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"My beloved, my eternal love, we are one," Enzo said with a look of devotion and adoration in his eyes. Foster was struck by the sense of sincerity and accepted that Enzo's words were powerful and true. He was speaking the truth, and Foster was blown away by it.
“Eternal love.” He repeated the words.
"Beloveds are forever." Enzo ran his fingertips down the side of Foster's face in a way that was so tender and adoring. He then touched the location of his bite, and again, a wave of pleasure washed over Foster. He closed his eyes and took it all in with a salacious, deep breath.
“That feels amazing.” He moaned out the words and opened his eyes to see a soft smile on his lover’s lips.
"It's your claiming mark, and it will always bring you pleasure when you or I touch it," Enzo told him, and Foster was struck with a feeling that he had a lot to learn about this new and binding relationship he'd just entered. "This relationship has many perks, especially for humans. Bonding with a vampire gives you enhanced healing; your senses will be sharper, and you will age slower at a rate comparable to me."
"At what rate do you age?" He knew he was asking the easy, less charged questions, but that's where he was at. He needed to take this gradually, a little at a time. Foster did not doubt what was happening or what lay ahead, according to Enzo, but he still required time to process and accept.
"Vampires live for several centuries, and so will you," Enzo stated it like it was nothing too exciting, but it caused Foster to catch his breath and start coughing. Enzo chuckled. "Don't worry. I will be there with you every step of the way." He did not doubt that Enzo would be there for him or that he would be there forever. It required a lot of trust, but trust seemed to come naturally with Enzo. He might be the biggest sap in the history of saps, but he knew this was genuine, and Enzo was forever; he was betting his life on it.
“This relationship, I know what I want from it, but I wonder as to your perks as you say. What do you get out of this bond?” He wasn’t going to ask the deep questions, but he found it impossible to resist. They lay there naked in each other's arms after having made love, and it seemed like the natural time to talk.
Enzo gathered him into his embrace and tucked Foster's head under his chin, pressing him close. "You are my gift, the promise of Fate, the one I have waited an eternity to meet." Enzo punctuated each phrase with a kiss on the top of Foster's head. "This union is not like any other; it literally binds us together. Thoughts and feelings will be felt through our bond. I will never look at another and will feed from only you. You are my Center, and I will become your Center. The bond continues to strengthen and build, and you will feel the depth of my commitment to you."
"I feel some of that already," Foster admitted. "I'm not usually this easy when it comes to pickups. I normally don't sleep with someone until I've known them for a while." Foster felt the need to clarify that he wasn't an easy lay, and again, he felt Enzo chuckle.
"The bond is hard to resist," Enzo said and kissed him again. "I was planning to give you time before claiming you, but the touch of your hands on my overheated flesh filled me with a need I could not deny. I had to have you, and I had to have you now."
"I was right there with you, Enzo," Foster admitted. "I couldn't get enough of you." He paused and then added a sudden thought that sprung into his mind. "Will it always be like this?"
"Always." He responded. "A hundred years from now, our connection will be just as sure and powerful as it is at this moment, maybe more powerful. I've been told the bond grows over time, and the connection sharpens, so we may look forward to even more sensational lovemaking." He laughed softly, and Foster joined in, loving the idea of a love growing and not fading as most do.
"I'm not sure about everything you've shared, but I know what I feel, and it is unlike anything else, just as you said."
"I should have explained all of this before I claimed you, but, like I said, my vampire would not be denied."
"I was not blameless. I knew there was more to it than just sex and a very good time, and I wanted it. I wanted it all. I wanted you."
"Oh, sweet baby, you say all the right things. I knew we were a perfect match, no games or ploys, just honesty and true emotion. We will build a beautiful life and live to be a thousand years old." Foster wrapped his arm around Enzo's waist and held on as the deep and powerful emotions consumed him.
His life until now had been one of solitude; he had some friends, but he never held anyone too close because people always left. His parents left, every foster home he was in moved him on with little concern, and every relationship since had been surface and fleeting.
The possibility of having someone like this man Enzo in his life seemed too much to ask and too good to be true. The assurances he's made and the declarations he's given are things Foster had dreamed of and ached for. "Are you real?" The question was more forlorn than he'd intended because his heart was lying wide open.
"I will never abandon you, Foster, never leave you or forsake you. Reach out your mind and feel the veracity of my claims. You had access to my emotions before, but now that our bond has been formed, you can read my mood, my emotions, and my needs just as I can read yours. Fate gives us this connection in order to keep one another safe and well." Enzo felt his fear and addressed it.
"I've never had anyone stay very long, family, caregivers, friends, lovers. No one hung around. I'm not looking for pity; I just wanted you to know where I came from and why sometimes I may need to go slow and be careful." Foster lifted his head and looked Enzo in the eyes. Foster could feel his need and his heart reaching out to Enzo wanted him.
"Go as slow and careful as you need to, and I will always be here for you," Enzo stated it like a pledge, and Foster loved him for that.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Enzo was taking Foster home when he left my office," Nik stated. "We need to get him back here to look at some pictures. We need to find out who he saw in the storeroom."
"Cole reported that there appears to be no evidence of tampering with the junction box in the storeroom. Although he states that it could be deceiving if the magic used is of a brand not familiar to us." Josef informed. "Is it indeed a hex? Are we dealing with a black magic attack in the form of an old-world hex?"
"I don't know." Nik was frustrated and angry, and all he wanted was an enemy he could vanquish. He needed to know what happened and who was responsible, and those answers seemed impossible to find. "I've never experienced a hex, but I heard others talk of them, and they are maniacal weapons of destruction and revenge."
"Someone wanting maniacal revenge, that list is so long it would take forever to check them all out," Josef grumbled. "If we can identify the man in the storeroom and his associations, we will at least have a lead." Josef checked his phone and then turned back to face Nik.
"Enzo and Foster are still here. They're in Enzo's quarters on the twenty-second floor." Josef smiled, and Nik looked somewhat relieved.
"Contact them and tell them to stay put and that we're on our way. Also, call Zac and have him join us there with photos of everyone we suspect might be the man in the storeroom." Nik and Josef headed for the elevators. "I am very happy for Enzo, but I wish Foster had not been a beloved. It would have made life so much easier if I could have just reached into his mind and pulled out the image of that man."
“Fate gives amazing gifts, but she never makes it easy.” Josef quipped.
