“Always,” he whispered, his breath on her neck.
“Oh God,” she cried out as he thrust deep inside her, filling her pussy, his fangs slicing into her flesh. The sting of the pain shattered into bliss. Waverly shuddered in his arms; her body rocked in climax as he drove himself inside her.
As her blood flowed into his mouth, and her body seized with a glorious ecstasy she’d never experienced, she knew the truth of her destiny. Her life would never be the same. She’d been claimed by Viktor Christianson. My vampire.
Waverly stared at her reflection in the mirror and brushed her fingers over her neck. The skin had healed, yet a faint scar remained. His mark. Bonded. Or at least partially. Aside from being delightfully sore, she didn’t feel any different, look any different.
Waverly brought her hand to her abdomen and reflected. No children, he’d warned her. She’d never given a thought to getting pregnant. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder if her biological clock hadn’t started ticking. Perhaps she hadn’t been in love with the right man…but now she’d found him.
Still very much within the human realm, fully understanding the paranormal eluded her, the only thing she knew for certain was that her infatuation with the vampire bordered on obsession. Logic had warned her against falling hard. But caught in an avalanche, she fell helplessly, praying her heart would stay in one piece.
Waverly wrapped a scarf around her neck and donned a soft leather jacket, still wondering what else in her life would change. Though she’d been born human, she’d begun to let down her guard, open her mind to the universe, and she wondered if her spiral into the paranormal had been meant to be. Denying her visions protected her within the human realm, but instinct told her that embracing them could protect her from whatever evil would come her way.
After nearly an hour in the limo, Waverly had grown anxious. No matter what pep talk she’d given herself, the reality was that Teagan was still missing and her own life was in danger.
“I’ve done a little digging on this Adam Strommell,” Rafe offered, breaking her contemplation.
“Why were you looking him up? I told you he’s a colleague.”
“Because even though you went to grad school together,” he gave her a sly smile, “there’s always a chance he’s undercover.”
“Undercover as what? He was a student just like me,” Waverly said in confusion.
“Sometimes vampires take over other people’s lives. They find someone who’s died years ago. Then they start again with a new persona. Or a modified version,” Viktor answered. “Any supernatural can do it.”
“Are you saying you think Adam is a vampire?” Waverly pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “There’s no way.”
“He’s not a vampire. That’s the research Rafe did,” Greyson replied.
“He could be something else,” Rafe suggested.
“He is something else. He’s human.” Waverly tightened her lips, her anxiety building with each minute. “He doesn’t know you all are coming. When he texted earlier with the address, I just said I’d be here. Please be cool.”
“Cool as a cucumber.” Viktor smiled at her.
“No blood. No fighting.” Waverly looked to each of them, attempting not to laugh. It wasn’t funny but at the same time, the level of crazy in her life drove her to find humor in the moment.
“Why do humans always think we’re the problem?” Viktor laughed.
“Um, you’ve already shown your, uh, lack of anger management,” she pointed out.
“Greyson gave a hearty laugh. “My brother was always quick with his sword.”
“It’s as true now as it was five hundred years ago. I have no time for idiocy. Or lies,” Viktor mused.
“Life is complicated.” Greyson fiddled with the buckle of his black leather jacket.
“But it doesn’t have to be. It can be delightfully predictable, and pleasingly full of adventure, luxury. Pleasure.” Viktor flashed Waverly a knowing smile.
Waverly’s cheeks flushed as she attempted not to recall the details of their love making. Don’t think about sex. Picasso. Rembrandt. Degas. Her body flushed with heat, and she tugged at her scarf, accidentally exposing the scar on her neck.
She exchanged a brief glance with Greyson, and quickly covered it up.
“Nice scarf,” he commented, smirking at his brother.
“Don’t start.” Viktor shut him down.
“Viktor is my boyfriend. What’s it to you?” Waverly blurted out, her cheeks on fire with embarrassment.
“Your boyfriend. This is the best.” Greyson laughed.
“It’s true. I officially have a girlfriend. Pretty cool, right?” Viktor waggled his eyebrows.
“My brother has lost his mind,” Greyson said with a glance to Rafe.
“Dude. It’s not surprising. I mean come on. It’s the oldest story in the book. Guy goes to a bar to get blood. Girl almost gets killed. Big Daddy vamp puts the hammer down on the bad guy and chases the girl across the country. Happens all the time.” Rafe looked up from his cell phone at Greyson. “Besides, have you seen how he looks at her? It’s over, bro.”
“Think you’re smart, wolf?” Greyson shot back at him.
“Um, I know it,” Rafe answered and resumed scrolling through his phone.
“Well, let me teach you a new trick.” Greyson paused and turned to Waverly and Viktor who sat across from them. “Have you fully bonded?”
Viktor glared at his brother. “Not that you would know anything about bonding, but we’re taking care of business. That’s all you need to know.”
“Yeah, okay,” Greyson replied.
“Can we please focus on what we are about to do?” Waverly changed the subject, embarrassed by the conversation. She wasn’t ready to share her relationship with the world. “The storage facility is near the bridge. There’s a series of secret underground tunnels and the warehouse is fronted by Seville Industry. It’s listed as an importing company. It’s shared by several museums in the upper northeast.”
Waverly stared out into the darkness as they traveled over the bridge. “Please let me deal with Adam when we get there. I haven’t seen him for years. He asked me to go to dinner and I said no.”
“Sounds like you’ve got some competition,” Greyson teased.
“There is no competition,” Viktor responded.
“Here we go.” Waverly sucked a breath in an attempt to bury her anxiety.
They pulled up to the gate and watched in silence while the driver gave him their names. Waverly’s stomach did a small flip as the guard waved them into the yard. A black SVU with its lights on sat parked directly across from a large garage door.
“Okay, I’ve got this,” Waverly said as the driver opened the back door. A bright light shone inside the cabin. Thrumming with eagerness, she quickly gave a wave to Adam, who also exited his car.
Though his once raven hair was now striped with grey, he appeared exactly how she’d remembered him. But the excitement she’d once felt for the dashing grad student had faded.
“Hey beautiful!” he called to her.