His hand keeps moving, sliding beneath the waistband of my shorts like he owns every inch of me. His fingers glide over my centre, and I gasp, my hands fisting in his shirt as he slips two fingers inside me. My body arches toward him. He watches myface as he withdraws. I open my mouth to protest, but the words die when he lifts his hand and inhales slowly, eyes darkening.
“I can smell that you’re alive.” He brings his fingers to his lips, sucking my essence from them with a quiet, deliberate hunger. “I can taste that you’re alive.”
The words vibrate through me. I swallow hard, forcing myself to breathe past the ache he’s carved into me.
“Why did you mark me?” I whisper.
“I don’t know,” he answers immediately. The bluntness makes my heart stumble. Then his jaw tightens. “I knew you were mine. I knew I would never let you go, and when I had you there under the burning spray of the shower, your warm, soft body wrapped around mine while I took you, while you cried my name from those pretty lips…” His hand slides to my jaw, forcing my eyes to his. “That’s when I knew it was permanent.”
His voice drops, becoming rougher. “My body already craved yours. But my dead heart…” He exhales sharply, like the memory hurts. “My dead heart fucking swelled every time I held you, and it nearly shattered when Seraphine threatened to take you from me.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Are you saying you love me?” I choke out.
He shakes his head once. “No.” The word lands like a heavy blow.
“Love is fragile. Love fades, and love dies.” He leans in until his forehead presses to mine, his grip tightening. “What I feel for you is immortal. It doesn’t weaken. It doesn’t decay. It never ends.” His thumb brushes under my eye, catching a tear. “If we lose each other in this life, I will find you in the next. I will always find you.”
His voice turns possessive, feral. “You are mine. Forever. I don’t care if the world burns around us, don’t care who stands in my way.” His lips brush my ear. “No one living or fucking dead will ever take you from me.”
My heart stops, and my breath becomes frozen in my chest. My tears continue to fall as his words consume me. I want to tell him I feel the same. I want to tell him that what I feel for him feels bigger than love, but my mind, my soul, is in a whirlwind of emotion. Out of all my feelings, all my thoughts, only two words escape me.
“Holy fuck.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LUCIAN
My eyes trailup her silky-smooth legs, the hem of my shirt just covering her edible behind as she moves at the stove, cooking herself some eggs. Her hips sway to the music as she sings along. I’m hypnotised, unable to tear my gaze away from her. She spins around, singing along to Barry White’s ‘You’re My First, My Last, My Everything’, using the spatula as a microphone while pointing at me. A slow smile spreads across my face as she blows me a kiss.
“Contacts just arrived,” Silas states quietly in my ear.
“Show them in,” I order.
He nods and disappears to get them.
“You okay with them seeing her?” Talon asks.
I turn my attention to him. “These are biker contacts. Human. They are no threat to us, or to her.”
He gives me a brief nod as two men follow Silas into the kitchen. The Vale family are the biggest gun and drug runners. We may be the undead, we may have money, but if we’re to continue to live for eternity, then we need to make sure our money never dries up. I don’t get up to greet them, only giving them a brief look. Marcus Vale stands before me, his muscle and right-hand man standing beside him, looking at each of my brothers who surround them.
“I see we have someone new,” Marcus says, eyeing Evelynn with an appreciative gaze.
“If you want to continue to have the ability to see, I suggest you look in the other fucking direction immediately,” I threaten.
He looks at me, surprised at my threat. He isn’t used to receiving threats, and if he does, those people usually don’t get to continue living. His bodyguard takes a step towards me. Marcus holds up his hand, halting him, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Easy, Justin. The man is merely protecting what is his.”
I exhale a breath as if I’m bored with the conversation.
Evelynn spins around, holding her plate of scrambled eggs and toast, completely unaware that the two men entered. She stumbles slightly in surprise.
“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t realise we had guests,” she apologises, reaching over to turn the music down. Her cheeks heat from embarrassment, and she shifts uncomfortably.
“No need to apologise, my dear. We merely stopped by to discuss some business. We didn’t mean to intrude,” Marcus says, bowing his head slightly. The salt-and-pepper man is renowned for his manner in how he treats women. If I could, I would have killed him years ago, but it would draw far too much attention to us.
I stand, not liking how much attention he’s paying to Evelynn. “Let’s go to the bar, and we can discuss it over a drink. Let my woman eat her meal in peace,” I forcibly state, gesturing to the entranceway through to the bar area.
