Page 65 of Awakened Light

“I want to feel it. I want to feel what it’s like to have you drink from me. Do it.”

His already heavy breathing sped up as he pulled me tighter against him. “Are you sure?”

I spun around and looked into his eyes, making sure he could see the intent in mine. I rose on my toes and brushed my lips against his, then sucked his lip between my teeth. When I let go, I whispered, “Drink from me.”

A fire I’d never seen lit up in his eyes as he stared into mine. “Not here. Come with me.”

He pulled me off the dance floor and out the door of the club. We kissed our way along the beach back to our villa, stopping along the way to tear at each other with a passion I’d never imagined possible. When we reached our private beach, Thorne pushed me up against a tree and held my face between his hands as he kissed me so deeply I struggled to breathe.

“Are you sure?” he asked as his lips worked down my neck.

“Yes. Do it,” I panted.

His cool hands slid up my thigh and rubbed across my damp panties as his tongue drew lazy circles around my neck. My heart pounded faster as I waited for the pain that would come when his fangs slid into my skin. But instead, I felt his finger dip beneath my panties and move over the spot between my legs that had me ready to explode with a rainbow of colors.

“Ready?” he asked, and I heard the pop of his fangs.

“Yes,” I breathed, as he continued working circles around the place between my legs I hoped he’d never stop touching.

Searing pain burned through my neck, and I gasped as he slid his finger inside of me at the same time as his fangs. The pain from his bite dissipated in seconds, and soon a pleasure like I’d never imagined replaced it. I felt our bodies connecting as he drank my blood, the world around me spinning out of control. I didn’t even notice him undo his pants, but I felt him slide inside of me as his fangs penetrated me even deeper.

I cried out from the intensity of the pleasure... a pleasure I never wanted to stop.

His hand tightened around my head as he pulled himself even deeper into my neck and my body. He wrapped his arm under me and lifted me against him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let his powerful thrusting pin me in place to the tree. As my body reached the pinnacle of heights only he could take me to, I cried out his name and let the waves of pleasure wash over me. The air around us glowed red from the new light I emitted as Thorne pushed inside me one last time. With our bodies still locked together, he held me tight against the tree.

“What was that,” I panted as he slid his fangs out of my neck, pressing a soft kiss to the spot his teeth had just been.

“I don’t know,” he said while he struggled to catch his breath.

“Is that normally what it’s like?” I asked as he slid out of me. We collapsed into the sand and lay side by side.

“Not for me, it’s not.” He pressed a hand to his head and blew out a long breath. “It’s never been like that for me. That was—”

“Incredible.”

“Yes. Incredible.” I touched the spot on my neck, shocked to find the wounds had already healed. “I can’t even feel a bite mark.”

“My saliva heals the wounds my fangs make.”

Still spinning from the sensations I’d just experienced, I let out a deep sigh. “I felt like we connected. Like, really connected. I can’t even explain it.”

Thorne rolled over and ran his fingers across my face. “We did connect, Cat, because we are connected. It was different because we’re different. It was different because...”

He drifted off for a moment and then leaned up and kissed my lips. But as I kissed him back, he broke it off and shook his head.

“No. Fuck it. I’m not going to stop myself from saying it anymore. It’s different because I love you, Cat. I love you more than I ever knew a man could love a woman. I love you with my heart, my soul, every fucking molecule in my body. And I’m going to love you for all of fucking eternity. Literally. Because that’s how long I’m going to live... and love you. You can’t go. You can’t. I know you love me, too. I can feel it.”

He pressed my hand to his heart as I fought the tears burning behind my eyes.

“Tell me you don’t feel this love between us.”

“I can’t, Thorne,” I started, but the lump in my throat stopped me from saying more.

“Yes, you can! Fuck!” he shouted as he leaped to his feet. The force of his words startled me. He grabbed a handful of hair as he paced in front of me. “I know I promised not to do this. I know I promised to just spend this one week with you and say goodbye, but I can’t, Cat. And I don’t know how you can either. Fuck your fucking commitment. What about me? What about us? Please. Don’t make me live without you.”

He dropped to his knees and took my hand in his. “Stay with me. Stay here. Travel the world. Drink the piña coladas. Fly on the ziplines. Become a pro surfer. Dance with me for the rest of our days. We’ll do whatever you want every single day. Always your choice. Every fucking day. There’s so much more I want to show you. So much more you need to see. I don’t even care that having you stay means the sunlight curse doesn’t get removed. I’d live for eternity in the dark again as long as you’re with me. Please, Cat. Stay with me.”

The dam holding back my tears broke as I started to sob. Of course, I loved him. I’d known it since the first time our lips had touched. But what I wanted didn’t matter. It couldn’t.