Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
“He’s told me how pleased he is that you are mine. Donovan finds you charming. Your enjoyment fuels his energy.”
Carina smiled at him. He could tell his words had tickled her. Marcus reached out to tuck flyaway strands of hair behind her ear. His love for her astonished him.
“You said most of the time you’re glad you’re a vampire. Why not always?” Carina asked.
“I’ve had a group backing me, but I’ve been solitary. Does that make sense? Even though I have friends who would give their lives to save mine, I haven’t had the one person I crave.”
“Your Little girl?” she whispered.
“Yes, Carina. I’ve dreamed of finding you, and now my life is complete.” He leaned forward to kiss her hard and forced himself to move backward, sensing they had more to discuss.
“What if we’d never met?”
“I would have missed out on finding my heart’s match.”
“That’s really sad. What happens….” She stopped halfway through her question.
“What happens when you die?” he guessed.
Carina nodded with tears in her eyes.
“I’m alone again.”
“That’s so sad. I don’t want you to be by yourself,” she whispered as a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.
Marcus wiped away the moisture on her cheek. “Then I can turn you, and we’ll have a thousand years together.”
“You would like to have me with you that long?”
“And a thousand years more after that. You are mine, Little girl. How ever many days we’re lucky to have together will not be enough. I will always want more.”
She nodded, holding his gaze. “Does it hurt?”
“Becoming a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, if your vampire sire is vicious. I would never willingly cause you pain. Do you want me to describe what happens?”
“Please,” she leaned forward as if hanging on his every word.
“I will kiss you like I have a hundred times before. When your gorgeous, big brown eyes cloud with desire, I will trail a dozen more down your throat to your pulse.”
“You’ll bite me?” she asked eagerly.
Pleased that she’d enjoyed the previous occasions when he’d drunk from her, Marcus nodded. “Yes, sweetheart. I will savor you. Then, when it is right, I will feed you my blood. That exchange of our life essences will cause you to change.”
“And poof, I’m a vampire?” she asked.
“You’ll need a few days to adjust, but I will help you, Carina.”
“And I’ll be super-fast and a badass?”
“Perhaps. All vampires have talents. We will have to see which ones you develop.”
“Maybe I’ll be able to turn into a bat and fly?” she asked eagerly.
“Only if you’re a movie star and they have special effects.”
“Can I still enjoy mac and cheese?”
“Yes, you’ve seen me eat.”
“Oh, yeah. You do have meals with me. Do you have to? Or could you just rely on a… a liquid diet?” Carina asked.
“I could exist on blood alone, but I’d miss tasting my favorite treats,” Marcus said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.
She giggled, erasing any tension from their discussion. “Is there anything bad about being a vampire?”
“Like sunlight kills you or makes you sparkle?”
“Daddy, I know there’s a lot of baloney out there describing vampires. But there has to be something bad.”
“Vampires are predators. They can easily lose control and kill any human. People are automatically scared of us. That immense power can drive a vampire mad. Rabid.”
“How did you prevent that from happening?” she asked.
“I went crazy for a while. Then I ran into someone tougher than me.”
“Did he hurt you?” Carina leaned forward. Her face was drawn with concern.
“No. Alaric didn’t cause me harm. He’s the strongest vampire I’ve ever come across. He blunted the blood hunger new vampires experience long enough for me to gain control and then gave me a purpose and a clan. I needed those things.”
“Alaric is the guy who shows up in the video, right? And the guy in the street?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never seen him at Nightfall,” Carina mused, focusing on the blank space above her like she was trying to recall her interactions at the club.
“Few humans meet Alaric. He prefers the shadows and is solitary.”
“Does he have a mate?”
“Not yet. Alaric conceived of the idea to create Nightfall. If we couldn’t find our mates, maybe the allure of the club would bring them to us. His plan definitely worked for us.”
She smiled at him. “I’m really glad it did.”
“Me too, Little girl.” Marcus looked past her to check the clock. It was almost six. She hadn’t gotten enough rest after the late night, but she’d never fall back to sleep after their conversation. A good long nap was in store for her later. “Saturday is for pancakes, right?”
Her tummy growled ferociously. “Can you make fangs this time?”
“I even have strawberry syrup,” Marcus shared.
“Yummy blood! Let’s go.”
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.