Page 62 of Shut Up and Bite Me

And then, an image that stalls my heartbeat flashes. The red energy wave pulsing off me.What the hell was that?

I have too many questions. But first, I need to see Greyson. Blinking away the fog, I look around the room and quickly recognize it. It’s my bedroom. But it feels a hell of a lot emptier without Greyson.

“Your eyes changed,” Ava murmurs, drawing my attention back to her.

“W-What do you mean?” I ask. “They’re not hazel anymore?”

She chuckles. “Your human eyes are still hazel, yes. And your vampire ones are still red, but…hold on. I’ll just let you see for yourself.” She walks into my en suite and returns a moment later with a mirror, handing it to me when she sits back down in the chair beside my bed.

Holding it up, I stare at my reflection, my human appearance showing in full. My black hair is a curly mess that desperately needs to be brushed, and my sun-kissed skin could use a little lotion. But I look relatively normal.

Ava studies me intently as I glance at her and back at the mirror, taking a shaky breath and releasing my fangs and feeling the power spread throughout my body. Opening my eyes, I suck in a sharp breath.

Woah. That is new.

My hazel eyes transform into the same dark shade of red they usually do, but trickling outward beneath my eyes are translucent red spider veins.

“When were you going to tell me that you and Greyson werelamia et fatis sanguis?Hmm? Did you just feel like keeping that mind-blowing secret to yourself?” she asks, pursing her lips together.

Dropping the mirror to the bed, I press my tongue into my cheek. “Look, there was no time between us even discovering it ourselves and this chaotic shitstorm that happened. I planned on telling all of you once I could actually process it myself. Understand it. It still feels like a dream. There’s still so much we don’t know.”

“Do you know how incredible it is? We believed it to be a myth, a story that we read about growing up. Even humans love the story of the fated vampire and bloodling. And here you are, the legend personified. It’s incredible, Vivian.” She exhales, her eyes wide with wonder and amazement.

“Well, try to keep it under wraps for now. We don’t need anyone targeting us while we heal.” I grin.

“Does it feel different? Do you feel tied to him in some way? What’s it like?” She fires questions at me before sealing her lips shut, zipping them with her thumb and forefinger and tossing the key away. “Sorry, I know you just woke up,” she apologizes, holding her hands up, and I laugh.

“It’s okay, really. It’s a nice distraction while I wait for Greyson to wake.”

Her gaze flicks away from mine before returning, and I swear I can see a question on the tip of her tongue. “Have you thought about completing the Ceremony ofVita et Morswith him?”

Secretly every single day since we’ve met.

“Yes. Countless times,” I admit, my heart feeling like it’s close to exploding from how hard it’s pounding in my chest.

She beams as the words race past her lips. “I think you should. It’s obvious you’re meant for each other. And it would just keep him safer in the long run.”

“Yeah…” I trail off.

I know she’s right. I want to bond with him more than anything. But it’s the biggest commitment a human can possibly make.Human marriage is nothing in comparison to this bond.

The Ceremony ofVita et Mors,or the Ceremony of Life and Death, is performed by a powerful witch. It’s the act of a vampire and a human merging their souls into one. It grants the human immortality, tying their life to their vampire. But if one of them dies, so does the other. The ceremony ties them together in both life and death. There’s no going back once it’s done. If the ceremony is performed, it’s permanent.

I want that, I know I do. I want Greyson today, tomorrow, forever. If it would be possible, I would go back in time and find him sooner so I could have him as part of my past too.

I know Greyson has feelings for me, but that kind of commitment is not one to take lightly. I’ve been around a lot longer than he has. How can I ask him to make that kind of decision? What if he wakes up and regrets it in ten years?

“Vivian?” Greyson’s raspy voice sounds in the hallway, pulling me from my thoughts.

Ripping the covers off me, I throw myself off of the bed. My feet pound on the heated hardwood floor, carrying me toward him as he steps into the room, my eyes welling up at the sight of him.

“Oh,thank god,” he cries out, closing the distance between us and pulling me into his embrace, instantly picking me up and securing me around his bare waist.

Overwhelming emotion bubbles out of me, and I uncontrollably heave and sob as he caresses my head, holding me tightly against his chest.

His fear emanates off him, but not the kind of fear you have when you’re scared for your life but when you’re scared for someone else’s.

Tears stream down my face as I pull back and slide my hands along his jaw. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if…”

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