Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

She blinked up at him, tears once again filling her eyes. “I’m no one.”

“No, my love. You’re my only one, my ainsicht. If I lose you, I lose everything. There is no life left in your absence. Last night, in an act of fear, I ordered the Bishop to marry us. I know that isn’t what you wanted, but I needed to tie my life to yours, because if I lost you, I would not be far behind. I would have followed you to heaven or hell, my love, so long as we could be together.”

“Ewichkeit.”

“Yes. Eternity.” He took her hands in his. “I’m learning as we go.”

“You know that marriage doesn’t count.”

He smiled. “I’ll marry you every day for the rest of our immortal lives until the vows stick.”

She laughed and he felt the coldness around her heart thaw. “I think one more ceremony, performed when the bride is conscious and can speak for herself, should do the trick.”

“What are your plans tomorrow?”

She laughed. “I guess to marry you.”

“Thank goodness. Otherwise I would have to find another purpose for our house.”

Her brow knit with confusion. “What house?”

He gently cupped her shoulders and turned her, pointing over the distant field. “I showed you when we first arrived. The community’s been working tirelessly. The women have sewed all the draperies and the men have supplied the furniture. The cupboards are full, and the linens are pressed. All that’s missing is us.”

Her lips parted and a wave of awe washed over him. “You built us a house?”

“A home,” he corrected. “A place where we will always belong. A haven for our family.” His hand lowered to her stomach. “A shelter from the storms.” He kissed the side of her throat. “A place for love to bloom and grow.”

Her head lowered, her hand feathering over his. Tears chased down her cheek. “I wasn’t prepared for...” She sniffed. “My emotions are so heightened. I’m angry with you, but more than anything...” She pivoted in his arms and cupped her hands around his jaw. “When you let me walk away this morning, I wanted to keep walking and never look back. But I couldn’t. The further I went, the more I felt a connection to this place, to you. I was furious, because no matter how angry I was, I couldn’t leave you. You knew that would happen.”

“I told you, the bond between mates is powerful.”

Her gaze locked with his. “And yet, when Cain left this morning, I felt him go, but suffered no need to follow. My place is here, Adam. With you.”

His chest swelled. He bowed his head to hers, his eyes closing with relief. “And my place is with you.”

Their fingers laced over her stomach. “This is us, Adam. For better or worse, this is where I’m meant to be—where I choose to be.”

His mouth found hers. “My beautiful wife...”

“About that...” She turned her cheek and his lips smiled against her skin. “We’ll be writing our own vows when we have our real wedding, tonight. And I veto the word obey.”

He caught her chin, bringing her mouth back to his, and whispered, “I think I prefer your disobedience. It keeps me on my toes.”

She giggled as he reached for her. “Well, I can be very naughty. And I have all these new powers to try out. You might want to start taking a multivitamin, because I plan to utterly exhaust you over the next few centuries.”

He stalked her across the room, corralling her closer to the bed like a predator cornering its prey. “Don’t underestimate me, ainsicht. I haven’t been at my full strength. But my pluck’s returning.”

“Pluck? Is that what you call that?” Her gaze dropped to his erection. “Looks more like a prick to me.”

He toppled her to the bed, pinning her arms over her head. Her eyes flashed and she flipped him to his back.

“Careful, dear. According to the literature I’ve read, newborns have impressive strength.”

He growled, tossing her onto her back and straddling her body with his. “And what literature is this?”

“I’ve read all the notable texts, Twilight, Sookie Stackhouse, Interview. Consider me well versed.”

“Really?”

She lifted a brow. “Yep.”

He drew in a breath and pushed into her mind, not finding the shield as strong as before. The walls surrounding them peeled away, leaving a romantic jungle scape around them.

Annalise gasped as the sky opened and the sun warmed their skin. Birds chirped and the scent of flowers perfumed the air. He sensed her disorientation and pulled her close.

“Where are we?”

“I thought you were an expert,” He teased.

She sat up, pulling the sheet to her bare breasts and turning slowly in the golden rays of the sun. “I’ve been here before.”

“I know. We both have.”

He watched as she carefully placed a toe on the floor, landing her feet in lush, green grass where the floorboards had been moments before. She walked to a curtain of vines and lifted the stems. “This is from our dreams.”