Page 184 of Fractured Fate

He blinked. “What? Why would you think that?”

“Because you drank my blood while we had sex.”

He licked his lips; her blood stained his tongue. It made her insides tighten around his semi-hard cock, and he winced. “Sensitive,” he answered her questioning look. He swallowed. “No. You have to drink my blood too, remember?”

“I forgot,” she mumbled.

She’d been so caught up in the moment, she forgot there was another step to seal their bond. She only thought he had to drink and be inside her at the same time.

After a minute or two, he squinted at her as if something perplexed him. His hands came up to cup both sides of her face. “Did you ask me to bite you thinking it would bond us forever?”

When her hips squirmed, and her gaze drifted to the side as embarrassment colored her cheeks, he smiled so brightly it stole her breath. His pure elation punched into her chest and washed over her entire body.

He kissed her tenderly, turning the kiss into something slow and passionate as he held her face in his hands.

When they separated, she asked something that had been on her mind. “Will you biting me turn me into a Vasirian if Blaire isn’t one?”

“No. There’s a long process around that.”

“What is it?”

He slowly lifted her off his softened cock and laid her back on the bed, getting up and walking into their ensuite. After a few moments, he returned with a warm washcloth, cleaning her body of their blended fluids. She was a mess. After he cleaned himself, he crawled onto the bed beside her and pulled the sheet over them, pushing away the damp, soiled comforter.

He turned toward her, propping himself up on his elbow, and traced his fingers across her stomach on top of the sheet.

“In order to become a Vasirian, you have to lose enough blood to be on death’s doorstep, either by me draining you myself or by some other means, like an accident or something. The only person who can make your change possible is me. I’d have to feed you my blood at that point, and you would have had to go into the process of accepting the transition. Once that happened, you’d go into something like a coma until the transition completed.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how safe it is. With you and Blaire being the first human Korrenas to show themselves in hundreds of years, we don’t know what happens from that point. We only know the starting process.”

Losing all of her blood—or most of it—sounded frightening, but if humans did it hundreds of years ago successfully, why couldn’t they do it now?

“Is that something you’re interested in?” He tried to keep the hope out of his voice, but she felt it thrum through their bond as clear as spring water.

“I’ve always been fascinated with legends, myths, and the unknown. To live for what would feel like forever knowing those I care about would be there with me? It opens up so many possibilities.” She traced his knuckles with her fingertips.

Mundane human life hadn’t done her many favors, but it hadn’t been terrible like for some people. If she were honest with herself, she didn’t mind the idea of trading her humanity for a longer life with her friends and Aiden. It would give her more years to get it right.

She didn’t think telling him without a sealed bond was wise.

What if he changed his mind?

38

INSTABILITY

Aiden splashed water on his face, willing his breathing to calm and his body to settle. Minor tremors troubled his fingers as he settled unsteady hands against the counter on each side of the bathroom sink and stared into the mirror.

Another nightmare.

The lines around his eyes served as proof of the frustration weighing heavily on him. Frustration that even though he’d met with the counselor in the psychology department like the others, the nightmares persisted.

He understood two therapy sessions after Charlotte suggested it wouldn’t be a magical fix-all for his situation, but he expected to have a better handle on the after-effects. Less panic. Maybe the ability to fall back asleep without struggling. Talking about the trauma and coming to terms with what he went through should have made it easier to get control of himself once he was awake enough to realize the nightmares weren’t real. At least, it should be that way. The therapist had given him techniques to ground himself once awake, but they weren’t helping.

The nightmares weren’t as frequent with Charlotte nearby. With the bond growing between them because of their openness to one another and the physicality of their relationship, the nightmares weren’t as intense. Instead of a vivid reel depicting his death and the subsequent events, the nightmares transformed into a hazy and disjointed sequence reminiscent of normal dreams.

He grabbed a hand towel to wipe water from his face before tossing it back on the counter and leaving the bathroom.

Charlotte slept without a hint of awareness of his nighttime struggles. For that, he felt grateful.

Tonight was one of those nights where she decided to be a gymnast. She lay with her upper body hanging off the bed, arms stretched over her head, and both legs propped on the wall. He didn’t know how she found comfort in the weird positions she contorted her body into. At least this position appeared tame compared to others. Still, if she slipped lower to the floor, her neck would hate her come morning.