Page 88 of Only Human in Strangeville

“Yes.” I offered him my throat.

His pause as he studied the lines of my neck and the soft hum of appreciation tightened things in my core, and I let out a needy moan.

When he leaned closer, I dug my fingers into his back. The ecstasy of his bite was immediate, and I cried out as he tasted my blood. The bond snapped into place, sending my mind reeling and my body exploding with pleasure. I got the barest sense of the depths of his memories and age before the energy settled between us.

Not sure if I said it aloud, or in my head, I begged him to make love to me. I needed him inside me, needed to feel him as completely as possible.

Katsuro responded, pressing into me, filling me, completing my need to be joined. He rested there once he was fully seated. I let him experience the moment before tugging urgently.

“Yes, my love,” he whispered in my ear as he began to move.

I wasn’t sure how long we kept at it, or how many orgasms we had. It turned out that all Katsuro had to do to be ready to go again was take a brief rest and take another sip of my blood. We went for hours, and it was absolutely incredible. When we were finally somewhat sated, he gave me another taste of his own blood, which healed me from the mild blood loss and any other discomforts I might have experienced later from the marathon sex session, and then we both passed out in a post orgasm bliss.

When I woke later, Nimbus was curled up behind my legs and I was cradled in Katsuro’s arms. The scent of food tickled my nose and made my stomach rumble.

The vampire stirred and took a breath. “I haven’t slept that well in ages,” he murmured, kissing my neck. A jolt of need coursed through me at his kiss.

“Shall we get you fed?” He ignored my hungry moan, which was probably just as well. We had things to do today.

“Yes, please.”

Breakfast was porridge, some muffins, eggs, and bacon from the coffee shop, along with coffee, of course. After I’d eaten my fill, Katsuro gave me an extended tour.

I felt like I had been transported into an entirely different world as I moved about Katsuro’s home. Yesterday, since I’d come down from the surface and still had that experience fresh in my mind, I’d simply marveled at the beauty of it now. Today, waking up down here, was a totally different sensation. The rest of the world felt so far away as we settled into a small sitting area and sipped tea in his small garden. We watched the koi swim lazily or come up for handfuls of food.

“This is so peaceful.”

Nimbus rolled onto his back and presented me with his belly. I obliged by giving him a good belly rub.

“So, how exactly are you going to mark Bridger? I don’t necessarily get the impression he’s into guys.”

Katsuro tilted his head, questioningly, before laughing. “I can probably tone the impact down a little bit. Perhaps it would be wise for you to be present and you two can handle the rest?”

“Well, we aren’t sleeping together, yet. But I am certainly willing if he is.”

Once I finished my tea, Katsuro took my cup and set the service on a tray. “They’ll come and take it once we’re gone. After this conflict is over, I will introduce you to everyone and give you a full tour of our underground home.”

“Thank you.” I stood and held out my arms. He wrapped me in a hug and sighed. Through our bond I could feel a great peace, and I let that sensation seep through my limbs as well.

“Though I’d rather stay down here and forget about the rest of the world for a while, as would be reasonable with a new bonding, we have responsibilities.” Despite his words, Katsuro kept me tightly enfolded in his arms.

I rested my head against his chest and stood for a time, with Nimbus pressed against the back of my legs. Finally, we released each other and reluctantly headed for the surface.

***

Hours later, Bridger found Oliver and I walking with Nimbus. I hadn’t had a whole lot of time to enjoy the local parks, and part of our plan was to establish a pattern of going on easy hikes now that we could pretend the initial danger was over. We knew Vito and his people would be coming after us again, but we hoped that they’d think we assumed we were safe now that Nimbus was fully mature as far as his powers were concerned.

I held out my arms and took him in a tight hug. Neither Oliver nor I commented on Bridger breaking our “rules” about being out alone.

“How are you feeling?” He studied me intently for a moment before falling in next to us.

We resumed our walk.

“Rested.”

“Good.”

He held out his hand, and I took it. Bridger gently squeezed my fingers, and the three of us walked in silence while Nimbus romped around us. The breeze tickled my skin and blew tendrils of hair in my face. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose with my free hand before offering it to Oliver.

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