Chapter 23
B ack at their home, Amos carried Phillipe up to the second story and laid his filthy, emaciated body on the bed in one of the guest bedrooms. He double-checked the light-proof shutters, making sure they were tightly sealed. Satisfied, he shut the bedroom door, then locked it from the outside with a digital keypad next to the door.
“What’s that for?” Tessa asked.
“If he revives before I come out of my daysleep, I don’t want him running off.”
“Is that likely?” Tessa asked, already envisioning Phillipe waking alone in a locked room, confused and terrified.
“No. In all likelihood, even if the revival begins before sunset, he’ll sleep through the beginning of the night. He’s exhausted and injured. He’ll need the rest.”
Tessa was relieved. “Good. He’s going to be terrified enough when he comes to. We don’t need to make it worse.”
Amos gently cupped her jaw, tipping her face up to his. “ Your ability to be tough as nails but also so deeply empathetic is beyond my understanding.”
Tessa scoffed to hide her bashfulness. “I’m not tough.”
Amos’s blood-crusted eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “Not tough? You survived a werewolf attack while standing in freezing water in the middle of the night, holding the body of a dying thrall. You did that without so much as a whimper. And now, not even an hour later, you’re worried about the thrall.”
“He’s not a thrall anymore,” Tessa said. Amos’s admiration filled her with warm joy, but she’d never been great at accepting compliments, so she changed to the topic. “How on earth did Etta know what was going on? Was she looking for you? Can you, like, psychically call for her?”
The corner of Amos’s mouth curled up. “Uh, yes, actually. I mean, sort of. There’s a bond between a vampire and their dam or sire. If their progeny is in distress, a dam or sire can sense it. It calls to them.”
“Can you sense Phillipe like that?”
“Not yet. The bond takes time to develop. But eventually, yes, I will be able to.”
Tessa considered that, feeling mildly guilty. “Is that going to be unpleasant for you?” she asked. “I know you said you didn’t want progeny.”
Amos cupped her face with both hands, looking into her eyes. “He saved you when I couldn’t. I owe him my life a million times over. Don’t ever feel guilty for asking me to turn him.”
“You didn’t seem very happy about it.”
Amos shook his head. “That was a knee-jerk reaction. Saving him was the right thing to do. If you hadn’t asked me to, I would’ve regretted not doing it for the rest of my days. ”
“Are you sure?”
Amos stroked his thumbs across her cheekbones. “I’m sure. Come on. Let’s clean up.”
They stripped out of their wet, blood-crusted clothes and got into the shower together. Amos sat patiently while Tessa made sure all the blood was scrubbed out of his hair and that his wounds were adequately cleaned—even though they’d heal within a few hours. In return, she relaxed while he lathered soap over her entire body, checking for any sign of injury.
Clean and calm, reassured of each other’s safety, Amos carried Tessa to the bed and tossed her onto it. He lowered himself on top of her, the gentlest of weights, pinning her down while his hands and mouth roved all over her body. Tender touches turned heated, heated touches turned hungry. His fingers dug into her skin, strong enough to leave bruises that his venom would soon heal. His fangs dragged over her skin, raising goosebumps in their wake.
Tessa was arching and gasping and begging for it when he finally braced himself above her, hips cradled between her thighs, and pushed into the soft, hot, clasp of her body. She let her thighs fall wider, arms stretched overhead, luxuriating in the feeling of Amos. Just Amos. Steady and strong and honest and safe. Mild-mannered, yet deadly. All that brute power simmering inside of him, and he unleashed it only for Tessa, whether he was fighting for her or fucking her.
As the first ripples of orgasm started to pulse, she threw her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in close as the blinding pleasure washed over her. She felt his mouth moving against her throat—not biting, but kissing. Over and over again, breathing her name against her pulse as her inner muscles squeezed around him. He groaned, every muscle in his body drawing taut as his own climax crested. Warm, wet heat flooded inside of her.
His muscles eased and he lowered himself onto her, letting his weight crush her into the mattress while his cock remained buried inside her. His tongue swiped up the side of her neck right before his fangs pierced her. A few seconds later, she was arching and gasping again, crying his name as his venom turned her inside out with pleasure. He groaned against her throat as he drank from her, hips flexing in shallow little digs.
When Amos was sated and the effects of his venom had faded, he eased her beneath the covers and got up from bed.
“Where are you going?” Tessa murmured sleepily.
“To get you something to eat.”
“In bed?” she asked, faintly scandalized.
Amos chuckled. “Just this once.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he disappeared to the kitchen.
Much, much later, Tessa lay snuggled against Amos’s chest as the sun crested the horizon. Amos murmured nonsensically against her hair as daysleep tugged at him.
“What?” Tessa asked softly, not sure if he was even still awake.
“Are you happy?” he murmured, the words heavy with sleep.
She found his hand and curled her fingers into his. “I couldn’t imagine being happier.”
A soft purr resonated in his chest until, at last, he let sleep claim him.