“You’re amazing.” He gave her a light squeeze. “You know that? Amazing.”
She laughed. “Well, you may think so now, but you haven’t heard the rest of the brilliant decisions I’ve made in my past.”
“Like what?”
“Like the time I went and got myself engaged to someone even worse than dear old dad. I’d promised myself not to let myself be treated like my father had done to me and my mother. But not only would my fiancé lock me in our room when he wanted to punish me, but afterward, in the bedroom, he’d remind me exactly who was in charge. Those are the dreams I can’t seem to shake.”
“This is the bastard you didn’t want me to kill?” The words rumbled from his chest. “My God, if I had known the extent…”
She uncurled herself from his arms, and her soft hands wrapped around his neck. “I hurt you before—when you were only trying to protect me, and I’m so sorry.”
“You’ve been through hell in your life, and I’m sure my actions, from the moment we met, didn’t make things any easier on you.”
Emily arched one delicate brow with an unsaid, you think? “When you showed up, I was desperate to reinvent myself. To regain control of my life. When Jeff knocked on the door that night, I needed to feel like I could hold my own against him. To prove to myself that he didn’t intimidate me anymore.”
“I never want you to feel like a prisoner with me.”
“You make me feel cherished and, at the same time, amazingly free to be myself. I realize I would never be in prison with you.” She rose to her knees, punching the air from his chest and grabbing the reins to his heart with the smoldering heat in her gaze. “Just the opposite. With you… Because of you, I’m empowered. And I’m not running anymore. I love you, Kenric St. James.”
Emily knew she’d laid it all on the line. Like a giant bull’s-eye, she’d stuck her heart out there, and it was open season. But the way he touched her, held her, and wanted to know everything about her, said he cared.
“You have no idea what a miracle you are to me, do you?” Both of his hands burrowed into her hair. “You’ve brought happiness into my life again. I’d built a wall around my heart so high, I didn’t believe it would be possible for anyone to scale it.” His lips brushed her forehead, and the slight touch flipped her heart over. He drew back and gave her a smile that brought a hitch to her throat. “But you did.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip, sending a tingle of desire down her spine and a rush of arousal between her legs. “You not only scaled it, but you brought the son of a bitch crashing down.”
He laughed, and it played like beautiful music to her ears. The tune carried notes of pure, unabashed joy, and it filled her heart to near-bursting.
“Stay there. I have something I want to give you.” He left the bed before she could reply.
He sauntered naked across the room, each step powerful and sure, the rippling flex and extension of his muscles declaring him a warrior. The man made her blood overheat.
Moments later, he stood at the bedside holding a black leather pouch. He held it out. She opened her hand, and he dropped it into her waiting palm. “What is this?” She held the lightweight package up and studied it.
“Open it and see.”
She pulled at the ties and spread the material open. Inside laid a coiled bundle of leather straps lined with a silver band on one side. “Uh… Thanks?” She glanced up, and one corner of her mouth rose in a smile.
He grinned but didn’t elaborate. Instead, he climbed into bed and stretched out like a big cat waiting for a scratch to its tummy. And damn if she wasn’t itching to oblige, but first, she had to figure out what the items in her hand were intended for.
“Kenric, what is this all about?”
“Come here,” he said in a deep and sexy-as-hell voice. A voice that he had to know damn well would have her doing anything he asked.
As if she were feather-light, he grasped her, placing her astride his hips. His thick shaft nestled in the groove of her bare bottom, chasing her breath away. The storm returned to his eyes, the one named desire. And it consumed her. She rode the waves cresting there, and he took her out to sea. No lighthouse to find her way home, but she wasn’t afraid. She wanted to stay there—with him—forever.
“Since the first moment I met you, I knew you were something very special. But because of the danger and the darkness that surrounds me, I didn’t want to acknowledge the reality of what I’d found.” He brushed her cheek. “You’re my soul mate, Wildflower. And I know that with every fiber of my being. You were meant for me.”
It was as if he were reading the script etched on her heart. She believed it as well. He was meant to be in her life. “You’re my rock, my anchor, Kenric St. James,” Emily said, her voice cracking. She placed her palm over his breastbone, and he gripped her fingers.
“For a master vampire, the discovery of a mate that’s a perfect match, body and soul, is a powerful and rare experience. But I didn’t want to believe it had happened. Because caring for any woman has proven in the past to be a death sentence to the one who chose to be a part of my life. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, too.” The tender look on his face tied her up in knots. She sat the gift bag on the washboard of muscles before her, then slid her palms down the sides of his arms and into his hands.
Suddenly, a smile curved lips so delectable, she had to resist the urge to lean forward and steal a taste. “But look at you, sitting there, having defied death.” His hands left hers and followed the curve of her arms down to the tops of her thighs. “My Wildflower, you’re so strong—beautiful—and the other half of my soul. I love you.”
She chewed her lip to keep from sobbing once more in front of him. Shit. The man made her snivel like an idiot. “Kenric…” He stole her words, her mind. Placing her hands to his abs, she leaned forward and tasted his lips before claiming his mouth.
He kissed her like a man starved. Famished for the love he’d denied himself for years. She returned his hunger, wanting to be the woman who gave him everything his heart had been missing.
Without warning, he took his lips from hers. “There’s something I want to offer you,” he whispered breathlessly.
“I don’t need anything else. I have all that I need right here.” She placed a finger to his lips.
“Please, I want to do this, but I want you to think before you answer, because it cannot be undone.”
“What are you saying?”
“Remember when I spoke of vampires having the ability to mate? Blend with another at the level of their very soul?”
“Yes.”
“That is what I want with you. To share the rest of my days as a part of you, Wildflower.”
She rocked back. Her hands shot straight to her face and covered her mouth. Speechless. With a shake of her head, she rattled a few coherent syllables together. “There are no words …”
“Think about this clearly. I have. And I have no doubts that we were meant to be together.” His gaze dropped to the leather pouch still sitting between them. “Those straps that I gave you, if you decide you want this, are for you to bind me with. I must submit to you.”
“Kenric, you’re joking.” She shook her head. “I have to tie you down?”
He took her hand in his. “Yes, we would become a part of one another, and at the end of the blending, you would share in my strength. That is why the male submits. I know this probably feels like we’re moving fast.”
A chuckle bubbled up from Emily’s gut. “Everything about us has moved at lightning speed. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
“With Marguerite’s power escalating, we don’t have the luxury of a long courtship. As the other half of my soul, and for as long as we live, neither I nor any male will ever control or dominate you again. Not that any would dare touch you, if they wished to continue living.”
She smiled, having seen the proof of that statement with Jeff. The man before her was incredible. He understood her fears and offer
ed her the power to conquer them. To free herself. Never to be at the mercy of another man again. Bound to a fortress of power, yet at the same time, she would maintain the strength of her independence. Her head spun. “Kenric, what you’re offering me is staggering. That you’re willing to give yourself to me in this way touches me so deeply.” She squeezed his hands. “You said a blending. How is this done?”
“It would require you to drain me. My soul would leave my body at that moment and enter yours, blending with your essence. Afterward, you would need to compel me to feed from your vein, and, as I revive, my soul would return to me as a blended version of us both. You will sense me as never before and gain the ability to communicate with me telepathically.”
“But I have to kill you. Is that what you’re saying?” She jerked her head back and forth and snatched her hands free from his. A horrific panic gripped her, and she wrapped her arms under her breasts. “What if something goes wrong and I can’t bring you back?” Submission of his body, that in itself moved her, but he wanted to give all of himself—his power, his soul, his life—to her, and he trusted her to return it to him.
“It won’t. To actually kill me, you would have to remove my head or put a dagger through my heart. In this situation, I would neither be dead or alive. But that’s not going to happen.”
She scoffed. Mr. Always So Confident. For some crazy reason his explanation did not make her feel any better.
“Nothing will go wrong,” he repeated. “Because I know this was meant to be.” His hands encircled her arms. “The most important thing here is…” Roughened palms loosened her hold and stroked her forearms. “Is this what you want? Marguerite is still a threat, and she will be enraged when she learns of this. I promise you, I will protect you with my life and all that is in my power. It sickens me to know that my world puts you in danger, but I can’t exist any longer without you. In here.” His fist struck his sternum.
Ever since she’d found him lying injured and unconscious, her body and soul had yearned for him. Her life had changed forever that night. His words rang true in her heart and mind. Destiny had brought her to this moment in time.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Are you absolutely sure?” His fingertips glided across her cheek. “There’s no way to reverse this once it’s done. No divorce like in the human world. We will be married on a plane so deep, death will not even part us.”
She took his hand in hers and laced their fingers. “Look at me.” She leaned in a little closer, her voice hoarse. “I would choose to die tomorrow, having shared my life with you—having been loved by you, rather than be gifted an eternity without you.” She sealed her pledge with a greedy kiss, yearning for the future he offered.
The leather pouch tumbled to the bed, reminding her of what they must do first. She removed her lips from his and scooped it up from the mattress. “I take it I need to secure you with these.” She lifted the small bag, indicating the bindings inside. He nodded before reaching behind his head, stretching his arms wide to grasp the headboard.
“Be sure you wear the gloves that are inside,” he said, lifting his chin to indicate the bag in her hand. “Dump the contents out first and find them. The silver on the underside of the straps will burn you, if you’re not careful. They were made specifically to contain a vampire.”
Her hands trembled, making it difficult to slide her fingers into the black leather gloves. With the gloves in place, she shifted off his body. The hardwood floor chilled her bare feet as she made her way to the headboard and the large wrists waiting for her there.
“When you bind me, be sure you place the silver to my wrist.” His darkened gaze flicked to hers.
“You want me to put this so it will burn you?” She took a step back from the bed. Oh my God. She couldn’t stand the thought of intentionally hurting him.
“This is about complete submission. I want this, Wildflower. I want to give myself only to you.” The tone in his voice clenched her core. He was hers.
Emily cinched the strap tight around his flesh. Within seconds, a tendril of white smoke curled from where the silver met his skin. The stench of burning flesh stung her nostrils, shooting the taste of bile to the back of her throat. Her gaze darted to his face. He hadn’t flinched. How could he stand the pain?
“Kenric, please… This has got to be excruciating.” She gripped the top of the headboard to keep herself from ripping the silver off him.
He tilted his head in her direction. “It’s not too bad. Don’t worry.” A slight shrug lifted his shoulders. “It’s going to be worth every minute, because when this is over, I’ll have you forever.”
“God… If I didn’t love you so much, I’d have you committed.” Even through the agony she knew coursed down his arms, he graced her with a smile that beckoned her to take him. She ran her fingers through her hair and sucked in a calming breath.
With his wrists secured, she tugged the leather gloves from her hands one finger at a time, enjoying the way he watched each movement, raking her body with his smoldering stare.
Her fingertips grazed the top of the silk sheet as she circled the four-poster bed. The air left her chest in shallow bursts. He was magnificent. Nude and fiercely aroused, the warrior lying bound to the massive bed met her perusal with equal intensity. She loved how he made her feel. Desired before all others. Powerful. In control, yet out of her mind at the same time. It had all happened so fast, and she could barely remember the trip. But she’d take it again in a heartbeat if it would bring her here. To this very moment.
Like a predator with her prey, she climbed onto the mattress beside him. She traced the rapid rise and fall of his chest lightly with her fingertips, following his ripples down the center of his abdomen. She mapped the hard lines, ending with the length of his straining erection. As she reached the tip, his back lifted from the bed, and a bead of moisture appeared in the slit. She smoothed the liquid over the flushed head and circled the ridge, wringing a hiss of approval from the back of his throat. She adored the way he responded to her touch.
“I love you.” His velvet voice caressed her, drawing her gaze to his. “I’m yours, now and forever. Take me for your pleasure, my love. My flesh, my soul, and my blood, they’re yours. Draw me into your body. Blend your essence with mine, and spend the remainder of eternity with me.”
Never in her wildest dreams had she dreamed that she would find someone who loved her so completely. She believed that someone found their one true love, a hero, only in fairy tales or romance novels. Somehow, by some divine intervention or destined fate, she’d found one, and he’d just offered her his life.
Emily straddled his hips, relishing the feel of his hard cock parting her swollen folds. This was it. Once they fell together over the precipice there would be no turning back. Two would become one. She wrapped her fingers around the hot shaft, smooth silk over hard steel, holding herself completely still. Her breath trapped in her lungs. Kenric moaned with anticipation, the head of his cock waiting at her entrance.
And she’d never wanted anything more in her entire life.
With one firm press of her hips, she claimed him. Her head fell back, and the room winked out for a split second. A deep groan, her own and his, returned her to her senses. No one had ever filled her the way he did. It wasn’t penetration with Kenric. Rather, it was a joining of two bodies.
Her fangs burst from her gums, coaxed by the lust for her mate. In slow, precise glides, she slid over his cock, every nerve on fire, and eased forward, seeking the pulse she craved. His head fell to the side. Her tongue flicked at his throbbing vein, her own heartbeat pounding away at her skull.
“Kenric,” she whispered. “Please tell me if you have any doubts before I can’t turn back.”
“I want you,” he growled. “Do it. Take me.”
Thank God. She struck. Hot blood spilled into her mouth, and she drank with greedy swallows. His back arched, followed by the driving thrusts of his hips. She matched each upward lun
ge with her own downward stroke. Each swift meeting buried his cock deeper, stroking the sensitized nerve endings until the dam on her orgasm broke.
A muffled scream wrenched from her throat.
Spasms of sheer ecstasy centered where his hard cock speared her core. Her muscles clenched, trying to capture and hold on to the rapture.
Beneath her, Kenric moaned her name, and the headboard protested. It creaked under the abuse of the warrior tied to it. With a loud bang of wood against plaster, he stiffened, and a guttural shout of pleasure filled the room. She swung her head from his neck. The straps remained intact, but the headboard lay broken and sagging against the wall.
Her gaze fell to his open vein. A trickle, instead of a stream, flowed from the wound. This was it. God, what if she lost him?
“Don’t stop.” His command came, as if he sensed her conflicted emotions. She gripped the pillow beneath his head. “Finish it,” he said on a ragged breath. “Drink, Emily.”
She returned, pulling at the wound, encouraging it to continue to give. His body grew cool and still beneath her. A wave of panic and dizziness inundated her. Don’t leave me, Kenric. Please don’t leave me.
A tidal wave of intoxicating blood raced through her system. The potent essence of her mate had created her, but she wasn’t accustomed to so much at once. Her heart sputtered, and her limbs trembled. Chills ran down her spine, and a shiver skated across her skin.
Suddenly, the cold subsided on the heels of a firestorm, building inside her. “Emily.” Her gaze swung to Kenric’s lips. “Emily.” His voice, except his mouth never moved. She’d heard him in her head.
“It’s you.” She closed her eyes and spoke inside her mind. “I can feel you. Your warmth consumes me.” Her palms roamed her body, pursuing the trail of his soul. It danced under her skin in a kaleidoscope of heat, then flame. Behind her eyelids, colors whirled in dazzling reds, yellows, and blues.
“Bring me back. It’s time. I must return, before it’s too late.” The urgency in his words yanked her back to the present and into action. Bringing her wrist to her fangs, she bit.