Chapter 29 #2
Her cat pads in from the hall, tail flicking, his expression full of feline suspicion– as if he expects hidden danger to be lurking behind every corner. He circles once, then leaps onto the arm of the sofa, yellow eyes flicking between Taylor and me.
And then– unthinkably– he hops straight into my lap.
I freeze.
Taylor snickers to herself. “Wow. You’re in, James.”
I stare down at the creature, unmoving. “He’s never done this before.”
She grins, wagging her brows. “Maybe he knows you’re officially part of the family now.”
I continue glaring down at the cat, muscles locked.
Taylor bites her lip. “You can pet him, you know.”
I hesitate, then tentatively lay a hand on the animal’s back. He arches into my touch, letting out a soft purr. I stroke him again, slowly, with all the caution of diffusing a bomb.
Taylor’s eyes glitter with mischief. “You look like someone just handed you a live grenade.”
“They might as well have,” I murmur.
She laughs so brightly I can’t help but grin. I pet the cat again, a little more firmly this time. He promptly rewards me by hissing and sinking his teeth into the base of my thumb.
I yank my hand back with a grunt and the cat leaps down, sauntering off with his tail flicking in something that looks suspiciously like pride.
Taylor cackles.
“See?” I mutter. “Never trust a cat.”
“Or a vampire,” she muses, grinning.
I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her in as she laughs and wriggles playfully. When she settles, I tilt her head and press a kiss to her temple. Her skin is warm, pulse steady and alive under my lips.
We sit like that for a while, watching the embers collapse in the fireplace, snow curling past the windows in lazy spirals.
I can feel the bond in every part of me now– not just hunger or need, but an anchoring gravity I’ve never known.
The urge to hunt, to destroy, to obliterate myself in excess…
gone. I could spend a millennium with Taylor and never tire of her company. Not even a little.
The silence stretches, and I wonder if she’s fallen asleep.
But then she shifts, glancing up at me through her lashes.
I study her– really look– and something seizes in my chest. Not fear or panic, but awe.
In all my years, all my endless nights, I’ve never considered that I could be capable of love. But this… this feels a lot like it.
“You know,” I murmur, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “We may not have a certificate to make this official, but we could do something else. We could get married.”
Her spine stiffens, breath catching. “What?”
“I’ve never thought much of human traditions,” I admit. “But maybe this one makes sense. If you want it, we could do it.”
Her eyes widen. “You… want to marry me?”
“I want to make you mine in every way possible, darling.”
Her breathing quickens, pulse rising, cheeks flushing. “For real?”
I nod. “Absolutely. Will you marry me, Taylor Holt? We can throw the wedding of the century– an obnoxious amount of flowers, a full orchestra, celebrity guest list…”
“None of that, just you,” she laughs. “And maybe Bex, if you don’t mind.”
I frown. “Next you’ll want to include the cat.”
“Well, obviously. I thought it was already implied he’d be the ring bearer.”
I raise an eyebrow.
She giggles, then slides into my lap, straddling me with effortless confidence. She loops her arms around my neck, gazing deeply into my eyes.
“So, is that a yes?” I ask smugly, circling my arms around her waist.
“It’s a hell yes,” she whispers, pressing her forehead to mine.
I close the remaining distance, claiming her mouth.
Her kiss is warm and urgent, quickly giving way to something desperate.
I feel her want in the press of her lips and the ragged catch of her breath, her arousal sparking inside me and melding with my own.
The bond hums between us– a live wire of desire, need, and something neither of us has words for yet.
I slide my hands beneath her shirt, fingers tracing the warm curve of her spine. She arches against me, answering my hunger with her own, the air between us charged.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember to be gentle– to savor her– but it’s hard when every instinct is urging me closer. I want to devour her whole, tear away every barrier between us until I can’t tell where my body ends and hers begins.
She breaks the kiss and pulls back to look at me, breathless. “Easy, killer.”
I grin, letting a hint of fang show. “I thought you liked it rough.”
Her laugh is sultry. “I do.”
She pulls me in for another bruising kiss, and I lose track of everything but the heat and taste of her skin. Her pulse flutters when I slide a hand under her skirt to find her wet and wanting. She gasps, chasing my touch.
“You’re insatiable,” I rasp.
“Says the immortal sex god.”
A laugh rumbles in my chest, but it dissolves into a tangle of hands and mouths and need. I move her panties aside and sink a finger inside her, teasing her clit with my thumb. Her head falls back on a moan, and I bury my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.
When I finally bite down, she shudders, wrapping her arms tight around me.
My thumb vibrates against her clit as I feed, sending her spiraling. She comes apart in my arms, my name falling from her lips like a prayer as I drink my fill and seal the wound.
She collapses against my chest, panting as I withdraw my fingers from her quivering cunt and lick them clean. I’m rock hard, eager to sink inside her, but there’s no rush. After all, we have eternity now.
I take a moment to just hold her, listening to the beat of her heart as it steadies beneath my palm. Her scent wraps around me, grounding me in a way centuries never could.
I’ve lived endless nights, tasted every hunger, felt every void– but only now do I understand what it means to truly be alive.