“Here,” Abel said as if it were already decided. He rolled his eyes at me. “I get it, you’re the sire. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to make every single decision. I have a say in certain things too. At least I should.”
I sighed. “We can discuss it, but it is against my better judgment that we stay here. My world is not nice, nor is it safe.”
“But it is safe here at the house?’
“The villa is mostly safe, yes. Mazzi is here now, and that has helped to improve the security quite a bit. But I still do not like the idea of you being so close to the ugliness that is here.”
Abel sat back and crossed his arms in front of him. “So you would rather I go back to Montana and be depressed and lonely and die from a broken heart there because you didn’t want me here with you? Seriously?”
I found myself in a lose-lose situation for the first time in a very long time and didn’t like it. Thankfully, the knock on the door saved me. At least for a moment. Thomas poked his head in just as I was getting up to answer the door.
“No need to get up. I wanted to touch base with the two of you.” Thomas came into the room and smiled down at Abel. “You first, Abel.”
“Okay. Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all. I simply wanted to tell you to not let Marcello boss you around too much. Be open to things with your mate and trust him with your life. He will do anything to keep you safe.”
“I will.”
“Good.” Thomas sighed. I understood that. “I never intended for you to be without him for so long. I commend yourdetermination and commitment to keeping him safe. But there is a reason you were paired with Abel, and that wasn’t so you could avoid him. Enjoy your life the two of you will have together, be open to new things and places, and make sure you exploreallthe things with your beloved. Trust me, he’s going to be open to them.” Thomas winked at me, and then he simply vanished.
I looked at Abel, somewhat surprised. “That was the fate, was it not?”
“Yeah. He’s mated to a wolf shifter from Timber Valley. What did he mean, exploring all the things?”
I cleared my throat. I had an idea of how he knew certain things, but now might not necessarily be the time to discuss that. “Perhaps we can talk about that later?”
Abel nodded. “As long as you actually discuss it with me, I’ll accept that.” Abel took a bite and smiled as he chewed, and I wondered how soon I would get to explore that mouth. “Is it all right if I take a shower after breakfast? I don’t have any clean clothes or anything, but maybe you have a shirt I can borrow?”
I nodded because there was no way I would be able to answer. My thoughts immediately went to Abel in the shower. Wet, soapy, and my hands gliding all over his body while my lips explore his plump lips and lean neck. I cleared my throat again as my fangs throbbed painfully, my eyes tinting a deeper red than they had yet.
“Are you all right?” There was a quiet gasp from my beloved. “Oh.” He carefully placed his fork down on the table and slid his chair back. “Let’s go. I imagine that after a year without drinking from another actual person, you’re really in need.”
I wanted to argue, but I had accepted my fate at this point. I was going to have a claimed beloved by lunchtime. There was no getting away from it, and I knew that once I entered that bathroom, we weren’t coming out until we’d exchanged bites.And it was going to be the most intense and fulfilling experience I would ever have.
I stood, taking Abel’s outstretched hand, and led him to the bathroom. I was going to try my absolute best to make this experience a positive and fulfilling one for Abel, but as he had just pointed out, it had been over a year since I had fed from another person. There were others who had gone longer, and I certainly didn’t recommend it ever, but we did what we had to do.
“I don’t know if you want to know this or not,” Abel said about halfway to the bathroom, “but I haven’t been with anyone yet since I was rescued. And I hadn’t ever been with anyone before I had been sold.”
I was going to find Abel’s family and kill every last one of them for not only selling him to traffickers but also for the years of abuse that he suffered from them beforehand.
“That does not matter to me. What matters only is us going forward. The past is just that. We are our own future, and we can make it what we wish.”
I was no saint. In fact, I was just about as opposite from that as one could get. Profession aside, I was a just shy of two-hundred-year-old vampire. I had been through quite a few lovers in my lifetime.
“You’ve gone quiet.”
I smiled down at Abel. “I was just thinking about how to go about making this memorable for you,” I told him. That was, in fact, true. It wasn’t what I had been thinking about directly at that moment, but I had been. “I, of course, desire you. A great deal, and I will not hide the fact that the thought of claiming you is most exciting.”
“But?”
I chuckled. “As you pointed out, I have been without a donor or a sexual partner for over a year. The ache is quite intense at this point.”
“Oh.” Abel bit his lower lip, and I was certain he didn’t realize just how enticing that was to someone like me. I was a vampire, and I was all about biting in all places.
“Yes. It might not be the longest claiming, but you certainly will be satisfied.” I had never fed from someone without them orgasming. We had the ability to make it pleasurable, and I saw no reason to ever make it anything but. If I was benefiting, they should get something in return.
Abel stopped and stared at me. “It doesn’t have to be dragged out. I’ve heard stories of other alphas that have been so excited that it lasted only a few minutes. It’s all right.” Abel got a grin that wasn’t exactly sweet on his face. “You don’t have a knot.” I shook my head. “That’s a benefit for us. You can just start round two right away.” Then he smirked. “Well, if you’re able. You’re kind of out of practice, right?”
