Page 110 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

He cut her off. “You don’t and you know it.”

Renatus was right. Of course he was. She was ready to give up control in every way. Every way except one.

Vita bit her lip, willing the tears away, but he just smiled.

“I will taste you, my darling, and remember how sweet your blood is. Then you will do the same for me. We can fulfill the bond whenever you wish, will forever be connected by our love.”

With a mirrored smile, she nodded, brushing aside her raven locks, exposing her neck.

Renatus cocked his head, his tongue flicking across his lips. He moved towards her, but she stopped him with a final question.

“Am I yours?”

A smile spread across his face, eyes softening as he pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.

His whispered words buzzed at her mouth. “Of course you are mine. You are mine until the stars forget to shine in the night sky, until the sun grows cold, until the universe blinks out of existence. I’m never letting you go.”

Tears dotted her eyes, though her heart was full.

Renatus kissed her once more before turning his attention to the pulse at her neck, his pupils dilating as he took in her scent. Fangs raked across tender flesh and Vita tensed, ready for him.

He plunged into her throat and she resisted a scream, settling for a hiss as the sharp pain jolted her. The sensation was strange, blood leaving her as he inhaled deeply, but already the sting was subsiding, replaced with pure euphoria.

When he pulled away, sticky redness dripped from his lips, his eyelids at half mast. “Oh, Vita, you taste so sweet, so pure. I have starved while you’ve been gone, but I am satiated again.”

“Starved?” she asked as he pressed the flat of his tongue to her wound, sealing the punctures.

When he raised his head, his eyes met hers, a sheepish look on his face.

“I have not fed since you left,” Renatus admitted.

Vita beamed, unable to stop the satisfaction that buzzed through her at the confession. She didn’t wish for him to go hungry, but the thought pleased her; that he’d been as severely affected by their parting as she had.

With a grin, he tore into the flesh at his wrist, holding his arm out like an offering.

An offering she was eager to accept.

There was no hesitation this time. Vita pressed her lips to his wrist, taking in a deep gulp of his blood. It slid down her throat, filling her body with warmth, coiling around every muscle and sinew. Iron scented the air, wafting between them as Renatus eyed her eagerly.

Warmth gave way to something else; butterflies fluttering in her stomach and electricity running through her veins.

Adoration enveloped them, wrapping them in its embrace as it twisted, knotting them together as one.

“I love you,” Vita breathed as she pulled away from his wrist.

“I love you, too,” Renatus replied, pressing their lips together so their blood mingled, the bond complete.

CHAPTER 47

Verian

VERIAN STOOD AT ATTENTION, shoulders back, legs straight, head and neck erect. It was the first thing he’d learned at the training collegium as a young lad, and something he fell back on to calm his nerves, even if he wasn’t called to formation.

Something he supposed would never happen again, as he’d formally given his resignation to the guard.

It had been bittersweet, but in his heart he knew he was doing the right thing. Drusus had sent him off with a firm hug and a demand for an expeditious invitation to the palace. He could only roll his eyes, though he would miss the camaraderie of life in the barracks.

The palace was… different, that was certain. Verian was getting used to a life of leisure, after years spent perpetually on duty. It had been relatively quiet since that first morning with Renatus and Vita. A couple of days later and they were settling into themselves, figuring out how they fit together.

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