Page 112 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

I shook my head.

“Please don’t ask me about her again—”

“I won’t.”

Once the subject had passed, the swirling cloud of anger inside him dissipated. “Please consider it. I’d ask you to marry me tomorrow if I thought you’d say yes. If children are that important to you, you could conceive them with someone else before you turn, and I would raise them as my own—”

“I could never do that.”

“I agree it’s appalling, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice if it’s important to you.”

“Even if I did…I’d have to watch my children die.”

“We would turn them too.”

“I couldn’t make that decision for them.”

He gave a quiet breath. “My point is, I’m willing to do anything and everything to make this work. I want that same commitment from you because we’re worth it. I’ve finally found the woman that I can’t live without, and I’m not letting her go easily.”

I knew how I felt for him long ago, but now that love had deepened with this conversation. I’d tried to mask it with lies, but now it had broken through. “Kingsnake…I’m scared.”

His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “What are you afraid of, sweetheart?”

“We both know the reason you wanted me in the first place…”

He stared.

“My blood.”

He remained steady, his eyes unblinking.

“Without that…will you still want me?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t know—”

“I could never taste you again now and still want you. I could go down and feed on a prisoner then come right back to you. Yes, I’ll miss that intimacy with you, but I won’t want you less.”

“But you told me that feeding on others is a sexual thing—”

“For me, it’ll just be a means to an end. I’ll feed on men if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Ellasara was human—”

“I told you I didn’t want to talk about her again.”

“And I’m not. I’m just saying we were both human when you fell in love. Are you sure you’ll still want me as a vampire—”

“Nothing changed when I turned her. Nothing whatsoever.” Every time she was mentioned, he was a totally different man. Aggressive and angry, back to the man I’d first met however long ago.

My eyes dropped. “I—I need time to think about it.”

There was a long pause as his eyes commanded my stare. He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. And his emotions had vacated his body like he didn’t feel anything at all. The only way I could interpret it was…as relief. “Take all the time you need. Eternity can wait.”

22

CLARA

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