Page 57 of Forced Vampire Mate

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “It’s not your fault.”

“Maybe not. But when I think about who I was when we first met… Of course, I wanted you to choose me willingly, but I still had no doubt that you would.” Shame bubbled through the bond. “I knew you were my mate, but I didn’t see you as a person. Not until I thought you were dead. Then I wondered about all the things I didn’t know about you. Your likes, your hobbies, your favorite book… then you were back, you were alive, and I saw your determination and strength.”

“I really made you work for my affection, didn’t I?” I laughed.

Luken kissed the top of my breast. “And it was exactly what I needed, my ego being tamed. I wish I could have spared you the pain you went through. But I think if you had come with me from the start, it would have taken me longer to really see you. I think… I think I would have put you through more pain.”

“Different pain, maybe,” I said slowly, understanding what he meant.

He’d been raised to believe he was the most important person in any room he stood in. He was raised to believe he deserved everything he wanted just because he wanted it. If it weren’t for his mother’s influence, he would have turned out exactly like his father.

“You wouldn’t have treated me the way your father treated your mother,” I said decisively. “Even if I’d gone with you from the start. But you would have disappointed me.”

“Really?”

“Of course, you would have. You’re a person. You’re not perfect. I had far too many fairy-tale dreams in my head. I would have expected you to know everything about me instantly, and to always constantly put me first…” I shook my head, but wasn’t angry at my younger self. Not anymore. “So it would have been disappointing. I would have hurt you, too. That’s what happens when you come into a situation with unrealistic expectations.”

Luken hummed. “I suppose. I’m glad that we both learned and grew. Even if it took more trauma to do it.”

I tugged the tie off the end of his braid and started to loosen his hair, combing my fingers through it as I did so. “I don’t think that’s it. Even if Draven never killed my family and we did disappoint and hurt each other, we would have arrived at the same point. It wasn’t the pain, Luken. It wasn’t the fear of losing each other.”

His dark brows furrowed. “No?”

“No. I think we’ve reached this place we’re at despite the trauma, not because of it,” I said slowly, parsing out my thoughts to put them in order. “It was about learning how to be vulnerable. Opening up to each other, risking more pain. We had to learn to meet each other where we were at.”

Luken ran a hand down my spine beneath the water. “You might be right about that.”

I smirked. “I am right.”

He chuckled and kissed my shoulder. “You do know that I always intended to save Darcie, right? And after Thessa was recaptured, I wouldn’t have let them sacrifice her. It was always the plan to bring them back. I just wanted you to come back to the palace to be safe.”

“I know that now,” I said, then sighed. “But you were right when you said I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me. I would have only been angrier, positive you were trying to manipulate me.”

“I still should have been more open with you about my plans.”

“Yes, you should have. But as long as we continue to be open and honest now, we’ll only get closer,” I assured him, pressing my hand to his cheek.

He smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I shifted off him and patted the edge of the tub. “Sit up here for me, will you?”

He did so, grinning as he read my intentions through the bond. I settled myself on my knees along the low bench, putting me right at the correct height to take him into my mouth. Luken shivered as I swirled my tongue around his tip. The bond opened further, letting me feel exactly what he felt. Heat built in more core as I felt his arousal increase. I placed my hands lightly on his hips, keeping him still as I sucked his cock.

“Ahh, Elara.” Luken let his eyes shut as he leaned his head back. “I love the way you work me with your mouth.”

I grinned around him. I knew he did. His pleasure echoed through the bond, and if I just opened it up a little more… ahhh! I stifled a gasp as I took him deeper. This was the best little trick we’d learned since opening and playing with the bond. I was in the tub, kneeling between his legs with his cock in my mouth. But I knew so intimately what he was feeling that I was also sitting on the edge of the tub, a warm body between my legs as a hot mouth greedily sucked on my cock.

My body hardened, my nipples pebbling as I moved my head up and down slowly, playing with different ways to move my tongue. Luken grunted, rocking slightly as he fought to keep himself in place. His hands tangled with my hair and tugged with just enough pressure to cause a sting of pain in my scalp. It went straight to my core, making me tighten. Luken, feeling me through the bond, let out a soft growl. His cock twitched in my mouth.

I love the way you respond to me, I sent him, since my mouth was occupied with other things. I continued to work him, enjoying his moans of pleasure until all his muscles went rigid. He was moments from climax when he pushed through the bond, telling me to stop. His hands tugged my hair, pulling me away at the same time.

“No fair,” I complained. “I want to feel you finish.”

Luken laughed breathlessly and slid into the water, his body rubbing against mine all the way down. “And you will. But I want to be inside of you, Elara. My delicious, sensual mate. I want to feel you clench around me as you reach climax.”

His words made me shiver in anticipation.

“Oh, alright,” I said, feigning disappointment though he could feel my excitement through the bond. “If you really want to give me an orgasm, I guess I’ll allow it.”

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