More. Need more. Need everything.
The thought barely registered as rational. It was pure vampire instinct, ancient and absolute, demanding I complete the bond. Demanding I claim her in every way possible until there was no question, no doubt, no possibility of her ever belonging to anyone else. To give her my blood in return so I'll have her forever.
My free hand slid to her throat, tilting her head further back, and another pull of blood sent a wave of pleasure through my system so intense that my knees nearly buckled.
Perfect. She's perfect. Mine. Always mine.
Somewhere beneath the overwhelming need, a tiny voice of reason was screaming at me. Warning me. Telling me I was losing control in a way I'd never lost it before. That I was dangerously close to taking too much…
With a monumental effort that cost me everything, I forced my fangs to retract. Forced myself to pull back even though every instinct I possessed screamed in protest. I sealed the wounds with my tongue, something between a caress and a claiming, delighting in the way Talin shuddered against me as I did.
I stumbled backward. Put distance between us before I lost what little control I'd managed to cling to. When I finally raised my head to look at her, a low, satisfied growl rose within my chest.
Her eyes were glazed with pleasure, her lips swollen from my kisses. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
Slowly, she raised her hand and pressed it against her throat where I'd bitten her.
I tracked every tiny movement.
"Elias? Are you okay? You're shaking."
I was. My entire body trembled with aftershocks of pleasure and need and absolute, terrifying knowledge. I opened my mouth to answer her, but no words came, because how could I explain what I'd just experienced?
How could I form words past the overwhelming certainty, the bone-deep knowledge that had taken root in my chest.
She was MINE.
My fated mate.
And I'd just tasted her.
There was no going back from this now. No pretending it was anything else. For me, the bond was sealed, permanent, irrevocable. I could still taste her on my tongue, could still feel her essence singing through my veins. Could feel the place where our souls had recognized each other and locked together like pieces of a puzzle.
I would never be able to feed from anyone else. Not after this. My body wouldn't accept anyone else now. Not after knowing what she tasted like. She'd ruined me for anyone else in a single moment, and the possessive satisfaction that thought brought should have terrified me.
It did fucking terrify me.
But more than that—gods help me—it felt right.
And that was so wrong.
"I..." I stepped back from her, and the separation felt like I was tearing off my own skin with every inch. I couldn't stop shaking.
"You're scaring me." She slid off the bar on unsteady legs.
Gods, I'd taken too much. Why did I take so much?
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Everything was wrong. Everything had changed in the space of a heartbeat, and I had no idea how to process it. "I just... I need… I have to go." The words tore out of me.
"What? No. Elias, wait?—"
But I was already moving. Already heading for the door. If I stayed, I would do something irrevocable. Would pull her back into my arms and never let go. Would claim her so thoroughly that the whole city would know she was mine.
And she deserved better than that. Better than a vampire who couldn't control his own instincts. Who'd nearly lost himself in the taste of her blood.
I made it to the alley before my knees gave out.
