Page 55 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

As erotic as his words had been in the astronomy tower, she had no intention of becoming his thrall.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, Vita dear, it’s nothing permanent. An exchange of blood can bond two beings for a short time when one is a vampire.”

Renatus slid his hand up the side of her body until he cupped her cheek. “Taste me and we will always know where the other is, will experience each other’s emotions while we are together, at least until the bond wears off. It is similar to how I sense my progeny, but not a permanent union.”

Butterflies settled in her stomach, no longer from the arousal that had just coursed through her, but from the solemnity of his words. He was asking her to transcend a boundary with him, one he had set in stone since the moment she came to the palace. As much as she hated being so desperate, Vita knew how badly she wanted it, how badly she craved any sort of intimacy from this man who seemed intent on pushing and pulling her in every direction.

“Why?” Her voice quivered, the graveness of this crossroads not lost on her.

His eyes widened for just a moment before returning to normal. Did he even know his answer? Was he just toying with her again?

Renatus brushed his fingers into her hair, cupping the back of her head as he pressed his lips to hers in lieu of a response.

The kiss was gentle, tender, a hint of her scent still on him as he slid closer. Her mind swirled, dizzy with the lightness she always felt in his arms, their bodies connected as one.

When he pulled away, his voice was so low she almost didn’t hear him. “You’re a dream I can’t quite shake off.”

Her throat tightened, emotion welling in her chest. Enigmatic as always, but there was no jest in his words, nor in the way he gazed at her.

“Yes,” she said. “I want to taste you.”

He nodded, running his thumb across her cheek before bringing his wrist to his mouth. With a flick, his fangs extended, seeing them up close sending a jolt through her body.

With a slight smile, he tore into the flesh and brought it to her lips.

“Drink, darling,” he whispered, a bloom of red staining his mouth.

Vita paused a moment, the iron scent stinging her nose, but pressed her lips to his wrist before she could stop herself. She took a tentative swallow, the blood thin and slightly cool. Salty and metallic, it coated her mouth at once, warmth filling her as it slid down her throat. She kept her eyes on Renatus as he did the same to her.

After another long drink, she furrowed her brows in question and he nodded, pulling his arm away from her mouth.

He pressed the flat of his tongue to the wound, lapping at his own blood until all that remained were two neat puncture wounds. Vita licked her lips, trying to savor every last bit of him, not at all disturbed by what she’d just done.

Somehow, it felt right.

There was a sudden presence, something within her that wasn’t there a moment ago. Her own emotions retreated, blending with another’s, writhing together like twin snakes.

She sensed something there, something beyond the detachment he’d shown her so far. Not love, of course not, but some sense of affection. Care. Need. Want.

All of it marred by pain.

It clawed at her chest like a demon from the Hells, her eyes wide at the mirrored torment inflicted on her and Renatus. And just like that, it was gone, extinguished like a snuffed candle. He buried it so deep within himself that even Vita couldn’t find it. A pain she didn’t understand, though it had already made a mark on her.

The strange look returned to his face, his brows furrowed, as if he were unsure of his decision. Still, his words calmed her.

“And now… we are bonded. Sleep, my dear. It’s time to rest.”

She licked her lips, tasting the final remnants of Renatus as her eyelids grew heavy.

Weariness took hold, her body relaxing to his touch, his fingers brushing through her hair, the soft hum of his soothing words.

She wouldn’t forget that pain, but for now Vita wanted to cherish this moment as long as she could, unsure what the next day would bring.

CHAPTER 24

Renatus

WHY DID HE KEEP doing this to himself?

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