Page 8 of Eternal Kiss

“Feeding.”

“In a fucking public restaurant?”

“He told us to.”

“Who told you to?”

“Scary vamp. Didn’t get his name.”

Laurent fisted his hands. “This is a diversion. Go get your female. I’ll handle this.”

I ran to the back where the restrooms were located, and I knocked on the door. Pushing it open a crack, I called her name. “Dinah? Is everything okay?” When she didn’t answer, I entered the small room, but it was empty. Since she hadn’t returned to the front of the restaurant, I found the back door and exited the building. The air was filled with scents I recognized, and Dinah’s was the most prominent. Her purse was on the ground. While I had been distracted, someone had taken my female. My fangs dropped as I roared, “Dinah!”

I had no idea which way she’d been taken, but that didn’t stop me from trying to find her. I used my advanced sight to search for anything amiss. I sped back and forth in every direction, coming up empty. With each mile I traveled, my anger rose so high I almost missed the scent of fresh blood. I slowed to follow it, already knowing what I would find. Dinah’s essence was buried deep within me. I found her body, dumped behind a group of bushes. I lifted her out, cradling her to me. Lillith must have been in a giving mood because Dinah was still breathing. Barely. As with her father, I didn’t hesitate. I sank my fangs into her neck, draining her. Her blood, unlike most, was sweet, like it had honey mixed in. It lit me up from the inside, and something about that niggled my brain. I sliced my wrist and forced my blood into her mouth, massaging her throat so she would swallow.

I didn’t want her to come to in the middle of nowhere, so I stood and raced to my nearest house where I placed her in the middle of my bed. While I waited for her to wake up, I removed her ruined blouse, then washed the blood off her neck where she’d been clawed open. Having ingested my blood, the wound was already stitching back together. I retrieved one of my shirts from the closet and slid it on her. While I buttoned it, I admired her full breasts encased in a lace bra. They were spectacular, and I hoped to one day get the chance to hold them in my palms and roll her nipples while my cock was buried deep in her pussy. I rolled the sleeves up since they were too long, then I moved across the room and stood leaning against the doorframe, my eyes never leaving her. I had always ruled my coven alone. I never planned to take a queen, yet here was this divine creature who reached into my soul and latched on. I felt it the moment our hands touched outside The Limelight. The fact that neither mine nor Laurent’s compulsion worked on her should have clued me in to how special she was. What truly convinced me that she was the one being designed just for me was what I experienced while draining her. Only one of my brothers had found his mate, and it was exactly as Roberto had described it.

I had given Dinah my eternal kiss, and from this day forward, no one else would share my body. I would feed from nobody else. No one other than my beloved.My beloved.And Lillith help anyone who threatened her ever again. Had Doug’s death been some kind of unholy intervention? Had Lillith known Dinah was my beloved, putting Doug in my path all those years ago? Would she forgive me for turning her instead of letting her die? I was about to find out.

Chapter Five

Dinah

My body wason fire with need, and my throat was parched. Where the fuck was I? I was lying on a bed, so I sat up. I was in a bedroom, one I didn’t recognize. A man stood watching. I hissed at him to stay away.

Holding his hands up, he said, “Dinah, it’s me, Lukas. You’re safe now.”

I got on my knees, ready to defend myself. Luke. He was safe. Or was he? Scanning the room, I saw an open door. I jumped down and rushed into a bathroom. I needed water. So thirsty. I made the mistake of looking in the mirror. My hair was tangled. When I reached up to brush it back from my face, I cringed at my nails. They were long and pointed, like… Sharp claws grabbed my arms. A man with red eyes grabbed me and ran. Fast. Too fast. He dropped me.She’s all yours.A blonde woman. Mean. Had sharp nails too. Ripped my throat. She killed my father. She killed me. How…? I reached for the tap. So thirsty. I cupped the water in my ugly hand. When I tried to drink, I cut myself. Jerking back, I stared at the blood. How? Looking at my reflection, I saw them. Long canines. Fangs. Too sharp. So hungry. Luke stood in the doorway. “She ripped my throat open. She ripped my fucking throat. I died.” I lunged for him, grabbing his arms with my long nails “How am I notdead? I’m not dead, but…” I released him and turned to gaze at my reflection again. “Why am I so hungry? My throat burns.” I scratched at my throat, but it didn’t help.

“You need to feed.”

Luke released his own sharp nail and sliced his arm. Blood flowed freely. The tangy, coppery scent called to me. I grabbed his arm and pierced his skin with my teeth. I drank. And drank. And drank some more. I shouldn’t want blood. It should repulse me. Only vampires drank blood, and they weren’t real. I was dead, and this was my version of Hell. My hunger abated as Luke pushed my hair from my face. My body tingled at his nearness. I needed him naked. Flesh to flesh. His dick quenching a different need. But no. He didn’t want me. I was his boss. I pushed his arm away. I needed to get away from him.

Again.

Lukas

Where it tookhours for someone to wake after being turned by a made vamp, Dinah roused after forty-five minutes. She jerked to a sitting position and hissed when she saw me. Her hair was wild, and her eyes were the same red as mine when the fury took over. I held up my hands to show her I meant no harm. As a newly turned vamp, she would be strong and unpredictable.

“Dinah, it’s me. Lukas. You’re safe now.”

She rose to her knees, staring at me. I didn’t want to hurt her, nor did I want her to harm herself. She jerked her head back and forth, then sprung from the bed and rushed into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, rubbing her throat. She tried to drink from the faucet, scratching her hand with her fangs.

“She ripped my throat open. She ripped my fucking throat. I died.” Dinah surged forward, grabbing my arms with her claws. “How am I not dead? I’m not dead, but…” She released me and looked at her reflection again. “Why am I so hungry? My throat burns.” She scratched at her throat.

“You need to feed.”

I once again sliced my arm. Before I could offer it to her, she latched on, her fangs piercing my skin. My cock swelled with intense need as my female fed from me. I had offered my blood to few beings over the course of my life, but never had them drinking affected me so. I brushed her wild hair back with my free hand and pressed my lips to her forehead. Dinah pushed my arm away and ran past me into the bedroom. I followed, slowly. She tried to lick the blood off her lips. When her tongue encountered her fangs, she flinched.

“Your teeth are very sharp, but you’ll get used to them.” She reached up to touch them, but I gently grabbed her wrist. “Like I said, they are sharp, and while you’d heal quickly, I want you to think about retracting them.”

“How?”

“Imagine them sliding back into your gums where they belong.”

Dinah closed her eyes, scrunching her forehead. Within seconds, the fangs receded. “Perfect.” I pressed my hand to her cheek, and she jerked back.

“Where am I?” she asked, pacing the room.

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