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I didn’t need to search inside myself to find the solidified bond. It spanned from my chest to his, a golden thread of connection where there had only been emptiness before.
What the hell have I done?
Chapter Six
Tye
Lorn’s blood was fresh on my lips, her taste ripe on my tongue when she reared back. The holes I’d left in her neck bled freely to drip down her collarbone. The most prevalent ones were the fang punctures embedded like a snakebite, but my other teeth had also broken the skin when I’d initiated the mate bond, leaving a nice little crescent that would heal into an iridescent scar.
That wasmyfucking mark.
I never thought I’d see the sight of my claiming mark on Lorn’s skin. Sure, I’d dreamed about it plenty, but the reality of being bonded was unlike anything I’d imagined.
Especially because, as amazing as it was to make her mine, this wasn’t the way I’d envisioned biting her.
All around us, hell rained down. Floaters dove at us repeatedly, their inhuman, screeching cries a sick song that filled the room along with my father’s vengeful howl. His wolf was right below the surface, threatening to break free and wreak havoc. Becoming a conduit, the smokey ether of a shade poured out of him as he cracked the Shadow Realm open and bridged the veil.
He wanted power. He wanted to destroy Lorn and everything she represented. He wanted to make the supernatural world bow before him. I’d heard enough over the years to know his end goal included seeing us all dead or at his mercy.
And I’d been a pawn in his twisted game since the time I was a child.
I hated myself for hurting Lorn. For being unable to resist the strength of the compulsion my father wielded against me like a weapon.
Underneath the extreme happiness of claiming my mate was the undeniable high offreedom.
Lorn shuddered in my arms.
“I-I don’t feel good.” She swayed, and I crushed her to my chest. Between the severe amount of blood loss and the toll the darkness of the veil took on her, I needed to get her out of here. Somewhere safe. Somewhere I could take care of her and regroup.
I fought against the hunger Lorn’s blood inspired in me and created a portal. The other side was dark and free from sunlight. As a new vamp, my mate probably couldn’t tolerate it, so every portal I made needed to be strategically located. Already, my mind raced with our next location as I hurtled us through the swirl of magick. Floaters plunged toward us. The sound they made would never leave my head, their screeching like nails on a chalkboard. It rang in my ears as I slammed the portal closed before they could make it through.
“Hold on tight,” I told Lorn, and adjusted her in my arms. Her grasp was weak, and it drove me to hurry. Again and again, I jumped through portals, creating a complex web that made us hard to track. Hurtling through time and space was dizzying, and at some point, Lorn passed out, her head tipping back to rest against the crook of my arm.
Dammit.
I had to get her somewhere safe. Our final destination was a cave I'd found hiking in Yosemite last year. A place only me and the wildlife knew about. The narrow entrance led into a larger cavern that I made sure was empty. Every movement hurt as I carried her inside. My back was a bloody mess and my muscles ached from the electricity that had bolted through my body, but I didn’t stop until I set the cave up with a conjured bed, a roaring fire, and a protective ward. Anything else we needed could come after I tended to Lorn.
Her dark hair splayed around the pillow, and her chest rose and fell too slowly for my liking. Skimming my finger along her cheek and behind her ear, I tucked some strands back and marveled at how beautiful she was. The grim from the veil and the prison didn’t make her any less stunning. But I hated the paleness to her cheeks. Even a vampire shouldn’t be that colorless.
My hands grazed against her skin, healing her injuries. Summoning what I needed, I gently wiped the blood from her arms and settled her back onto the mattress. Only when I’d taken care of her did I heal my own wounds, piecing together the flayed, hanging skin on my back. I grunted from the amount of damage, knowing more angry scars would decorate my already ravaged back.
What’s a few more to add to the fucking tapestry?
Laying next to my mate, I pulled her gently onto my chest and cradled her head against my throat.Lorn.I pressed into her mind gently, using the new mental link we shared to rouse her. The steady pulse of blood in my veins should call to her.
Eat, I instructed.You need blood.
Her nose nestled along my neck and the scent of my blood stirred her hunger and need for self-preservation. Sharp fangs scraped along my skin, and I shivered with the desire to feel her sink those fangs into my body. She struck.
Alone and unrushed this time, I reveled in the feeling of each pull and tug. Her venom raced into my system. I shifted on the bed, stifling a moan. Satisfaction tore through me, and my cock throbbed.
That’s it, sweetness. Drink. Take your fill.
Her moan rumbled against my throat, and slowly, her body warmed. Splayed across my front, her thighs fell apart, straddling my waist, and she drove her hands into my hair, tugging hard and making me groan.
Fuck, yes.I’d waited and watched Lorn from afar, never able to have her. Until now. I gripped her ass and dragged her closer, rocking her over the hard length of my cock. The darkness inside her pulsed with her lust, greeting my own.
The scent of her blood was everywhere. The small taste of her hadn’t been enough, and my fangs ached from how badly I craved her. Like the greedy fuck I was, I wanted to slide them into her body and drink in return. Sharing blood between vampires was an intimate act, something saved for lovers or mates, both of which I planned to be with this woman.
