“I’m hungry for something,” he teased before continuing to nuzzle his way down her body, his mouth brushing against her sensitive nub.
A tempting shiver of pleasure danced over her at the contact and a gasp escaped her lips.
Damn him.
Lucian hummed his appreciation before rolling his tongue over and around her, making her whimper as she fought her body’s reaction to him.
“I’ll ensure you’re fed soon enough, but first there are other needs that must be satisfied.”
“Lucian, please,” Katherine tried to protest but as he ran his tongue up between her folds all her rational thought left her and she decided to give herself over to his unrelenting seduction.
“Keep your hands above your head and hold on to the leather,” he ordered quietly.
“Yes, Lucian.”
“Call me Lord Nightingale.”
“I thought you preferred 'Lucian'?” Katherine questioned, her eyes shuttering closed as his tongue worked her pleasure higher.
“I find I don’t mind the title when you’re like this,” Lucian gripped her hips and pulled her further down towards him, stretching her arms out as she dutifully held on tight to the arm of the sofa,“now, will you do as you’re told?” He purred,
“Yes, Lord Nightingale,” Katherine responded, the anticipation of his dominance causing a thrill to tingle down her spine.
“Then you shall be rewarded,” he husked.
Her back bowed off the sofa and all of Katherine’s earlier reservations left her as he licked her into sweet oblivion.
Chapter Eighteen
Lucian
Lucian finally tore himself away from Katherine, allowing her to shower in peace while he prepared for their departure. The sun had set and it was time to return to Tumbricane. He would be driving them in his favourite sports car, proving to her once and for all that the journey was shorter than she continued to protest it to be.
The thought of returning to his estate filled him with both relief and curiosity. Relief that he would be better able to ensure her safety, knowing what he now knew about her rare and highly sought-after blood, the need to protect her was fierce and thrummed in his veins as he had never known. The city was too densely populated with the paranormal. Vampires tended to enjoy the abundant and vibrant nightlife that could be found in metropolitan areas and it wasn’t just his own kind he needed to be wary of. Any mage, witch, or enforcer worth their salt would be curious as to Lucian’s continued close acquaintance with Katherine. Vampires were usually solitary creatures, usually only pairing with another of their kind or something else that went bump in the night. When a vampire was paired with a human it usually meant one thing. Dinner was being served.
He would be less likely to draw any attention back at his country estate. There was also the matter of inextricably wanting to have Katherine in his home. Have her comfortable there and well provided for. He would of course respect her wishes should she want to remain in her guest suite, but the thought of her sharing his quarters with him brought undeniable joy to his heart.
He rubbed at his chest absently and paused as he took in the dark evening sky. The usual monotonous emptiness had gone. He hadn’t noticed until that moment that he didn’t feel trapped or weighed down by the prospect of his own existence. Now that he focused on it, he realised he was happy. He was looking forward to the most trivial of things; just the thought of what they would talk about on the journey home or what he might cook for Katherine that evening caused a small buzz of excitement. He chuckled to himself. He even couldn’t wait to find out what they might argue about next and the prospect of either making it up to her or taking their battle of wills to the bedroom stirred a fire within him.
He sucked in a breath and smiled.
He loved her.
He had fallen in love and it was every bit as tantalizing and sacred as he had always hoped it would be.
It had only taken him two hundred years to find the woman with whom he would spend the rest of eternity. Even the council of elders could hardly take umbrage at him having tasted a human of the forbidden blood if he were to spend the next millennia with her by his side.
He spun on his heel and paced towards the stairs, intending to storm back into the shower room and sweep Katherine back to bed. The sight of her backpack stopped him in his tracks.
She had plans. He reminded himself. She had ambitions. Rightfully so. Katherine was bright and capable and he was certain it was not just his own undoubtable bias that led him to believe that she would make a successful name for herself.
What right did he have to take that from her? Love?
Lucian might not have been in love before but he was no stranger to the true meaning of love. It was to willingly sacrifice all else for the sake of love. Love demanded he give her everything that she needed and desired, not bend her to his will. Just because he had waited two hundred years for her didn’t mean he had the right to call the shots.
Katherine wanted freedom. She had a lot to prove and there was no way he could see her wanting to give all that up for the sake of a life with him. After all, what did he have to offer her? Wealth, immortality, sex, adoration, and a world of perpetual darkness. A life where friends would come and go. Family would wither and die and would no longer think upon you with affection but give in to the fear and suspicion that hung over your unusual extended existence.
She would never know what it is to be called ‘mother’ if she stayed with him. He could never give her that.
His phone vibrated in his breast pocket. A
