Chapter 46
Volik
Dawn is starting to seep in around her bedroom curtains.
Nix was asleep in my arms before we even made it to the bedroom last night. So I carried her, kept her with me, as I checked that the doors were locked. As I closed her curtains. As I poured a glass of water and set it on the nightstand, in case she woke up thirsty.
Then I lay on my back, on her bed, with Nix sprawled face down on top of me.
And… it was the best night of my life.
Maybe tied with the night before. Because that was…
I smile at the ceiling.
That was amazing.
The best experience ever.
My mate, naked. Beneath me. Surrounding me. For the first time ever.
I glide my hands up and down Nix’s back.
The first time will always be special. But last night. The one that’s about to end. That was special too. Because it was us.
I still want to bury myself inside her. Would right now if she said she wanted me to. But holding her while we spoke, it was a dream come true. Her honesty. The rawness of her emotions.
My nose scrunches at the memory of her tears.
I hated that part.
I have smelled other people’s tears before. But they were not like that.
Maybe it only smells like that to me because she is mine.
Lifting my head off the mattress, I press my nose to the top of her head and inhale.
Orchids bloom inside my blood.
Gods, she is perfect.
Dropping my head back down, I close my eyes and send a silent thank-you to the cosmos for making Nix my mate. For gifting me with the most perfect person.
She asked my brother’s name.
And for the first time in years, I said it out loud.
I think about him every day. And every day I worry about him. Worry that he’s okay. That he will be okay.
He put himself through so much, has seen and done so much.
But now, as I lie here with the other half of my soul, my worry grows for Vameer.
What if he misses this?
What if his mate is out there, but he does not wake up in time?
My heart rate picks up as my stress builds.
What if he sleeps through her whole lifetime?
I wrap my arms around Nix and concentrate on slowing my pulse.
My person shifts as she lets out a little grumble.
Breathing slowly, I release a small purr.
It happens without my meaning it to, but I am starting to get a handle on it.
Nix sighs.
Our fronts are pressed together. Her cheek is against my bare chest, her ear over my heart. She has one arm bent, hand above her head, palm on my clavicle. Her other arm is out wide. Her legs draped over mine.
My ideal blanket.
I need to get in touch with my aunt and uncle. Need to find out more about human mates.
If I was a smart vampire, I would have spent my lifetime researching this. Finding out if the bond works any differently when a mate is human.
I know a few things about mates. And since our hearts beat as one, I believe that some of the facts I know will be true for us as they are for vampire pairs. But I cannot be certain. And there is still so much unknown.
Too much unknown.
Closing my eyes again, I focus on Nix’s vibrant scent.
Danger is everywhere. Always has been. Always will be. And maybe I did not prepare as I should have for her, but my lack of knowledge will not affect Nix’s safety.
I have not gotten complacent.
And with the way I have changed—the amplification of my gravito, the amplification of everything—I will make myself into more.
I will be her mate.
Her confidant.
Her other half.
But I will also be her protector.
Her shield.
Her weapon.
I might not have the same title or reputation, but my brother is not the only one in the family who knows how to fight.
My resolve hardens.
I will talk to my relatives. We will announce our mating. And I will show the world that I am not a vampire to be wary of. I am one they should be terrified of.
Because if anyone comes after my Nix, I will unleash every molecule of power roiling inside me. And that may be world-ending. But if my mate is harmed… I will not care.
But humanity should. So they will be warned.
Soaking in another moment together, I hug Nix’s soft body to mine. Then I slide my hands down her back and grip her ass.
Her breathing changes as she wakes, then she lets out a sleepy groan.
At the sound, my cock—which has been half hard all night—pulses almost painfully in my tight pants.
I need to find clothes that fit.
I flex my fingers, squeezing her perfect butt, while I lift my head and kiss her hair.
Nix nuzzles her face against me.
“Bonjour, Ma Fleur. It is time to wake.” I kiss her again.
My mate grumbles her displeasure.
“Unless you want to quit your job.” I slide one hand up her back. “That would be more than acceptable.”
Nix lifts her head and squints up at me. “What?”
I smile down at her. “You are so pretty.”
She narrows her eyes even more. “I’m not quitting my job.”
I grunt. “You do not need to work. But if it makes you happy, I will not interfere.”
Nix opens her mouth, then loses her words to a yawn.
“Also.” I decide to carry on. “You can move in with me, when you are ready. Tonight. Ideally.”
Wide eyes look up at me. “Tonight?”
I nod. “Ideally.”
“Volik—”
“I have a lot of money.”
Nix lets out an adorable snort, then drops her forehead to my chest.
“What?”
She shakes her head against me.
“Was that too formal?” I clear my throat. “I’ve got lots of money.”
Nix is still shaking her head, but she’s smiling when she looks back up at me. “You are absurd.” She enunciates the words.
She’s teasing me.
I grin.
Her eyes drop to my mouth. And her lust shoves my pulse higher.
“We can do that too. Instead of going to work.”
Nix blinks. “What time is it?”
I shrug. “Dawn is rising.”
“Shit.” Palms press against my chest, and Nix pushes herself up until she’s sitting on my stomach. Knees on either side of me.
She rubs her eyes and looks at the clock. Then looks down at me.
My head is on her pillow, and my feet are hanging off the end of the mattress, my heels on the floor.
Her fingers trace absently against my skin. “Did we sleep like this all night?”
I grip her hips and hold her in place. “Yes. Though, I did not sleep.”
Her brows furrow. “At all?”
“Most nights I do not.”
Nix opens her mouth, then shakes her head. “Is that because you can’t sleep or because you don’t need to?”
“Do not need to.” I lift a shoulder. “Vampires sleep an hour, maybe two, a month. More if there is a large shift in our power. Either using it or getting it. As I learned the night before last.”
“You slept that first night?”
“Da.” I flex my fingers against her hips, loving the way she feels. “But if necessary, we can go months, potentially years, without. So long as we have energy from another source.”
“Blood?” There is no disgust in her tone, only curiosity.
“Da.” I slide my palms down her thighs, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. “Sangue. It is the best source.”
“So…” Nix furrows her brow. “Is that how vampires got the label of nocturnal? Needing so little sleep, you’re up most of the night.”
I nod.
“It has nothing to do with the sun?”
“Nyet,” I huff. “We are not scared of the big star in the sky. It is simply easier to move around at night when one is trying to hide horns and black eyes. But ignorance leads to assumptions.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” It’s like I can see her beautiful brain working. And I love it. “Is all blood the same? As far as energy goes?”
I smile at her as I shake my head, enjoying her questions. “It is all different. In a dire situation, we can drink small amounts of our own blood. It will keep us functioning, but not strong.”
“So, to be strong, you’d need to… drink other vampires’ blood? Rather than human?”
“That is typically true. Though…” I think about the way I felt after consuming just the smallest amount of Nix’s blood. “I think, as my mate, your blood holds special power for me. Like a super charger.”
Her brows lift, and her lips pull into a pleased expression. “Well, that’s nice.”
“Da.” I dip my chin, agreeing.
“So, other than me…”
“The energy the blood provides depends on how powerful the host is. Bears are often a better source than humans.”
“Bears?”
I rub circles on her thighs with my thumbs. “They are physically strong and very intelligent. One or the other characteristic is good but combined is better.”
Nix hums. “Makes sense.”
“The strongest I have encountered was a polar bear.”
Her jaw drops. “Shut up.”
I feel my lips pull into a smile. “She was a good bear. I helped her hunt for a few weeks, and she let me feed off her.”
“That’s amazing.” Nix looks down at me with wide eyes.
“She was.” I wish that had not happened eighty years ago, so I could introduce them to each other.
“So you just drink a little? You don’t… I mean, I know vampires don’t kill everything they feed from. The world would be littered with bodies. But do you just need some?”
“It depends on whether a vampire is injured or depleted of all their power, though, for the most part, that is correct. But powerful blood will only work to enhance our innate abilities. A weak vampire will not become a warrior simply from feeding off something mighty. There is no cheating the fates.”
“That’s probably good.”
I nod my agreement. “Some have tried. They were put down.”
“Probably good.” Nix grimaces. “So vampires, bears, humans. In that order. With your mate potentially at the top.”
“Da. But a shifter is better than a bear. And a druid will land anywhere on the spectrum, above a human, depending on their strength.”
Nix blinks. Slowly. “I’m sorry. What?”
“It depends on the amount of—” She shakes her head. “What?”
“What?” Nix widens her eyes at me. “You just casually announced the fact that there are shifters and druids. And you ask me what?”
I grin. “What would you like to know?”
“Everything!” She lifts her hands and smacks them back down on my chest. “Volik, this is crazy!”
My grin widens.
“By shifters, you mean people who turn into animals, right?” Nix leans forward, bracing her hands on my body. “Like werewolves?”
“Da.” Her excitement fills my heart. “Like that, only they get really pissy if you call them such.”
“They really turn into wolves,” she whispers.
“Wolves. Bears. Lions. Eagles. I have heard tale of others, but those are the ones I have met.”
“Volik.”
“Nix.”
She leans even closer, like she is telling me a secret. “I need to see this.”
I flex my fingers on her legs. “I will show you.”
“And druids? That’s like… magic?”
“There are different affinities, depending on the bloodline. But magic. Essentially.”
She heaves out a breath as she sits back. “This is an incredible amount of information. You get that, right?”
“Da.”
“And you know I’m going to have, like, a million more questions, right?”
“Da.” I smile at my clever girl. “Ma journaliste.”
Her nails drag down my abdomen. “My vampire.”
She says it quietly. Breathes it absently. But it feels like she shouted it.
Nix claimed me.
In a blink, I sit up and wrap my arms around my mate.
Nix squeaks in surprise, sliding down from where she was sitting on my stomach to my lap, pressing against my hardness beneath her.
“I am yours, Mea Unica. I am your vampire. I belong to none other.”
Her fingers dig into my sides. “We barely know each other.”
There is no conviction behind her statement.
“We will learn everything there is to know.”
“But…” Nix rolls her lips together. “What if you don’t like me?”
My brows lift at her nonsense question.
When I only stare, she huffs. “Fine. What if I don’t like you?”
“We are two parts of one soul. You will more than like me, my pretty little human.”