Lilah suddenly appears in front of me. “Where’s Sol?”
“I have no idea. I left him in the hallway.”
“I can’t find him.”
“Why would you come to me? Use your internal compass.”
“Oh, yeah.” She smiles. “With everything going on this evening, I just assumed something happened to him and didn’t think to track him.”
“Sol may be inferior to me, but someone getting the best of him would be a slim to none chance of happening.”
Lilah closes her eyes for a moment, no doubt searching for her mate. Then, she’s off walking down the hall again, turning when she reaches the kitchen. I follow because what else do I have to do? Sienna is in the ballroom safe with the others. Or relatively safe. We’ve combed this house and found nothing.
When we enter the kitchen, we find my brother leaning against the counter spraying whipped cream into his mouth.
“You really are a child,” I say.
“What?” he asks with a mouthful of food. He chews for a moment then swallows. “Have you ever popped a piece of chocolate, a marshmallow, and some whipped cream into your mouth at the same time?”
“Can’t say I have. Isn’t it supposed to be a graham cracker instead of whipped cream?”
“It would be if I were making a s’more. I’m just here for the sugar high.”
“Why don’t you drink from your mate instead?”
There is no better high. No sweeter bliss than feeding off the one you’re mated to. Every single time I drink from Sienna, it’s like heaven on earth. If heaven were a thing. Which I don’t believe in. I’m a vampire, after all. Heaven, Hell, God, none of that exists to me. I’m all about fate and afterward, death. Pretty simple.
While I’m standing here repulsed by my brother, Lilah is the opposite. She walks toward Sol with an extra sway of her hips. And that’s my cue to leave the room.
Out in the hall, I find Sienna. “What are you doing out here?” I ask.
She shrugs one shoulder and comes to me the same way Lilah did to my brother. Hell freaking yes. We may be in the middle of finding someone who is out to harm the pack, but that doesn’t mean I can't partake in a little drink from my mate. In fact, it would make me stronger, which I could use right now.
Sienna’s laugh floats into my mind. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
The second she’s within arm’s reach, I wrap mine around her waist then teleport us to our bedroom upstairs. Being part of the extended Avynwood family has its perks, including our own bedroom in the pack house.
It’s quieter up here. The room is dark. Then I hear a low moan. Seems we’re not the only ones stealing a moment away.
No one will say anything either. This life we lead could end today, tomorrow, or a thousand years from now. Paranormals live and love hard and fast. We don’t waste time once we’ve found the one we’re destined to spend our lives with.
Sienna tugs me toward the bed and doesn’t stop moving until she’s lying down and I’m on top of her. “I know it’s not the right time, but you could feed from me. You didn’t this morning in anticipation of later tonight when we’re back home. But this is better. Let me give you more power. Let me feed you. Then, you can hunt for the being.”
I don’t have to be told twice. Leaning down, I sweep my tongue over her breast. She’s still in her dress, which has way too much material. Luckily, enough skin is showing where I can drink from her.
Sienna’s scent floats to me. The taste of her skin on my tongue floods my senses. So sweet. My fangs descend and, without warning her, I pierce her. Blood quickly floods my body. There’s nothing quite like it. Nothing like drinking from her.
My body heats. My thoughts are solely focused on her. And like every other time I taste her, I’m completely turned on. The bite isn’t without its pleasure for Sienna either. She writhes on the bed below me. Her hands roam my body until they reach my pants and quickly open them.
This won’t be drawn out. Not the languid lovemaking that happens frequently between us. No, this will be fast and built on our combined passion.
After peeling back four hundred layers of fabric, I find my mate and bring us together. Sienna calls out my name as I take pull after pull of her blood while she welcomes me into her body. Her life sustains mine. I crave no other. My heart only beats for her.
Her fingers grip my hair hard. Pulling and pushing me. I know my mate. I know how to drive her to that peak she’s so desperate to crest. I use my hands and body to bring her there and then we’re falling together. Our bodies, minds, and soul as one. The descent is perfect. The love I have for her is endless.
Panting, Sienna finally loosens her grip from my hair. My fangs retract and I take my time to lick over her flesh, closing the puncture marks. Her body would have healed them if I hadn’t. I prefer to do it. The last drop of savoring my mate. No matter how many times I feed from her, the raw passion never ebbs.
“Fate, I love you,” I tell her a second before my lips find hers.
The taste of blood is still on my tongue. Sienna doesn’t care. She’s used to every part of me.
I don’t rush us out of bed. I don’t hurry to right our clothes so we can join the others downstairs. For a few minutes, I’m going to enjoy my mate. The
