Page 96 of Always Eros

“Good. Was it weird the first time you killed a person?”

His brow creases. “My love, don’t concern yourself with things like this.”

“But it could happen. Tonight. It could be me that has to… do something like that.”

“Fair. The only way I can explain is to say that I’ve never ended someone’s life while in human form. My vampire takes over, and nothing feels the same as it does to our mortal minds.”

“But you said it’s one and the same.”

“Yes, but right now, I am Eros the man. My emotions are subdued, my lust tamed. If aroused or provoked, the beast within me takes over. That will happen to you too. Your mortal sensibilities will slowly fade, replaced by a new code of ethics that wouldn’t be okay in regular society at all. We are neither bad nor good. We don’t subscribe to such black-and-white categories. We live in the gray, driven by our instincts.”

“That’s how you felt the first time?”

“I don’t even remember the first time, darling. It was so long ago. Killing is a release for me now. It’s freedom. This is why we do what we do with Veil Protection. We kill, yes, but we’re doing the world a favor in most cases. Is that honorable? No, but the world isn’t honorable. We are just part of it, doing what we can to survive.”

“I understand. I just want to be someone you can be proud of.”

“You already are.”

Nodding, I glance down at our entwined hands. “When I was dying, there were two thoughts running through my mind.”

Eros searches my eyes, listening intently.

“The first one was that I wasn’t ready to die. I didn’t want to leave you. I just wanted to be saved.”

“Thank Hades.”

I smile. “Yeah. The second one was something I wanted to tell you. Actually, I needed to tell you.”

“Okay.”

Gazing into his pretty blue eyes, I know this is the right time. “I’m in love with you, Eros.”

He gasps, his mouth falling open.

“I was afraid I didn’t know how that would feel,” I continue. “Or that it would take a long time because we barely knew each other. But now I believe you that all of this is destiny. Us meeting, the cult, Hale and Callias, and us. Me becoming a vampire. All of it. My life was slipping away and I just…” My voice cracks. “I needed more time. I needed to tell you that I loved you, and I fought to hold on because I refused to leave you. Your blood may have changed me, but your love saved me.”

“You love me?”

Smiling, I nod. “I do. I want to be with you. Always. No end, just like you promised me.”

Instead of speaking, Eros climbs on top of me, pressing me back against the couch as he claims my lips in a heated kiss. Instantly, my body tingles and my gums throb. My cock swells and my fingers twitch.

“What’s happening?” I whisper.

“Vampire,” Eros murmurs, sucking on my neck. “You’re aroused. Just let it happen.”

I throw my head back and open my mouth, gasping as my teeth elongate into fangs. Eros is sucking hard enough on my skin to draw blood, so I bury my fingers in his hair.

“Bite me.”

He does without hesitation, and the sensation makes my cock throb and my hole clench. “Holy shit.”

“All the gods,” Eros whispers, kissing my chin before returning to my neck.

I can hear my blood flowing through my veins, hear as he swallows gulps of my blood, smell his heady scent as he grows more aroused.

“I want you to fuck me, Eros,” I moan. “Please fuck me.”

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