Page 51 of Top Secret Vampire

“I’m nowhere near the oldest of my kind.”

“I don’t know if I want to live forever.” There couldn’t be anything more torturous than watching everyone you knew die, over and over again. My mom. Even my aunt. “How do you let yourself make friends?”

“You learn to love completely while you can and mourn when they pass. It’s not a step to take lightly, and not for that reason alone.” He gestured to my empty plate. “Food doesn’t taste thesame any longer. You’ll get hungry and often, but blood will be the thing you crave the most.”

I didn’t like the taste of my own when I licked a bleeding cut, so I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“I’m fortunate in that I can go out in the sun,” he said. “But many born vampires can’t. I sleep when I feel the need, but some fall into such a deep sleep during the day that they can’t be woken. Some of the things you’ve heard about vampires are true. It’s not always an easy lifestyle.”

But it would mean I could be with him forever.

If we did this, I suspected it wouldn’t be a human marriage that could be ended fairly easily. Once I’d committed, it would be for life. No, for eternity.

“This is why I haven’t suggested I take a sip of your blood.” He flashed a smile, but his eyes remained serious. “I would never steal or give in just because I crave it more than anything. I’m happy with the way things are right now.”

“But you want more.”

“I don’t only crave your blood. I want you by my side, bearing our children if you think you want them, spending our lives together. I don’t offer that lightly. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and I never will again.” He held up his hand. “Please don’t feel this means you need to say you want this as well. If you do so, it must come from your whole heart.”

So many things to think about. I liked him very much. I was sure I was falling in love with him.

But become a born vampire?

At least I didn’t have to decide something like this now.

“Why can I be transformed into a born vampire?” If he thought I’d missed that statement, he was mistaken.

“Because you’re my true mate.”

Chapter 24

Wolfram

I’d told her she was my true mate, but I could not hold this information back. It would be wrong to keep sliding into her bed and claiming her body without her being fully aware of what else I might one day ask of her.

“What does that mean?” she asked, her expression guarded. “This is . . . a lot.” She snuggled closer, which somewhat reassured me. I wouldn’t be the first vampire to lose his true mate when they couldn’t deal with everything involved with being a born vampire and chose instead to walk away.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I kissed the top of her head. “When a vampire meets their true mate, their heart starts beating.”

“Beating?” She crawled into my lap, facing me, a gesture that sent such a profound feeling of relief through me that my hands shook. She looked up at me, her face open, though with a hint of reserve in her eyes. Leaning her ear against my chest, she listened. “It’s steady andloud,” she finally said, looking up at me again. “You’re telling me it wasn’t beating until you met me?”

“It was not.”

Her smile bloomed. “Was that why you dropped to your knees?”

I nodded gravely.

“I know you’re not making this up to get into my pants, because you’ve already been there.” She shook her head. “This is stunning. Are true mates something like soul mates?”

“Yes.”

“And it can happen when a vampire meets a human, not just another vampire?”

I dipped my head forward in agreement. “True mates are rare. Born vampires can marry and have children. They don’t need a true mate bond for that. But for a human to be part of a vampire child’s creation, they must be a vampire’s true mate.” I took her hand and pressed her palm against my chest. “That’s you for me, Reese. Only you.”

“We met such a short time ago.”

I understood why she could have reservations. This was a lot to deal with all at once. “How long does it take for someone to know that another is their perfect match?”

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