Page 52 of These Dangerous Fates

Kai reaches between us to fist his cock and lines it up to my entrance. With his fangs still in my neck, he slides inside me. It’s like nothing I have ever experienced before. The bliss roaring through my veins as he pulls more blood from me, combined with his cock and the piercings rubbing all the right places, the pleasure overwhelms me.

I rake my nails down Kai’s back, feeling his muscle flex as he thrusts his hips. He wasn’t lying when he said he couldn’t take it slow. He pounds into me, fast and hard, and I take it all. Welcome it and beg for more. I never want this moment to end, this joining of more than just our bodies, but our souls. Kai’s presence invades me in all the best ways. My vampire prince. My prince of darkness.

Tingles of pleasure start in my back and spread outward, roaring through me as my orgasm builds to a crescendo. My back arches and I scream out my pleasure with Kai’s name on my lips. He growls against my neck and his cock thickens as he shudders over me, finding his release while my inner walls clench around him.

Gasping for breath, he pulls his fangs out of my neck and I whimper. It’s so sensitive, echoes of pleasure rolling through me as he runs his tongue along the two puncture marks, licking up any blood and sealing the wounds. Tears prick my eyes unbidden when he pulls back to look at me. His gray eyes are shining brighter than I have ever seen, and he’s looking at me with wonder and amazement.

Kai leans his forehead against mine. “Ellis. Baby girl. Why?” His question is a mixture of pain and hope.

I run my fingers through his hair, scraping my nails against his scalp. Nerves flutter in my belly as I contemplate what to say to him. “Because. I couldn’t bear the thought of you dying. I don’t think I would survive losing you.” Swallowing thickly, I push his head away enough to look him in the eyes. “Before you, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I was just floating through each day. But you—all of you—reminded me of who I am. I feel like myself after ten years of not knowing who I am. Finally, I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m who I’m supposed to be.”

My mouth snaps shut as I force myself to stop talking and hold my breath. I just laid it all out for him. I put my heart on the line and now I have to wait to see if he accepts it or crushes it.

Neither of us are breathing as he lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me gently. “I love you, Ellis,” he whispers against my lips. “I can’t describe it. The way my heart races when I’m near you and the pull in my gut tugging me closer to you. I knew as soon as I walked into your bedroom that night there was something about you. You called to me. In every way possible, you called to me. The only word I have to describe it is complete. Like I wasn’t whole until that moment.”

Those damn butterflies in my stomach have taken on a life of their own. Each one of his words is like a balm to my battered soul, healing me bit by bit. He grabs my hand and places it over his heart. It thumps against my palm, beating faster than it usually does. I place my other hand on my chest and my eyes widen. They beat at a matching rhythm. They even stutter together as realization hits me.

Kai smiles. “You are my beloved, Ellis.” He brushes a sweaty curl from my forehead. “We are tied together now. Forever. Our hearts will beat as one, stop as one. You are the very reason I am alive.”

He kisses me, deeper than before, and his fangs brush against my tongue. Instantly, I want them in my neck again. I replay his words in my head. Forever. Beat as one. Stop as one. It’s like something out of a fairytale. Like one of the romance books I used to read, wishing my life would end up like that. My eyes widen as his words register, and I push his shoulders so I can look at him.

“Forever?” I screech. “If I die, you’ll die?”

He nods, a small smile pulling the corner of his mouth up.

“But I’m going to die before you.” Horror makes my voice crack. “I’m only human.”

“You do realize that we are tied together, right?” He searches my face, brows drawn down. “In every way. You’ll have the same lifespan as me. And fuck, stop saying that! You are not only human, baby girl.” He cups my face with one palm and rubs his thumb over my cheek. “You are so much more than that. Strong, brave, and determined. You took what life dealt you and came through it even more amazing. Never once did you let your circumstances destroy you. You used it and made yourself stronger. I never want to hear you say that again.”

This time, tears fill my eyes and spill over. I never realized how much I needed to hear someone say that. To validate me and my feelings. To let me know I am more than my failures. However, what he said before all that has snagged in my brain. “So, I won’t die until you do?” I ask through my crying.

“Yes,” he says simply. “Or vice versa. Basically, when one of us goes, the other does as well.”

I stare at him. Blinking as the tears stall out. I’m having a hard time understanding what he just said. The same lifespan as him? “But … But you’re immortal,” I whisper.

He chuckles. “Yeah, I am. So are you now.” He laughs at my expression and rolls off of me, tucking me against him so my head is on his chest. “You didn’t think to ask about the details before you gave me your blood?”

“I was a little distracted,” I say faintly. “The fine print wasn’t on my mind at the time.” His heart under my hand beats in rhythm with mine, reinforcing the monumental moment that just happened between us.

Immortal. What did I just sign myself up for?

Ellis

“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to keep you safe,” Kai says as we lay in his bed, skin to skin. “Keeping you safe has been my top priority since I met you. Being tied to me, it’s dangerous, Ellis.”

“I still deserved to know,” I murmur, tracing patterns on his chest and abs with my finger. “It’s my life, my decision.”

“I was scared. I am scared.” His arms tighten around me. “How much do you know about my history?”

“Nothing, really,” I shrug. “Only what I see on social media.”

He takes a deep breath and releases it. “I was young when my mom died. A teenager, by vampire standards. She was an amazing woman. Beautiful, bright, loving. Everything a mother should be. I was too young to notice the difference in her before she died, but as I got older, I recognized it, and I began to question everything about her death.”

He falls silent and idly twists one of my curls around his finger. I let him work through his thoughts, but a sinking feeling settles in my gut. This will not be a good story.

“I always thought my parents had a normal relationship. Looking back, I can see that I was wrong. They were civil to each other. I never saw them fight, but I also never saw them show any affection toward each other. They were more like roommates sharing a house. All of my mom’s time was devoted to me, and she rarely interacted with my dad.”

“Why did they marry?” I ask, propping my chin on his chest so I could look at him.

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