After having sat on my computer for almost a year, this chapter finally sees the light of day!
I apologize for the long wait. I wrote most of this over a year ago and added some recently. I'm a bit rusty so I'm not sure how it turned out. Please let me know what you think in your reviews.
Initially I had written a lemon into this chapter, but I decided that I don't want to go into that kind of thing for this story and ended up writing it out. So, if the writing seems a little awkward around that point, I'm sorry. Again, please let me know what you think. As always critical reviews are welcome.
Becky smelled like pumpkin. It was comfortable and warm, just like her. Matt knew that her mom had been baking constantly in preparation for Thanksgiving. His girlfriend had a big family; he had been warned, and this was the first holiday that he would be spending with her where they actually did something together. Last year around this time they had just been starting to get to know one another, so this year Matt was kind of excited to be a part of all her family's holiday traditions. This of course was a fact he would never admit because any self-respecting 17 year old couldn't be bothered to be excited about anything so corny.
Still Matt really liked the part of Becky's family that he had met. They were a very welcoming group. They worked hard, but there wasn't really the atmosphere of busyness that seemed to permeate Matt's home. They were content to sit on the porch drinking tea or by a campfire for the pure enjoyment of it. Simple things held joy for them, and Matt knew that for them family was more important than anything else. Matt was pretty sure his parents were just waiting for he and his brother to move out so they could get a divorce.
This led to the teenage boy spending a lot of time at the Miller farm. He got on with Becky's dad well enough, especially now that he was putting in about an hour a day of work at the farm. It had started during the summer when he had had nothing to do and couldn't stand being in his house anymore. He told Mr. Miller that the farm work was to keep him in shape during the off-season for soccer, but truthfully he just wanted to spend time with the older man. He'd taught the soccer player a lot more than his own father ever had. Besides that, the more Mr. Miller trusted him, the more often he could spend time with Becky.
The two of them were having a nice lunch outside in the school courtyard. Becky was babbling about what had happened with Raven and Alexander the night before. Matt had been half listening, as usual, picking out the important bits. After almost a year he had learned this skill for the sake of his own sanity. Becky was the kind of person who organized her brain by talking it out and she didn't believe in secrets, so she told him everything. He had gotten used to dissecting what was important from what wasn't.
Becky suddenly stopped, staring past Matt toward the school building. Matt turned to see his childhood best friend walking toward them. "Hey Trev," he greeted. "What's up?"
"Not much," the blond boy responded politely before turning his attention to Becky. "Have you seen Raven today?" he asked. "I haven't been able to find her."
Luckily Becky had prepared for this and didn't freak out like she usually would. "Maybe she's avoiding you," she said. "I mean you did turn into a total creep on Saturday." She took a sip of her water coolly. Matt was pretty proud of his girlfriend at that moment. She was finally standing up to Trevor.
"I just wanted to make sure she was okay," Trevor defended. "Something about her weirdo boyfriend really creeps me out. It always has."
The couple sitting on the ground exchanged glances, Becky's eyes silently begged for help from her boyfriend.
"What's the big deal, Trev?" asked Matt, drawing the soccer captain's attention away from his girlfriend. "It's not like he's gonna hurt her. Alexander's a good guy. He's just different. He and Raven are alike in that way."
Becky beamed up at her boyfriend, and Trevor only grunted unimpressed. "Seriously?" he scoffed. "You're really telling me that nothing seems off about him to you?"
Panic ran through Becky, but she swallowed it. She had to do her best to protect her best friend. "I think you have an overactive imagination, Trevor. Alexander is no more strange than Raven, and you don't have any problems with her." Just then the bell rang.
Becky jumped up, grabbing her lunch bag from the ground. "Well, I gotta go. Don't wanna be late for class. I'll see you later, Matt," she called, already halfway to the door.
Trevor looked to his long time best friend, but Matt only shrugged. He stood up and made to walk into the school building, but Trevor grabbed his bicep, stopping him.
"You were there Saturday night," the blond teen stated, searching his friend's eyes. "What was really going on?"
Matt tried to play it off with a laugh, shaking his arm free. "Seriously, Trev? It was just a covenant ceremony. You've seen them go down before. What is with you? You're acting like it was real."
"It wasn't?" Trevor questioned, scrutinizing his best friend carefully.
"Of course not," Matt confirmed, reaching for his backpack to avoid Trevor's eyes. "Do you really think Becky would just stand by and watch her best friend get bitten for real? That is all just part of the ceremony."
Trevor didn't look convinced, so Matt changed tactics. Laying a hand on his friend's shoulder Matt forced the slightly taller boy to look at him.
"Raven is fine," he said in a calming voice he had practiced over the years of curbing Trevor's temper. "I know that you care about her and you don't want to see anything bad happen to her," Trevor started to take a defensive stance, taking a breath to speak, and Matt squeezed his shoulder to stop him, catching his friend's eyes so that he knew Matt was serious, "but you are going to have to accept that she is with Alexander for good."
Trevor's eyes fell to the ground as his friend continued, "There is no changing that. I know you have problems with Alexander, but he really isn't a bad guy. Beyond that he loves Raven. He would never hurt her," Matt soothed as the final lunch bell rang. "You are just going to have to accept it."
Trevor watched his best friend disappear into the school building. Had the ceremony really all been fake or was Matt simply in the dark about everything? Either way, he had given Trevor something to think about. There was no denying his feelings for Raven any longer. They had become obvious to him and to everyone else on Saturday in the cemetery, and Raven had solidly rejected him. There was no going back now, no saving face to be done. Maybe Matt was right, but it wasn't fair. They had been together since kindergarten. Subconsciously he had assumed she would always be there, but she wasn't. Frustration mounting, Trevor set out for English. Raven's empty desk behind him yet another reminder that things were not how they were supposed to be.
All too early my phone rang. The blasted thing sent vibrations through the mattress. Alexander groaned and began to shift underneath me, looking for the annoying ringing contraption.
"Ignore it," I drawled, burrowing my face into his bicep.
"We can't," he answered, "Unless you want your parents to file a missing persons' report."
I grunted but peeked an eye open. I didn't see any lights inside our coffin. "I think you're laying on it," I said groggily.
Alexander huffed, "Wait a minute." He shifted me off of him and rolled onto his side which didn't do much to free up space but allowed me to at least find the stupid device.
The cause of the ringing was an alarm. It read, "Text mom & call Billy." I groaned. Well the sooner it got done the sooner I could go back to sleep, so I set to work texting my mom.
"Have a dinner date with Alexander tonight. Will be home later." SEND.
Suddenly my mate surprised me by pushing open the coffin lid. "What are you doing?!" I demanded. "The sun is still up!"
He sat up and stretched. "Don't worry," he said soothingly, leaning over to give me as small kiss. "The windows are blocked. We'll be fine." He laid back down, propping his head up with his elbow. "Besides," he continued, "I don't like hitting my head every time you get playful." He smiled teasingly. His eyes held the slightest mischievous gleam mixed with a deep red glow. Before becoming a vampire, I had only seen this once and it had scared me. Now it was an everyday occurrence for me and to tell the truth it kinda turned me on.
"So it's my fault, is it?" I pouted, shifting closer to him. I couldn't stop my eyes from being drawn to his jugular vein. I could almost feel his pulse in the crisp evening air. Everything began taking on a slight red shade in my own field of vision.
Alexander saw this and smiled. "You wanna go first?" he asked.
I allowed my fingers to run over his naked torso lazily. This had become an everyday question with us. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day no matter what your species, and being with Alexander was spoiling me. We'd both been having breakfast in bed since the day of our covenant.
"I don't know," I said idly. "How about together?"
My gothic king grinned from ear to ear. "Together."
He pulled me close, our bare bodies coming together as he pushed my long, layered hair away from my neck. His lips played over the fragile skin of my neck while I found the familiar hollow above his left collarbone. Ever since out covenant the blood in our bodies had pulsed at the same rhythm. I could hear it now; both of our pulses echoed in my ears, flowing together at the same pace.
Breakfast never tasted so good.
Alexander and I laid quietly for a while, basking in the afterglow of our post-breakfast exercise. The sun had set about half an hour ago when my phone rang again. It was another reminder. "Text mom & call Billy."
"Ugh," I groaned, sitting up. "I guess I'd better call my brother."
Alexander sat up behind me, placing a leg on either side of me and pulling me into his lap so that he could look over my shoulder. "I suppose you should, since you will not be going home tonight." He nibbled playfully at my ear.
I couldn't help laughing. "You make that sound so ominous," I teased.
"Well I am a vampire," he responded.
It felt like the phone rang forever before Billy picked it up. "Hello?" came my little brother's voice.
"Hey, Billy. It's Raven. Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" he asked.
"I told mom that I wouldn't be home for dinner 'cause I have a date tonight. Can you make it look like I come home and sleep in my room? Becky will come by early tomorrow morning. If mom asks, I left early to work on our project."
My brother was quiet for a little while. "I think I can do that," he said finally, "but it's a big job, so it'll cost ya."
"Billy!" I whined into the phone and Alexander's ear. My mate winced and a slight pain filtered into the corners of my mind. I sent him an apologetic face as I continued in a slightly softer voice. "My whole life depends on this. Can't you just help your big sister out of the kindness of your heart?"
"I could," he answered coyly, "but I don't want to."
"You little brat," I growled into the phone. "What do you want?"
"A vampire fang," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Billy, are you crazy?" I shrieked. "You can't just pull those out. They don't grow back!" I turned to Alexander, "Do they?"
My husband shook his head, "No," and held his hand out for the phone.
"Hey, Billy," he said. "I'll get a whole mouthful of real vampire fangs to you when we get back, but you have to do everything we ask you to do until this weekend. Sound fair?"
I couldn't hear Billy's response.
"We have a deal then. Thanks. See you Friday." With that he hung up.
I sent Alexander a questioning look as he rose out of our coffin and went to shuffle through his bag for a pair of boxers.
"How did you do that?" I finally asked.
He just shrugged. "My mom is the kind of person that saves everything, so I have a box of all my baby teeth. It's pretty disgusting actually," he said.
I launched out of the casket and gave him big hug. "You are a genius," I told him.
"You're only noticing this now?" Alexander said, his eyebrows arching in a way that screamed sarcasm and sex appeal, a large smile gracing his lips. "So what do you say to a shower and then we go hit the town?"
My toes curled. "That sounds wonderful," I purred and took his hand, leading the way to the bathroom.
The Coffin Club was just as I remembered it. Dismal rock and techno music blared throughout the dimly lit Halloween themed club. It was every goth's dream haunt, assuming they didn't know that the Dungeon existed. Entering the lower level of the Coffin Club again almost seemed like a rite of passage. I wasn't sneaking in this time. This time I was arriving as a fully authorized member.
By the time we arrived the party on the lower floor was in full swing, but something was different than usual. The dance floor was filled with all manner of interesting people. There was the usual dark crowd of vamps haunting the alcoves, eyes aglow in the darkness, but there were also translucent men, scaly women, and elf-like creatures with pointed ears, some tall, others short. I even spotted a few people with canine like ears.
Alexander wasted no time in pulling me into the mob of writhing clubsters. "What is all this?" I asked raising my arms to indicate the situation as we danced. My vampire mate grabbed my hands and pulled me into him, turning my body so that I could feel the rising and falling of his chest against my back. My arms linked loosely around his neck and we swayed in time with the pulsing rock beat. His hot breath on my left ear sent shivers through my entire body. "After Phoenix left and Jagger cleared out, the Coffin Club came under new management. The new manager saw fit to open the club to a more diverse patronage."
For reasons I couldn't explain Alexander's emphasis on the word 'diverse' sent tremors down my spine. His spidery, white hands that had slid down my body as he spoke now rested on my hips massaging small rings into my skin just under the hem of my silky black tank top. His fangs nipped my ear and I nearly cried out. My saving grace was that the music was too loud for anyone to hear me, but I could feel Alexander's wicked grin against my cheek and his smug assertiveness swelled through our connection. He continued, "The Dungeon is no longer vampire exclusive. Its doors have been opened to all supernatural species, provided that they leave any and all racist discriminations at the front door. Now there's only one rule here."
The music swelled and I spun out of Alexander's arms only to return to them in a moment, our noses brushing as our bodies collided once again. Alexander inhaled sharply and pressed a smoldering kiss to my lips that left me seeing stars.
"Have fun," he finished. Then the music dropped and we danced like the sun would never rise again.
We had been dancing for hours. The crowd had thinned out somewhat. Many of the non-vampire patrons had started to clear out around 2am and it was now easy to distinguish the vamps from the other supernatural species. I noticed because Alexander and I seemed to have gathered an audience, most of which were vampires. The people that didn't have red, glowing eyes and fangs didn't seem to be paying us much mind. Weird but what was a girl to do in this situation except rock it? I became so focused on the dance I barely noticed Alexander maneuvering us to the edge of the dance floor until he guided me into an empty alcove and closed the curtain behind him.
I let out a laugh, still high in the adrenaline, and collapsed onto the couch. Alexander smiled softly. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he extinguished the alcoves candles with his fingers, his gaze never leaving mine.
"Great," I started. That's when I felt it. OH NO!
"Actually," I breathed, rising from my seat, "I think I need to make a quick trip to the ladies room." I gave Alexander a quick peck on the cheek as I blew past him and back into the club.
As soon as I passed the curtain it seemed like every red eye in the building was on me, but I didn't have the time to stop and figure out what was happening. I ran for the women's restroom, all the while silently praying that this wasn't what I thought it was. This wasn't supposed to happen until next week at least.
My praying didn't help. I checked the calendar on my phone and sighed. Looks like my cousin, Flo, came to visit a week early. I always carried a spare tampon for emergencies, but still. Of all the times, this had to happen on my honeymoon.
I rearranged my skirt and was about to open the bathroom stall door when I heard voices entering the room.
"Do you think she's still in here?" the first voice said, a girl.
The reply came from a woman with a deeper, more experienced voice, "She is. I could smell her through the door."
"Do you think she realizes what's going on? She seemed pretty oblivious to all the vamps gawking at her," came a third higher voice. This voice was melodic and sing-songy, like a flute solo.
They could only be talking about me. I was the only one in the bathroom, but what could they want with me? They said they could smell me. Did that mean—
There was a knock on the stall door. The second voice sounded from the other side. "Sweetheart, are you alright in there?" Her voice was kind but also held a touch of frustration.
"What do you want?" I called back.
The girl with the singing voice is the one that answered, "We just wanted to make sure you make it out of here okay. All the vamps in this place can smell you, dear." Her voice carried the tone of a concerned grandmother, but her comment made me want to disappear. I opened the door, "Seriously?"
A beautiful woman with purple hair greeted me with a firm nod. They've been glancing at you all night," she then motioned to the two women with her. "Forgive our forwardness, but these ladies tell me that the moment your period started nearly all the vamps in the building almost lost it."
My head shot to the other two women. There was a slightly older looking woman with deep scarlet hair and eyes the color of a forest. The other one, presumably the first voice I heard, was younger. She had blond hair and eyes that shone crystal.
"You can smell it?" I questioned, not wanting to believe it.
The blond one nodded to me. "I've been in a similar situation before. The boys can be downright obnoxious. I don't know what it is, but the scent drives them wild."
My cheeks burned. Did this mean that for all this time Alexander and the others had been able to smell when I was on my period? I thought I would die of embarrassment for sure. How could Alexander never tell me? Then I thought about how that conversation would have gone. How awkward!
"This is normal?" I asked, trying to maintain some sense of dignity.
"Yes," the older, red-haired woman answered shortly. "but it's good to keep in mind that most of the vampires here are young and are not as good at managing their impulses. The only reason no one has approached you yet it that you hadn't left your boyfriend's side until now."
The woman turned toward the door. "Be careful going back to him, little turnling," and with that she was gone.
The first girl smiled brightly at me, flashing her fangs in a friendly way. "Don't worry. We'll help you get back without mishap, and don't mind Helena. She is a bit prickly, but she's nice enough. We needed her help to find you. I'm not experienced enough to sniff you out like that. This whole place smells like blood to me."
"Who are you?" I asked.
The vampire girl smiled good naturedly. "I'm Lexa, and this is Lyra," she said, motioning to the purple-haired girl. "She's a siren."
Lexa then grabbed my arm like we had been best friends for forever and proceeded to walk with me toward the bathroom door. "So, who is that guy you were with? Is he the one who turned you? He seems way too head-over-heels to be an average fling. He seems to really have eyes only for you," she babbled, reminding me slightly of Becky.
"Alexander is great," I responded somewhat awkwardly, pulling out of her grasp. My comment seemed to just encourage her.
"Alexander," she mused, "strong name. I wonder if he's from one of the old families." Suddenly I found myself wondering why this girl cared so much.
"Lexa, I think you're overwhelming her," the siren girl said with a laugh. "Please don't take what Lexa says to heart. This is the first time for her to meet another turnling and she tends to be excitable anyway." Lexa put on a pouty face at this comment, but Lyra ignored her. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you back to your mate. Other people shouldn't bother you as long as you stay by his side."
"How did you know he's my mate?" I asked as we exited the bathroom. I didn't get a chance to hear her response because that delightful cold shiver I had come to relish crawled up my spine. Waiting just a few feet from the door for me was my dark knight.
I found myself smiling at him uncontrollably. I strode over to him and the two girls followed close behind.
"Looks like you didn't need us after all," Lyra said.
Alexander nodded to the newcomers, smiling politely to them as he passed me a cold drink. "Thank you, ladies, for taking care of my bride. I really do appreciate it." The girls beamed under his smile, and I found myself cringing. He doesn't have to be so nice.
"Yes, thank you for your help," I echoed perhaps a little too curtly. "See you around." I grabbed Alexander's hand and steered him away from the girls and back to our alcove.
Once we were inside I spun to close the curtains behind us and I felt two strong arms envelop me just as I heard a deep inhale by my left ear. "Is that a touch of jealousy I'm detecting?" my mate asked.
"Of course not," I said, shrugging out of his arms and sitting on the couch.
"Really," he retorted, sending me an unbelieving stare, a ghost of a smirk touching the corner of his thin red lips. He crossed the small space to sit on the couch beside me, placing his arm around my shoulders. I could feel his smugness pressing against my mind, and it was extremely annoying. I couldn't help glaring at him as I sipped my drink, a Bloody Mary. It paled in comparison to Alexander's blood but I wasn't about to tell him that. He seemed far too pleased with himself as it was.
However, right at that moment he laughed. He looked at me coyly. "Do you want to know why I feel so pleased?"
I nearly dropped my drink. "Since when can you read minds?" I questioned.
"I can't," he replied, "Just yours."
I stared at him as he continued, "And it's not like reading your mind exactly. It's not like I can hear your thoughts yet. I can however get general concepts and impressions of what you're thinking and feeling. Your expressiveness is an immense help," he said with a big grin on his face. "You could do it too if you tried."
I almost got sucked in when I remembered that that was not the point. "If you can do that, then you know why I'm upset with you," I said in a pouty voice, turning away from him.
"It would seem that I'm spoiling you," he said, grinning. "I gather that you want my attention all to yourself and don't want me to be nice to other girls."
"It's not that," I defended, not wanting to sound so pathetic. I set my drink on the little table and turned to face my gothic husband. "You're a nice person and that's part of the reason I love you," I said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"So?" he questioned, looking at me with curious eyes. "What would you have me do?" Alexander's spider-like hands came to rest on my hips once again sending tremors through me as he pulled me into his lap. I allowed myself to settle comfortably there, placing my own arms around his neck and resting my cheek against his solid chest. I didn't answer him because I knew and he knew because of our connection that I was being jealous and that he hadn't done anything wrong. So, we settled into a comfortable silence, my mate stroking my hair with the care of a sculptor forming a masterpiece.
Our silence gave me the time to consider everything that I had seen and heard in this new world of mine. Other kinds of supernatural beings existed. Confirmed species included werewolves, sirens, snake people, and all other manner of fairy-like people that I couldn't even begin to give names to. Then there was this connection that had developed between Alexander and I. Was this a normal part of the mating process? Alexander said that he couldn't read my thoughts yet. Did that mean that sometime in the future he would be able to? Would that work both ways? Then there was what Helena had said about younger vampires being unable to control themselves and Lexa's inability to track me while Helena could. More than that Helena had called me a turnling. How did that woman know that I had been turned? However, the most disturbing thing that played through my mind was that apparently vampires could smell it when a woman was in the middle of her menstrual cycle. I could feel my body heating up at the very thought of that. It meant that Alexander could smell me right now…
Alexander seemed to sense my unease. He took my head between his hands, drawing me up to meet his concerned eyes. "Raven," he began, "What's the matter?" His eyes were searching. "You seem…" he paused looking for the right word. "frustrated."
"Explain some things to me," I demanded.
"Anything" he acquiesced, stroking my hair as gently as ever.
My cheeks burned. "Can you smell me?" I asked.
"I can always smell you," he said nonchalantly, taking a lock on my hair between his fingers and drawing it to his lips.
"No," I sighed. "I mean, can you smell me?" I questioned, trying to send my meaning clearly through our connection.
"Yes," he responded, settling his forehead against my shoulder.
The saliva drained from my mouth. "Have you always been able smell it?" I asked.
"Every month," he replied coolly. "You're very regular."
Seriously?! I could feel my face getting hotter with each passing moment. This was one conversation I never thought I would be having with Alexander; especially not in an alcove of a crowded supernatural club and on our honeymoon. Who gets unlucky enough to start their period on their honeymoon anyway?
"It's a good thing," he said apologetically, petting my head. "It means you're healthy." Then Alexander seemed to retreat into his own thoughts for a moment. "You have no idea how many times I almost gave in and turned you during your time of the month," he said. He dipped his nose to graze my neck. "You always smelled so… delectable."
Hot adrenaline ran through me. In another life it would have been fear, but I had nothing to fear from this man. Still my body reacted to his bite as if it were the first time. Though it was barely a nip, it was enough to set me on fire.
"One of the girls from the bathroom told me that this particular smell makes boys crazy," I said, wetting my lips. I fought to control my breathing. "It doesn't smell any different to me."
"That's because you're a girl. Call it a survival instinct or whatever you want, but usually male vampires have an especially keen sense of smell. I know of quite a few guys who take their main meals from women in the midst of their cycle. They don't even have to risk biting her."
"That's disgusting," I made a face at him. "And sexist. Why should guys have better senses?"
My dark lover sighed. "Perhaps it is sexist," he said, "but that's the way it is." He leaned to rest against the couch, relaxing his hold on me until his fingers were just barely brushing my waist. Apparently, he was slightly deterred by my comment. "As far as the act itself goes," he continued, giving me a teasing smile, "I believe the American phrase says, don't knock it 'til you try it."
Alexander's fingers ran down my arm, pulling my hand toward him. He pressed a chaste kiss to my palm and smiled at me gently. "You're still thinking like a human, love. Among vampires it's considered a good omen for this to happen on the honeymoon."
His voice was gentle and I could tell he was really trying to normalize this for me, but I could see the fire behind his languid eyes. He was excited! This was way beyond weird. Before this I would never have considered ever doing anything like what my husband was suggesting, but the excitement in his eyes made me curious. I found myself leaning into him, exploring his eyes as my hands slid over his black-clad torso to grip the back of his neck. I wanted to know him in and out. My fingers found their way into his long luscious hair, tugging it softly so that he looked me in the eye.
"I never said I was against it. You know I'll try anything at least once," I whisper, close enough so that I knew he would feel my breath on his lips. A deep mischievous grin slowly began making its way across his features.
"Are you sure?" he prodded softly.
I couldn't help smiling at his gentleness. Alexander was such an oxymoron. Everything about him screamed dangerous from his sharp fangs to his edgy style, yet he was the most wonderfully kind and gentle person I had ever met. I couldn't stop myself from leaning in to kiss him.
My dark prince's warm tongue slithered over my lower lip, and just on the end of my consciousness I felt him. Through our connection I could sense his pleasure and excitement. I pushed into it, needing to know him more intimately as our tongues danced. My hands on his chest and his lips on mine were not enough. There was something deeper that I needed; to know and be known. I closed my eyes as we kissed focusing on his unseen presence on the edge of my own mind, and I felt him. It was as if his soul had taken up residence with my own and as I pushed toward him I realized that the two had begun to overlap. Two souls were melding into one. I had a vague sense of my hands reaching under my mate's shirt, of my fangs scraping over his chin and down his neck, but I couldn't focus on it. I could feel Alexander's soul that had been waiting just on the edge of my own, gently prodding me, waiting for me to respond. I reached into it, trying to pull us together more securely. Before I was sure what had happened, I was engulfed in him. I could feel him in my head, and I was sure that I was in his. His hands slid down the soft skin of my back and into my pants. I felt his joy, his fear, and his desire. I felt my back hit the soft cushions of the couch. His soul ran so much deeper than I ever could have imagined. Fire crackled under his skin and spread into my very soul, heating my core. His fangs nipped my inner thigh, and I was vaguely aware of my own whimpers. Alexander was a flame; patient and unwavering, and I was drawn to him like a moth. I knew it then; there would never be any going back.
Suddenly a smooth woman's voice penetrated our world, her tone flat and informative "If you two need a room, you can request one at the bar."
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Coming back to the physical, I realized that the woman was standing just on the other side of the curtain. I was lying on my back on the couch in the alcove of a nightclub, my clothes littering the small table and the floor as Alexander leaned over me. He blinked, shaking himself from our trance.
"Thank you," he drawled straightening himself. "We will keep that in mind."
"See that you do," came the woman's reply. "I don't want to have to ask you to leave."
The woman's presence left the entryway and Alexander sighed. He took my hand to pull me into a sitting position. "We are not done," I heard his voice in my head. I found a smile spreading across my own face. "Not even close," I responded. Alexander paused for a moment staring at me.
"You heard my thoughts," he said handing me my clothes while observing me closely.
I smiled up at him and stood to wrap my arms around his neck. "And from what I can tell you heard mine," I replied sending him my most alluring grin.
Alexander stroked my cheek gently. "It would seem our bonding is nearly complete," he stated. "Let's get home," he said turning away from me. "I'm not sure how long I can keep myself from attacking you at this rate."
I couldn't help grinning at my dark knight's back as I pulled on my shirt and adjusted the sleeves. "I heard that," I said into his mind.
My lover peeked at me over his shoulder. "Good," the word echoed on my mind as he winked at me, "You were meant to."
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