Chapter 41
After he’d accompanied Santiago to the lobby so he could leave, and made sure he had a standing visitor pass to see Catalina in the medical center for as long as she had to stay there, Benjamin returned to the clinic.
Normally, Buffy would be in attendance during the day, but Maya had ordered that no human staff was allowed in the clinic until it was certain that Catalina could handle herself around humans.
Right now, as he’d seen for himself, she couldn’t. He hoped he could change that.
When he entered, he found Catalina in the room she’d occupied for the past two days and nights, ever since she’d gotten shot. He still shuddered at the memory of it, but now he knew for certain that turning her had been the only way to give Catalina her life back.
Benjamin remained standing at the door to the room, and Catalina turned toward him.
Their eyes met. Seconds ticked by in silence, while only their eyes communicated, their emotions remaining unspoken.
Her irises changed from a rich brown to a fiery gold.
He could see what was in her heart just by looking into her eyes, and the realization that she felt no anger toward him made his heart rejoice.
He responded to her silent declaration by bridging the distance between them with three long steps.
Without a word, she put her arms around him, and he welcomed her invitation and pressed his lips to hers, capturing them to explore her mouth.
Everything about her was different and yet the same as before.
There was even more fire in her now than when she’d been human.
The passion with which she responded to him seemed limitless.
She was more demanding than before, urging him to use his full strength on her.
She was challenging him with her new body, her new power, showing him that she could take everything he was willing to give her.
Her taste was undeniably tantalizing. He’d been with vampire females before, but this was different.
This woman was more than just a vampire.
He could feel her soul reaching out to him.
There was a bond between them, one that blood alone couldn’t explain.
Their hearts were already one, beating in synch, and beating for each other.
Catalina’s mouth was warm, her tongue beseeching, her scent drugging.
As he explored her mouth, he felt her fangs descend.
She hadn’t learned yet how to control them, but he didn’t mind.
On the contrary. Unable to resist the temptation, he licked over one fang.
She gasped and reared back, severing the kiss.
“What is happening?” she asked, her eyes dilated, her breath ragged, the scent of her arousal potent.
“Fangs are a vampire’s most erogenous zone,” he explained.
“Oh!” She drew him back to her, excitement flashing in her eyes. “Lick them again.”
Happy and elated that she was embracing her new body, he followed her command.
A few tender strokes over her extended fangs, and Catalina was moaning uncontrollably.
He slid one hand down to her backside and pressed his groin to hers.
His cock was as hard as a tire iron, and he rubbed it against her pussy, when he felt a shudder run through Catalina.
He ripped his lips from hers and saw the look of ecstasy in her eyes.
“I love feeling you come.”
She let out a breath. “I can’t believe what’s happening.”
He chuckled and gave her a kiss on the lips. “The perks of being a vampire.”
She dropped her lids.
“Nothing to be ashamed of,” he said and tipped her chin up with his finger. “Trust me when I tell you that I’m going to make it my life’s mission to satisfy all your needs daily. Several times.”
“Several times?” she asked.
“As often as you like.”
With two steps, she was at the door and kicked it shut, then locked it from the inside. When she turned back to Benjamin, he already gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
“Damn, baby, this isn’t exactly where I wanted to do this, but it doesn’t look like I have a choice, do I?” he asked, not looking unhappy about it at all.
“Not if you want to satisfy all my needs,” she said with a boldness that surprised her.
From where she took the confidence she was portraying right now, she had no idea.
Maybe it was another perk of being a vampire.
Perhaps being a creature of the night came with boundless confidence and strength—in addition to a heightened libido, which was making itself known as she watched Benjamin shed his clothes.
The way he undressed in front of her felt like the most normal thing in the world. When he stood there, naked, she let her eyes roam over his toned body. He was absolute perfection. His cock stood erect, heavy, its tip glistening. She felt her sex throb at the sight and approached.
“Now you,” he said and reached for her.
Before she knew what he was planning, he’d already ripped her hospital gown in two and tossed it on the floor.
At any other time, such an action would have scared her, but she understood that there was nothing violent about it.
She put her hands on his chest, tracing his pectoral muscles, and realized how sensitive her sense of touch had become.
She could feel the veins and arteries under his skin and the blood rushing through them.
With it, she felt the rhythm of his heartbeat. It was faster than that of a human.
As she moved her hands down his torso, he put one hand on her hip while he slid the other one to her nape. She lifted her lids to meet his gaze.
“I love you, Catalina,” he murmured.
She inched closer as if his words were invisible strings with which he pulled her toward him. He rubbed his fingers along her carotid artery, and she felt it pulse in response.
“I love you, Benjamin. More than I thought was possible.”
She brushed her lips over his, tilting her head to the side.
Farther below, she slid her hand over his cock and caressed the velvety skin.
When he moaned, she captured his lips and explored his mouth with her tongue.
She swiped it over his upper teeth, coaxing him to extend his fangs.
When she felt them lengthen, she released his cock and grabbed him to push him back toward the two-seater sofa in the corner.
He gave no resistance, and she directed him until he dropped back and landed on it. As he sat there, she straddled him.
“I like how you take charge.”
“Good. Then you’ll love this.”
She raised her hips, lifting herself onto her knees, which were on both sides of his thighs, before gripping his cock and impaling herself on it. With one swift thrust, he was inside her to the hilt.
Benjamin gasped and clamped his hands down on her hips, holding her so tightly that she couldn’t move. He looked at her, his eyes shimmering golden, his fangs extended.
“Baby, you do that again, and I’ll sink my fangs into you, not caring what’ll happen then.”
“Then I might just have to bite you back.”
His eyes flashed with surprise. “Do you have any idea what that would mean?”
She leaned closer.
“I know about the blood-bond. Brandon explained it to me.”
“You want that? A blood-bond with me?”
She stared at him, and for a moment, doubt came over her. Had she misread him? Had she assumed that just because she was a vampire now and he’d said he loved her, he would want to be with her forever?
“You don’t? You just want sex…”
She eased back, ready to withdraw, but he gripped her like a vise.
“There’s no backing out now, baby. I wasn’t going to spring this on you so soon, but since you brought it up…” He drew her even closer, his eyes pinning her. “I’ve wanted a blood-bond with you from the moment I first saw you.”
Relief flooded her, and she exhaled sharply.
He stared at her, shaking his head lightly. “You thought I would turn you down? Oh baby, didn’t you hear me just now when I told you I love you? Besides, I can’t imagine having anything better than you feeding from me every single day and night.”
She furrowed her forehead. “What does feeding have to do with a blood-bond?”
“Looks like Brandon left out the best part.” He smiled and loosened the grip on her hips, only to bring one hand to her nape.
“Because you’re a pure-blooded vampire and I’m half human, once we’re blood-bonded, you will only be able to drink my blood.
Any other human blood will make you sick.
Had you remained human, I would have been the one who could only drink your blood, nobody else’s. ”
For a few seconds, she was speechless, trying to wrap her head around this revelation. He’d said that he’d wanted a blood-bond with her from the moment they’d met. She understood now what that would have meant for him. He would have put his life into her hands.
“You don’t want a blood-bond anymore,” he suddenly said in a sober voice. “I get it. You’d be dependent on my blood for your survival.”
He dropped his head, avoiding her gaze. But she put her hand under his chin and forced him to look at her.
“You were prepared to bond with me when I was human, knowing you would be dependent on me. Why would you think that I wouldn’t want the same? Oh, Benjamin.”
She shook her head and sighed. “When you made me drink that bottled blood so I wouldn’t attack my brother, I felt nothing. But when I drank your blood, I felt alive. I can’t imagine anything better than drinking from you every day.”
Benjamin cupped her face, smiling. “You’re making me the happiest man alive.”
“Now, would you be a good man and let me ride you? Because it’s been far too long since we made love.”
“Yes, far too long,” he replied with a smirk. “And just so you know, I do like a woman who holds the reins in her hands.”
Slowly, she began to lift herself on her knees, so only the tip of his cock was still inside her.
Just as slowly, she sank down on him. He slid his hands to her breasts, cupping both of them, before guiding them to his face.
As she continued impaling herself on his erection, he began licking her nipples while kneading the sensitive flesh.
She loved the way he buried his face in her cleavage and how his hot breath caressed her skin.
Arousal spread in her entire body. Had she always been so sensitive to touch, or was this another perk of being a vampire?
Heightened arousal? Stronger sensations?
She felt it all. It brought back the memory of Benjamin’s clandestine bite when they’d had sex the first time.
She could feel it even now, could feel what it had done to her, how much it had excited her, and how hard she’d climaxed.
“I’m so close,” she whispered.
Benjamin lifted his face from her breasts and locked eyes with her.
“Then bond with me now,” he replied.
Her fangs elongated by themselves, and her gaze drifted to the pulsing carotid artery in Benjamin’s neck. Like a beacon, it drew her to the spot when she felt that he’d placed his hand on her nape again, pulling her to the crook of his neck.
“Bite me, baby,” he demanded. “Take my blood.”
She licked over the soft skin, then drove her fangs into his neck. Delicious blood filled her mouth, and she swallowed it. Her taste buds exploded when another sensation reached her. Benjamin’s fangs lodged in her shoulder, and she felt him sucking on it, taking her blood into his body.
Everything around her seemed to disappear, and all she felt was pleasure and ecstasy. Her orgasm rolled over her like a never-ending wave, while she felt Benjamin’s cock spasm inside her as he too climaxed.
Catalina, baby, I love you forever and always.
She heard the words clearly in her mind, even though she knew Benjamin couldn’t have spoken. His fangs were still inside her, just as she was still drinking from him.
Benjamin? What’s happening?
It’s our bond. We’re one now.
She realized it then: the blood-bond had created a connection that was stronger and deeper than anything she could have ever imagined. All of the pain and heartache she’d gone through in the past few weeks just melted away, making space for a new life. An eternal life with Benjamin.
I love you, Benjamin.
I’m yours now, he replied.
And the world was right again.