to him, but my ears are completely in tune with him. I hear the soft sigh, the glass as he swirls it around but doesn’t drink it, his shoes as he kicks them off.
When Lily’s breathing deepens, letting me know she’s asleep, I decide it’s time to take control of the situation and talk to my mate. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance.
I pull the comforter back and turn, crawling out of bed and my eyes connect with Drake’s.
I move to sit next to him on the couch, tucking my feet up underneath me.
“Do vampires feel the mate bond?” I ask him, jumping right in.
“Most vampires don’t have mates, but I’m a royal vampire. If you’re asking if I know that you’re my mate, the answer is yes.”
“What is that like for you?” I ask, curious.
He smiles, looking down at his drink. “At first, your scent was so tantalizing that I thought it was because you are a Guardian. But then I looked in your eyes, and in that moment, I knew that you were meant to be mine.”
I reach out and take the glass from him, taking a sip.
“And what does that mean for you? Having a mate?”
“I don’t know, exactly, I’ve never had one,” he says, smiling at me. My heart stutters in my chest at his magnificence. He frowns, looking down at my chest before looking back up at me.
“Sorry,” I say, looking down and taking another sip of the liquid courage.
He reaches out, stroking my fingers as he takes the glass from my hand. This time, my heart rate increases, thudding in my chest.
“If your heart flutters in a good way because of me, don’t apologize. If I had a heartbeat, you’d hear mine going all over the place.”
“Really?” I ask him. It’s very strange not hearing his heartbeat.
He smiles, looking down again. “I swear I actually felt my heart beat for the first time in decades earlier.”
He looks at me and it feels like he is looking into my soul. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life, Leana.”
I can feel the heat of my blush on my cheeks. “So beautiful,” he says as his fingers caress my cheek.
Kella begins purring, not caring that our mate is a vampire.
‘I care, but look at him. He’s gorgeous. He’s a prince. He’s…’
‘A vampire,’ I say, cutting her off.
She whimpers, and I see Drake trying to figure out what’s going on.
“What do you know about werewolves?” I ask him.
“Werewolves or Guardians?” he asks.
“Either.”
“Well, I know that you’re very warm, which I’ve never cared about, but touching your warmth is very appealing. You have a wolf spirit and in the case of a Guardian, you have enhanced abilities that make you strong and powerful, able to disintegrate annoying vampires at your whim.”
“It was more than annoyance,” I tell him.
“With Amir, I have no doubt.”
He looks at me. “I don’t understand the wolf spirit though. I’ve heard that the wolves have their own presence in your mind, separate from yours.”
“Yes, Kella, that’s my wolf, has her own thoughts, her own mind. Usually she and I are in agreement about things, or she doesn’t care enough to become involved.”
“And with me?” he asks, watching me closely.
“She is very involved,” I say.
“Can I speak to her?” he asks and before I can answer, Kella has pushed forward.
“Hello, mate,” she says and I can tell he hears the difference in our voice, sees in it the golden color of my eyes.
“Kella,” he says, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. His eyes stay on hers. “My mate,” he says, kissing our hand. “I hope you will convince Leana to give me a chance. I have wanted to find you for a very long time. I hope both of you will give me a chance to prove to you that I can be the sort of mate that you desire.”
I pull Kella back, along with my hand. “What do you know of what I desire?” I ask.
He is unperturbed by my actions. Perhaps he expected them.
“I know that as a Custos Regni, you are a protector of others, all supernaturals that require assistance. I know that what you saw tonight disgusted you, as it disgusted me. And I know that you must be questioning, if not your Moon Goddess, then fate, for bringing us together after what happened to your mother.”
He reaches out stroking my fingers, until I open them. He gently entwines his fingers with mine, pulling my hand to his face and stroking the back of my hand over his cheek.
“I know that as a Guardian, you are powerful enough to wipe out this entire coven, that because you are a Guardian, you would never do that unless you were given a good reason to do so. I know that as a council member, you will serve justice and as your mother’s daughter, you will be able to tell if someone is lying,” he says, he eyes locking onto mine.
“So, I want you to know that there is nothing in this world that I want more than you.”
“True,” I say softly, watching him, entranced, mesmerized as he runs my hand over his cheek. I can feel it warming with my touch.
“What I don’t know, Leana, is if the mate bond is strong enough that you will give me a chance. If you will give me the opportunity to show you that even though I am a vampire, that I’m part of the eternal damned, I am still a good man.”
I look at him, weighing my answer. But he’s been honest with me, so I will be honest with him.
“Tell me one thing before I answer your question.”
“Anything.”
“Would you kill me if you tasted my blood? Would you drain me dry?”
I watch as pain flashes across his face and he pulls my hand away from his cheek.
“I honestly don’t know. And I hope I never find out. The world is a better place with you in it, Leana Holstin.”
There is no lie in his words, and I can see the sincerity in his eyes.
Rather than answer, I lean forward and press my lips to his.
The moment Leana’s warm lips touch my cold ones, and her wild yet floral scent floods my nose, my fangs come out, slicing through her lower lip. I’m up and across the room before I make the mistake of tasting her blood that is now resting in warm droplets on my lips. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” she says. But I’m facing away from her, afraid that if she sees my blood lust for her, that it will all be over, and I’ll never get to prove to her that I can be the kind of mate she deserves. “I just…I wasn’t prepared and…” I glance over my shoulder, seeing her pressing her finger over her lip. “Are you alright?” “Yes. I heal quickly.” I nod, turning away. Unable to resist any longer, I lick her blood off my lips and the ecstasy that flows through my body is overwhelming. It takes everything in me not to fly to her and sink my teeth into her neck, sucking more of the most delicious blood I’ve ever tasted in my life. I lift my head, trying to get control of my emotions and my
We begin running again. Kella runs beside me and we begin to make a game of who can more easily navigate the land in the forest. I’m impressed over and over again at her grace and strength as she leaps as easily over fallen trees as I do. Even when I playfully push her to try to get ahead of her, she’s right back, catching me quickly and nipping at my heels. Our afternoon run is the most fun I ever remember having in my life. It’s sundown when we stop for the night. I can see Lily wants to push on, but they both need to eat and get some sleep. I, myself, haven’t slept in over 48 hours and I desperately need some rest. We find a place, up on a hill, where we can keep watch overnight. Kella and Hera catch a couple of rabbits to eat and even from here, the scent of the blood makes my mouth water. I don’t even like the taste of rabbit blood, but I’ve waited too long to feed. If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d go find a large animal that I could drink from, but right now, I’m not sure I could
I begin coming in and out of consciousness, not sure why I feel so weak. I reach out to Kella and feel that she’s just as weak as I am. ‘Kella, what happened?’ I ask. ‘Mate,” is all she says before I’m out again. When I finally open my eyes, I can’t tell what time of day it is, as the sun is filtering through the trees above. Lily is sitting next to me. “Lils?” “Leana! Oh goddess! How are you feeling?” “Weak, what happened?” I ask, still feeling like I have a fog in my brain. She looks past me and I turn my head, seeing Drake sitting far away. “Leana,” I hear him say, his voice sounding like a sob. He gets up and leaves, making me worried that I’ll never see him again. “What were you thinking, Lea?” “About what, exactly?” I ask, still feeling fuzzy. “You let him feed on you,” she hisses at me and everything comes flooding back. The moment Drake tasted my blood, I felt the power in him begin to push against me and Kella. It hadn’t taken long before I realized we were in troub
We push hard all day the next day, only stopping for food, and it isn’t until well into the night that we stop to rest. I’m tired again, but since Drake and Lily let me sleep last night, I agree to take the first shift. Drake lays next to where I’m sitting by the fire. He lays beside me, holding my hand and putting it up against his face, so he can smell my scent. I’m looking down, watching him sleep when I hear a twig snap. I jerk my head up, lifting my nose into the air. I can’t smell anything, but the wind is at my back. I disengage my hand from Drake’s and stand. Besides my mother’s Guardian gift of being able to tell when someone is lying, my strongest Guardian gift is being able to sense auras. I push out and suddenly, I can see the auras of a pack of wolves that have surrounded us and are closing in. I howl a warning as I leap and shift, jumping at the first wolf that breaks through the trees around us. Another comes up behind him and then several others come running out fro
We run all day, trying to make up time. Leana told me that Lily was given a deadline by her mate and she’s trying to make it, but when we finally stop for the night, I realize that she’s going to be late. I don’t know anything about Lily’s relationship with her mate, but if it were me, I’d wait for Leana. I’d wait as long as it took and if Leana decides to reject me, I’ll wait for an eternity, or at least until her life comes to an end, for her to change her mind. When we stop, Leana’s phone begins to ring. I see her look at the caller ID and sigh. “Hey Dad,” she answers. Since she doesn’t move away, I take that as acceptance that I’m going to hear the conversation. “Do you want to explain to me why I heard from your brother nearly a week ago that you and Lily were headed to Araphyra? And why he told me that you’d call and check in with me, but you haven’t? And why I had to hear from Rik that you and Lily had problems with the vampires? Where are you? And why did it take so long for
As we begin heading back to the city, I divert our path so I don’t have to pass through King Lance’s lands again. I’m still so angry at the reception that Lily received in Araphyra that it takes hours before I’m ready to stop for the night. Drake gets some firewood and then I build a fire. “Do you want me to catch you some food? I’m not sure how much you eat? Would a rabbit suffice or would you like another deer?” “I can catch my own food, Drake.” “I know you can, but…I like taking care of you. Feeding you is an easy way for me to take care of you and not hurt you in any way.” I look at him, still seeing the guilt from the other night. “What about you? Are you hungry?” He shakes his head. “At the risk of sounding like a blood lusting vampire, your blood was exquisite. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t feel the constant thirst in my throat, at least until now.” I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it sounds good. Unless, of course, he wants more
This question and answer conversation, back and forth, is probably the most intimate situation I’ve ever been in. That sounds crazy because unlike my mate, I’m not a virgin. But, I’ve never been this open, this raw, with anyone before. It scares me and it excites me all at the same time. And I love that my mate is being just as open with me. She may have used her food as a reason to collect her thoughts, but she’s being honest, and she hasn’t refused to answer me. However, everything changes when she tells me she wants to feel my tongue on her again. She and I want exactly the same thing. When we finally settle down for the night, I know there is no way I can sleep, so I insist that she sleep while I keep watch. As she sleeps, I realize I’m completely and totally bewitched by this wolf. Besides her incredible beauty, her heart and her goodness make me feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world, just to be near her. I’m sure I’m being a total creeper by watching her sleep, leaning i
I suck in air and arch my back as Drake slides his cold finger over my clit. My body shivers at his touch, aching for more. “Do you masturbate, Leana?” he asks. “I think I get a payment for that question,” I say, my back still arched, my eyes closed, and my voice once again sounding like a woman in the throes of passion. “What payment do you require, my mate?” I love that he doesn’t even flinch at my request. He’s willing to do whatever I ask. I look at him, biting down on my lip. “Strip.” He pulls his fingers from inside me and brings them to his mouth. His tongue snakes out and his eyes flash bright red before he growls, and his fangs come out. He licks and sucks my taste off his fingers before pulling his boxers off. Then, his eyes lock on mine as he begins sliding his cool fingers over my clit again. “Your answer?” he asks. “Yes, I masturbate,” I say. “Show me,” he commands. He slides his hand away and I slide mine down my stomach and then to my clit. His eyes are so inte