Page 177 of The Vampire's Bride

Gently, he cups my face with both hands. His crimson eyes swirl with black as they study me. “Because you are mine.” He leans in and brushes his lips to my own. Trailing a line of kisses down my neck, he whispers against my skin. “And I am yours, my Juliet.”

Valaric cups my breast and then closes his mouth over the peak, laving his tongue across the sensitive bead at the tip as I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

I wake with a start and sit up in the bed. My heart is racing and I’m panting heavily, my entire body thrumming with need. That was the most sensual dream I’ve ever had. Closing my eyes, I can still feel his lips upon me.

Throwing back the sheets, I stand from the bed and pull my silken robe around my shoulders. I walk to the balcony and push open the door. When I step outside, the night air winds around me like a gentle caress, cooling my heated skin. I tip my head back and a sigh of longing escapes me as I recall more of my dream.

Pent up arousal hums in my veins. Although it’s late, I doubt I’ll be able to fall asleep again. I glance over the side of my balcony and grip the thick, green vines that climb up the side of the manor, testing them to make sure they’ll hold my weight.

Throwing caution to the wind, I toe on my slippers and then carefully lower myself over the edge. I hold firmly to the vines and take great care with my footing on the exterior stone wall and begin to climb down.

Halfway down, I reach for a lower vine. Shifting my weight, I grab hold of the new vine, and it snaps. My breath catches and time slows as I plummet, the world spinning around me in a blur as I fall.

A rush of air whooshes up from below, and strong arms catch me, enveloping me in warmth and safety, halting my descent. I lift my head and then gasp as Valaric’s intense gaze locks onto mine. His black, leathery wings flex and extend as he hovers above the ground, holding me as if I weigh nothing.

“Are you all right?” His voice is low and smooth like velvet.

Up close, he’s even more breathtaking than I remember. His chiseled features are bathed in moonlight, his dark and silver-white hair tousled by the night breeze. As he holds me suspended above the earth, I can feel the strength in his grip, the power in his body. And I’m breathless as I gaze up at him, completely and utterly mesmerized. “Yes. You saved me.”

He gently sets us down on the ground, his movements smooth and controlled. He sets my feet on the ground, but his strong hands remain at my waist.

“Why were you out here?” I frown. “Do… Vampires have some sort of precognition? Like seers? Did you somehow know I was going to fall?”

A hint of a roguish smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “No, I do not possess that type of magic, and I did not know you’d fall. But I hoped you might be awake.” His eyes pierce mine. “I needed to see you again, Juliet.”

He needed to see me again. My heart flutters. Everything about him draws me in. But this is dangerous. Not because of what he is, but because of this strange hold he seems to have upon me. This is only the second time I’ve seen him, and as his gaze holds mine, I realize how easily I could become lost in this man—this Vampire.

We’re standing beneath my balcony in the middle of the night, only a hair’s breadth between us. But as improper as it is to be alone with him, I cannot seem to make myself leave. My gaze drops to his full perfect mouth, and I’ve never felt so wanton. If he tried to steal a kiss right now, I would offer no resistance.

Goosebumps pebble my flesh as his dark gaze travels down my body, making me fully aware of just how little I’m wearing. Even with my robe, the silken material hugs every dip and curve, leaving very little to the imagination. Desire hums through myveins, and I wrap my arms around myself in an attempt at modesty.

He must assume I am cold because he removes his cloak and drapes it around my shoulders, completely enveloping me in his rich smell of mint and cedar.

“Is that better?”

A small sigh of contentment escapes me as I revel in his delicious, masculine scent. “Yes. Thank you.” I gesture to a nearby bench. “Would you like to sit with me?”

He dips his chin and takes a seat.

“Do you often stay up this late?” he asks.

I decide to tease him. “Are you asking because you’re wondering if you need to come back tomorrow to make sure I don’t fall?”

“Perhaps.” He laughs softly.

I turn my gaze to the garden wall. “In truth, I could not sleep.”

He looks at me, patiently waiting for me to continue.

“My parents want me to marry Lord Jonathan Harker.” I sigh heavily. “I already broke our engagement, but he doesn’t want to accept it.”

“And what do you want?” he asks gently.

“Truth be told, I’d probably never marry if I didn’t have to.”

He frowns. “Why do you feel you have to?”

I shrug. “It’s not so easy for women to find the same level of independence that men seem to enjoy when they are unmarried. At least… not here in Aralon.”

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