Page 20 of Take Her to the Grave

I shiver, feeling anxious. "And after?"

"After, you'll be like me. Immortal. Equally powerful. Free from all human limitations." His face is serious as he watches me. "But you'll also be bound to me, as I'll be bound to you. Equal partners, ruling this territory together."

"Partners," I repeat, liking how the word feels.

His grip tightens possessively. "You've proven yourself too powerful, too perfect, to be anything but my queen."

The shadows around us pulse with anticipation as I make my final choice. "Then take me. Make me yours completely."

His eyes blaze with supernatural light as he bends down, closing in on my throat. But before his fangs pierce my skin, he whispers words that sound like ritual: "Do you give yourself freely to darkness? To blood and shadow and eternal night?"

"I do." The words carry the weight of ceremony, of power older than time.

"Do you accept the price of immortality? The hunger, the power, the responsibility of ruling the night?"

"I do."

"Do you bind yourself to me, as I bind myself to you? Equal partners in darkness, from this night until the end of time?"

"I do."

His smile is pure venom as he declares, "Then let it be so."

The bite is different from before – deeper, more primal. I hiss, crying out as his fangs sink into my throat, but the pain quickly transforms into something that feels like fire in my veins, like lightning in my blood.

Through our connection, I see everything – his centuries of existence, his powers, his failures. Every memory, every death, every moment of darkness and triumph. They flow into me as my blood flows into him, showing me what I'm becoming.

What we'll be together.

Just before unconsciousness claims me, he pulls back. I whimper at the loss of his fangs, but then his wrist is at my mouth, blood welling from a deep cut.

"Drink," he commands. "Take my blood between your lips and swallow it down in large mouthfuls. Let it remake you."

The first drop hits my tongue and my world explodes. His blood tastes magnificent – unfathomably rich andimpossibly powerful. I drink deeply, desperately, feeling each swallow change me further. My focus narrows in on the rhythm of my heart. It slows, then stops completely, then starts again with a different beat. My senses sharpen far beyond human limits. Torrin’s power courses through me, transforming every fiber of my being.

When he finally pulls his wrist away, I'm trembling with the force of the changes. The shadows around us are restless with new purpose, responding to our combined power. Through our freshly forged bond, I can feel everything he feels – his triumph, his desire, his dark joy at finally finding his perfect match.

"Open your eyes," he whispers. "See the world through immortal sight."

I obey, and gasp at how different everything looks. Colors are sharper, shadows are alive, and an aura radiates from every ancient stone. But most beautiful of all is Torrin himself, his true form visible to my new senses – he still somewhat resembles a human, but he’s even more devastating than before, and he knows it the second my eyes fall onto him. A smirk slides across his lips while he lets me take him in. While I watch the swirls of black mist and arctic blue power tangle around him. He’s perfect.

"How do you feel?" he asks, wrapping his arms around me once more to steady my feet.

I take a moment to assess the changes. My body feels stronger as I turn my hands over, looking at both sides of them. More graceful. Power thrums through my veins, overtaking the human blood that once flowed there. The shadows stretch for me eagerly, acknowledging their new queen.

"I feel... complete," I answer truthfully.

His smile is prideful and possessive. "You are magnificent," he says, pulling me closer. "Everything I hoped for, everything I dreamed of finding through the long centuries."

Through our bond, I can feel the weight of his words. I can feel how perfectly matched we are now – his ancient power and my fresh strength, his experience and my innovation, his darkness and my shadow-touched grace.

"What happens now?" I ask, though I can sense the answer through our connection.

"Now?" His smiles, exposing fangs that match my new ones. "Now we hunt. We rule. We show the lesser ones what true power looks like." His hand slides into my hair, gripping possessively. "And then we have eternity to explore everything we can become together."

I pull him down for a kiss, immediately tasting my own blood on his lips. The metallic tange is exchangedbetween our mouths as our tongues tangle, exploring each other. Around us, the candles flare higher as our combined power fills the ancient chapel. Through our bond, I can feel his desire.

We’re lost in passion as we kiss, letting lust take over for a moment before we finally part, called by the night – full of promise and power and possibility.

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