He broke away suddenly, shaking as his head dropped onto her shoulder. Cassie stroked him gently, trying to ease the tremors wracking him. Though he was no longer feeding upon her, she was surprised to realize that the bond had not been broken. His emotions still thrummed against her, his love still enveloped her.

“I’m fine,” she said in response to the worry she felt pouring from him. He lifted his head slowly, turning toward her. His eyes gleamed as they rapidly scanned her face, trying to assure himself that she was not lying to him. More power than she had ever seen radiated from him. A jolt of satisfaction and pleasure filled her at the realization that it was her blood that had caused the influx of power in him. “Did you take enough?”

A muscle jumped in his cheek, he bent his forehead to hers. “Plenty,” he whispered hoarsely. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

Cassie stroked his face lightly, wishing to soothe him. “I’m perfectly fine, better than fine even.”

He searched her face a moment longer, doubt creased his forehead. Seeming to finally believe her, he rolled to the side, drawing her tight against him. Cassie sighed contentedly as she rested her hand on his chest. He rubbed her back gently, idly playing with her hair. “That was wonderful,” she murmured, her eyes drifting closed as serenity enshrouded her.

“Yes, it was.”

Cassie yawned, burrowing herself tighter against his hard side. “Is it always like that? Can you always feel other people’s emotions?” she wondered.

Devon was silent for a moment, his hand tightened briefly upon her arm. “Only if we want to. We can keep people shut out if we choose, but the exchange of blood opens pathways between the two minds.”

“Do you always let people in?”

“Not in a very long time. I never cared what they felt when I thought that it might be good. But sometimes…” he broke off for a moment, seemingly hesitant to continue on, but eventually he did. “Sometimes I enjoyed feeling the pain.”

Cassie closed her eyes, trying not to think about what those words said about the monster he had once been. Tried not to think about the fact that though he didn’t say it, she knew that he had once taken great pleasure in viciously hurting others. “Is it painful to some for long?” she whispered.

He stiffened against her, not liking this line of questioning, but he would not keep anything from her. “It can be,” he admitted.

She shuddered as thoughts of her grandmother blazed into her mind, but she quickly shut them down. This moment was only about the two of them, she was not going to let the outside world intrude upon the ecstasy she had found here.

“Why wasn’t it for me?”

He turned into her, his nose gently nuzzling her ear. Shivers of delight racked her as she cuddled closer, burying herself against him. Though his body temperature was lower than hers, he never failed to heat her. “Because you were willing. It is only painful if you fight against it, which most people do. But if you are willing… well things are different if you give your blood freely.”

Cassie yawned again, her hand curled tightly into his shirt, lying over the place where his heart no longer beat. That fact had once slightly unnerved her, it no longer did. His hand curled up the back of her head, gently cupping her skull as he dropped a soft kiss on top of her head.

“I have never experienced that before.”

Cassie’s head shot up, her eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t wanted to think about all of the many women he had shared blood with over the years. Especially not Isla. “Really?”

He smiled softly at her, his fingers lightly trailing over her cheek. “Really.”

She frowned at him. “How is that possible?”

“I’ve never met a willing human before, and I’ve never exchanged blood with a vampire.”

Cassie’s eyebrows drew tightly together in confusion. “Why not?”

He shrugged, his hand stilling on her cheek as his eyes burned intently into hers. “When vampires exchange blood with each other the pathways are open even more, the mind is even more accessible. It is a very intimate thing, one that only certain vampires share with each other, one that I never wished to share with someone else. Until now.”

Cassie thrilled at his words; she couldn’t stop the giant grin that spread over her face. She couldn’t deny the thrill of possession and superiority that tore through her. They finally had one thing that was theirs, one thing that she did not have to feel self conscious about. He grinned back at her, pulling her down to kiss her gently. She melted against him, sighing softly as she fell into his arms.

She was just beginning to lose herself in his kiss when he pulled away, dropped a chaste kiss on her nose and pulled her head down against his side. “You need your rest.”

She wanted to protest his gruff order, but his body was hard and unyielding against hers. It was taking all that he had to keep himself away from her. Plus, it was hard to argue when her eyelids were drifting closed and her body went limp against his.

CHAPTER 7

Devon threw the door of the bathroom open, wincing slightly as it rebounded loudly off the wall. He was still not used to the strength of Cassie’s blood flowing inside of him. His entire body thrummed with the energy of her. In all of his hundreds of years, and thousands of victims, he had never tasted anything, or experienced anything, as wonderful and powerful as she was.

And it was more than just the power inside of her, and the thrill that she gave to him. It was her openness; her willingness, her trust, and unadulterated love for him that made him feel as if he could take on the world. He could do anything as long as she was at his side. And he hoped fervently that one day she would chose to stay by his side forever.

Though they had not discussed it again, it was something that they would have to confront sooner rather than later. Tasting her today had eased the fiery hunger of the beast inside him, but she was still human, and that was the biggest problem. He wanted her with him forever, and he wanted her to be safe from the world of death that she resided in.

He knew what she was to him, knew that she was his mate. It was a rare thing for a vampire to find, but once mates were discovered they could never be separated. If she had continued to rebuff him, he would have let her be, but eventually it would have destroyed him. And he could not be certain that he would not have eventually snapped and come back for her anyway, taking her by force. Something he knew would be a very bad thing, especially with his growing fear for her safety residing inside of him. Not to mention his growing fear over what Cassie might truly be, and what might happen to her.

Devon knew what he needed from her; the only problem was that he was beginning to fear that he may never be able to change her.

He didn’t want to tell her about mates, for he worried that she would agree to change simply for him. He wanted her to change because she wished too, because she wanted to be with him for eternity, and because it would be safer for her. Not because she felt obligated in order to keep him stable and happy. And he knew that she would do it too.

Her head snapped toward him as he emerged, her shoulders slumped in relief. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders; her golden hair cascaded around her in disheveled curls. Her face had been pale, but color flooded into it the minute that she saw him. “Are you hungry?” he asked softly, glancing at the clock. It was almost eight; she had slept most of the day away, something he was sure she greatly needed.

She smiled at him; her eyes twinkled brightly in the dim light of the room. “Famished,” she admitted softly.

He smiled as he moved toward her. “Well then, let’s get you some food.”

Taking hold of her hand, he helped her to her feet. He searched her face, looking for any sign that he had hurt her in some way by taking her blood. He had taken more than he should have, more than he had intended, but she had tasted so good, and been so willing that he had become lost in her, and the pleasure that she gave him. Her love had enfolded him, ensnaring him in a web that he had feared he would not be able to break free from. But he had controlled himself far better than he had thought he could. Though, he was beginning to realize that when it came to her, he was able to do anything.

“Are you feeling ok?”

She nodded, glancing up at him from under her long dark lashes. “I feel perfectly fine. Stop worrying so much.” Pulling the blanket from her shoulders she dropped it back on the bed. “Is everyone else downstairs?”

“Yes.” She nodded; a troubled look crossed her delicate features. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, flashing him a fleeting grin. “I just hope they’re not mad at me.”

“Of course they’re not.”

“I treated them badly.”

“They understand Cassie.”

“I hope so.”

She moved slowly past him, gathering clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Waiting patiently he sat on the edge of the bed until she returned. The black turtleneck she wore highlighted her creamy complexion and golden hair, while clinging to her lithe figure. Even with the weight she had lost, she was still curvaceous. He hiked an eyebrow marveling at her beauty as she moved gracefully across the room to grab hold of her hair brush.

She was amazing. He rose slowly, coming up behind her as she finished brushing her hair. Her eyes caught his in the mirror, a small smile played across her full mouth. He pulled down the collar of her turtleneck, his body tightened at the sight of the two marks on her neck. His marks.

A thrill of possession raced through him. She was his completely, and always, even if he could not change her. He touched the marks lightly, resting his fingertips gently against them. She winced slightly, the wounds still fresh and sore. “I can get rid of those for you,” he said softly.

He should have done it to begin with. Should have closed the wounds immediately, but he had liked the idea of her bearing his mark. He had wanted her to have them for a little longer. But now that she was going back into the world, it would be safer for all of them if he closed the wounds.

Cassie smiled at him, her hand rested lightly over his. “That’s ok, I like knowing they’re there, and they probably won’t be there long. I heal…”

“Fast,” he finished for her, hating the reminder of the special, frightening abilities she did possess.

She smiled innocently at him in the mirror; she had no idea the direction his thoughts had taken. His fingers tightened slightly on her delicate neck. He shuddered, fighting the consuming urge to pull her against him and never leave this room. She turned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest as she sensed his desperate need, and the fierce battle within him. His fingers entangled in her silken hair as he cradled her lightly against him.

All of the pain and agony he had been living with for the past couple weeks was gone. She soothed every ragged piece of his soul. She was everything he had ever wanted, and more. The rumbling of her stomach brought him back to reality. She was hungry, and he needed to take care of her.

Releasing her, he pulled the turtleneck back up, gently covering the wounds. She smiled softly up at him, her eyes twinkling brightly. Her fingers slid easily into his, clenching briefly. He followed her out of the room, her nervousness pounding against him as she fidgeted with the collar of her shirt. He leaned down close to her, brushing his lips lightly against her cheek. “It will be ok.”

She shot him a frightened look but nodded swiftly. Soft voices drifted from the kitchen, the scraping of silverware on plates could be heard. Cassie glanced worriedly up at him, her hand tightened on his as he stepped through the door, pulling her gently behind him. She stood half behind him, a small tremor working through her.

Chris, Melissa, and Dani looked up as they entered. Worry flashed briefly across their faces as they glanced from her to Devon. Chris’s eyes remained locked on Devon’s for a moment, his gaze was questioning before he turned his attention back to Cassie. She managed a small smile for them, her fingers fiddled with her shirt once more.

“Hi guys,” she said softly.

“How are you feeling?” Melissa inquired anxiously.

“Much better.”

Chris rose suddenly, striding across the room to her. “It’s good to have you back.”

He enfolded her in a tight bear hug, pulling her close against him. Devon felt Cassie’s momentary jolt of surprise before she wrapped her arms around Chris. Devon took a step back, fighting the jealousy and possessive urge that surged through him. Chris was her best friend, he knew that. Hell, he was Devon’s best friend now, but he still didn’t like other men touching her, holding her.

Cassie smiled brilliantly up at Chris as he took a step back. “It’s good to be back.”

“You’re feeling better?”