“Water will not appease your thirst,” she murmured. “You must drink of me.”
Alaunus stared at her, horror in his eyes, even as his incisors lengthened and his gaze grew brighter. “No,” he whispered. “I cannot.”
Aveta curved her hand around the back of his neck, guiding his face toward her throat. “Drink but a little.”
He resisted for a moment, but could not stop staring at the tiny leap of her pulse at the base of her neck. “The babe. You.” He paused, licking his lips. “I do not want to hurt either of you.”
Aveta used her thumb to tilt his chin up so their eyes met. “If you do not want to harm me, you will not.”
“I am afraid I will not stop,” he whispered, his lips so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her skin.
“You will,” she replied firmly. “I will not let you take too much.”
“It’s wrong,” he argued. “Wicked.”
“I do not agree. The goddess helped me save you. She promised me that we will be safe, all of us.”
Alaunus could no longer resist the lure of her pulse. His cheek brushed hers as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the skin of her neck. She took a deep breath as she felt the edge of his teeth against her throat.
He moaned softly, his bite swift and sharp. Aveta gasped at the sting that was quickly soothed as he drew on her skin, drinking the blood from her vein.
It did not hurt, she realized in shock. Just the opposite. Pleasure flooded her limbs as he suckled, wrapping his arms around her and gathering her against his body.
Her head grew light, the room seeming to spin around them. As the blissful feeling spread, her body grew rigid and her nails dug into the bare skin of Alaunus’ shoulders.
Despite the urgency she sensed within him, Alaunus was infinitely gentle with her, his arms cradling her tenderly and his hands stroking her hair and her back. Aveta relaxed into his embrace, completely trusting him not to harm her.
It was then that she felt him in her mind. She could hear his thoughts, feel his emotions, and suddenly understood that he could sense the same from her. They were connected more deeply than ever before, their very souls twined together.
When she thought she might faint from the intensity of the onslaught, Alaunus slowly withdrew from her, running his tongue over the small puncture wounds at the base of her throat. Then he placed his palms on her cheeks, cupping her face as he studied her. The brilliant glow of his eyes slowly died away as he gazed into hers.
“You are changed, Aveta,” he stated, gliding his thumb over her lips.
“As are you,” she replied.
“What is to become of us now?”
She answered his question with one of her own. “Do you love me still?”
He frowned at her. “You know that I do and that I shall for the rest of my life. Surely you felt it moments ago, just as I felt your love for me.”
She lifted her hand and touched his mouth, noticing that his fangs were no longer visible. The thirst he felt had been sated.
“Then you understand that we are bound?” she asked.
He nodded. “But I am no longer like other men. I cannot stay here.”
“Then we leave together,” she replied. “But first we shall have your father perform our marital ceremony.”
Alaunus stared at her in surprise. “You will still have me?”
She mimicked his hold, cradling his face in her hands. “Now and always,” she vowed.
