by M. D. Grimm
I grinned, knowing I’d won.
“Your note touched me,” he said quietly. “But I convinced myself that you would regret your words. That you would regret me.”
“Idiot.”
He snorted, and a gentle smile touched his lips. It was gorgeous. “Yes, I am. Now you’re here in my arms, and I’m never letting you go.”
I hugged him. “Good. Don’t.”
First Victoria tested my blood and confirmed that I could be turned without risk of dying. Then the duchess gathered the council members who were still in residence at her manor and asked for a vote. I wasn’t allowed in the meeting but I heard that the duchess told everyone they would unanimously vote to turn me or there would be hell to pay.
We won by a landslide.
I didn’t leave Cassius’s side. Or his room. We made love gently, continuously, and once the vote went through, Victoria help set up a romantic dinner for us in one of the smaller dining halls. I stuffed my face since this would be the last night I would eat human food. Cassius still needed to drink more blood than usual to speed along his recovery.
“We don’t have to do this tonight,” he said.
I’d just shoved a large piece of apple pie in mouth and couldn’t respond immediately. I gave him a look.
He held up a hand. “You suggested waiting a year or two to get your affairs in order. That was a fair request. We don’t have to rush anything.”
I swallowed. “I don’t want to waste anymore time. You need to turn me.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. I met his gaze. “Get your affairs in order, Andrew, and then I will change you. I promise. Let us have this night and then finish what you need to. I don’t want you to have any regrets.
I sighed. “Stop being such a gentleman.”
He smiled, eyes sparking. “Don’t worry, carissime, I won’t be for long. Once you’re vampire, I plan to ravish you in ways only vampires can.”
My eyes widened and my groin tightened. “Yeah, that’s not going to make me any more patient.”
He chuckled and sipped more blood.
He was right, though. I had responsibilities, some I could only handle in the daylight. So I did. It was hard to leave him, but I did. First I visited Nicole in the hospital. She was heavily drugged and could barely speak. While we didn’t exactly renew our friendship, we left on better terms. I told her I would become a vampire and she appeared to accept that.
“I think I’m retiring,” she slurred.
I nodded. “Need any help with that?”
“I have it covered.”
I kissed her forehead. “Goodbye.”
She squeezed my hand. “Goodbye.”
I walked out with a heavy heart and determination. I worked day and night to finish my last commission and called Clark Zhang to organize my finances, properties, and business. He wasn’t too excited to hear I was going to become a vampire but when I threatened to take all my business to Her Grace’s lawyers, he changed his tune.
A week later and I was ready.
Cassius took me to the room in the manor he was staying in and shut the door. He turned back to me, clearly nervous. I took off my jacket and frowned at him.
“You’ve done this before, right? I should be the one who’s nervous.”
“And you’re not?”
“Nope.”
He sighed and hugged me. “I have done this exactly twenty-two times. Each time is different.”
I frowned. That wasn’t a lot considering the thousands of years he’d been living. I tilted my head up and kissed his cheek.
“Don’t think about that yet. Just kiss me.”
He did, of course. He kissed me deeply and I felt his fangs lower and scrape against my tongue. I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it aside to get at his firm chest. We undressed each other slowly, mouths always coming back together, comforting, soothing. Then he was shuffling me backward toward the bed. I let myself fall back. and he braced himself above me. He searched my face, his gaze soft.
“Are you certain?” he whispered.
I grabbed his cock with one hand and cupped his face with the other. I looked directly into his red-tinged blue eyes and said clearly, “Yes. Make me a vampire. Claim me.”
He shuddered out a breath and all hesitation disappeared from his eyes. He took both our cocks in one hand and stroked. I shivered at the sensation and pinched both his nipples. He groaned and bent down to take my mouth again. My lips were swollen and a little sore and yet I wanted more. I demanded more.
He slipped down my body and sucked on my nipples in turn as he continued to stroke us. I grabbed his hair as his other hand squeezed my balls.
“Cas, dammit. Suck me, please.”
He growled and continued down my body. His tongue left a trail down my torso until he reached my erection. He sucked me in and held tight. It was my turn to groan. I let go of his head and pinched my own nipples, relishing the pleasure. He sucked me with single-minded focus and stroked my asshole, pressing in just enough to tease.
I wasn’t going to let him have all the fun. When I felt myself nearing the edge, I sat up and yanked hard at his head. He growled again and nearly bared his fangs but I kissed him roughly. Once I distracted him, I used my full strength to shove him backwards to the floor. He grunted on impact, and I lay sprawled on top of him. I snuck my hand down and stroked him a few times before crawling down and pleasuring him. He caught his breath and dug his fingers into the carpet. I was looking forward to what he’d unleash on me when I was vampire. My cock throbbed in anticipation.
“Andrew,” he said, moaning, and touched my head. “I want to be inside you when I….”
I hated to stop but I slipped him out of my mouth because I wanted him fucking me when he changed me as well. As soon as I lifted my head, he maneuvered us both onto the bed and grabbed the lube.
“Now, now. Come on. Hurry.”
“I don’t want to hurt—” He groaned when my ass sucked in his fingers hungrily.
I squeezed and rode his fingers. We both panted as he slicked up his dick and pushed inside me. I grabbed his arms and yanked him down. He kissed me and I clutched his shoulders as he moved. The burn and stretch was what I needed. I held him to me, never wanting to let go. He rutted at first, short, hard jabs that I felt through my entire body. Only when I loosened my hold did he take longer and slower thrusts. Then our gazes met and we never looked away.
His mind touched mine and he was wide open. His pain and his joy were intense and all-consuming. I let him see mine, willingly opening my mind to him. Our pleasure mingled as we felt what the other felt. He slammed into me, and I urged him on, demanding all of him.
Then I was coming. He was coming. And he struck. He latched onto my neck and didn’t let go. I held on as best I could, the pain and pleasure mingling into pure sensation that I couldn’t separate. I was in a whirlwind and wondered if I’d ever touch the ground again.
Then I was fading. Fading.
Drink, carissime.
I did. I was blind and deaf, knowing nothing but the feel of him everywhere, surrounding me like an enveloping cloud. I drank his blood and every nerve ending ignited, a flame burning away my humanity and replacing it with something else. Something other.
I’d never felt closer to anyone before. At that moment, we were one.
And I had no regrets.
Epilogue
Two years later
Rome was a sight to see, night or day. That was a good thing since I was stuck with the night view for the rest of my life. We walked hand in hand around the Colosseum, and Cassius told me the history behind it, all the little gems of knowledge no modern scholar knew about. I smiled at the sound of his smooth voice and rested my head against his shoulder.
I was still in awe of my keen sight, sense of smell, and stalking abilities. Cassius told me I was a natural. Lovemaking sure became more intense now that all sensations were intensified. And Cassius had kept his promise to ravish me. I’d r
eturned the favor more than once and left my fierce Roman gasping for mercy.
We’d left on our world tour a year ago, taking our time, savoring every night together. We’d explored every inch of Italy and finally decided to leave to visit the rest. At long last I got to see and even hold some of his ancient swords. And there was nothing better than waking up next to him and falling into our unconscious sleep together in a coffin I made special for us. Her Grace had offered the services of several of her thralls, equal parts caretakers and bodyguards so we could travel safely even in the daylight, hidden away and guarded.
Olivia and Ricardo’s cousin were working out great and that allowed me to be Cassius’s mate full-time. He needed me always beside him. He’d had one or two bad moments since making me, and I blamed Sanchez for that. Turning Cassius into a crispy critter certainly hadn’t done him any favors. But all the other moments were good. Really good. They were bliss and worth all the bad yet to come. I was confident, however, that I could get centuries more out of him. I would try my hardest. While he couldn’t sustain himself on my blood alone, I always noticed a kick to his energy after he drank from me.
If we had to hibernate as he’d done a time or two in the past, I was game. I would try to reach the same unconscious state that he managed to and ignore the night’s call. I would need to practice. Whatever it took.
Cassius’s voice broke through my musings. “I still don’t know how you managed to convince me to lend my swords and other weapons to those museums.”
“They were thrilled.” I kissed his cheek. “You didn’t want the swords to gather anymore dust, and neither did I. They will be appreciated by generations to come, you know that.”
Cassius smirked and kissed the top of my head. “I don’t think there is anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
I grinned. “Good. I’ve become accustomed to being spoiled.”
He snorted, and his eyes glimmered when they met mine. Unadulterated happiness was all I saw in his gaze. I kissed him. He cupped my face in his hands, and we made out under the shadow of one of the only monuments from his time, one that survived centuries of war and turmoil, just like my lover I held in my arms.
When I finally broke the kiss, I grabbed my phone and pressed my back against his chest.
“Smile.”
He sighed wearily at my typical tourist activities but wrapped his arms around my waist and humored me. Vampires did have reflections, and they could take pictures. I grinned wide and held up my phone, capturing us and the Colosseum in the background. He pressed his cheek against mine, our skin tones still contrasting despite my vampiric state. His smile was amused and indulgent, one eyebrow quirked, and I hoped the keen intelligence in his blue eyes stayed for many years to come. I knew the signs, the symptoms, and would do everything I could to squeeze out all the joy we both deserved. He might turn feral long before I did, and I already decided to meet the sun with him when that time finally came.
There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him either.
His warm breath caressed my ear. “I love you, carissime.”
My heart always thrilled to hear those words. “I love you, too, Cas.” I sent the picture to Her Grace, remembering my promise to keep her updated on our progress. She was like a big sister, and now I fully allowed myself to enjoy our friendship.
“You want to see inside?” Cassius gestured to the Colosseum.
“Yeah, but touring hours are—”
He gave me a look and I snorted. “Right. Lead the way, Centurion.”
He grinned, took my hand, and we vanished into the night.
###
About This Book
This is yet another book that went through several versions over several years before I decided it was ready. But you know what? Apparently, it wasn’t. When I first gave it to Dreamspinner Press, the first editor thought I needed to expand on a lot of things (she was right) and so I did. In a week I managed to add an extra 10,000 words... while also working full time. It might have come to pass that my day job had to take a back seat while I wrote. Oops.
But apparently that wasn’t enough because after taking back the rights and reading through it again, I realized there was more I needed to add. I needed to still expand upon the romance, which is what I did. And I think, at long last, I am finally satisfied with this story. It feels complete. I have a great love for these characters, and this project was certainly an indulgence that I won’t apologize for.
I tried to “fix” or modify a few errors from the original version, some things that reviewers pointed out (not always kindly). If I made more errors, well, apologies for those as well. I took great joy in writing this story and adding cute scenes between Vulcan and Cassius. They are freaking adorable together!
So there you have it folks. I hope you enjoy it for what it is. My first attempt at a vampire romance novel. I might do more, I might not. Now that this version feels complete, that bug in my ear might finally go away. We’ll see.
By the way, if you haven’t checked out sword dancing, I highly recommend it. It is gorgeous! Here’s a link to the video that inspired Cassius’ dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2QyjrFBujg.
About M.D. Grimm
M.D. Grimm decided to become an author in the second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.
Other Titles by M.D. Grimm
If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy...
A Warrior’s Redemption trilogy
Healing Lance
Forgiving Lance
Avenging Lance
Anthology
Guardians of a Giant’s Treasure
(Includes: Trash and Treasures, Night Guardians, A Giant’s Friend)
On Wings saga
On Wings of Thunder
On Wings of Passion (prequel)
Queer SciFi Flash Fiction Anthology
Renewal
Impact
Migration
Single Title
Eye of the Beholder
The Saga of the Bold People
Leopold
Legacy
The Stones of Power
Ruby: Lost and Found
Peridot: War and Peace
Amethyst: Bow and Arrow
Agate: Then and Now
Emerald: Good and Evil
Carnelian: Dreams and Visions
Lapis Lazuli: Forgotten and Remembered
Connect with M.D. Grimm
Thank you so much for reading my book! And don’t forget: if you enjoyed it, please kindly leave a review at your favorite retailer!
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