He knows I understand all of this. The Van Helsings have made an extensive study of vampires and their habits, all the better to stake them, of course. But it means I have a comprehensive knowledge of what vampires are, what they do, and what they don’t do.
I have read of vampires taking brides as well as mates, but mates are far, far rarer. These are creatures bound at soul level. And they are never, ever human.
“During the pre-mating, the vampire cannot feed,” Dominik says carefully.
“How do you survive?”
“Barely,” he breathes.
“And when you find your mate”—my throat is dry, and I’m not sure if I even want to say the words—“what then?”
I shiver uncontrollably as Dominik drags his fangs up my neck to my ear. Every touch of him sets me on fire in the most forbidden of ways.
“Then he is permitted to drink,” he rasps. “And fuck.”
“You mean all this time, you haven’t…”
“Not a drop of blood has passed my lips for a year, until yours, Lucy. And I haven’t had the pleasure of a hot, wet cunt for even longer.”
I should resist his charms. I have to resist. This is all supposed to be an arrangement, nothing more.
“I’mpregnant, Dominik.”
“It makes you all the sweeter, little mate.” The fangs do another sweep of my skin, his breath hot against me, my body arching against his.
“You don’t really want this. You don’t really want me…” I moan as he slides his hands into my hair and his lips skate over mine.
“I want you, in ways even I can’t imagine, Lucy. I want your body, your mind, your soul. I want to worship you as you grow bigger and bigger. I want to soothe you, fuck you, pleasure you until you give birth and beyond. You are mine, both of you.”
Any resistance I thought I might have left vanishes like a train in the night as his fangs dip a little deeper into my skin and his honeyed words spread over me like silk.
“No.” I summon the last vestiges I have of survival and push my hands against his chest.
He withdraws from my neck, but instead of the fanged, red-eyed monster I was expecting to see, instead I have a slightly disheveled Dominik, his fangs retreating and a slightly pained look on his face.
A look I’m pretty certain has to be related to the large bulge in his pants.
“No?” he queries, still holding me in his arms.
“I mean…I don’t know if I can do this…if I should do this…ifweshould do this…” I bite down on my bottom lip as I study his furrowed brow, his stunning dark eyes filled with confusion.
“I won’t do anything you don’t want to do, Lucy,” he rumbles, his deep baritone vibrating through me and setting everythingoff once again. “I wouldn’t ever feed from you if you didn’t want it.”
“And the other…thing?”
“I am at your disposal, my sweetgalambom, my dove,” he says, a wicked twinkle entering those eyes. “If you want my body, you may have it.”
Now this is not about him at all. It’s about me. It’s about what I want.
I am paralyzed. I can’t remember the last time anyone cared what I wanted enough to offer me an actualchoice.
“Although I feel it is my duty to let you know as a mate of a vampire, my venom is tuned to you and will only ever enhance your experiences.”
He runs his thumb over my lips.
“You’ve got an answer for everything, haven’t you, Dominik Király?” I murmur, melting against him because I am simply unable to hold back.
“There is no way I can hurt you, either of you,” he murmurs, planting a kiss just under my ear and then slowly dragging his lips down my jaw to my mouth. “All I can ever do is give you pleasure.”
