Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Marcus hadn’t wanted to leave Carina at the mansion by herself.
Even after her nap, she could barely keep her eyes open as he’d gotten dressed for the evening at Nightfall.
Thankfully, he’d had enough staff to pull guards to protect his most precious possession at home.
He’d left Carina and Mischief cuddling on the couch under a soft throw with a movie she’d wanted to see forever playing.
Throughout the night, he’d checked in on her.
She’d wandered away from the couch to grab snacks several times and use the bathroom.
When she grew tired of movies, Carina had taken a long bubble bath before returning to the living room to wait for him.
He’d ignited the fireplace for her when she’d shivered in the thin robe she’d selected afterward and made a note for himself to get her something warmer.
He did not wish for his Little girl to catch a cold.
Arriving home early in the morning hours, Marcus found her sleeping soundly. Her sweet face relaxed in sleep delighted his heart, while the creamy flesh revealed by her robe stirred other parts of his anatomy. Unwilling to wake her, Marcus fixed himself a drink to unwind.
When a log in the fireplace snapped loudly, Carina roused and glanced around. She smiled at him upon spotting him seated in a chair by the fireplace where he sipped a drink. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she sat up from the couch and adjusted the silky robe to cover herself.
“Daddy, I didn’t hear you come in. I must have fallen asleep after my bath. I wanted to stay awake for you. Is everything okay? Are you all right?”
Marcus placed his drink on the table next to the chair and crossed the short distance to join her on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her onto his lap. After a quick hug and kiss, he looked deeply into Carina’s eyes.
“All is perfectly fine for now, Little girl.”
“For now, Daddy? Does that mean something else is coming?”
Marcus chose to tell her the truth. “The man who tried to kidnap you and cause problems at Nightfall does not strike me as someone who can let things be. Tonight, everything was calm at the club. But my guess is Costa will return soon. I need to safeguard you from harm.”
After hugging Marcus and kissing his cheek, Carina shifted to meet his gaze directly. “You’ll always protect me, Daddy.”
“I would give my life for yours, Little girl. But Costa is watching and waiting. He has only to find one weak moment when we are not together. We can never relax our guard.” A stern tone edged into his voice.
“And you can never fail to follow my directions. You mean far too much to me to take that risk. I want you safe, with me… forever.” Under his fingertips, a tingle ran up her spine as she absorbed his warning.
He hoped the seriousness of his words registered permanently with her.
“I said I was sorry, Daddy. I won’t do that again,” Carina reminded him. Her pouting lip warned him she was unhappy he’d brought up her poor choice to run.
“I don’t think you would choose to disobey purposefully. But what if a friend called and needed you? Or you wrenched your ankle and couldn’t make it to our arranged meeting spot on time? A million unlucky events could happen spontaneously to put you at risk.”
“I don’t want to check over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Isn’t there something we could do? Take Costa out?”
“That is easily done. However, someone would step into his place.”
“But if you turned me, I could kick anyone’s ass,” she told him bravely. “And we could be together forever. I thought about this all night.”
“That is a solution. What did you decide, Little girl?”
“I need you to tell me the bad part again. I already know the good. I missed you a lot tonight. If I became a vampire, I’d get to spend forever with you.”
“I’m glad I’m in your positive column,” he teased her before stroking his hand down her arm to link his fingers with hers.
“You would need to give up everything in your present-day world to embrace a completely different life. You would leave behind friends, family, career, possessions.”
Carina lifted her chin defiantly. “But I’d be with you? Forever?”
Marcus held her gaze for the briefest of moments. “Yes. You would be mine for many years. I have waited to find you for eons. Letting you go would tear my heart out, but the decision must be yours. I will not end your present existence to live in my world unless it is truly what you desire.”
Carina opened her mouth to respond, but Marcus placed a finger over her lips to close them before she could utter a sound. “We don’t need to rush into anything, Little girl. Breathe. Think. Ask your questions.”
Carina did as he requested and closed her eyes to center herself. She inhaled and exhaled slowly twice before meeting his gaze again. Then she blurted, “Will it hurt?” as if that idea popped back into her head.
Marcus smiled to reassure her. “A bit, but I will do all I can to make it as painless as possible and help you through your transition. I cannot lie to you and assure you it will be totally comfortable.”
Carina bit her lip. “And what about the whole giving up my life?”
Marcus held her gaze once again. “That is more of a long-term proposition. Living forever means you will outlive the humans you know and those you love. In the short term, nothing needs to change, but over a decade people would notice you are not aging. That is an issue we can manage. But you have to understand it is a task that must be dealt with delicately. You can only be Carina for a certain number of years before your youth and lack of wrinkles make people wonder about you.”
Carina sat quietly for a short time. Marcus studied her reactions, unwilling to read her thoughts before she chose to share them. Her eyebrows drew together, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Marcus mentally urged the fire higher to heat the room.
Her expression revealed her choice before she spoke. Carina grasped his hands in both of hers. Resolve sounded in her tone as she announced, “I trust you, Daddy, and I want to stay with you forever. There’s nothing I desire more than being your Little girl. Please take me into your world.”
“Now?” he asked. A thread of concern ran through his mind.
The process of turning someone was not without risk.
There was a slim chance her body could reject him or he would mismanage the process.
Marcus pushed those thoughts out of his mind.
She would be fine. There were no other options.
He would not allow anything else to happen.
“Yes, please. I don’t want to worry about my decision. I won’t change my mind. Fretting about it won’t change how much I love you.”
Marcus slid his hands from hers and cupped her face. After tasting her sweet mouth thoroughly to celebrate her decision, he leaned back to glance into her eyes once again. “My world will be complete when you are a part of it, Little girl.”
Lowering his head, he scattered kisses across her forehead, cheeks, and jawline. Marcus slid a hand from the nape of her neck up into her hair. He tangled his fingers in her silky tresses and gently but firmly pulled her head back to expose her neck as he nibbled down her jugular vein.
Worried that she’d be frightened, Marcus looked once more at her face and relaxed.
She’d closed her eyes, enjoying his kisses and showing how much she trusted him.
A small moan escaped her lips as he pressed his mouth to her neck and slowly traced the vein with his tongue.
Her pulse thudded under his touch, mixing his arousal with the undeniable thrill of having his prey so willing.
He could feel her anticipation building with his slow pace. She wanted this.
Marcus linked his mind with hers to cloud Carina’s senses as his canine teeth elongated and slid into her neck, puncturing the artery.
He had done this to countless others over the centuries, but this time was special.
Now, he would be making a mate, and he wanted to cause as little pain as was possible.
Her hot blood came out in a torrent, filling the room with a coppery scent.
Bloodlust threatened to overwhelm him as he drank deeply.
He rode a wave of emotion while holding her firmly against him.
Pleasure and concern warred against each other inside him.
This was his mate. He needed to take special care of her.
He scooped her from his lap and lowered both of them to the thick rug below to allow her to relax and rest.
As her lifeblood drained from her veins, Marcus monitored her heart rate. When her heartbeat slowed to a flutter, he stood to retrieve a pillow from the couch. He knelt by her side to prop the cushion under her neck and gently opened her lips.
One last step, Little girl. You are doing so well.
Moving urgently, he ripped off his shirt and lifted his wrist to his mouth.
Tearing his flesh open with the point of one fang, Marcus held his wrist over her mouth as the blood welled from his veins.
He allowed droplets of the crimson liquid to drop onto Carina’s tongue.
When she didn’t swallow automatically, he pushed away his panic and rubbed her throat.
Drink, Little one. Now, or I’ll spank your bottom.
Her muscles shifted under his hand as she rallied to follow his directions. Relief flooded him. Marcus didn’t waste precious time celebrating. The risk of losing her still remained. Using his mental powers, he commanded the blood to merge and bolster the small spark of life clinging within her.
He felt Carina’s mind explode like the sun as heat and light jolted her from her stupor.
Suddenly, her senses had cranked up to their highest level.
Sounds, scents, and sensations swarmed around her.
Her face mirrored her confusion as she tried to understand the stimuli that battled for her attention.