"He's not usually expressive. It's not his way. But when I told him I was staying with you instead of debriefing the inner circle,he actually smiled." He shakes his head slowly. "I think he approves."
"Of me?"
"Of us. Of what you've done to me." His hand cups my face. "I didn't realize how worried my people were. About me. About my isolation. Apparently, having a bonded mate makes me less terrifying."
"You're not terrifying."
"I am extremely terrifying. I've cultivated it deliberately for centuries."
"You're a marshmallow."
He stares at me. "I am a six-hundred-year-old vampire who has killed more people than you can count."
"Marshmallow." I poke his chest, right next to the bond mark. "Soft. Squishy. Sweet on the inside."
"I will end you."
"No, you won't." I grin up at him. "I can feel your emotions, remember? Right now, you're feeling amused. Fond. Slightly exasperated. And underneath all of that, ridiculously, overwhelmingly in love."
His expression softens. "That's cheating."
"It's not cheating. It's using the tools available to me." I pull him down for a kiss. "Besides, you can feel mine too. So we're even."
"And what are you feeling?"
"Right now?" I let the bond open fully, letting him feel everything. The contentment. The safety. The bone-deep certainty that I'm exactly where I belong. And yes, the fear too. The knowledge that there's something inside me that could destroy everything. "Happy. Really, truly happy. For the first time in maybe ever. Even with everything else."
He's quiet for a moment, absorbing what I'm sharing. Then he lowers himself beside me, pulling me close.
"I never thought I'd have this," he says quietly. "Any of this. I'd convinced myself I didn't want it. That I was better alone. Safer."
"And now?"
"Now I can't imagine going back." His arms tighten around me. "You've ruined me for solitude, Celeste. I hope you're prepared to deal with the consequences."
"What consequences?"
"I'm going to be insufferably attached. Possessive. Protective to the point of absurdity." He nuzzles against my hair. "You're going to get sick of me."
"I don't think that's possible."
"Give it a century or two."
"I'll let you know in a century or two." I yawn, exhaustion finally catching up with me. "For now, I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I'm alive, you're alive, and we have a heartbeat." I close my eyes, letting the sound lull me toward sleep. "It makes me feel alive. Human, almost."
"You're not human anymore."
"I know. But I'm not just a vampire either. Not anymore." I snuggle closer. "I'm something new. We both are."
"Something new," he repeats. "I like that."
Silence settles over us, comfortable, warm. The bond hums quietly, two presences slowly merging into one as sleep pulls at the edges of my consciousness.
"Maximus?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. For saving me. For the bond. For choosing me, even knowing what I might become."
