Page 43 of Pretty Little Shadow
Dare's expression grew darker, slowly. "There are some clinging to me now."
I nodded. "They won't come back. I tried. Drinking your blood changed things for me. My body thinks it needs more."
"If we seal our bond, significantly more of your shadows will stay with me, Rae."
"Callum said that too."
"Fucking Callum." Dare's voice strained. "Yeah. Mer has about half of Darke's shadows most of the time. I asked."
"I would need to drink blood pretty often to lose half of my shadows without it costing me my life, and if I survived it, it would probably change me back. Make me... normal. But I don't know if I could ever tie myself back to the shadows again. I think I'd be a vampire. For real." I kept my gaze on his throat, not wanting to meet his eyes.
"Would it make you less powerful?"
I shook my head. "I was always this connected to the shadows. They just didn't keep me alive, before. I don't think I'd be able to transport with them, and I'd probably look less gray, but that's it as far as the changes."
"Vampires need to drink blood every day or so, right?"
"Not a lot, but a little bit every day or every other day. By the time we get to day seven or eight without it, we're not looking good."
He didn't look concerned.
I added, "It would probably take a while for me to get my body used to the blood, if I was trying to tie myself to it again. We usually need to maintain our blood supply by feeding, not start from scratch with it."
"We could handle that," Darius said. The confidence in his voice had me lifting my gaze to his. I didn't expect him to be so... supportive.
Vampires were a pain. Being tied to one wasn't exactly most immortals' dream. We usually mated amongst ourselves, or with other demons who were used to the parasitic nature of demonhood.
"I don't even know if you make enough blood," I said bluntly.
He cracked a small grin. "Anyone who mates with a vampire can provide them enough blood. The vampire's mate adapts. It's a saliva thing. That's why I had you lick me, when you were worried about the bite." He tapped the side of his neck, and my fangs throbbed at the memory of sinking my teeth into him.
Ireallywanted to bite him again. "I could only heal you on the roof because we're fated?"
"Technically, it's because of the partial mate bond between us. That was created when you bargained with me. Our souls recognized each other, and connected."
"Oh. Well, Callum didn't tell me that. How do you know about vampire mate bonds when I don't?"
"I've been to a lot of sex clubs. Mated vampires come with the territory, in our city."
My eyebrows shot upward. "What do mated vampires do in sex clubs?"
"You don't want to know."
"Yes, I do." I put my cup down on the arm of the couch and set my hands on his bare chest. "Tell me."
"What'll you give me, if I tell you?"
"What do you want?"
Darius studied me. He looked amused, more than anything. "What do you want to give me?"
"Now you're just being difficult."
"Alright. Fine. I want you to bite me, and I want to get you off again."
My face heated. "That's two things."
"I'll tell you one thing I've seen mated vampires do in sex clubs for each. One for a bite. One for an orgasm. If you want me to keep talking afterward, I get to make you come again. Take it or leave it."
