Page 157 of Prodigal Son

His hunger for her would act as a reminder of her temporariness, so that he never forget how precious a gift she was or take for granted a single breath they shared. She would eventually become his wife, but even then, he would not be able to feed from her, bond with her, the way true mates could. And for eternity, or however long he had her, every intimate boundary they pushed would be cherished. For he knew not how much time they had, but he knew every moment they shared would forever be written into his bones and he’d bear the scars of her love to the end of time. She was his salvation, his destiny.

When he climaxed, he took her over the precipice with him. Her cries of pleasure matched his. They collapsed in a twisted knot of limbs with his seed deep inside of her.

His body wanted her again, and her eyes widened as she felt him swell inside of her.

“Are you kidding?”

She could only blame herself for causing such insatiable lust. “Turns out I’m a very self-centered male. I want to stay here, inside of you, for the rest of my life.”

She laughed, and he pinched her nipple. When she tried to escape him, he yanked her close and calmed her with a devastating kiss. “I’m never letting you go,” he whispered.

“Mmm, promise?”

He thought back to their time apart and his mood sobered, remembering how heartbroken he’d been without her. “I give you my word. I can sacrifice a lot, Destiny, but you’re something I’m simply not willing to live without. If I can’t hear your every heartbeat, we’re too far apart.”

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with emotion and her heart pounding against his. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Returning to me. I’ve been waiting all this time, but I didn’t realize how great—how right—it would feel when you actually found me.” She nuzzled her nose along his. “I’m going to take good care of you, Cain. And you’re going to take care of me.”

“A marriage.”

She stilled as if he shocked her.

He chuckled. “Did you not realize I’d want to marry you? I’m selfish, but I’m also possessive.” He grabbed her behind and yanked her closer. “You’re mine, Destiny Santos. And I don’t like to share.”

“Is that your version of a marriage proposal?”

“Is there another way?”

She bit at his lips and whispered, “Modern girls like to be asked, not told.”

He sighed. “Fine. Destiny, will you be mine for this lifetime and the next?”

She smiled then her stare drifted off. “Wait, how long can I live?”

He’d been dreading this conversation, unsure how much time they would truly have together and not willing to waste another second. “We’re not sure. Until we find more mortals with similar bloodlines, we can only speculate. It depends how strong the bloodline and what sort of lifestyle you choose.”

She frowned. “You’ll live longer. You’re, like, a pedigree and I’m just some mutt.”

He hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Don’t ever let me hear you degrade yourself like that again. You’re an exceptional woman and incredibly special to me. Your bloodline means nothing, do you understand?”

She nodded. “But I’ll age.”

“And I’ll love you at every stage.” When he saw she was still worried, he sighed. “If aging is such a concern, I will just feed you more frequently. Immortal blood will keep you young and sharp.”

“It will?”

“Yes. Why do you think we guard our privacy so completely. Our blood can do amazing things.”

“And if I don’t want to take your blood?”

He couldn’t hide his disappointment, mostly at the thought of her not sharing such an intimate experience with him, but he would respect her choice. “Then we will value every precious second we have together.”

She looked down and quietly nodded, a delicate smile curving her lips. “All right.”

“All right?”

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