40. Rune
Rune
Isqueeze his horn as I moan.
He licked me.
He—
My moan turns into a squeak as we fly up the stairs.
We twist midair, and I blink at the ceiling of the narrow staircase as it blurs above me. Then we’re upright again. In the center of my apartment.
Next to my bed.
Slowly, he, Vameer, lowers me.
My body drags down his front.
Against his hard body.
Over the hard bulge at his waist.
Until my feet touch the floor.
He loosens his hold on me, dragging his hand over my body as he lets me go.
Then he takes a step back. Removing all contact between us.
My breaths are coming fast. And my heart is beating wildly.
This is it.
Either I turn around and find… no one. And this has all been a dream.
Or I turn around and…
Clenching my fists, I spin.
And…
My heart races.
Because he is here.
My eyes lift. Up and up. Until they connect with his.
The vampire from the cave.
The man from my mirror.
The force inside my chest.
His gaze is on mine. And it’s… everything.
The black of his eyes is endless. An infinite galaxy, focused just on me.
He’s not lying down like the first time I saw him.
He’s not leaned toward a mirror.
He’s here. Standing up straight. To his full, incredibly tall height.
The top of my head barely reaches his chest. He’s two feet taller than me. With shiny black horns that make him even taller.
My palms throb with the urge to grip his horn again. To grip both of them.
I drag my gaze down.
His lips are slightly parted, the exact color muted in the dark apartment. Just like in the cave. But I can see more of him than ever before.
His distinct brow. Masculine cheekbones. The short beard I’ve imagined touching.
My gaze moves to his dark hair that’s at least as long as mine.
When I touched it earlier, it was so soft. Smooth. Seeming so at odds with his obvious roughness.
His strength.
His hair hangs over shoulders so wide that I’m surprised he fit through the door.
And his heat… It just rolls off him. And it feels good.
I recognize it as the heat that has filled me since we first locked eyes.
Since my heart stopped. And restarted.
I look at the thick column of his throat.
And I have to know.
My fingers shake as I reach my hand up between us.
The two sides of his robe part below his neck. And I feel him watching me as I slide my hand through the open gap in the fabric.
When my palm meets the bare skin of his chest, the floor trembles.
And I need to know.
I shift my hand, moving it over his heart.
Feeling the beat.
His rib cage expands with a deep inhale. And then the heartbeat beneath my palm slows, just a little. Deliberately.
The one inside my chest matches.
I keep my hand where it is as I look back up into the vampire’s eyes.
“It’s true?”
He nods, once. Then he lifts his hand and presses it to my chest, over my matching heartbeat. “It is true.”
Emotion crackles in my throat, and I feel my eyes start to shine. “You’re really mine?”
He moves his hand up to the base of my throat. His palm is so big.
Then his hand shifts, and he tracks a fingertip up my throat, leaving a trail of fire as he leans down. Bringing our faces close.
“Sí, Little Human, I am your vampire.” With his finger under my chin, he tips my head up. “Now, say my name.”
I press up onto my toes, leaving just an inch of space between us.
I grip the front of his robe with my free hand, steadying myself, and press harder against his chest with my other hand. Feeling as our hearts start to beat faster.
Then, I do as he says, and I say his name. “Vameer. My vampire.”
The building shakes as his hand moves to the side of my neck. “Esto perpetuum.”
And then… He kisses me.