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She jerked backward. Her eyes widened with fright as her shoulder-length hair danced around her face, revealing her agitation at hearing him.

“Shh! You’re okay. You’re not imagining anything, Mara.” We can communicate with our minds. Try to send me a message.

Right. Like I can tell him I’m hot for his fierce rod.

Darius smiled. “Fierce rod, huh?”

Her mouth rounded in shock. He noticed she stuck her hand back in her pocket to drop her keys there before she said, “You didn’t hear me.” Did you?

“Yes, Mara.” I can understand your thoughts. Fierce rod?

“Oh. My. God!” she stated. “I didn’t mean that. How did you know that? I tried to invent something no one would ever say. You’re psychic? You can read minds.”

“All vampires have abilities beyond a human’s once they are turned. The ability to communicate mind to mind is standard.”

“Run-of-the-mill, huh?” she said with a nervous chuckle to distance herself from actually meaning what she’d said.

“I’m definitely not offended, mate. I’m pleased by your form as well.” Darius stepped forward to draw her to his body. She didn’t jump forward into his arms this time, but she pressed herself against him. “Kiss me, Mara.”

Chapter

Four

Mine. Mara couldn’t keep that word from rebounding in her mind as she leaned against Darius. And he thought he was a vampire. The talking in the mind thing was a cute parlor trick. She didn’t know how he did that, but there had to be another explanation. Maybe a good therapist and a set of dental implants to fix his teeth would help?

The lure of his massive physique was more than she could resist. She rose on her tiptoes to press her mouth to Darius’s. This man could kiss. She clung to his broad shoulders. After the encounter in the parking lot, being with someone tall, dark, and vicious sounded perfect. Was this why girls always went for the bad boys?

Stop thinking, Mara.

As his voice rumbled through her mind, he deepened the kiss, effectively capturing her attention completely. He tasted amazing. Mara opened her mouth, granting him free access. When his tongue retreated, she chased it. Hers brushed against the tip of his tooth, and she gasped.

The world rushed around her as he moved, carrying her with him to pin her against the door. Her heart raced inside her chest—not from fear but from excitement as he held her wrists above her head in one massive fist, staring at her. She watched him lick his lips, savoring the slight morsel of crimson.

She froze as his eyes turned red. Darius focused on her with the intensity of a hunter. “You are a vampire,” she whispered.

“Yes, mate. And your flavor is delicious.”

Mara had to ask. “Are you going to kill me?”

“Only with pleasure,” he growled. “Close your eyes, mate. I’m taking you home.”

Darius drew her hands behind his head, looping them around his neck. She clasped her fingers together as she clung to him. “Good girl.” He cupped her cheek and drew her face down to his chest, obscuring her vision. He lifted her effortlessly off her feet and walked a few feet toward a shadowy corner of the room.

A flash of cold made her shiver against him. She raised her head an inch from his hard chest, only to have his hand hold her face securely against him. Before she could protest, his hand relaxed, and he set her feet on the floor.

She blinked up at him, noticing the lighting had changed. The gray walls captured her attention. She turned her head, scanning the room. The nondescript sitting area with chairs and couches at Nightfall had disappeared. In their place, stood a roaring fire and deep brown leather seats and a desk with book-lined shelves. “Where are we?”

“My home.”

“Do you live inside Nightfall?”

“No, Mara. I won’t make love to my mate for the first time at a nightclub.”

How did they get here so fast? Before she could ask, he scooped her up in his arms to carry her to an oversized leather chair by the fireplace. Darius sat down, and she straddled his lap, resting on her shins on either side of his massive thighs. She noted he obviously didn’t skip leg day.

“Never, Little one.”

“Why are you calling me that?” she blurted. Maybe that meant something different to him than the books she devoured.