He remained buried inside her as his heavy breaths matched hers. When their excitement calmed a bit, he withdrew from her. He unfastened the sash at her wrists and sprawled on the bed beside her. They lay face-to-face and she couldn’t contain the smile that played on her lips.
In a tone that sounded provocative to her own ears, she said, “Anytime you want to teach me a new lesson, I’m game.”
“Hmph.” He sneered. “I should have made the sandwich and read the book. But I can’t walk away from you when you’re naked and ready for me.”
She gave him a kiss and said against his lips, “Now I know how to keep you captive in my cottage.”
He stared deep into her eyes. “I’d stay here forever, Jade. In your bed. With you.”
She frowned as her heart twisted. “But, of course, that’s not possible.”
He remained silent as he stared at her, then asked, “Would you want to spend an eternity with me?”
Swallowing down a lump of emotion, she said, “I can’t afford to ruminate over things like that. Nor can I wrap my mind around it. An eternity… I don’t think I was meant to live longer than it takes to help the people I care about find their own sort of peace.”
“But what if you had the chance for immortality? Would you take it?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “Humans don’t weather grief and sorrow as well as demons do, I’m afraid. An eternity of suffering would be a bit much for me.”
He drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly. Then he asked, “What if you actually had the capability to power through?”
“But I don’t. Remember…human. Mortal. We’re not built like demons.”
Suddenly, he slipped from the bed and disappeared out the door. Jade stared at the empty spot next to her, startled. A few seconds later, however, he returned. He dragged on his briefs and lay beside her again.
He said, “You’ve questioned your place in the new world, but have you ever questioned your heritage?”
She let out a sharp laugh. “What heritage? My cultural differences don’t vary from most of the war survivors in this area. Yes, my father had incredible leadership skills and he likely could have become a slayer. But he chose political responsibilities more so than military ones.”
“No,” Darien said. “He was involved in military strategy. Morgan worked very closely with him and they did maintain a balance that helped my alliance to accept the terms I laid down when it came to leaving the humans be. In fact, my vampires stuck to the castle to avoid temptation. They respected my laws.”
He gave this further thought, then added, “From Sheena, I’ve learned the craving to drink from a human source has mostly diminished for her species. They’re content with animal blood. Apparently, it feeds their more primal basic instincts in a way humans never did.”
Jade nodded. “She has proven herself capable of being around me when I’m bleeding without looking the least bit enticed by me.”
“Yes. She’s proud of that. They all are. Though,” he added in a softer voice, “she’s deeply hurt you chose to become a slayer.”
Jade stared at him a moment until the implication hit her. “Oh no.” She rolled her eyes at her own insensitivity. “I never even considered… Damn it. She thinks I don’t trust her?”
He nodded.
“And what about Morgan?”
“He doesn’t know yet.”
Jade’s stomach plummeted. “And was that the first thing you thought? That I didn’t trust you either?”
“I know you trust me.” He gave her a confident look. “But I think you still have a lot to learn about my kind. And you have a lot to learn about yourself.”
He unraveled the piece of paper he’d apparently retrieved from his coat pocket when he’d left the room.
She pulled the duvet around her and sat up, curious about this change in direction.
Handing over the small sheet that appeared to have been torn from a book, he asked, “Do you recognize this mark?”
Jade laughed again. “It’s not a mark. It’s a formation of freckles. I have the exact same—”
The paper fell from her hand and she covered the spots on her neck with her palm.