Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

Her face nestled against his hand. “What’s ewichkeit?”

Pulling her to his chest, he closed his arms around her, holding her tight and pressing a kiss to her head. “My eternity.”

She sighed. “You’re like an all or nothing sort of guy, aren’t you?”

He smiled at her teasing tone. “Yes.”

Chapter Thirty-One

The sun set beyond the distant mountain scape. Annalise had been watching the horizon for hours, trying to make sense of her redefined reality. The peaceful setting seemed at such odds with the crisis ahead, and yet, she couldn’t ask for a prettier setting if she had to pick a place to die.

The land unfolded in shades of green, painted gold beneath the radiant sky. And as dusk came, the trees and old farmhouses lost their luster to a star pierced sky that blanketed the earth in deep blue silk with silver buttons.

She had no appetite tonight. When they finally left the bedroom, she needed space from all of them, and so she’d been sitting on the porch ever since dinner.

Her fingers, resting at her shoulder, drifted to her neck. Smooth skin met her touch, completely unbroken in any way.

She let a man drink from her. And yet ... no mark.

She knew what they were.

Thoughts of every vampire she could recall since Sesame Street’s Count Von Count, dashed through her mind, but none compared to Adam. Not terrifying Lestat or self-deprecating Louis. Certainly not Bram Stoker’s friends. Not the glittering Cullens or the True Blood gang. None of them. Because, according to Adam, they weren’t vampires. They were immortals. But, for him, that could soon change.

Adam’s family was unlike anything the world of fiction could have prepared her for. They weren’t broody or cruel. They didn’t laze about all day and pass the evenings in exploited luxury.

A silent chuckle filled her head. In comparison, their refined family life held more charm and appeal than her solitaire existence at home. If someone compared the two and asked who the vampire was, they’d probably guess her—the always out late, tired during the day, loner who had no one waiting up for her and no one to care if she went missing for days.

Her fingers drifted to the base of her skull where a soft touch feathered at the base of her skull. She smiled.

Adam...

She shut her eyes and gave a mental push back, unsure if he’d feel it, but appreciating his comfort all the same. While he couldn’t read her thoughts like Grace, he had no problem sensing her emotions from far away. He’d gotten even better since taking her blood.

Ugh, he drank her blood. Her stomach tossed like a sloshing flood in the cabin of a ship.

The blood thing might be a deal breaker for her. She got it—they lived off an animal rich diet. They had the perfect place to sustain their needs, and while Adam claimed to come this far on animal blood, he also said nothing compared to the blood of a mate.

She was the mate. Her mouth twisted. Her life wasn’t set up for a serious relationship. She anticipated meeting her husband years from now when she had her career secured. And all those real grown up things figured out, like a decent car, a savings account, and a thirty-year fixed mortgage she’d probably never pay off.

Tucking her feet onto the seat of the rocking chair, she hugged her knees. Did she really want all those things? When Adam asked about the work she’d do, the thought of filing and scheduling didn’t necessarily spark joy. But the idea of self-reliance did.

And scrubs. She really liked the idea of not having to think too hard about what to wear to work every day.

Her fingers rubbed over the simple cotton dress covering her legs. Well, clothes certainly wouldn’t be an issue here.

But could she do it? Could she actually stay and say goodbye to everything she knew? Could she do it for him, a man she just met who wasn’t a man at all?

Her chair rocked under the weight of such heavy decisions. Who could decide things like that?

She didn’t want Adam to go to the Council. She didn’t want him to suffer at all. But she didn’t want to die.

That’s what it would be—death. Her human life—should she agree to the bonding thing—would go away forever. She’d be trapped here, at least for a while, as she figured out how to live as ... an immortal.

She thought of Larissa. Maybe there was no escape once you were in. While Adam made plenty of promises to see to her happiness, the women here were oppressed.

She winced. That seemed too harsh a word even for her own private thoughts. They weren’t oppressed... but they also weren’t treated as equals. While an older female might rule the house, acting as queen bee while the man of the house was away, the second he returned she’d relent, handing over the reins and all authority.