Would this be the moment when it was too much for him? After all, it was one thing to know that vampires existed and that he was in bed with one. It was another to catalog all the subtle differences between a vampire and a human being. But there was very little I wouldn’t do for him.
“It’s small things, mainly,” I continued. “We grow colder to the touch. We seem paler, and our eyes are more vivid than usual. Our aura becomes more pronounced—it can even unsettle mundane humans if we aren’t careful. The more perceptive ones can tell we aren’t quite human.”
I expected him to balk or at least need a moment to gather himself. That would have been normal. Instead, he said, “But you’re ice-cold.”
“Not true, darling. I’ve gone a bit too long, but I will last the night.”
“You could—” Behind me, I heard him swallow, as though steeling himself. “You could feed from me, if you wanted to.”
A strange mixture of desire, fear, and surprise swept through me at his offer. “That isn’t necessary.”
“I know that.” Eli’s voice went soft. “I’m sure you have a system in place. It can’t just be serial killers you feed from, otherwise you’d constantly be starving. Which means you know how to feed without killing anyone.”
Despite myself, I smiled. Eli never failed to amaze me with how perceptive he was. I suspected that would only grow with time, once his memories of his former lives fully returned.
But Thierry had already explained everything to me—rapid fire—when Jeremy and Eli were giving us time to reconnect. How he and Jeremy had first met, and that my twin and an immensely powerful witch he knew had cast a spell to conjure his fated mate about two months ago. That it was a cure for vampires who had lost their humanity. And my brother, being the good-natured person he was, couldn’t allow such a spell to be cast without first testing it on himself. But instead of just hitting my twin, it had affected everyone who shared our bloodline—all the vampires Magnus had created, anyone they had turned, or the people their progeny had turned over the years. Potentially dozens or hundreds of vampires. Perhaps even thousands.
Including me.
According to Thierry, only a fated mate can bring back a vampire’s lost humanity.
Ironic, perhaps, that I had spent centuries believing love to be a lie—a polite fiction humans told each other to get their needs met—when it was capable of doing what even the most powerful spells couldn’t.
Eli was the man destiny had picked for me. I had already given him my blood when I saved his life, which meant that if I fed from him, it would seal the blood bond.
“There’s a risk with that,” I said, measuring my words carefully.
“You won’t hurt me,” he said immediately, before I could say more. “I trust you.”
I smiled, pressing a kiss to his forearm, which was curled around my chest. His warmth and closeness weren’t the least bit intoxicating—I was quite clearheaded—but they were still immensely perfect. My own little slice of heaven, captured here in this quiet moment.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” I assured him. “But in our world, we know that fate is a real spiritual force. And sometimes it draws us to a specific person—an individual we’re meant to be with.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to believe in fate,” Eli murmured. “Or, the mystical kind, at least. Maybe that’s silly, after everything else I’ve learned, but fate as some kind of spiritual force feels… antiquated. If that’s real, why do any of our choices matter?”
“We still have some free will,” I said. “Our choicesdomatter. But there are certain events—certain people we’re destined to meet—and those things are beyond our control.”
“I’m not sure what this has to do with—”
“When vampires meet our fated mate, if we exchange blood with them, it forges a powerful psychic connection. It’s called a—”
“Blood bond.”
Surprise flooded through me. How could he know that?
I turned, settling myself in his arms so I could study his expression.
“Yes. But how—”
Eli gave me a rueful smile. “Jeremy mentioned that he and Thierry are blood-bonded.”
“Ah,” I said. “Well, I suppose that should make things easier. Though I wish he had allowed me to explain.”
“He didn’t tell me much. Only that it’s a powerful psychic connection.”
“Yes. And I believe you and I might—if we share blood—forge such a bond.”
“I know we would. We’ve already started,” Eli murmured. “I thought I was going crazy. But I’ve been sensing your emotions. As crazy as that is. Your thoughts sometimes, too, I think.”
