I nod and head into the attached bathroom, suddenly feeling like a shower is going to be the best feeling in the world right now, even in my weak state. I strip down from my battle-worn clothes, turn on the faucet, and climb beneath the heated drops of pure heaven. Closing my eyes, I don’t know how long I stand beneath the steam and water for, but I am beginning to wrinkle.So I grab the body wash that smells like Crave, lather myself up, rinse it off, wash my hair with as little effort as possible, then finally hop out of the shower.
I didn’t hear him come in. I guess Vampire speed will do that, but at some point, he came in and placed some fresh clothes in here for me. So once dry, I pull on my fresh clothes, towel-dry my hair, then meet him in the bedroom, where he is waiting for me.
He glances up as I exit, the smile on his face tells me he’s happy to see me. “You feel better.” It’s not a question. He already knows because he can feel what I’m feeling.
“So much.”
“You ready to go?” he asks, standing and placing his hand out for me.
“You gonna tell me yet where we’re going?”
He simply grins at me, takes my hand in his, and then leads me through the clubhouse without saying a single word. It’s getting on, just on dusk, and, as the sun descends against every window, the main room is empty except for a few brothers standing watch. They nod at us as we pass, their eyes tracking me with a mix of respect and wariness that makes me stand taller despite the nerves threatening to surface.
Outside, the kill zone has been cleaned. The bodies removed, the blood scrubbed away, the evidence of battle erased as if it never happened. Even the cracks in the earth have been reforged to solid earth. Grizz’s doing, I would imagine, given how he can manipulate solid rock. But I can still see it through my Crimson Sight. The ghost of violence lingering in the air, the echo of death staining the concrete in patterns only I can perceive.
Crave’s motorcycle sits where he left it, chrome gleaming under the security lights. He throws a leg over and looks back at me, one eyebrow raised in silent question.
I climb on behind him without hesitation, my arms wrapping around his waist, my body fitting against his as if we were designed this way.
The engine roars to life, and then we’re moving, tearing through the gates and into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
SLOANE
He doesn’t head toward the city. Instead, he takes us into the wilderness surrounding the clubhouse, following paths I’ve never seen, navigating through trees and over terrain that would destroy a normal vehicle. But his bike handles it effortlessly, and I trust him enough not to question where we’re going.
We ride for what feels like hours, but is probably only minutes, the world blurring around us until finally, finally,he slows and stops in a clearing I’ve never seen before.
It’s beautiful.
Surrounded by trees that create a natural barrier, isolated enough that we could scream and no one would hear, wild enough that it feels like stepping outside civilization entirely. The ground is soft beneath my boots when I climb off, covered in moss and fallen leaves, and the air smells clean, untainted by exhaust, blood, or death.
“Whatisthis place?” I ask, turning in a slow circle to take it all in.
“Somewhere we can let go,” Crave says, and when I look back at him, his eyes are glowing faintly silver in the darkness. “Somewhere, we don’t have to hold back. Somewhere our power can run free without worrying about collateral damage, witnesses, or consequences.”
Understanding dawns, sharp and immediate. “You’re worried about what happens when we…”
“Fuck?” he finishes, but saying it bluntly, without apology. “Yes. You felt it during the battle, Sloane, how our powers merge when we’re close, when emotions run high, when control slips. Imagine what happens when we’re not fighting for ourlives, when we’re doing something that feels good instead of something that hurts. When we’re surrendering to each other instead of to violence.”
My Bloodfire surges in response, heat cascading through my veins at the thought. He’s right. I felt it during the battle, the way our magic twisted together, amplifying and escalating until reality itself bent around us. If that happens when we’re intimate, when we’re lost in each other without the anchor of external threat…
“We could level the clubhouse,” I finish quietly.
“Or worse, the city block.” He steps closer, and even that slight movement makes my breath catch. “So, we come here where there’s nothing to destroy except dirt, trees, and our own inhibitions. Where we can beexactlywhat we are without fear.”
“Monsters,” I whisper.
“No.” His hand cups my face, his thumb brushing my lower lip. “Not monsters. Something better. Something that chose love over isolation. Something that’s learning to wield power without letting it consume us.”
He leans in, his lips consuming mine. His kiss is different this time. Hungry, yes, but also testing, questioning, asking permission I’ve already given. My body responds instantly, Bloodfire igniting beneath my skin as my hands fist in his shirt and drag him closer.
The world around us starts to shift immediately.
Small orbs of crimson-gold light spark into existence, hovering around us, appearing as fireflies drawn to heat. They pulse in rhythm with our heartbeats, with the magic flowing between us through the Heart Bind, growing brighter and more numerous with every passing second. His vampire power responds, shadows bleeding out from where we stand, coiling through the clearing like living things.
“Sloane.” My name is a growl against my lips, hunger and warning tangled together. “If we do this, there’s no going back. No pretending we’re anything but completely bound to each other. No separating our power from our passion.”
