Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Lila
Ihadn’t noticed before when we were with my grandpas, and I’m not sure how I didn’t notice it when Saxon carried me to his bedroom, but the gorgeous Vilaxian is naked apart from a tight pair of briefs.
As he prowls across the bed like the lethal predator he is, I can just make out the ripple of all those delicious muscles as he moves, and although his eyes are glowing and I can see his fangs because his lip is curled back in a snarl, he’s more controlled than I thought he would be.
I thought I’d be a goner, he’d be lost in a feeding frenzy, and there would be Lila splashed all around the room, but apart from the growls and uber possessiveness, which, let’s face it, is hot as fuck and my panties are dripping wet because of it, he’s been an extraordinarily patient predator stalking his prey, and now he has me right where he wants me.
As nervous as I am, I am so here for this. Being his sole focus is exciting and intoxicating.
Sign me the fuck up, and let’s get this bonding started.
“Ah, yeah, so hi?” I can’t stand the stifling, tension-filled silence any longer.
At the sound of my voice, Saxon shakes his head slightly, and when his gaze meets mine again, he’s lost some of the feral intensity.
I’m surprised and slightly disappointed.
The feralness was scary but mildly intoxicating too.
“Little girl, do you know what you are to me?” he asks, his words a mouthful of growly deliciousness. I could orgasm just from hearing his voice, and it’s totally cliché to say, but still, it’s totally true.
“Yup, your blood rose.” I say it simply, yet it’s anything but simple.
He sits back on his heels, his fists clenched at his sides like he’s holding himself back, which I have no doubt is what he’s doing. His jaw is clenched, and he cocks his head slightly to the side. “And do you know what that means?”
“Sure, you’re wifing me up.” I tilt my head to the side as I think about my situation.
“Well, actually, it’s more like I’m husbanding you up, although I already have one with two more potentials.
Anyway, it means I’m yours and you are mine.
” The last word comes out in a growl. My kraken makes herself known, and I can feel how thrilled she is.
She wants to test her strength against this predator, and I feel her try to force the change.
I grit my teeth and hold onto my human form with every bit of stubbornness I possess.
Stop fighting me. You’ll get your turn, but let’s not scare him before we’ve even locked him down, I caution her, and I almost feel her roll her eyes before she disappears again. So. Damn. Dramatic.
He low-key growls and pounces forward. I react instinctively and throw a hand out, smacking him on the end of the nose. “Bad vampy.” He startles backward, his eyes wide as he cups his nose in utter disbelief.
“You hit me?” He blinks a few times, trying to make sure that what he experienced matches the words he just spoke. “Nobody has landed a hit on me in fifty years.”
“Well, you scared me.” I arch an eyebrow at him while crossing my arms. “You can’t go around scaring a woman into being your blood rose. You need to be gentle.”
“No ravishing,” he mutters quietly. “That stupid merman was right.”
“Oh, hold up, wait a minute. No one said anything about no ravishing, you just need to ask first.” I think about it a little, realizing my statement was partially correct, and then shrug.
“Well, actually, consent isn’t even really needed.
I like the idea of you taking what you want, but I’m also human, and you ripping my throat out is not going to go well for me.
This” —I wave a hand between the two of us— “would be over very quickly, and it wouldn’t end well for either of us.
” A shudder rolls through my body at the thought of blood splattering across the room all because he was impatient.
His frown clears as he contemplates what I just said, then he nods his head decisively like it all makes perfect sense. Thank fuck he understands. “Yes, you are right, of course. I need to change you first before we can finish the bonding.”
I hear the sound of tires squealing as my brain comes to a complete halt. “Change me?” I squeak out as he gets off the bed and disappears into the darkness of the room. “Hey, can we maybe get a little light? You’ve got me at a little bit of a disadvantage because I can’t see a thing.”
He’s suddenly in front of me again, and I can’t stop the little yelp that leaves my mouth.
He lifts my hand and places a kiss on the back of it.
“My apologies, my beautiful blood rose. I must admit I’m a little nervous,” he says, not meeting my eyes, but I see him swallow roughly.
“It’s affecting my reasoning, but I will endeavor to do better.
” He releases my hand and disappears in a flash again.
I blink my eyes, the flashing starting to make me feel vaguely ill. Shortly after, though, the room’s lighting increases slightly, and my eyes adjust to the change. It’s still fairly dark, but I can make out more of my surroundings.
Before I can get a good look at the room, Saxon returns once more, and in his hand is an ornate silver goblet with some interesting markings on the outside. Although his facial expression is blank, I can see one of his eyes twitch involuntarily.
Is Saxon nervous?
“In order for you to be my blood rose, I need to make you Vilaxian. It’s not an easy process, and it’s not a common one.
The only time it is ever performed is for a non-Vilaxian blood rose, and this has only happened a handful of times over the centuries.
” He pauses for a moment, like he knows it’s a lot to take in, letting me digest how rare our bond truly is.
My racing heart slowly returns to a steady beat before he continues.
“This goblet is spelled and was sent to me by the queen. It is kept guarded in the royal vault, and only brought out in situations such as this. The Vilaxian with the non-Vilaxian blood rose can appeal to the monarch to use it, but she is my aunt and sent it along with my brother, just in case.”
He looks down at the goblet thoughtfully before holding it out for me to take, our eyes locking.
My hand shakes as I reach for it, so I take a big calming breath.
Holy crap, Saxon is turning me into a vampire, or some sort of vampire, a blood rose who will survive the bonding and be able to provide for my mate.
I hadn’t even considered what might happen.
Sure, when I bonded with Cas I got the ability to shift, but fuck, I haven’t really thought about any of this, or maybe I chose not to.
Either way, this is nerve-racking, the fear of the unknown weighing heavily on my mind and warring with my heart and soul.
Deep down in my bones, the overwhelming sense of the rightness of being his blood rose calms me down again, so I breathe in and out twice before reaching for it again.
This time, my hand is steady. I’m ready to bond.
“The liquid inside will change the structure of your bone marrow so that it will produce more blood, so I can drink from you without killing you. It may also give you some Vilaxian characteristics, but that does vary by blood rose. It may be uncomfortable for a few moments as the spell rewrites your DNA.” Again, I breathe in and out, only seconds away from losing my shit as he reveals more of what I can expect. “Do you want to ask any questions?”
I quickly shake my head and bring the goblet up to my mouth, but he puts a hand on mine, stopping me before I can drink. When I look up at him, his eyes are soft, and he wears a gentle smile.
“Are you certain, Lila? You don’t have to do this.
I’m sure we can come up with another solution,” he says softly, but we know the truth.
Without me, he will wither away and die, and I can’t have that on my conscience.
Yes, again, I’m marrying someone I know next to nothing about, but look at how good that turned out with Caspian.
And, I mean, this guy is sexy as fuck. Even if we have nothing else in common, I’m almost certain sex with him is going to be off the fucking charts.
If that sucks, I can slit my wrist and fill a cup of blood for him every day.
I mean, there are worse things I could have to do.
“I want to do this, Saxon,” I tell him and gently peel his hand back, and before he can say anything else, I throw back the goblet like a frat boy at happy hour.
I gulp down the liquid, but it’s not until I’m almost done that I recognize it’s hot and thick and tastes like copper.
My brain stalls out as it puts two and two together.
Blood.
Oh my god, I’m drinking Saxon’s blood. My nonexistent gag reflex decides to make itself known, and I struggle to swallow the last mouthful, but I do, forcefully, and I clamp my lips together in the hope that I do not bring all of that back up.
I can’t imagine what it tastes like going the opposite way.
Groaning, I keep my lips tightly shut as the goblet falls out of my hand and instinctively roll onto the bed in a fetal position.
Placing my hands over my stomach, I pray to every deity I can think of to not let me vomit blood everywhere.
I can’t even imagine how insulting it would be to Saxon, so I need to put my big girl panties on and digest his blood like a champ.