Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
I feel so much pleasure I can’t contain my moans or panting breaths.
No restraint, Rook feeds on me. Fucks me. And feeds some more.
And all I feel is heat. Our bond. And the unwavering certainty that there is no world in which we untangle from each other now.
I can’t live in a world without him.
Rook
Kylie sits barefoot on a kitchen chair. Her hair rests on her shoulders in adorable, messy waves, and she’s wearing one of my shirts like it belongs to her.
She takes a bite of eggs and hums, eyes closing in appreciation. “Okay,” she says. “This is unfair. You shouldn’t be able to cook this good when you don’t even eat the freaking food.”
I smile and walk over to put a freshly cooked piece of bacon on her plate. “And just think, you haven’t even tried the bacon.”
She takes a bite, and a little moan escapes her lips. “Totally unfair, Rook.”
Sunlight slips through the cabin windows in pale gold bands, catching on the edge of the table and the cast-iron pan on the stove. Mornings out here in our wilderness cabin are quiet in a way that only makes you feel peace.
Before Kylie, I would often come here by myself just to feel something. Before her, before our bond, I didn’t feel much of anything besides annoyance. Irritation. And a lot of times, total apathy.
But she’s changed all of it. Turned my world on its fucking head. She makes me feel like I’m finally living.
“Baby, I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.” I toss a wink at her over my shoulder. “I mean, you have your own personal vampire chef now.”
“Yeah, okay.” I look over my shoulder to find her grinning around a mouthful of eggs. “Maybe it’s not so unfair.”
I laugh, and I can’t stop myself from walking back over to her and leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. She tastes like coffee and salt and morning, and the feeling that rolls through me is so intense it may as well be a living, breathing entity.
I’d burn the world for her without hesitation.
There’s no undoing what we’ve done. When fated mates consummate, it locks. It binds. It’s permanent. The elites can’t breed her now. They can’t even use her blood for pleasure or power or strength.
If they’d try to drink from her, they’d risk their own death.
The past few days, Kane and Cal have been rotating watch and moving in the shadows. They stayed local to listen and track and try to gauge retaliation.
To the elites, I took something that didn’t belong to me. And worse—I made sure it can never belong to them.
Last update Cal gave me was yesterday evening. He said he’s definitely heard shit—threats, posturing—but there are no actual plan in place yet.
But to me, that doesn’t mean safety. The elites won’t just forget about this. Not a fucking chance. Right now, they’re calculating. They’re figuring out their next move.
Bottom line, they want me dead. And they probably want Cal and Kane dead too.
To them, Kylie isn’t an asset anymore. So if they still tried to get her, it would be to kill her. Just like they did with her own mother. And that realization is a dark, dark thought. It’s so dark that I make a concerted effort not to let it sit in my head. Because of our bond, Kylie can read my thoughts just like I can hers.
And the last thing I want to do is scare her.
“Hey…” She reaches up, fingers curling into my shirt, tugging me closer. “Where’d you go?”
I shake my head. “Nowhere for you to be concerned about.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “You’re hiding something from me.”
I don’t lie, but I don’t confirm either.
“Rook,” she says, her gaze searching mine the entire time. “You’re actively keeping me out of your mind.”
“Yeah, I am,” I admit. “But it’s because there’s some shit I don’t want to fill your head with.”
She examines my face for a long moment, and I can actually feel her trying to get inside my thoughts.
Don’t keep stuff from me, Rook, her mind whispers inside my own. Whatever is happening, we’re in this together.
I know, baby. I know. But just trust me on this, okay? Right now, I don’t want you thinking about this shit.
Is this about the elites? The ones who want to kill you.
I nod.
Promise to tell me eventually?
I hesitate, but when she narrows her eyes, I nod. Anyone else, and I wouldn’t have any issues lying to them. Keeping shit from them. I would tell myself it’s for their own good, and that would be that.
But with Kylie? It goes against everything to lie to her.
“More than love you, baby,” I tell her, and a soft smile crests her lips.
“More than love you too.” She rises to her feet and gets on her tippy-toes to press a soft kiss to my jaw.