Page 60 of The Slayer Seduction

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” I ask, wiping off blood and watching as he heals.

“You asked me earlier if I was always alone. There was one cycle, the longest I ever lived, where I wasn’t alone. It was long ago, the vampire population was growing tenfold in Europe. I had found other slayers and we would hunt as a group. We considered ourselves brothers. It was the closest thing any of us have ever had to a connection.”

He doesn’t look at me as he speaks.

“They felt like family. I would die for them, and I did in the end.”

I continue cleaning him, knowing that he needs to tell me his story at his pace.

“I made a mistake. I told them they promised me a mate if I agreed to become a slayer. They were not, they became slayers simply to come to the mortal lands and did not ask for anything else. I told them you were my prize, and they became envious of that. I’ve run into them in other cycles and there’s been hostility, but I did not think about the possibility of them being brought back.”

I take a deep breath, not looking into his eyes as I take in all his words.

“So they want to kill you and take me?” I confirm.

He grabs my hand, stopping my movements as he squeezes my hand.

“I will not let any harm come to you because I made the wrong choice. I’m so sorry, my mate. I should have never spoken of you. I should have treasured you for myself, but you must understand you were my one point of happiness.”

My heart aches for this broken man in front of me. How many lives he has lived alone and the one where he did have a family? They’re out to betray him. I suppose he and Adam aren’t so different after all.

“But I’m not their mate?” I confirm.

The Slayer’s eyes flash. “No, you’re tethered to no one but me. They have nothing to hope for, no reason to continue coming back cycle after cycle. I’m not sure if this is revenge or if they think you could fill some sort of emptiness in their too long lives.”

I didn’t like the idea of being a pawn. Even more so, that man scared me. He seemed nothing like the Slayer pleading with me right now.

“We need to find their spell books and you need to…” I can’t even say the words, because I know they’re attached to humans. How could I possibly suggest that we need to kill them?

“Adam is a rare case. The vessels they’re using, I promise, death would be a kindness,” the Slayer says.

I’m not one to seek comfort from people. It’s hard for me to accept help or other people’s strength, but the way he savagely attacked the Slayer and the way they were so evenly matched is concerning.

“Just give me a moment,” I say, sneaking off to the bathroom. I run through some spells to clean up and get ready for bed, and once I do I stare at myself in the mirror.

The Slayer’s safety is important to me, we’re all in this together, and right now I just want comfort. A single moment where I’m not over thinking everything sounds blissful.

I leave the restroom and wordlessly lie down on the bed next to the Slayer, snuggling up close to his side. He shocks me by pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

“Do not worry, my Iris. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

Shockingly, I believe him wholeheartedly.

For the first time in a long time I feel cherished and safe because of someone else, and I soak up every second of it.

There’s no way I can run from this any more. I think it’s time to embrace the fact that the Slayer is my mate.

Chapter 29

Adam

Iris lies in the crook of my arm, yet me and the Slayer are completely restless.

A few days ago, I thought I had nothing to live for. Hell, a few hours ago, I even got my revenge on the vampire who put me in this situation. I should have felt relieved, maybe ready to move on.

Though there’s no way I could just let myself disappear, not when Iris needs me. Not when the fucking Slayer is having a mental breakdown right now.

The fight with that other slayer has him shaken to the core. I’ve never felt his fear before, not all the times he put himself in precarious situations, even when Warin ripped out our throat. He’s stayed pretty even-keeled.