Page 25 of His True Beloved

Luckily, our conversation flowed after that. Christine shifted in her seat, the air conditioning blowing her arousal closer to me. Each breath caused my cock to push against my pants. She was fucking breathtaking, more than I could have ever imagined.

Her arousal never wavered, but the thoughts of that picture she had created on the tablet still continued to invade my mind. Who the hell was it, and how could I kill him?

Because I will not be left alone again. I will protect her with more ferocity than before.

Christine’s statements about how I was older than her stepdad were funny to her. She shifted in her seat again, sipping on the tenth cup of coffee of the day. I averted my eyes to think what could possibly be so funny about that. The combined arousal and the hint of secrecy behind her blue orbs had me biting my lip and chuckling.

Could it possibly be she was attracted to me? Crushing on a vampire older than that of her mother’s? That she was having lewd thoughts about… me?Fuck, I hope so. It would make my life so much easier.

But that picture on the tablet.

“So, are you into drawing?” I glanced at her tablet and pen that now sit on the side of the table. Her eyes widened, flushing with red until she answered.

“Yeah, I went to school for art and design. I’ve always loved drawing.” She smiled, thinking of a memory. “I won many competitions in high school with it, then decided to continue in college. Not many people want to hire an artist, Dad didn’t want to pay for it, but he also didn’t want me to rat out on him and tell people he refused to pay for it.” Christine’s voice softened.

“Sounds like your dad cared about image and not who you are.” I gripped my coffee.

“Yeah, he was a jerk. I’m glad Mom found someone that is so smitten with her. Still a little wary over the whole ‘you are my soulmate’ thing, but what can you do?” She smiled.

“Yeah, what can you do?” I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to elaborate on mates. Rowan had told me enough about her distaste for the whole mate idea with her mother. I could use that to my advantage and reel her in another way.

“So you don’t believe in bonds either?” Her eyes twinkled with curiosity.

“Oh, no, I do,” I replied. “I wholeheartedly believe in them.” My voice lowered. Christine let out a sigh in defeat.

“I just don’t understand it. How can you just ‘know’? It’s weird. I dated a guy for almost five years, thought I was in love with him, was crazy about him, went to the same college—” Her eyes went glassy, but she brushed it away.

“I gave him… everything I was.” My eyes darkened, and Christine continued to look at the table in shame. Christine had a life before me as I had a life before her. There was nothing that I could do about that. But the thought of some human hurting her had me boil in rage. I didn’t know Christine well, but if she was paired with me, it meant she was strong. We both had been through what we had.

I’ll just kill the bastard later.

As much as I didn’t want to hear about her past boyfriend, she needed someone to talk to. Which surprised me because this was the second time we had met. Then again, the bond was a powerful thing. Maybe the goddess had mercy on me. Christine felt comfortable talking to me right now, and I would be the best I could for her.

The heated stare from the werewolf barista had me glance my head in her direction. Her eyes narrowed, claws raking across the laminate bar she was cleaning. I glared back, scooting my chair closer to Christine.

Mine.

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted as her eyes bounced from me to her. Her finger pointed, covering her mouth, and my glare became more strenuous. My eyes glowed a deep red, and my fangs lengthened as Christine continued to pour her heart out to me. The quick shake of my head had the werewolf backing away, nodding in understanding.

Christine cannot know, not yet. Not until I won her heart.

“Christine,” I purred, grabbing her hand for the first time. The warmth of her touch and the electric shocks between our fingertips made her gasp, tightening her thighs and her nipples pucker under her tight shirt. Letting out a shaky sigh, I gripped her hand tighter.

It felt too good. The touch of her skin, feeling the warmth of her body envelop me. For the most minuscule fraction of time, the universe stopped. There was nothing left but our beating hearts finally syncing together.

We were one, our hands clasped together. If only I could be buried deep inside her to complete the bond that fate had brought us together.

Soon, so soon, I will have her in my grasp.

Had I touched my first mate, I would have died along with her.As much as I remember her memory, I will never feel a fraction of what I feel for her as I do for Christine.

Part of our bond was solidifying, becoming more robust. The pull would become more extraordinary now that I had touched her. Dreams of us being together would flood her mind at night, and she would long to be close to me during the day.

This really wasn’t a fight she could win in the slightest. I would break her walls. I would crush the obstacles that were inhibiting me from being with her. I would take her pain and replace it with love and longing, treating her better than she had ever been treated.

“As much as it hurts, at least you got rid of him now and not married to him.” My heart pained in my chest. “Look at your mother. It took her time to find her beloved, but once she saw him, felt him…” Our hearts pounded to the beat of their own rhythm as I breathed truth. “She knew. You just have to open up your heart.”

Christine licked her lips. “This conversation is quite intense for someone I don’t know.” Pulling my hand away, fearing I had gone too far, she surprised me by grabbing it back. “But it feels okay to me.” Her voice softened. “Is that weird of me to say?”

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