Page 26 of Draco

I explained the curse on my bloodline and the things we had to do to stay alive. I could tell the information made Frankie uneasy by the way her breathing pattern switched.

“It’s not anything you need to stress about. Once you and I make things official, that commitment is severed.”

“Make things official? Do you mean once we… have sex?”

I turned my head, so I was looking at her.

“Yeah. That’s what I mean. I already told you how onyx vampires view the bond between a vampire and his mate. The day I enter your womb, my allegiance becomes yours.”

“That’s deep,” she muttered. “You won’t have to provide for Midnight Hills anymore, but you’ll have to provide for yourself. How will you… feed?”

At a loss for words, I gave her my back. “You’re asking all the questions. I think it’s my turn.”

She pinched my shoulder as she giggled. “I should bite you for changing the subject, but I’m going to give you a pass.”

“Why are you still a virgin, Nugget?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“A fair one. A twenty-four-year-old virgin isn’t common.”

A sarcastic laugh split her mouth wide. “You are one to talk.”

“Yeah, okay. Answer the question.”

“After what I saw my mom go through, I wasn’t in a rush to give away my body. She pimped herself out for a man who didn’t care enough to feed her kid. As I got older, I became more of a recluse. I’ve never spent enough time with a man to see if he was worthy of being attached to me forever.”

The pain in Frankie’s tone caused me to swallow away my thirst for revenge.

“Where is your birth family?” I followed up.

“I’m not sure. When I turned eighteen, I searched for my mom and learned that she passed earlier that year. I swear it felt like I lost her twice. Don’t even get me started on how I feel about losing Ms. Green. I still can’t believe she left me all by myself.”

My head jerked back. “Don’t say that. I’m right here.”

“Half the time, it doesn’t feel like it. I don’t know what I’ve done to make you so hot and cold.”

“Youhaven’t done anything,” I responded quickly. “Every part of my life feels like it’s under the control of someone else.I put my freedom at risk for someone else’s gain. Even my cravings are something I can’t fight. Having you around reminds me I don’t have a choice of who I spend the rest of my life with.”

“I’m not that bad if you get to know me.”

“I see that.” I smirked. “Trust me, I’m not complaining.”

Frankie pulled my head back, so I was staring at her upside down.

“Is this when we have a Spiderman moment?” I asked.

“More like the vampire and the virgin.”

I grinned at the comparison as she planted kisses on my forehead and nose. Before she could go further, I pulled Frankie over my shoulder and cradled herinmy lap. A feverish flush overwhelmed my face as I studied her features and the pattern of vitiligo that outlined one side of her hairline. Frankie may have believed her skin made her look unusual, but I thought her coating made her majestic.

“Tell me what you’re thinking?” I pressed to know.

“I have so many thoughts. I don’t know where to start.” She stole a second to gather her breath. “What will happen to me once we… make things official?”

“Your senses will heighten, but that’s where it ends.”

“And our kids?”

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