“True,” I chuckled.

I grabbed her hips and, before she noticed what I was about to do, I guided her all the way down until I had stretched and filled her completely.

“Silas,” she moaned my name.

“Yes, call my name.”

I helped her move up and down on me, both of us finding a rhythm. I thrust my hips so I could meet her movements.

“Silas,” she said again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I said. “Lean down.”

She did as I asked, leaning down towards me until her neck was near my lips.

I bit her neck, and her delicious blood filled my mouth.

Grace moaned. I felt her come on my cock, and my own orgasm quickly followed.

In the hazy high of our pleasure, I saw a red thread connecting her to me; faint but still present. I experimentally tugged on it, and Grace moaned again. Elated, I realized this was a mating bond.

Sometimes mating was possible between humans and vampires, and it seemed we were one of the rare couples blessed with such a possibility.

I didn’t connect the thread to me yet; I needed to explain the connection to Grace first. Both sides had to want to mate for the bond to snap in.

We both came down from our orgasms. Grace was lying in my arms, breathing heavily. I slid out of her and turned us around, easing myself on top of her. I propped myself up on my arms so my weight wouldn’t crush her.

“Grace,” I called her name.

Her eyes focused on me, but they were cloudy from pleasure. “Yes?”

“There is a possibility that the two of us could become mates.” I felt nervous speaking about the bond. What if she said no?

“What’s ‘mates’?” She gave me a puzzled look.

“Mates are two people whom a red thread of fate connects together. If you mate with me, our lifespans will become equal – you will live for as long as I do. We will feel each other’s emotions through the bond and hear each other’s thoughts. I will always know where you are as well, and you will always knowwhere I am. This ability will make it easier for me to protect you.”

“Wow,” she gave me a look full of wonder. “That’s a lot.”

“I know,” I nodded.

“What’s the catch?”

“The catch?” I looked at her, confused.

“It all sounds so wonderful. There’s a bad side to every good thing, though. What’s the bad side to being mates?”

I thought for a moment. “It’s that mating is forever. You’ll never be able to leave me, no matter how you feel about me.”

She frowned. “Like I’d ever want to leave you or you’d ever let me leave you anyway.”

I chuckled. “True.”

She smiled. “I’ll take it then. I want to be your mate.”

My eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“More than anything else in the world,” she said. “I love you, Silas. I want to be with you forever.”