Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
He pulls back just enough to look at me, one finger sliding gently beneath my chin so I have to meet his eyes. “It’s okay, Blair.”
“You were right about everything,” I whisper. “I just…I couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was so hard to—”
“I know,” he murmurs softly. “I know, baby. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Then his mouth is on mine. The kiss is deep and urgent, and I taste the salt of my tears between us. His hand cradles the back of my head like he’s afraid to let me go.
“You came,” I whisper against his lips.
His forehead presses against mine. “I always will.”
My chest tightens as the question I’ve been holding finally spills out. “How did you even find me? How did you know?”
His eyes turn tender as he looks at me. “I would’ve found you anywhere, Blair,” he says quietly. “I belong to you. You belong to me. We’re fate, baby. We’re fucking fate.”
The words hit something deep inside me—something I stopped fighting the moment I saw him standing in that doorway.
“I love you,” I say, my voice trembling. “I don’t even know why… But I do, Kane. I love you.”
He cups my face. “I love you too.”
The fear that’s been choking me since Damien locked that door finally loosens its grip.
“I want to go home,” I say softly.
But the place that comes to mind isn’t my parents’ mansion in Boston.
“I want to go back to the cabin.”
Kane brushes his thumb gently across my cheek, wiping away the last of my tears. “Let’s go home.”
Kane
Cal and I made quick work of leaving Damien’s penthouse and getting back to the cabin. We used our vampire speed and ran, and I carried Blair the whole way, refusing to let go of her until we made it safely home. And Cal kept his eyes and ears fixated on any threats or gofer fucks following our trail as we ran.
Rook was grateful when we walked through the door. Kylie, too. But I simply couldn’t hang around for a chitchat. I carried Blair straight to our bedroom—yes, our fucking bedroom—and shut the door behind us.
The cabin is quiet for the most part. Rook and Kylie and Cal are all chatting quietly downstairs, and the occasional wind blows through the trees. It’s the kind of quiet that only exists this deep in the woods.
But none of that reaches me. All I’m aware of is Blair.
She’s in my room, in my bed, and in my arms. Her mouth is on mine, desperate in a way like she’s been holding back for way too long. Her hands slide up my chest, fingers curling into my shirt before pushing it over my shoulders.
“Kane,” she whispers my name against my lips, and fuck, do I love the sound of it.
I kiss her again, slower this time, grounding myself in the warmth of her body pressed against mine. Her hands move to the hem of her own shirt, working it over her head with quick, frantic movements.
A soft laugh leaves my lips as I reach up to catch her wrists gently. “Slow down.”
She blinks up at me. “Why?”
Because if she keeps moving like this, I won’t stop. Because I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw her. Because every instinct in my body says she’s already mine.
But that’s exactly why I force myself to take a step back.
“You deserve to know what this means,” I tell her.
Her brow furrows slightly, but she doesn’t pull away. “I already know what it means,” she says softly.
“No,” I say quietly. “You know what it feels like. That’s not the same thing.”
Her eyes search mine, and I brush my thumb along her jaw.
“We’re fated mates, Blair.”
The words settle between us.
“You said that before,” she whispers.
“I did. And it’s not just some romantic phrase, baby. It’s a bond. Once it’s sealed, it’s permanent.”
Her breath catches. “Permanent how?”
“There’s no walking away from it,” I say. “No undoing it. No pretending it didn’t happen. We’ll be connected forever. We’ll be together forever.” My hand moves to the back of her neck, holding her there gently. “You and I will basically be one, baby. No takebacks. No detours. It’ll be you and me for life. And you’ll live a long life, at that. Much longer than a normal human would.”
Her lips part like she’s about to say something, but I do my best to make sure she understands what a fated mate bond truly means. That she knows what she’s signing up for if she gives me all of herself.
“I know you’re a virgin, baby,” I whisper. “And that’s why this will be such a powerful thing. It’s why if we cross that line tonight, you and I will be bound. Completely.”
She studies my face for a moment, but then something softens in her expression. “I’ve tried to fight this since the moment you took me,” she says quietly. Her fingers slide up my chest again, resting over my heart. “But I can’t.” She takes a slow breath. “I’m always thinking about you,” she admits, and her words hit me square in the chest.