“Well, aren’t you looking all tasty and delicious?” Nikolo scares the shit out of me.
Face hidden in the towel I was using to pat it dry, my heart races a million miles an hour. At least I get to experiencethatone last time. Carefully replacing the towel on its hanger, I make sure its folds are perfect before I turn to face him.
Fuck, he looks incredible.
Silky black sleep pants hang low on his hips, the fabric clinging to the bulge between his thick thighs. The tattoos on his stomach ripple as his stomach clenches under my hot gaze. He lets me look, enjoys it, too, leaning so his shoulder is propped against the doorway, his arms crossed casually over his chest.
It’s the smirk on his face, the way his fang digs into his lip, and the soft warmth in his grey eyes that really makes my stomach swoop. I’ll never get enough of it.
“Everything go okay?” He asks, nodding toward the little bandaid on my arm where the blood was drawn.
“It went perfectly. We’re all good to go.” My heart doesn’t get a chance to slow down; my excitement keeps it going at a rapidbuh-buh-puh-duh.
Nikolo can hear it. His eyes flicker down to my chest and back up to my face. He unfolds himself slowly, holding out his hand to me. “Ready?”
With zero hesitation I take his hand. “Absolutely.”
Excitement fizzes in my veins as we walk to the ritual room. It was Nikolo’s one request, and I’d been more than happy to agree to it—one last time channeling magic together.
The air is still energised with the magic of my last rite so it doesn’t take long to gather it up once again. We sit just like we always do in front of our altar. The vibration of the crystals sings to me in their ancient song and I try to commit it to memory, even though I know time will be against me. The energy builds and builds until it reaches its familiar boiling point and I lay my hands on Nikolo’s, forming the circuit for the magic to pass through us both.
His fingers wrap around mine in gratitude, squeezing as I breathe in and out, pushing the energy through us. All the while, a foggy wind swirls through the room, separating us from the rest of the world.
“I have something for you.” I whisper into the quiet.
Nikolo’s eyes pop open, excitement lighting up his eyes. I have to break our connection to get what I need, so I pool the energy in his hands first, letting him hold it a little longer.
Thankfully, I had the foresight to leave the vial in easy sight on the altar. The teardrop shaped glass is empty now, its crystalstopper still in place. The vial was a special request I made of Egbert. It took him and Kroy three solid months to find one solid enough for what I’m after.
Nikolo stops playing with the ball of magic he’s rolling in his hands, eyebrows puckering at the vial. Winking at him in reassurance, I unstick the stopper and turn my hand palm side down, holding the vial against my skin.
Like a vacuum, the vial sucks the magic from my hand, making my elbow tingle, until it’s filled with flowing golden essence. Not quite air, not quite liquid, it swirls and sparkles. I replace the stopper before it can escape, sealing it with a ward.
Once the vial’s secure, I hold it out to Nikolo. “Our magic. For your box.”
The energy in his hands crackles and pops, sparking as he loses concentration before it extinguishes entirely. I’m well acquainted with the box he kept hidden—filled with treasures from the life he felt like he wasn’t allowed to have. It lives in the open now, on the dresser in our room.
With trembling hands he reaches out, holding the vial like it might explode. “This is perfect.” He whispers, turning the bottle this way and that to watch its unnatural movement.
A fang pops out again when he tugs his lip between his teeth and my stomach clenches.That fang is about to change my life. Lust, love, magic, need. It all swirls together inside me, making me flush hot and restless.
“Nikolo, I think it’s time, don’t you?” My voice is low, startling him out of his reverie.
His awe gives way to wanton heat and I think I might expire from the weight of it.
“Oh, yeah. It’s time.”
By silent agreement we don’t touch, we don’t even talk, on our way to the bedroom, letting the anticipation swell.
It feels strangely like my mating night. The thought strikes me as I linger next to the bed, waiting for Nikolo to put the vial away. I feel giddy. Excited. Nervous and happier than I’ve ever been in my life. Happier than the first day I managed to make the air move with a conscious thought.
“What’s that look for?” Nikolo asks, prowling towards me, the vampiric ring around his iris glowing in the lamplight.
On instinct I back up, my breath catching in my lungs. The bed hits the back of my knees and I let myself fall back. Nikolo looms over me, hands pressed into the mattress beside my head, one knee digging in beside my thigh. I can feel the hard length of him against my thigh, so I tense my muscles, grinding into him, enjoying the feral flare of lust in his eyes.
He’s so close to losing all restraint.
“I’m just happy.” I finally answer, wrapping my arms around his waist to slide my hands up the bare skin of his spine.
