Page 46 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

They dip closer, their mouth hovering just an inch from mine. I hesitate, just for a second, letting that magnetic pull work through me.

“Gonna keep teasing me, or are you actually gonna kiss me?”

They shake their head, a slow, deliberate no.

And then we’re kissing.

I’m melting, sinking into the bed as their hand traces a line down my arm, sending a shiver straight to my core. My fingers slide up to the nape of their neck, tugging them closer, and—

A throat clears from the doorway. I snap back to reality, heat still thrumming under my skin.Right. We’re not alone. And we’re nowhere near done with the night.

Chapter Nineteen

On a Sunday

— Grayson —

The real estate agent hardly paused on the room during the hurried virtual tour. I remember scoffing at the bed as she walked through, her camera quickly panning the space. I could already hear Vivien’s voice in my head, dripping with sarcasm. “A round bed? What’s next—a champagne glass bathtub? Niagara Falls honeymoon chic?” She’d wrinkle her nose and give me that look—like I’d made a grand mistake.

But this time, it won’t matter. She can sneer and mock all she wants, but it won’t change the fact that this house, this space, these people, are mine now.

Still, a knot forms in my stomach as I picture her sizing up Sunday and Shadow, dismissing them with that sharp tongue of hers. She’s never been subtle about what she thinks of people she considers beneath her, and I know exactly what she’ll see—a venom addict and a country bumpkin.

The old me might’ve let it slide, would’ve been too weary or apathetic to challenge her. But Sunday isn’t just another fleeting connection—she’s my mate. My bonded. The vampire equivalent of a wife, tied to me in blood, body, and soul. And Shadow? They’ve burrowed into the spaces of me I thought long dead, coaxing out things I didn’t know I still had to give.

If Vivien can’t see that—or worse, refuses to try—I’ll have no choice but to be stern with her. For the first time in centuries, I’ll draw a line. And if she crosses it, well…

It’s a concern for tomorrow, but one that weighs heavier than I’d like.

Still, it’s hard to fret about the future with two such beguiling mates in the present, offered up like two especially delicious gifts. Shadow sprawls across the bed, their tanned skin glowing warmly under the lights—all loose-limbed elegance and coiled energy, like a predator at rest. The kohl smeared around their eyes—reminding me of lovers from a distant life—stirs something deep within me. It’s an inescapable pull, the need to see them rendered beautifully disheveled, transformed into a delectable slattern mess.

The way they look at me now—knowing, almost daring—makes my monster stir, a ripple of heat settling low in my chest. But beneath that pull, there’s an ache, a hollow place where our bond used to be. My monster feels it keenly, the absence of their shadow cat a gnawing emptiness that refuses to fade.

I used to resent that bond, the way it snapped into place without warning, without choice. It felt like a violation, a tether I hadn’t asked for. But over time, it became something vital—something I craved. That low, rumbling presence of the jaguar wrapped around my own monstrous edges, soothing the chaos within me.

Now, that absence leaves me restless. It’s not just my monster that misses them; it’s me. But rebonding isn’t simple. Xavier’s past with venom addiction complicates everything. What if trying to reconnect risks slipping back into those traps? And what if we fail, and it breaks something precious beyond repair?

The first bond had been an accident—Sunday’s magic and pure chance. A happy accident. To force it again feels dangerous. But the hollow ache inside me whispers that perhaps it’s worth the risk.

They act like they need nothing from anyone, but I know better. Their shadowcat wants what we lost just as much as mymonster does. But they’re too proud to say it, and I’m too scared of hurting them to try.

Sunday, beside them, has an entirely different kind of pull, though no less devastating. Smooth, pale skin dusted with freckles that catch the light like constellations scattered across a distant sky. They invite me to trace each one, a sailor charting his course home by the stars, finding my way in the wild beauty she wears like a second skin.

Her eyes catch mine, and something in them softens, opens, and beckons. Through the bond, I feel a whisper of her emotions, cutting through the anxieties swirling within me. For a moment, my worries about Vivien’s ridicule and my absent bonds are replaced by the steady presence that is her.

I’m drawn to her, pulled by an inexorable tide, knowing exactly where I belong. She makes space for me, her gaze a wordless invitation.

Instead, I take her hand and gently pull her to her feet. Her eyes widen with a flicker of surprise, but the smile that follows is bright and curious—like my mate, always ready for whatever comes next.

“We have so much more to see,” I murmur, my voice low, teasing. I catch her other hand, pulling her closer until her body presses against mine. The warmth I feel from her grows, that familiar fire—her passion and curiosity—spilling into me in waves. “Before we get horizontal,” I admonish.

She laughs, her cheeks flushing just a bit, her fingers tightening around mine. Then she turns toward Shadow, who’s lounging with half-lidded eyes, clearly enjoying the show. Her gaze shifts back to me, her eyebrow arching in playful challenge.

“What else have you got to show us?” she asks, her lips quirking up.

“Plenty.” Trust me, I think, and I swear I feel her amusement ripple back through our golden tether, a silent answer of I do.

Xavier lingers behind, unable to resist opening every drawer and closet they pass. Their boundless curiosity is both maddening and endearing in equal turns.

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