Chapter Twenty-one
Audrey
I ’m surprised to find Donovan waiting outside the Shade when I step outside following my last class. When his eyes meet mine, I can’t help smiling.
This man is my fated mate. Not that I’m planning to rush into anything. I barely know him, and I won’t be bonding with him until we’re better acquainted. Mating bonds are for life—or afterlife, I guess. Though, when we become reapers, we’re gifted with life, so I’m not sure quite how that works.
Shaking my head, I walk toward Donovan, who meets me halfway. “What are you doing here?”
“I know you’re nervous about speaking with Brenden, so I thought I’d walk you over. Plus, I realized I never gave you mine or Wraith’s numbers. I want you to have his just in case you need him for anything—even if you never need it.” He pulls me in for a hug, taking my hand as we break apart and leading me down the pathway toward Brenden’s dorm.
Wrinkling my nose, I laugh. “I really hope to not have to call him for anything. I’m not going to lie, he’s kind of scary.”
“He is Death, so it’s understandable that you feel that way, but I think you’ll find he’s not nearly as scary as you think he is.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head.
We don’t talk about Wraith anymore after that, spending the walk getting to know one another a little better. It’s kind of nice.
I know it seems like a complete about face after how I reacted to Brenden’s declaration and then Donovan announcing he was my mate, but having the Fates call me out on my shit? Yeah, it’s definitely changed my opinion on having mates. Plus, a lot of my reaction had to do with fear and guilt—two things I can’t allow to rule my life.
I assume—incorrectly—that Donovan will leave me outside of Brenden’s dorm, but he insists on walking me right to Brenden’s door.
“I will wait to make sure he’s in his room before leaving. If he’s not here yet, then I’ll wait with you. There’s no reason for you to wait alone, and it’ll give us more time to get to know one another.”
I can’t fault his logic, and it’s kind of nice having him holding my hand.
Once we reach Brenden’s door, I knock, but there’s no answer. “See? Aren’t you glad I waited?”
I laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Here, give me your phone. I’ll put in mine and Wraith’s numbers.”
Unlocking it for him first, I hand it over and watch him do just that with a smile on my face.
“Audrey?” Brenden’s voice, filled with confusion, jolts my attention from Donovan.
Lifting my head, a hesitant smile on my lips, I push to my feet. “Hey, Brenden. I was hoping we could talk?”
Brenden’s eyes flash to Donovan as he stands and hands me back my phone.
“That’s my cue to leave.” Donovan kisses my cheek, and then moves toward Brenden, stopping beside him. “Treat her right, vampire.”
Then he’s gone without another word, and Brenden is staring at me with confusion written all over his face.
“What’s going on, Audrey?”
I bite my lip, hating that he’s not calling me firecracker any longer. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. He rarely calls me by my name, and it hurts to hear him using it now. Is it too late? Did me running away from him break what we were growing between us?
Straightening my shoulders, I nod to his room. “Can we talk in your room?”
“Of course.” He uses his vamp speed to close the distance between us, quickly unlocking the door. He hesitates for a moment as he stands beside me. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Then he’s pushing into the room, holding the door for me. Maybe I didn’t ruin everything last night.
Once we’re settled on his bed, I reach for his hands. “First, I want to apologize for last night—“
“No. I should be the one apologizing. You’d just remembered your death, and then I was pushing my feelings on you.”
“You did no such thing. You have nothing to apologize for, but I do. I shouldn’t have run away.” Taking a deep breath, I smile. “I know we’re mates.”
Brenden’s smile lights up his face. “Thank goodness I don’t have to be the one to tell you that.”
“What? You didn’t want to just announce it out of nowhere like Donovan did?”
"The hellhound is your mate as well?” he asks quietly, but he doesn’t seem upset by my announcement.
Nodding, I lie back on the bed and pat the empty space beside me. “It’s a long story that I need to share with you. We might as well be comfortable.”
He doesn’t hesitate to lie beside me, our faces only about a foot apart and our hands still intertwined.
I tell him about what happened after I ran away from him with Donovan and Wraith, and then how the Fates spoke to me. I tell him everything about my mates and the possibility of more while he listens with rapt attention.
Once I’m done, he laughs. “Five mates? Lucky you.”
“Possibly five, but at least three. You and Donovan are the only two I know for sure.” I shrug the best I can while still lying down. I might have accepted that I have mates, but it still makes me a little uncomfortable to know there are more mates out there for me to meet.
Brenden hums. “Could it be Wraith?”
“Death? Could Death be my mate? Can he even have a fated mate?” Shaking my head, I won’t allow myself to go there. “If he was, I assume he would’ve said something this morning when Donovan announced that I had at least one other mate.”
He nods but he doesn’t look convinced, but I’m so not going there.
“Where does that leave us, firecracker?”
“Where do you want it to leave us?”
Brenden shakes his head with a laugh. “That’s not how that works, mate of mine.”
I stick my tongue out at him, but it’s fair. He did ask first. “I want you to be my mate.”
“Thank the gods,” he hisses before pulling me toward him as his lips descend on mine. Our tongues twine together as he rolls me onto my back. Breaking the kiss, he grins down at me. “Please tell me that you mean right now, because I’m not sure I can wait. I can’t even get my fangs to retract.”
Reaching up, I brush my fingers across his fangs before glancing up to meet his eyes. “I think now sounds perfect.”
“Thank fuck,” he mutters before his lips meet mine again. His cock is hard as he lies atop me, hands trailing over my sides as we kiss.
My body feels like it’s on fire, and as much as I hate to break the moment, there are questions I need answers to. “Just a second, Brenden. I don’t even know how vampires form mate bonds.”
He sighs, rolling off me as he runs a hand through his brown hair. “I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that it requires an exchange of blood—usually during sex. I guess it doesn’t have to be during sex, but for vampires, sex and blood just go together. Our nature requires blood, obviously, but it also requires intimacy. It prefers both at once.”
“Okay.” Nodding, I clench my thighs together as desire races through me. “It seems I have no issues with that.”
Brenden laughs. “After I bite you, I’ll feed you my blood, and from there, the bond will form. Since we’re fated, if I bit you at any time, it would begin the bonding process, which is why I was careful not to last night.”
“Probably a good idea. I don’t think I would’ve taken that well,” I say with a laugh. “For witches, it requires a ritual, which is really just words I need to say. But it definitely has to happen while having sex.”
“Now I don’t feel as bad.” He grins, and I lean over to kiss him. The time for talking is over.
This time, our kisses are languid as we undress one another and savor each other’s bodies. His touch is reverent as it trails over my body, fingers finally dipping between my legs. They dance over my clit, sending shivers through me, before he pushes two of those fingers inside of me. A moan escapes me as my eyes fall shut.
“So wet for me, firecracker. Are you that excited about bonding with me?”
“You wish. I’m just hot for your body.” I laugh when he leans in and bites my tit in retaliation, turning into a hiss at the burn of the pain. For a moment, I think he’s bit me with his fangs, but when he releases me, I see he hasn’t even broken the skin.
“Such a brat,” he murmurs as he leans in to kiss me. He plunges his fingers in and out of my cunt, and I’m so wet, I can hear it.
So fucking hot.
He plays my body like a fiddle, knowing just how to curl his fingers inside of me and just the right rhythm to stroke my clit. I detonate, coming hard around his fingers as his name spills from my lips on a wail. My nails dig into his chest as my back arches and pushes me further into his body.
When he pulls his fingers from my pussy, he lifts them straight to his mouth and hums at the taste. “You taste amazing, firecracker. If I wasn’t so excited about bonding with you, I’d fuck you on my tongue and demand a few more orgasms.”
“Mmmm, sure you would.” Yup, I’m definitely being a brat.
I squeal when his hand comes down on my ass. I shoot him a glare. “Tease.”
Brenden throws his head back as he laughs. Then he’s pushing me onto my back and pushing inside of me, filling me with his cock in one thrust of his hips. He sits there, grinning down at me. “At least I know one way to shut you up. I don’t know when you have to do your thing, but I’ll be biting you when you come, so this is your only warning.”
As much as I’d love to bite back at him, I lose my ability to speak as he begins to move. He drives in and out of me with determination, his finger on my clit and our eyes clashing. I roll my hips, meeting each of his thrusts. Part of me wants to allow my eyes to fall shut, but if I want this bond, then we need to keep our eyes on one another.
“Fuck, Brenden. You feel so fucking good,” I moan, trying to keep my wits about me. The words of the ritual keep flitting in and out of my mind as pleasure moves through me in waves. How the hell do they expect anyone to complete this ritual while fucking?
“You are mine, and I am yours. Together our fates are entwined. Fate has deemed us as one.” As the words spill from me, I feel the magic rising around us. I almost gasp when fire surrounds us, but I know better than to stop mid-ritual. “May we be bound by magic and fire til the end of time.”
Magic rolls through me, and based on his expression, Brenden too. His movements stall before he shifts his hold on my hips and plows into me faster and harder than before. I can feel the bond forming between the two of us, and it’s beautiful.
As the magic continues running up and down my body, I can feel my orgasm starting in my toes. My back arches off the bed, baring my throat to Brenden. He bites down and for a moment, there’s a bit of pain before it rushes away to nothing but pleasure. The orgasm tears through me, my cunt pulsing with each draw of blood Brenden pulls from me. It seems to have no beginning and no end.
Brenden pulls away from my neck with a roar, his hips stuttering before he grinds into me. His cock pulses inside of me, painting my insides with his cum. He crashes down on top of me, just barely catching himself on the bed before he crushes me.
He tears into his wrist before bringing it to my lips. The moment his blood touches my tongue, my orgasm starts anew as pleasure washes through me. The bond that had begun to form between us strengthens and grows, pulsing between us. I swallow the blood greedily as my body lights up from head to toes. I’ve never felt anything like this before.
When he pulls his wrist away, I lick my lips and hum. I didn’t think blood would taste good, but Brenden’s certainly does. He rolls onto his back and settles me on his chest. I hum, body still buzzing as I trail my finger across the tattoo on his chest just as I had the night before. I can still feel the bond thrumming between us, a warmth in my chest that makes me smile.
“I love you, firecracker. It’s okay if you’re not ready to say it back, but I think I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you—even before I knew you were my mate.”
Lifting up to rest my chin in my hand, I smile down at him. “I love you too, Brenden. I know last night I ran away, but there are just some things you can’t fight. What I feel for you is one of those things.”
He pulls me down for another kiss, and we lose ourselves in one another until the shrill ringing of a phone breaks us apart.
Turning my head, I realize it’s coming from my bag, and I know I’m in deep shit. “Fuck. I didn’t message Diana and Celeste. We were supposed to meet them in our suite.”
“Let them wait, it’ll be alright. I want to bask in my new mate bond a little longer.” Brenden attempts to hold me back, but I scramble away.
“You don’t understand. They haven’t heard from me since this morning.” Digging through my bag, I locate the phone and lift it to my ear. “Diana?”
“You bitch. You had me and Celeste worried out of our mind,” Diana practically sobs, and I wince as I turn back to Brenden, who’s already climbing out of the bed.
I turn it on speaker phone and toss the phone on my bed, grabbing my clothes off the floor and pulling them on. “I’m so sorry, Diana. I didn’t mean to worry either of you. There’s been a lot of shit that’s happened over the last couple of days. Brenden and I will be on our way in a few minutes, and I’ll tell you both all about it. Have you eaten yet?”
Diana sniffles. “Yes. When the two of you didn’t show up, we decided to grab food and then headed back to the suite, hoping you’d be there. But you weren’t.”
“I know, Diana, I said I was sorry. We haven’t eaten yet, so we’ll grab food to go, and then head to the suite. I promise.”
“Fine.” She hangs up without another word, and I know I’m going to have some groveling to do with my friends.
Brenden chuckles. “She’s pissed.”
“Rightly so.” Turning around, I find that he’s already finished dressing in jeans and a T-shirt. He looks delicious. “Why do you have to be so hot?”
The last part comes out as a whine, and he just laughs as he grabs his bag. “Grab your stuff. I’ll run down to the cafeteria and get our dinner. I’ll meet you out front.” He kisses me before zooming out of the room, leaving me to grab my stuff and head downstairs at a much slower pace.
I’m sure Celeste is just as pissed at me as Diana is, but hopefully they’ll understand once I explain everything to them.
They have to, right?
Gods, I really hope they do.