“Bella, I’m so sorry he hurt you.” Sebastian’s sweet words coated my mending heart. “I wish I could take the pain–”
“I’m fine now.” I gave a small smile. “As crazy as it sounds, I feel more comfortable, protected with you than I ever did withhim. I just wish I hadn’t given….”
He growled, hushing me with a rough kiss. “I’ll kill him if I ever see him.” My legs tightened around his thighs. “Say the word, and I’ll have him as a eunuch that serves the gods on Mount Olympus.
“Ewww!” I laughed, patting his chest. My giggles died down, stray tears of laughter coating my cheeks. Sebastian smiled, placing a thumb under my eye to rub away the wetness.
“I want to see this the rest of my days,” he whispered.
“See what?”
“Your smile.”
Chapter 20
Christine
Istretched,mybackarching backward, half wanting to feel Sebastian’s morning wood next to me. Only I was left with soft pillows encompassing my body in a perfect little nest. Groaning, I rolled over to smell the spice scent he had left. It was still warm, surprising since I always thought vampires to be cold, but he never was to me.
Inhaling one more time, a soft petal fell on my cheek. The sweet soft smells of roses had me wake up seeing the blood-red coloring against the white sheets. Picking up the rose that had the thorns meticulously removed, the rustling of a letter fell to my lap.
Stunning calligraphy lettering written to perfection held my name. The lonely pang of disappointment was now gone, and excitement surged.
‘Christine,’it read. My heart almost exploded with how decorated he made my name. It stood out far more intricate and delicate than any other wording inside the letter, like he spent time creating a piece of art that represented me.
‘I’m sorry to leave you so early without saying goodbye. You looked too beautiful, too radiant to wake from your dreamless sleep. Last night, you gave me the greatest gift, to keep you close with me, in my embrace. I’ll never be able to let you go now. I hope you understand, my Christine.’
Squealing loudly, I pushed my face into the pillow to muffle the sound.
‘I wanted nothing more than to keep you close until you woke, but the date I have prepared for you today is unique. It will take preparation on my part, and making it perfect for a woman deserving all of the moon, will take me time. We said we would take things slow, but I think we both understand that our connection is far greater than that. Far stronger than we both had anticipated.
Please wait for me, my Bella.
Eternally yours
Sebastian.’
I traced the letters of his name. The over-exaggerated ‘S’ of exceptionally decorated proportions had the artistic nerd in me longing to feel his hands. He may have learned to appreciate the art of writing when he was young, at a time it was practiced as part of the everyday school curriculum, but now it is a dying art among humans.
I loved how he was older, he was such an old soul, around much longer than even Justin, but he matched mine well. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but I certainly believed it at first touch.
It was a shame we couldn’t have been paired as soulmates. Imagining something more substantial than what we had was unfathomable. Sebastian lost his mate, and I was just another lonely soul traveling through life that happened to catch his eye.
And how lucky I am.
Jumping from the bed, I showered quickly. I had slept in. The morning was already so far gone that midday was approaching. I didn’t want to seem too eager, but I think we were both well past that. We enjoyed each other, and that was all that mattered.
I opened the door and bit my lip, thinking about what Sebastian had in store. The skip in my step made me stop when I heard Gloria coming up the stairs, chortling. Her hand was intertwined with another, a vampire that looked at her longingly. The raised bump on her shoulder, resembling a bite mark, stood out.
Mates?
“Chrissy!” Gloria ran and gave me a warm embrace. She was so standoffish when I first arrived, primarily shy, but now she was a ray of light.
“H-hi.” I waved. The vampire behind her smiled. He grabbed her hand, pulling her back, kissing her cheek. They couldn’t even stand to not touch each other.
Cheesy, but so cute.
Who am I kidding? I’d be the same.