Page 42 of Bleeding Love

Love. The woman I love. Because I…loved her.

“The woman you…?” the familiar drawled impatiently, and I looked back at him.

Forcing a smile on my face, I shrugged while I got up.

“The woman I risked my life to save. It would rather defeat the purpose, would it not?”

Nym continued to watch me as if he knew I was lying, but in the end, he just nodded in acceptance. He turned around, tail rising high up, and headed toward the door.

“Bring her food,” he said, walking out without looking back. “Not eating will hurt her too, and then you’ll be a liar.”

I huffed a laugh while I listened to him run down the corridor, then went to get Celeste the food I promised. At least now I might not need to get her a servant to remind her to eat. As long as we didn’t kill each other, Nym might be the only thing missing in this little home of ours.

Chapter 20

Roman

“Oh,god,thatwas…Ididn’t know human bodies could do that!” Celeste chuckled as we fell back into bed and she snuggled against me. Her skin was hot and sweaty, but knowing her, she’d be too tired to go wash now. Not that I cared, but she’d likely complain in the evening when she woke up.

“I told you,” I smirked, pulling her tighter to me. She shuddered, and I immediately released her—I sometimes forgot my body felt cold to the touch for living beings. Celeste even got sick one winter night after sleeping in my arms. “Humans do not feel stronger emotions. Your magic can enhance your senses. You are a witch. How can you not know that?”

“It’s not that I don’t know,” she murmured, her voice already sounding sleepy. “I just usually try to make myself feel less, not more.” I looked down at her, only to find her eyes closed and a satisfied smile on her lips. Lying her head on the crook of my neck, she had her leg wrapped around one of mine, her hand resting on my chest, right where my heart was. Or used to be, when it was beating. Yet…for the last few years that we spent in this place, it had felt like it was almost beating. Like I was no longer a vampire, but a man—the man I once thought I could be.

And she was the woman I loved. The person I wanted to cherish and protect and stand by, no matter what the world threw at us. The person who made me want to live, not just exist.

My heart.

My soul.

I looked down at Celeste, half expecting her to sense my emotions. But she was already sleeping, her breathing slow and relaxed, like the turmoil inside of me didn’t concern her at all. Like she wasn’t the reason I couldn’t think, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stand to be away from for more than a few minutes.

I shifted to the side, so I could see her better, and she grumbled in her sleep, rolling to her back. Goosebumps covered her skin, the sweat on her already dry, and the bitemarks faded as her magic healed her. Pulling the cover to her chest, I watched her breathe. I listened to her heart.

I had always found the human sounds so tempting, so distracting, but now…I could listen to it for hours. I was going to listen to it for eternity if she let me. I…

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I missed the sound of my own heart. The way it raced, the way it quieted, the way it clenched. These past few years I had imagined her heart was mine, imagined it beat for the both of us. Because I had none…we shared hers.

She didn’t have a soul, or so she claimed, so everyone claimed. Bartered for a revenge she never got. But I had a soul. A dark and twisted one, but still a soul. And just like the heart…

My hand shook as I reached for her, pushing away the wild red hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Her skin was still flushed from our lovemaking, warm and soft. I placed my hand over her heart, glancing at her face to make sure she wasn’t going to wake up startled.

From the very start, she had said I wasn’t allowed to love her. I wasn’t allowed to want more than what we already shared. I wasn’t allowed to ask for more. But lately, her heart raced when I drew near, her laughter rang louder, her joy grew brighter. When I made a comment about our future, she wouldn’t get as defensive like before, or reek of unease for hours. This could mean only one thing…

I closed my eyes, focusing on the skin under my palm, on the strong pulse that vibrated beneath my fingers, on the life and magic coursing through her. If she didn’t love me back, the mark would fade by morning. And if it stayed…that would mean she was lying—to me, to herself, even to the world. It would mean even a soulless witch could love.

One way or another, everything would change tomorrow. I needed it to change because this was not enough for me. I wanted her, all of her.

I straddled her legs, keeping my other hand beside her head while the one over her heart heated up. A faint light slipped through my fingers, mixing with the magic that surged, ready to protect her. I watched them dance, circling each other before melting into one and slipping back into her body.

Maria had only told me briefly about the soul bonding, calling it a useless sentiment that was rarely worth it, but she had said enough. ‘When you meet that one person, you’ll know what to do,’was all she said. The soul bonding wasn’t a marking of the body—it went deeper. Beneath skin, beneath bone and blood, all the way to the most sacred part of a person. Even if that place was empty.

The tether snapped into place and I gasped, as something fluttered in my chest for the first time in centuries. My eyes flew to Celeste’s face, but aside from a quiet sigh, she didn’t stir. I could feel her, though, the emotions coursing through her, like a whiff of a scent blowing in the opposite direction. Faint, but at the same time, permanent.

She felt content, relaxed, happy.

I pulled my hand away from her, eyes widening at the glowing mark that was left behind. I waited for it to fade, crack, and expire. I wasn’t sure how long I stood over her, staring at it and willing it to stay, but when she moved to shift to her side, I lept back. She found a more comfortable position, her hand sliding over the spot where I had been lying before, fingers digging into the sheets.

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