He finished the glass and tried not to think about how much he enjoyed it. Then he settled back down on the bed and looked at her with a new awareness. A sense of something he’d never allowed himself to feel, as he’d always been careful to keep his previous lovers from getting too close in case they had not been his mate, and he would have had to move on.
That had been his problem. He’d only thought about himself. Finding his fated mate had never been about love for him. He’d rarely considered how his mate would feel because all that had mattered had beenhislife andhisfamily.
Kitty crawled onto the bed beside him beneath the blankets. “Will you make me a vampire?”
He rolled over and gathered her into his arms, then pressed his nose into her neck. “I love you, Kitty. I love you more than I ever thought possible.” He sent her as much affection as he could through their bond to soften the impact of what he said next. “That is why my answer isno. Not yet.”
Given what he could feel through their bond, he couldn’t be certain his own desire to have her for eternity wasn’t influencing her. He didn’t want her to regret making such an irreversible decision.
Her amusement trickled into his mind as she ran one finger down his chest. “I would never regret choosing to be with you.”
He closed his eyes. “You do not know how long I’ve been searching for you, Kitty. Our mating is new and exciting now, but you might not feel the same way after a few years. You’re still young.”
She sighed. “I suppose.”
He could feel her annoyance but chose not to comment on it. She had her shop, her family, and Alyssa. Too much to give up so easily.
He flattened her warm palm against his cold cheek. “I love you.”
She kissed his neck. “I will never tire of hearing that.”
His body eagerly responded to her touch and her sharp, fruity scent. “Then I will say it every day.”
She nibbled his shoulder. “I like that idea”—she rasped her tongue over his collarbone—“as long as we also dothisevery day.”
The combination of her scent, her tentative explorations of his body, and the furious rush of her arousal through their connection made his cock throb. He uttered a rumbling growl and tackled her to the bed.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kitty pushed openthe door to her shop and inhaled deeply. With the revelation that she could remain in operation, the musty air felt fresher. Sweeter. The last time she’d been inside, she’d struggled to keep tears at bay. Now, she couldn’t help but look at the dusty, dank corners with fondness. She’d started her business here, and it was thanks to Cordon buying the building that she could continue.
She put her palms on her worktable and caressed its marred surface. Despite the events of the past few days, her heart was not entirely at ease. She would be Cordon’s wife, but he had refused to turn her. How could a human and a vampire remain together? It was far more complicated than the difference in their class. He would never age. Eventually, people would notice.
She touched her neck, where a slight scar remained from his bite. The moment Cordon had plunged his fangs into her had been intensely pleasurable, but it had also changed something between them. There was a new awareness in her mind, a sense like he was sharing her body, even though he was miles away. It was intensely uncomfortable, and so she shied away from it.
Would she be enough for him, or would he have to find other women to bed to satisfy his hunger? Dr. Rysel had said her blood was necessary to keep him from growing sick, but how much blood did he require? She didn’t like the idea of him feeding from anyone else.
She opened the first of the boxes on the floor, but the questions swirling around her mind would not end. What kind of life could she have with a man who remained asleep during the day? They would only have a few hours together each night, unless she adopted a nocturnal schedule to match his. Then there was Kitty’s family. How would Betty react to learning her sister had committed herself to a vampire?
She removed a padded stool from the box and placed it on the floor and stared at the upholstered top of the piece of furniture. She remembered sitting in a beam of sunlight at her parents’ home and stabbing her needle aggressively through a half-completed embroidered handkerchief, furious with her parents for something they’d done that she could no longer remember. Was she willing to let go of that life?
She shook her head and moved to the next box, which contained the item she was looking for. She removed the lid, set it aside, then lifted the soft fabric of a suit jacket by the shoulders. It was some of her best work, made of the finest wool she could purchase from Mr. Julien. It was her gift to Cordon, in appreciation for everything he’d done for her, including saving her shop.
The creak of the door opening had her jumping back to her feet. Mr. Blaylock stood in the doorway, wearing the same worn, black cloak he’d worn when he’d broken into her shop, as well as a fearsome scowl.
“It’s all your fault,” he said. “I could have ruled this city if it hadn’t been for you.”
She clutched Cordon’s suit to her chest as her pulse hammered in her head. “What? M-Mr. Blaylock, I—”
“You are a menace,” he roared. “I had found the perfect maker to turn me and the leader of the most powerful family in the city had all but accepted death. Without him, the rest of hisnest would have been weak enough for my followers to defeat. Thenyoucame along, and he changed.”
Oh, God, it was worse than she’d realized. Mr. Blaylock was now like Cordon, a vampire. She shuffled backward until her back bumped against her worktable. “What do you want?”
He barked a laugh. “What Iwantis you out of my way for good. I wasted so much time dealing with your sister, creating problems to keep you distracted, but you just wouldn’t stay away from Cordon. As if you hadn’t already caused me enough grief. Before I even knew it was possible to achieve immortality, I loaned your father money, and for what?”
He swung his hands around as he gestured at the shop. “This?” He scoffed, then removed a knife from his pocket. “A mere shop.”
She slowly reached behind her. Most of her shears were still inside the box atop her worktable, but there was one pair within reach. If she could distract him for a moment, perhaps by knocking the box to the ground, she could take him by surprise. Her shears were devilishly sharp. It wouldn’t take much to bring him to an unfortunate end.
