Page 19 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

“No, love, you are as beautiful as ever. The sleepless nights are adding age to the emerald eyes I adore.”

“Okay, you’re forgiven,” I teased.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not great. The pain is back, and eating is a challenge again,” I replied. “I have so many questions for you, but I’m wondering if they’re better left unanswered until after I’ve been changed?”

“Yes, I believe they are. Sharing the information now would only frighten you, whereas afterward you would be seeing and living it firsthand,” Elijah said. “I’m going to hunt. I’ll return quickly. Why don’t you go soak in the warm bubble bath I ran and wait for me?”

I couldn’t deny how wonderful his suggestion sounded, so I did just that. I’d barely sunk into the water before I heard, “Need some help washing your back?”

“Anything that includes your hands on my body will always be answered with a resounding yes,” I said. Elijah stripped and slid into the tub behind me before I leaned back. I snuggled against him, his erection poking me. “Wow, is that from me or from hunting?”

“Both. Hunting and feeding elicit an amorous response for vampires. You, my love, are my aphrodisiac.”

“Aw, you say the sweetest things.”

He kissed my shoulder. “Are you still nervous?”

“Absolutely. When I wake tomorrow, literally everything I’ve known will be different. Forever,” I solemnly replied.

“True, to a certain extent. On the bright side, you will no longer be sick, nor will you ever be so again. Your senses will be heightened beyond your wildest dreams. You will see things you have never seen before, hear things you have never heard. Be able to do things you could have never imagined. The thought of losing you before our life together had even begun was killing me, Liam. I know that sounds selfish, but I’ve waited a long time to findthe one,” Elijah said.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” I asked him.

Elijah’s hands stilled against my arms. “Yes,” he said, pausing. A few moments later, he began again. “Sometimes it has been warranted and thus premeditated, but less than a handful of times it hasn’t been. It’s the accidental innocents that weigh heavily on a caring soul such as mine. For some vampires, they think nothing of taking a life, but for those like me who still have a sense of good and evil, it’s hard to contend with. I’m condemned to a life in hell anyway, but my only shot at redemption, if there are pearly gates as an option for me, is to live as purely as I can.”

“Those you choose to kill?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Those for whom I deemed myself judge, jury, and executioner have been the ones I’ve seen with my own two eyes commit the most heinous of crimes. They deserved what they got and more. I’m confused as to why it would matter if I took a life that was underserving of the air it breathed?”

“While I understand what you’re saying, killing is killing. We’re raised to believe in the system, that justice will prevail. I guess it’s a bit—unnerving—to know you’ve killed and aren’t sitting behind bars. Silly as that may sound, since I’m privy to the why and how. The system fails us, that’s been proven time and again. Really, what I’m trying to do is understand this. I, too, will soon be a stone-cold killer. I only hope my soul and sense of right and wrong stay intact as yours have,” I told him. I knew open dialog and an understanding of how we each felt about certain things was important to having a healthy relationship. I don’t want to kill anyone, even if I do understand the need to weed society of the evil it has bred.

I reached down and pulled his arms tighter around me. I knew this decision to change should have been more difficult for me to make than it was. Having Elijah, knowing he would be by my side through it and for the rest of our lives, made it an easy one to make. Otherwise, I would die.

“I’m starting to prune,” I complained, having been in the water and enjoying the warmth and comfort while lying in Elijah’s arms for far longer than my skin liked. I wondered if vampires prune. He’d think I was nuts if I asked that aloud. How my mind wandered to the oddest of questions. As we dried off, I asked, “Have you ever changed anyone before?”

“No. I’ve seen it done many times, though. It’s a fairly simple undertaking unless your body rejects it.” His nonchalant reply hit me like a punch to the gut.

“If my body rejects it? What the fuck, Elijah? You could’ve led with that!”

“It’s rare, but it can happen.” He kissed me, lightly nipping the side of my throat.Well, I’m dying anyway. Might as well throw caution to the wind since this is my last chance.

My decision was already made. Pushing the worry aside, I succumbed to Elijah’s distraction. “Mmm,” I moaned, losing my train of thought.

Elijah’s hands and mouth—god, his lips were like a gift—both aroused and reduced me to a blubbering fool in no time. “Elijah, please?” I begged, needing to feel him inside me again. How quickly he took my worries away with nothing more than his lips.Yes, a gift indeed.

“Liam,” he whispered. I opened my eyes and found him staring down at me with so much care and concern. “Anything for you. I love you.”

“I love you too, Elijah.”

Elijah lifted me and carried me to the bed, gently setting me atop it as though I were a porcelain doll. He prepped me with the same care and concern as the first time we were together, leaving me a withering, babbling mess. “Elijah, please?” As the words left my mouth, the head of Elijah’s cock slipped inside, and I gasped. He covered my mouth with his, shifting my focus away from the painful stretch.With pain comes pleasure,I reminded myself. With each thrust of his hips, my arousal heightened. “Elijah,” I whimpered.

“Are you ready, my love?”

I swallowed hard, nodded once, and then he sank his fangs into my neck. The endorphins rushing through me masked any pain from the dual penetration. I lost track of how many times I came as Elijah drank his fill, draining me into a dreamlike state.

My mind a cloudy haze, I barely heard him say, “Drink, Liam.”

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