Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Pushing his concerns out of his mind, Marcus concentrated on his mate. He could sense her restless slumber and wished to comfort her. Carina’s mind tumbled inside her dreams as her consciousness struggled to comprehend what had happened at Nightfall. He sped through the almost empty streets to get to his Little girl.
Marcus spotted Saya immediately and nodded his dismissal to her along with a message of thanks. He approached the well-lit entrance and pressed the button labeled: C. Salvatore on the top floor. Holding himself together by sheer force of will, Marcus contacted Carina directly. I am here, Little one. Invite me in.
“Marcus?” Carina’s sleepy, sexy voice sounded tinny through the speaker.
Invite me in, Carina.
“Marcus, I’ll buzz the door to unlock it. Come in, please.”
Heat flared down his abdomen to his cock. Marcus pulled the door handle carefully. His strength could easily rip the metal hinges off in his mating fury. Barriers to keep his mate safe were important. He bypassed the elevator to the stairwell entrance. He needed to release some of the pent-up energy that had built within him after Carina had left. By the time he reached the fourth floor, he was more in control of himself. Marcus did not wish to scare Carina with his intense need.
At her apartment, he pressed his hand to the barrier and called to his mate. Carina. I’m here.
She answered the door immediately. The picture of his gorgeous mate framed in the doorway took his breath away. He could see her alluring shape through her thin nightgown.
“Marcus. Come in.”
He stepped forward into her space and wrapped an arm around her. Marcus lifted his mate to carry her inside and kissed her deeply as he relocked her entrance behind him. He gathered the layout from her mind and walked directly to her bedroom, tasting her sweetness as he savored the caress of her curves against his hard angles. To his delight, she clung to him eagerly.
Marcus ripped his mouth from hers and forced himself to set her away from him. “Carina, before I make you mine, you need to know what I am.”
“What you are?” she repeated, looking baffled. “What does that mean?” She stepped back toward him, frowning when he held her at arm’s length.
Marcus allowed his teeth to descend. He opened his lips to show her. Confusion and fright rocketed into him from her mind. She stared at him as she put the pieces together—her nicked tongue, his teeth, the exquisite bite. Her hand lifted to trace the small nicks he’d placed on her throat. Her eyes widened and clouded a bit as the light brush of her fingertips alone rekindled the passion they’d shared.
Carina shook her head to clear it. She wrapped her arms around herself like a shield as she backed away. “I don’t understand. You’re pretending to be something from a horror movie? Like some silly game?”
“No, Carina. I am definitely not pretending or playing a childish game. I was turned in 298 BC to save my life in a Roman coliseum.”
“Two hundred and ninety-eight,” she echoed, before adding “BC” as if that were a minor addition to the facts. She looked at him as if he’d grown a horn.
“Yes, Carina. I have waited for many years to find my mate.”
“Marcus, I must have misunderstood. If you were alive then, that would make you over two thousand years old,” Carina pointed out. “And you said turned. What does that mean? You’re scaring me, Marcus.”
His heart hurt to see her back away from him. He wished he could make this easier for her. “I am sorry, Little girl. You don’t need to be frightened of me. I would give my life to save yours.”
He closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around his trembling mate. Stroking her silky brown hair, Marcus savored the sensation of her curves pressed to him. He remembered what her thin nightgown concealed.
When she stiffened against him, Marcus knew her shocked mind had put together all the pieces and realized this wasn’t a prank.
“Shhh! I haven’t changed, Little girl. I’m the same as when you met me at Nightfall.”
She pushed him slightly away. Marcus relaxed his arms, allowing her to put distance between them. “I think I’m losing it. You’re not a vampire, right? I’m crazy?”
“You’re quite sane, Carina. I am a vampire. I walk through the world as you do, with only a few important differences.” His heart clenched when she looked at him as if he were a delusional stranger.
“Like you can turn into a bat and fly through the sky?”
“A myth. My feet don’t leave the earth unless I’m playing basketball.”
“This isn’t funny. You need psychological help, Marcus.”
His mate required proof. He hadn’t wished to scare her further, but she needed to recognize the truth. Marcus allowed his eyes to turn to their natural red. He spoke to her mind.