Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Soren
Theo lay beneath me, skin cool like mine, eyes darker than they had any right to be, and he was all mine. I brushed some of his damp hair from his eyes as he smiled up at me.
We’d already made love twice, and each time was more consuming than the last. And yet, he still gazed at me like he wasn’t even close to done.
He had become an exquisite vampire, powerful already, like turning had unlocked something in him that refused to quiet.
“You’re testing your limits,” I said against his skin.
Theo tilted his head slightly, giving me access without hesitation. “Or yours.”
A quiet, dark chuckle left me. “We have many more days and years and beyond that together. You’ve been a vampire for three days. You have your hunger under control, and yet you still want to prove how strong you are by fucking me into a messy puddle.”
He threaded his fingers through my hair, and he tugged me down close.
“I can’t get enough of you. With these eyes, your body is more stunnin’ than I’d appreciated.
With these ears, your voice entices me like a damn siren.
Hell, you even have me talkin’ like a lovesick fool.
But I’d say it all again because I mean every fuckin’ word. ”
Groaning, I dipped down and licked his neck before I bit.
His body tensed under me for half a second before it melted as I fed. His blood was different now, richer, and laced with my power.
The bond surged instantly.
Like it was alive.
I felt him push back through the connection, his awareness wrapping around me, answering mine, pouring his emotions into our link as I drank from him.
“Want my cock inside you again, baby,” he breathed when I withdrew.
Smiling, I looked down at him as I brushed my thumb over the mark I’d just made, which healed quickly.
“Later. Drink, my pet,” I ordered as I tilted my neck to the side.
He latched on instantly, fangs slicing through my skin. While he got his fill, I picked up the blood bag that I’d placed close earlier and drank from it.
We’d been fucking and feeding for a couple of days while his hunger lessened and the need to hunt for fresh blood fled.
My fated mate was satisfied with my vein.
He had the bags, but he preferred mine, and I loved giving it to him.
Since my hole was still stretched from the last round, I slipped my leg over his hips, and as he drank, I sank onto his erection. He groaned and stopped feeding to lick and kiss at my neck while I rode him.
He gripped my hips, and I already knew I would be healing bruises soon after this romp.
But it really was lovely to be able to use all my strength with him.
I grabbed his wrists and forced them above his head. He glared and snarled, gnashing his teeth while I chuckled darkly.
“Settle, pet.”
He stilled, and I lifted myself up to slam back down, tearing a moan from both of us.
Holding him down, I fucked his cock, up and down, reveling in the feeling of him filling me. Soon he would empty inside me, replacing what had already leaked out.
The bond thrummed with every touch, every shift, every breath we didn’t need but still took.
Theo wiggled an arm free and dragged me down so I was splayed over his chest. Immediately, he kissed me as he dug his feet to the mattress and drilled his cock into me.
It wasn’t tentative. It was possessive and claiming.
His hand tightened even more in my hair, stinging my scalp, but I loved it.
I loved him.
“Close, pet,” I muttered against his lips.
“Me too,” he shot back quietly.
The bond flared brighter, tightening between us as we moved, pushing us higher, faster, until everything narrowed to that shared edge.
When it finally broke, we came together. He fucked his warm seed into me while I spilled between us all, over his stomach.
I dropped my head to his shoulder and shuddered when he pulled free. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.
We were the same type of temperature, a coolness that every vampire had, but with Theo, I felt warm. With the bond, there was a heat between us.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
We didn’t need to.
He ran a hand slowly down my back, grounding both of us as the intensity settled into something quieter and stable.
“You’re adapting faster than you should be,” I said after a moment.
He huffed a quiet laugh against my skin. “All thanks to you and your strength. But also your impressive skills to keep me addicted to you.”
Snorting, I shook my head before resting my cheek against his shoulder. I breathed him in. He smelled like me, and I him. We were mixed together in blood, cum, and souls.
“I think it has a lot to do with the bond too,” I admitted.
“Probably.”
“We should shower and test things out for you downstairs,” I suggested.
“You think I’ll be fine around people?”
“You should be fine. If you’re not, I’ll stop you before you can do anything you won’t like.”
His fingers dug into my ass cheeks. “I trust you. Yeah, maybe we should test it. It’d be good to eventually get back to seeing the brothers.”
I nodded, sat up and glanced down at both of us, then laughed. Things had gotten messy. Cum and blood covered us and the bed. Theo had torn the sheets and pillows too. “Showering first is a must. I’ll get someone to come in and clean—”
He was up and in front of me, snarling, “No!”
I gripped his throat and pushed power out. “Theo?”
He shivered and blinked slowly. “Fuck. Sorry. I just don’t want anyone in here. This is our space. If I smell another…” A rumble rolled out from deep within his chest.
Smiling, I kissed him. “It’s okay. I understand. We’ll deal with the cleanup later.” I understood his fierce need to keep our sanctuary to ourselves. Newly born vampires’ emotions were heightened for a few years after being reborn.
His possessiveness over me would ride him. I would have to warn Razor to make sure no one went into his room at the compound.
He relaxed under my hold and nodded.
After we’d showered and dressed, we made our way downstairs, hand in hand.
My club was already alive with music pulsing through the space. Bodies moved under dim lighting, the air was thick with arousal and energy.
But the moment we moved from the last step, everything but the music stopped.
Heads turned and then were lowered.
They could sense the change and power in Theo. Respected it in a way that meant they wanted to give their submission because now he truly did stand beside me.
Every patron within sight dropped into a bow.
Theo stilled slightly beside me, his awareness sharpening as he took it in.
“Are they gonna do this every time?” he asked quietly.
There were a few chuckles. One was my own. I hugged his arm with both of mine, sliding one hand down to clasp his again. “They just might.”
He swallowed, nodding. Accepting it because he knew he was a part of this world now. He stood beside an elder, and these creatures were here for our protection.
But Theo would always come first. Like I knew I would for him too.
He went to say something, until movement cut through the crowd, gaining our attention.
Cellie.
She approached quickly before dropping to her knees in front of me with her head bowed low.
“Eminence,” she said, her voice tight. “I’m sorry.”
Confusion had me scrunching my brows.
She reached out and gripped my wrist, pressing her forehead to it. “I didn’t think…. I didn’t know what Patrick would do. I only told him about your fated because I thought—”
I stilled, fury engulfing me. “You thought wrong,” I said coldly.
Her grip tightened slightly. “I swear my loyalty to you. I won’t—”
She didn’t get to finish because Theo had had enough. He blurred into action. One second, he was beside me, and the next Cellie was gone.
She’d been thrown across the room with so much force, she crashed into a table, splintering it beneath her.
Silence slammed down over the club. This time, even the music stopped.
Theo was already moving again, flashing forward before anyone could react, closing the distance between them in less than a human heartbeat.
He grabbed her, dragging her up just enough to make sure she saw him. “Don’t touch him.” His voice was low and deadly in a way I hadn’t heard before. “Don’t ever fuckin’ touch him.”
The room held its breath, and even I stared on in awe. He had a right to rip her apart for touching me. That was our way. But even at such a young age, he showed such amazing restraint.
He leaned in and roughly clipped, “That’s my fated mate. No one is to touch him.”
Cellie opened her mouth and closed it when he snarled in her face.
He shook her. “Do you understand?”
She managed a nod.
Theo released her just as abruptly as he’d grabbed her, letting her drop back to the floor as he straightened.
There was no hesitation or regret, only certainty.
I felt how strong and unshakable his resolve was through the bond.
Mine.
Slow, dangerous satisfaction settled in my chest as I walked over to him, placing a hand lightly on Theo’s shoulder as he turned to everyone else, staring them down, making sure they got his message.
He was making his claim clear.
“Remember that,” I said, sweeping my gaze over the room.
No one dared look up—they knew that things had just changed, and everyone felt it.