I knew exactly what would happen, but I didn’t want to worry Blake with those details. He knew I was going to destroy Josiah, but the reality of that wasn’t going to be easy. I could tell where he was headed, but I didn’t know where he was going or why he’d gone in this direction. He’d had decades to learn about this strange world that was not at all like the world I knew when he’d trapped me. “I have to destroy him. I know you may not like to hear that, but he will never stop trying to come after you,” I said, repeating what we’d discussed earlier.
“I know, and I understand why. But before today I’d never seen a dead body before. I mean, you looked dead, but you weren’t,” he said, and grinned, showing me the part of him I loved with every part of me.
“The sun will be rising soon,” I said, unable to ignore the warning my body always gave me.
“I feel it too. The hotel is close.” He drove a little farther before turning onto a smaller road and parking in front of a long building where a few cars were already parked out front. “It’s older but they won’t question us sleeping all day.”
He hurried inside and again amazed me with his control. I watched through the window as he chatted with the man inside, explaining we’d need to sleep all day since we’d been driving all night. The man didn’t react in any way other than to hand him a key and to wave to me. I waved back and wondered if he’d feel so friendly if he knew what we really were.
“We’re in the room on the end,” Blake said as he slid back into the truck and slowly drove us in that direction. It was darker here, the lights of the building not quite reaching this far, and trees from the forest cocooned the building, which would be even better once the sun came up. Blake grabbed the bag he’d packed and led me to the door. “These older places are usually clean, and they don’t care so much about the rules when you’re here. Plus, they get a lot of truckers who need to get some sleep at all hours of the day or night, before going back out on the road.” I didn’t understand all he said, but I knew he thought this was a safe place to stay.
The room was small, but clean, and the curtains were thick. Blake took a roll of tape out of his bag and taped all around the edges, sealing out any spaces the sun could peek through. When he was done, he dropped the tape back into the bag before rushing into my arms. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For everything. I’ve taken your life from you,” I said, finally putting into words the hurt my heart couldn’t hold.
“Marlon, I love you. It may have started out with a weird obsession to find out more about how you were still alive. But I can’t deny how I feel, and I know you think it’s that you changed me, but I felt this way when I was human.” He took my hand and tugged me over to the bed before slipping my shirt off and gliding his hands down my chest and sneaking his fingers inside the band of my jeans.
“Never have I wanted someone the way I want you,” I whispered, and a bit of my accent slipped in. His eyes fluttered closed, and he pressed his lips to my neck. I knew how badly he wanted to bite me, but he was gentle. Proving again how strong he was.
“It’s my turn,” he said with a growl and stripped off the rest of my clothes before shoving me back on the bed. He slowly undressed while staring at me like I was a meal he was about to devour. My breath sped up, and my cock hardened under his gaze while he took his sweet time revealing himself to me. His fangs showed as he reached for the bottle of lube that he didn’t need anymore, but when he poured some on his fingers and slid them into my ass, I wasn’t going to complain. He knelt between my legs and watched me squirm as he brought me so close to release I could nearly feel it before guiding me back to that edge I wanted desperately to fall off.
“Take me,” I groaned. He pulled his fingers out and pushed my legs to my chest. His cock was just at my hole, and he leaned down close enough to brush my lips as he spoke.
“You and I are meant to be,” he whispered before shoving his cock into me and biting my neck. My back arched as I gave up control to him. The one vampire or human who would ever control me and the one who could destroy me far easier than he knew.
Twenty-One
Blake
Everything was different now. In a moment of pain, and the piercing of my skin with Marlon’s teeth, my life was no longer my life. We were bonded, and I could feel how strong the cords of the bond were that tied me to him. But I also wasn’t a victim. I still didn’t fully understand what being bonded to a vampire meant, but there were many things I couldn’t ignore.
Hisemotions, which were so vague and hidden from me as a human, were now a living part of me. I could feel every shift and every subtle change, and his heart—I knew how much of his heart I held. He had been so hard for me to read, and I thought because he was a vampire he had no emotion, or at least he didn’t show it. Now I knew the opposite was true.
A scent too appealing to ignore snapped me out of my thoughts and in a blink, I was at the door ready to throw it open and feed on whatever I found there.
“Stop!” Marlon said from where he still lay on the bed. “You will not feed yet.”
My breath sped up in anticipation of warm blood, but my feet were frozen in place along with the rest of me. Then he was next to me, pulling me into his arms, where I melted against him. “I—”
“Shh, love. The sun is still up. If you’d gone outside, you’d be ash. We’ll leave here as soon as the sun sets and feed. Come back to bed,” he said. His voice was so gentle it lulled me from the frantic hunger I’d just experienced into a relaxed state. He guided me tothe bed before laying me down and snuggling in behind me. “It’ll all be set right once the sun is down.”
Neither of us moved, and I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. This new life was strange. I knew I should sleep, but I wasn’t tired. Lying here next to my mate was all I needed to be ready for nightfall. And blood. Because once Marlon had mentioned feeding, blood was all that was on my mind.
“It’s time, love,” Marlon murmured in my ear. I flew over him and landed on the floor in a crouch without making a sound.
“Whoa. That was kinda cool,” I said, making him grin.
“You are truly a wonder,” he said before pressing his lips against mine. “Let’s go.”
We walked out to the truck and drove toward the office. “I’ll be right back,” I said and hopped out of the truck to return the key. Once again, the smell of warm blood overwhelmed me. Before I had a moment to react, he pushed me back to the truck.
“We need to leave,” he growled. The power of his voice washed over me and forced me to comply.
Without a word or thought, I walked back to the truck and put it in gear as he closed the door behind him. We drove away from the motel and merged back onto I-5. We’d driven a few miles in silence when, once again, the scent of blood called to me. “Fuck.” My jaw clenched shut, and I tried to fight the urge to bolt from the truck and run down whatever the scent was from. But then Marlon squeezed my leg.
“It’s okay, Blake. Take the next turn,” he said and directed me to the nearest exit. We drove along a narrow road that led into the dark woods we were now surrounded by. “Pull over here.” I did as he said, never questioning and never a thought of disobeying. He stepped out of the truck and walked into the woods, and I followed. After a short walk, he turned to face me. “You need to feed. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let the need wash over you and take control.”
