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Bones dropped his hands from her back, giving her arms full range of motion. Now, she could shove him awayorstab him, so everything that happened would be her choice. He tangled his hand in her hair, tilted her neck, and dipped his mouth to it again.
She let out an extended moan as his fangs sank in deep and he drew in a long, sweet swallow. She swayed against him, but her knife didn’t waver. One thrust into his heart would paralyze him, and one twist after that would kill him.
Bones drew in another mouthful, letting it coat his tongue so he could savor every drop before he swallowed. The tip of her blade dug in until it broke his skin, searing him with the unmistakable burn of silver.
Still, he didn’t stop.If you make these my last moments, I’m living them to the fullest, Kitten.
That burn disappeared as her knife clattered to the ground. Then, her arms slid around his neck, and she pulled his mouth tighter against her throat.
“I can’t do it,” she whispered. “I love you too much…”
Nothing he’d ever felt compared to that moment. He was flying and drowning and shining and burning.
I love you…I love you…I love you…
“I love you, too, Kitten,” he murmured when he finally lifted his head, but she couldn’t hear him. She’d passed out.
Sirens cut through the other sounds. The police had arrived, which meant that her team wouldn’t be far behind. He’d meet those lads soon enough, but not now. He had other plans for the rest of the night.
Bones cradled Cat to him and flew up into the moonless sky.
15
Cat still snored, and she still stole all the covers. Doing that back in his chilly cave made sense, but this was summer in a house that wasn’t even cold. Not that it mattered. She wrapped herself up in the comforter as if trying to become the world’s first half-vampire, half-human burrito.
Bones lay next to her, the front of his body warmed by her heat, and his back cool because she’d hadn’t left him a scrap of fabric. She used to share the edges of her blanket, at least. No more. Good thing he had several pillows, or she might have sleep-swiped those out from under him, too.
Eventually, her breathing changed from slow, even breaths to shorter, lighter ones. She was waking up. A pity. He would have preferred holding her another several hours. He’d been so relaxed that, covers or no, he’d almost fallen asleep himself.
Her eyelids fluttered open. For a second, she stiffened as she looked around at the light gray walls of the bedroom, which were adorned with mismatched floral prints provided by the Airbnb owner. Then, the tension left her as she glanced down and saw his arms. Both were around her, holding her against him.
“Where are we?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“In the house I’m renting in Richmond,” he replied.
At least she hadn’t leapt out of bed, which he’d half expected. She wasn’t a morning person under the best of circumstances-another vampire trait she shared.
“How long have I been out?”
He didn’t need to glance at his mobile. “Four hours, give or take. Long enough for you to steal all the covers. I’ve been listening to you snore and watching you cocoon into the bedspread, and I realized this is what I’ve missed the most. Holding you while you sleep.”
That got her into an upright position. She never had been comfortable with emotional honesty. Then, she touched her throat as if expecting to feel the evidence of his former bites, but Bones had already healed the holes.
“You bit me.”
Bones met her gaze. Faint accusation swam in the gray depths, but confusion lingered there, too.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Why?” she asked with a slight edge to her tone.
He’d thought about that since it happened, so he answered with the truth. “Many reasons. Shall I list them all?”
“Yeah,” she said with more of that edge.
Did she even remember telling him she loved him? Apparently not, from the defensive set to her shoulders and the shields he could practically see her layering herself with. Ah, well. He knew it even if she was still lying to herself about it.
“Primarily, to prove a point. You could have killed me. By rights, youshouldhave. You had a vampire sucking the lifeblood out of you and a silver knife in your hand. Only a fool wouldn’t have wielded that blade…or someone who cares far more than she’s admitting to.”
