While the shower warms, I remove my clothes that smell of the food court and pin my hair up. It’s not hair wash day and I won’t risk getting it wet.
A thump sounds on the other side of the door, and I can only assume Valen has slid down to the floor.
I grin to myself at the silly vampire.
Once I’m freshly showered, I take my time drying my body off and slathering myself in lotion.
Slipping on a set of lingerie I snagged from the store, I assess my appearance in the mirror.
Valen might be stoic at times, but even he can’t resist this.
I spritz a small amount of perfume onto my neck and wrists before I open the door.
Valen immediately flops into the bathroom on his back with Pom Pom in his arms.
“Hi.” He blinks up at me. “Hi,” he repeats, more choked this time as he takes in what I’m wearing.
“Hello.” I nudge his shoulder with my toe.
Before I can comment on him lying on the floor, he sets Pom Pom down and hops up.
“Fuck, Ava.” He curves a hand around my hip. “Look at you.”
“You like?” I do a spin, letting him take in the lace and ribbons from all angles.
“Very much.”
Standing on my tiptoes, I wrap my arms around his neck. “It’s too bad I’ll only let my mate take it off me once the bond iscomplete.” His eyes narrow on me. “Please, Valen.” I press a hand to his cheek. “Please. I want you in every way. It’s time.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “The mating bond … this is forever—a bond stronger than marriage.”
I cock my head to the side. “And you think I don’t know that? What I feel for you is unlike the love I’ve ever felt for another person. And forgive me, but with the current uncertainty of things—whatever’s going on with these killings, and whatever monster it is that wants you—I just want to be yours in the way that matters to your kind most. I want our bond. I wantyou. I’m never going to change my mind on that, Valen.” I rub his cheek. “You are so special, and you don’t give yourself enough credit for that. I love you. I want you. Please, make me your true mate.”
“You drive a hard bargain,” he growls a moment before his lips descend on mine.
“Is that a yes?” I ask between kisses.
“Yes,” he groans, licking the sensitive skin of my neck.
“Is it going to hurt?” I ask.
“No.” His hair brushes against me and sends a shiver down my spine. He lifts me easily in his arms, and a moment later my back is pressed against the bed. “You drive a hard bargain.” He draws his finger around my nipple. The mesh bra cups do little to hide the peaked buds. “And you don’t play fair.”
I smile up at him. “Playing fair doesn’t get me anywhere. Not when my mate is a stubborn vampire who thinks he knows best.”
He huffs a sigh. “You are something, Ava McGuire.”
“But I’myoursomething,” I argue back.
He chuckles. “That’s true, Starlight.” He brushes his nose against the curve of my neck. “Are you ready, my love?”
I nod, and a small gasp flies out of my lips when he bites my neck with a tenderness that doesn’t pierce my skin.
“Sayit. I need to hear you say it.”
“I’m ready,” I gasp. “Make me yours.”
The bite of his teeth into my flesh has my fingers digging into his shoulder. I suddenly wonder why I didn’t make him take his shirt off first. I desperately want to feel his bare skin against my fingertips.
