“Will you say yes?” he whispered in hope.
“Yes, my love. I will be honored to be your wife,” I replied.
He swooped down to my mouth with a deep kiss, which left me breathless.
“There is a ceremony that can be performed to make the transition easier and to be blessed and bind our union together forever. Will you allow me to perform this ritual with you?” I asked.
His expression turned to one of pure happiness and he readily agreed.
“We need to complete the exchange of blood on Holy ground,” I said.
“Tomorrow night, then. I am ready, my love. Ready to be yours forever,” Devon said.
Devon’s parents weren’t thrilled to learn of our engagement the next day. I thought somehow, they sensed there was more to me than met the eye. But Devon didn’t care; he wasn’t close with his parents, finding nothing in common with them, and was quite prepared to forsake them for me and our eternal life together.
We had just made love in the barn and he asked, “Bite me, one last time as a human before tonight.”
I obliged, ready as ever to slake my never-ending thirst, and I stood at his back while he remained seated on the hay bale. Kneeling behind him, I tilted his head, letting my fangs descend and sank them into him. He groaned and then we heard a scream.
Scrambling apart, we saw it was his mother screaming about the devil’s whore and how she wouldn’t let me take her only son. She came at me with a pitchfork, which would have hurt like Hell, but not killed me. Almost in slow motion, Devon shouted, “No!” and stepped in front of me just as his mother lunged forward. The prongs of the fork sliced into his stomach to the hilt and he grunted in pain. I screamed his name and rushed forward, grabbing him before he fell to the ground. Laying him gently down as the blood spurted from his wounds, his eyes met mine and he mouthed, “Do it now,” before he passed out. I pulled the pitchfork out of him, tossing it to the side quickly while his mother continued to scream hysterically. Ignoring her, I bared my fangs and fed from him. He had already lost so much blood it took only seconds for his heart to slow. I ripped open my wrist and placed it to his lips for him to drink.
“A nd the rest, as they say, is history,” Devon finishes.
Cole looks gobsmacked. “Your own mother stabbed you with a pitchfork?” he asks in disbelief.
Devon shrugs and says, “Yep. We were quite the pair with our similar death scenes, weren’t we, Kitten?”
“Indeed,” I say wryly.
“Fuck, this is all so…surreal,” Cole says again.
I soften as he looks worn out. “Yes, it’s been a difficult day. I’ll get Grayson to drive you home,” I say softly.
Cole’s eyes snap to mine. “You want me to go home?” he asks.
I shake my head and say, “No. But if you need space to think, I understand.”
“I don’t want to go home,” he says.
“Then stay, but you need to get some sleep,” I say firmly.
“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles at my tone and he looks more relaxed than he has since finding out our secret.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We head, rather tentatively, upstairs after wishing Devon goodnight.
“Are you sure you want to stay?” I ask hesitantly, not one to talk him out of it or anything.
He looks at me seriously. “I do,” he says eventually.
I smile weakly, unsure what to say.
“So, what is your real name? Do you remember?” he asks earnestly as we enter the bedroom.
I look sharply at him and snap, “Of course I remember. I remember everything. Photographic memory.” I tap my head.
“Ah, one more talent to add to the many,” he smirks. “Is that a Vampire ‘superpower’?”