Page 34 of Only Fangs

Mordyn’s lips quirked up into a grin. “The difficult part is finding your mate in the first place.”

Mikael opened his mouth, then shut it again, consumed by the thought of making Collin his in the most primal of ways. Ofhavinghim in that way.

The idea made his blood boil, his heart race, and his cock ache.

“I do have to warn you,” Mordyn said. “If you decide to do this, the first bite after you’ve claimed each other is going to be a lot more intense. For both of you. And you will not be able to bite anyone else again for as long as he lives.”

Mikael froze. “I won’t be able to feed from others?”

Mordyn shook his head. “It’s nature’s way of keeping us from straying. One partner. Forever.”

A knot formed in Mikael’s stomach. He liked feeding from random strangers, though he supposed it would be easier to resist now that he knew what Collin’s blood tasted like. Still, would Collin agree to being fed from? Would he want to spendhisentire life with one partner?

“Your mate’s blood will make you more powerful than you were before,” Mordyn said. “And it’ll sate your hunger for longer than regular blood would, but you gotta keep in mind that you’re handing your mate a lot of power over you. If they refuse to let you feed, you will be miserable, and you cannot force them to comply because you cannot hurt them.”

“I would never hurt Collin.”

“Of course not.” Mordyn nodded. “But there is a reason vampires don’t mate lightly.”

Mikael looked down at his phone, and his chest clenched.

“Your other option is to walk away now before it’s too late.” Mordyn took another swig of blood. “It’ll hurt like hell, and it’ll take a while, but you will regain your normal appetite and eventually your heart will heal.”

“How long would that take?”

“One or two mortal lifetimes, I would guess.” Mordyn gave him a wry smile. “Of course, there’s always the risk of meeting his reincarnation and starting the whole process over again.”

The way Mordyn said that… there was something about it that rubbed Mikael the wrong way. “Have you met your mate?” he asked before he could think better of it.

Mordyn’s expression didn’t change, but he set the bottle down and rose to his feet. “You’ve got a decision to make.” He slapped Mikael’s shoulder as he passed. “Do try to make the smart choice this time.”

Mikael watched his sire’s retreating back.

There was definitely a story there that he wasn’t getting.

Mordyn never talked about his past. As far as Mikael knew, his sire was just over two centuries old and he had been turned shortly before the fall of the Old World. He should have a lot of interesting things to tell, but he seemed to prefer discussing Mikael’s issues instead.

Mikael took the untouched bottle of blood before him and lifted it to his mouth. He had no appetite for it, but he felt the strangest need to prove to himself that he could still drink it. He gulped the blood down, swallowing quickly so that he could barely taste the metal on his tongue.

The taste of Collin was still stronger in his mind.

His mouth was watering as he recalled the unique flavor of his blood, the way he’d shuddered in Mikael’s arms when he bit him.

Mikael set the bottle down with a sigh.

Mordyn was right; he wasn’t hungry for blood–he was hungry for Collin.

Mikael had nearly fallen asleep with the phone in his hands when the device buzzed and startled him awake.

A message from Collin! Finally!

Collin: They removed the tumor but they’re wanting to keep Luna overnight to make sure everything is alright.

Mikael: Good, but how are you doing?

Collin: Okay, I guess. I really don’t want to leave her here.

Mikael: Are you heading home now?

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