64. Rune
Rune
Istare at him.
Until you are fully vampire.
He says it so casually. Like it’s inevitable.
My pulse tries to speed, and he narrows his eyes. “What’s wrong?” He pulls the hand off my face and places it on my chest, over my heart.
“Nothing.” I place my hand over his and sigh. “Really.”
If the vampire doesn’t think I can get pregnant, who am I to argue. Then I think about his confusion over the pill. “Where are you from? I thought birth control pills were a global thing.”
Vameer pushes up to sitting. “Short answer is Europe.”
His accent speaks to that, but it’s not definite enough to point to any one country.
I look him over, like I’ll suddenly find a clue.
His robe is still on, the chain is still around his waist, but the two sides are pushed open, giving a full-frontal view of his amazing form.
And reminding me that I’m completely nude, laid out on a magical smoke-bed, in the middle of a forest.
What is my life?
I move my hands to cover my nakedness, but then Vameer shifts, and a bit of light illuminates a hole in his robe.
Forgetting about modesty, I scramble up to my knees. “What is this?”
I ignore the view of his gigantic half-hard dick and reach for his robe.
He’s lying on the fabric, but I get enough of it stretched out to see there are several holes.
My heart tries to race. “Are these bullet holes? I thought—” I don’t know why I thought those men today failed in hitting him. “Vameer!”
He presses a hand to my chest, over my heart, as his other hand settles on the bare skin of my side. “Mon Coeur, I am fine.”
I push the material aside and look at his skin.
He doesn’t move his hands, so I lean into the palm on my chest and reach for his stomach.
I can see that his skin is intact. I can see all his absurd muscles. But I need to feel it.
Need to be certain.
“Those bastards,” I mutter as I drag my hand over his abs.
His dick, still fully on display, twitches.
Vameer moves so he’s gripping my hips. “If you keep touching me, I will fuck you again.”
I look down and bite my lip.
Pain has me opening my mouth.
Blood wells on my lip, and frustrated tears well in my eyes.
Vameer is suddenly on his knees before me.
He touches a fingertip beneath my chin and tips my head back.
I blink, sending a tear trailing down my cheek.
A soft purr fills the air as he gently presses his lips to mine.
I close my eyes.
“Do not cry.” His tongue drags across my lower lip, catching the blood. “Please do not cry.”
The fear and sadness from this morning come crashing back over me.
“You were gone,” I whisper.
A sound breaks through the purr, and it sounds like a whine. “Lo siento.” Vameer pulls me into him. Hugging me. Lifting me.
He shifts until he’s sitting with me across his lap, one side of his robe pulled between us.
“I am sorry.” Vameer holds me tight, pressing my ear to his chest. “I—” I feel him swallow. “I do not think there is a way to reverse what has changed.” Pain laces his tone, like it hurts him to even say it.
I sniff as I try to shake my head, but one of his big palms holds me in place.
“Lo siento,” he whispers.
And new tears form on my lashes.
He has it all wrong.
I push at his hold, hard, and he lets go, dropping his arms to his sides.
Letting me go.
A flash of anger burns across my skin as I twist to face him.
My emotions feel like they’re on a hair trigger, but I’d rather be mad than sad, so I embrace it.
“It’s your turn to try listening,” I snap.
Even sitting on his lap, he’s still so much bigger than me. So I twist even more until I’m kneeling on his thighs.
I’d never dream of doing this to another human. But Vameer is made of different stuff. He can handle my weight.
Eye level with him, I watch him cautiously search my gaze.
I bring our faces closer, inches apart, how he does to me.
“I’m not upset about my eyes turning black.
Or growing fangs. Or my nails changing. Or the fact that I can see in the damn dark.
Or the heat that has taken over my body since my birthday.
Since the day I saw you in that cave. Which”—I poke him high on the chest—“we will be talking about.”
He slowly lifts his hands until he’s holding my hips again, gently. “You are telling me the truth? The changes… You’re not upset?”
I grip his shoulder with one hand and reach up with the other to run my fingers through his long hair.
“I’m not upset. I…” I pull in a deep breath and tell him the full truth.
“I’m excited about the changes. I don’t know how to describe it, but all my life, I’ve always felt this need to move.
Like there was somewhere else I was supposed to be.
It’s why I’ve never stuck with a job. Why I move every year or so since I first moved out of the house at nineteen.
The feeling has always been there. I’d ignore it as best I could, until I couldn’t, then I’d move again.
But ever since I saw you… in that cave.” I curl my fingers around a section of his hair and hold it, loving the way it feels.
“Since I saw you, that feeling shifted. It turned into a need to find you. You became my destination. And when you found me last night, that feeling of needing to move… it’s disappeared completely.
It’s like for the first time in my life, I’ve finally found what I was looking for. ”
His fingers flex against my hips as I swallow.
“When I woke up and saw that I had changed, it meant that it wasn’t all a dream. It meant you were real. But then…”
His shoulders sag. “I was gone.”
I nod. “I finally felt whole, and I was afraid you’d left forever.”
Vameer blinks as his onyx eyes shimmer, and I inhale a lightning strike.
“Por favor, me perdoe.” Vameer chokes the words as a tear sizzles down his cheek.
Pressure builds in my eyes as I cup his face with hands that look too small. “Please don’t do that.” I brush away the lingering dampness.
He shakes his head. “I will never leave you. I could never… Por favor, believe me.”
“I believe you.” I tip my forehead to his. “I believe you.” I say it softer, and I feel our heartbeat begin to slow.
We breathe together until our pulse is steady.
Finally, I ask, “Where were you?”
He slides his hands around my back and wraps me in another tight hug. “I was on my way to see my brother. To talk to him about his mate. I thought I could return before you woke.”
I pull my head back enough to look at him. “You have a brother?”
“Sí. I have not seen him in a very long time.”
I lower my voice, nervous to voice my next question. “Are we mates?”
His brows furrow. “Sí, I told you. You are mine. I am yours.”
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, you said that. But you never said the word mate. I… I didn’t know.”
My heart tries to jump. But Vameer doesn’t let it.
The side of his mouth pulls up. “You are my mate, Little Human.” He moves a hand between us and taps his finger against the tip of my fang. “Little Almost Human.”
Huffing, I roll my black eyes.
My eyesight had been changing ever since that cave. So even though my new solid black eyeballs were startling, it was the fangs that really took me off guard.
The cave.
I grip the sides of his robe. “What were you doing in that cave? And how did I get there? Where was that?”
His partial smile shifts into a little grimace. “Patagonia.”
My mouth drops open.
Vameer licks across his bottom lip.
I shake my head as I press my finger to his chest. “No kissing. Focus.”
He grumbles.
“What was that place? Why were you there?” I lift my hands and drop them to his shoulders. “I don’t even know what to ask. I was in my apartment one second, then standing on the side of the mountain the next.”
Vameer tucks my hair behind my ear, and my eyes lock on the colorful bracelet he’s still wearing. “I am sorry if you were scared. But it was the fates, they brought you to me. To wake me.”
“I don’t understand.”
He dips his chin. “I’ll explain, but tell me what you experienced first. I want to know.”