Page 174 of Blood Curse

I came with his fangs at my throat and his mouth closed over the skin without biting. My body clenched around him. He thrust twice more and came deep inside me with a rough sound against my neck.

For a while, the Crown, the court and the waiting Night Hall disappeared under the weight of him.

Stellan eased onto his side and brought me with him. He kept pressure on my wrist until the last trace of blood stopped.

“You stopped,” I said.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“You wanted more.”

“Very much.” His thumb moved over the two small marks. “Wanting isn’t the same as taking.”

I tucked my wrist against his chest. “Good.”

His mouth brushed my hair below the Crown. “I don’t know how to divide my life between you and the court.”

“Don’t divide it. Let both exist.”

“That sounds simple.”

“It’ll be a complete pain in the arse. We’ll work it out.”

He went quiet.

“Choosing me doesn’t mean abandoning them,” I said. “And I’m not staying trapped in this house to prove I love you.”

“I wouldn’t ask.”

“I know.” I looked at him. “That’s why I can see a future.”

Stellan’s expression changed. The fear stayed, but it made room for something warmer.

“I see it too,” he said.

“What exactly do you see?”

“You at your kitchen table, working while I try not to read over your shoulder.”

“You’ll fail.”

“Immediately.”

“Anything else?”

“A key.”

The simple answer caught me somewhere softer than the promises ancient vampires usually made.

“You want a key to my flat?”

“I want to know I’m welcome when you aren’t there to open the door.”

“The locks are terrible. You could get in without one.”

“That isn’t the same.”

“No.” I kissed his chest. “It isn’t.”