Grace had slept in his arms all the way back to Seattle. Unwilling to wake her, he'd laid her in his bed and left her to sleep while he took a shower.
When he headed out to the kitchen in his pajama pants to find some food for when she woke up, he found Nikulas pacing outside the door like a concerned mother hen.
"Nikulas, how long is this going to last?"
"What?" Nik asked innocently as he followed him to the kitchen.
"This hovering."
Nik shrugged and with all seriousness told him, "Couldn't tell ya. A week? A month? I dunno."
"Well, I suggest you clear off and go busy yourself with Emma or something, for when Grace wakes up, I fully intend on making her mine. In every way, shape and form, if she'll have me."
"No shit?" Nik asked with a wide grin.
"Yes, no shit," Aiden repeated. He eyed up Nik's bloody shirt. "And do go clean yourself up, mate."
Nik looked down at himself. "Yeah, I kind of lost it when I saw that bitch go after you with that knife. She got me a few times before Lucian ripped off her head."
"Ah, so it was Lucian." Something strange was going on with that wolf. There being no love lost between him and Aiden, or him and Nikulas for that matter, he highly doubted it was loyalty to them that made him jump at the chance to kill Leeha.
Nikulas nodded at Aiden's unspoken thoughts. "I know, something's up with him." He lifted up his shirt with his uninjured arm. "But look, man! Matching scars!"
Sure enough, Nikulas had a diagonal wound across his gut nearly identical to Aiden's scar.
"I can't believe you copied me," he said.
Nik laughed out loud. "Yeah. Cuz I aimed my stomach at the silver knife just so I could be like you."
"I wouldn't put it past you, mate. You know you've always been jealous of me."
Nikulas laughed again, and to his surprise, engulfed him in another hug.
"Stop, stop. Really, Nik. What is it with you and the hugging?"
Nik gave him one more good squeeze and then released him with a smile. "Goodnight, man. I'll talk to you...whenever you're done in there."
"Night, mate."
Aiden watched Nik stumble off to his room before he smiled, his heart filled with affection for his friend.
Even if he was nothing but a bloody Estonian bastard.
But that was neither here nor there. Right now he had other things on his mind.
Gathering up his bounty of orange juice, grapes, crackers, and cheese, he sauntered back to his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he had a moment of panic when Grace wasn't in the bed, but a moment later, she came out of the loo.
"Hey, poppet," he said softly as his eyes roamed over her.
"Hey," she answered rather timidly.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I brought you some snacks."
She shook her head, and he frowned. "Poppet, you really need to eat something."
"Aiden?"
He looked at her standing in the soft light across the room from him. She was wearing nothing but the large T-shirt she'd had on earlier, as he'd removed her pants when he'd put her to bed. Her long, shapely legs were smooth and strong, and her breasts pushed against the material. "Yes, love?"
"Am I dreaming? Are you really here?"
He was across the room in a heartbeat. Cradling her face in his hands, he kissed her softly. "Does that feel like you're dreaming?"
Her green eyes smiled into his. "No."
Running his hands through her gorgeous, auburn hair and down her back, he breathed in her luscious scent as she touched the scar on his neck with her fingertips.
"Thank you for saving me, love."
She shook her head in wonder. "I can't believe I did that. I still don't know how I managed it."
"Well, you'll have to pay more attention next time," he teased.
That steel rod slammed into her back. "You'd better not ever give me need to do that again." Her lip began to tremble. "When I saw you lying there, with your head nearly cut off..."
"Hey, now. None of that. I'm fine, thanks to you." He tilted his head down until he caught her eyes. "I do have something of great importance to ask you, however."
She sniffed delicately. "What?"
He couldn't believe how nervous he felt, like a young bloke about to have his first shag. "Have you thought at all about what we discussed before you kicked me out of my own room? And before Leeha so rudely pulled me away?"
Stepping back out of his arms, she said, "Yeah. I've thought about it." She cleared her throat. "See, the thing is, it wouldn't just be you I'd be agreeing to be with. You've got a demon inside of you, Aiden."
His heart plummeted in his chest. Was she truly going to refuse him? Whatever would he do?
"And you know," She looked up at him from under her lashes. "I have had some better offers from guys I was with before I met you."
"From whom?" he snarled. The idea of her with anyone else was unthinkable.
"Well, there was Gary, the marketing guy. He wanted me to quit my job and travel with him."
"I'll kill him!"
"And then there was Jim, the guy who's clothes you borrowed..."
"I'll kill him also! And burn his clothes!"
She laughed. "What are you gonna do? Time travel into the past and kill anyone I've ever been with?"
"Quite possibly, yes!"
"Go for it, dude."
"Stop calling me 'dude'!"
"Stop calling me 'poppet'!"
He cocked his head at her, his jealousy forgotten. "What's wrong with 'poppet'? It's a term of endearment."
She crossed her arms in front of her. "It's a term of endearment you use for every female you see."
Distracted as he was by the sight of her lovely breasts spilling over her arms, it took him a moment to notice the note of possessiveness in her tone. He closed the distance between them again, wanting to ease her insecurities. "Grace, love. You are the only female I see."
"Do you mean that?"
"I do. With every fiber of my being. Please, love, say you'll be mine. For I fear it's entirely too late for me. I can't possibly live without you now."
"What about Mojo?"
"The boot brush?"
She smacked him in the arm, and he laughed. "I let him snuggle," He wrinkled his nose. "And other things...in my hood, did I not? All the way from China to Seattle, might I add."
"Yes, you did," she laughed. She touched his face, her eyes glowing with warmth. "All right."
He scarce dared to believe it. "All right?"
"Yes. Make me yours. I want to be with you. Only with you."
A low growl vibrated through his chest as his body hardened at her words. "I'll do my very best."
Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her to the bed. Laying her down gently, he crawled up alongside her and gazed down at her stunning face. He feared his eyes were already glowing as they wandered down her body and back up again. His blood rushed through him in anticipation.
"Ah, Grace, love. I'm afraid I won't be able to go slowly."
"Good," she answered, reaching up for him.
He groaned as she pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed her passionately, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, then biting her bottom lip. Small beads of blood gathered there, and he licked them off.
Even that measly taste of her slammed into him like a freight train.
MINE.
Waano stirred inside of him briefly at the surge of emotion, but then settled back down again. Perhaps he sensed there was no threat to his host?
Pushing the demon from his mind, he slid his hand under her shirt and up the warm skin of her side and cupped her breast. It overflowed his hand as he kneaded it, then pinched her nipple.
She arched her back with a cry, and pulling his hand out, he ripped that bloody shirt right down the middle.
Her hands were hot on his skin as he lowered his mouth to her and made his way down her body, nibbling on her skin as she writhed beneath him, careful not to break the skin. When he got to her breasts, he gazed at them in awe, never having seen such perfection in all of his long life.
"Aiden, please..."
Her hands moved to the back of his head and she pulled him down to her breast.
Greedy female.
With his tongue, he flicked her nipple, laving around it, and sucking it into his mouth. Moving to the other side, he pulled the hard bud into his mouth, and nipped it with his teeth.
She bucked beneath him with a cry, her hands gripping his short hair.
The scent of her desire wafted in the air around him, and he groaned aloud. Nipping and licking his way down her stomach, he moved between her legs, spreading her thighs wide with his hands. She opened in front of him, pink petals glistening with moisture.
His mouth watered at the sight of her. Sliding his arms under her legs, he gripped her hips to hold her still.
She whimpered when she realized what he was about, and as he watched, she became wetter still.
He pulled his lips back from his fangs with a hiss, pushing his hips into the bed in response. Closing his eyes a moment, he gathered some control, and lowered his mouth to her. She tasted sweeter than he ever could have imagined, like honeyed wine. His tongue ran up her cleft, finding the little bundle of nerves that was the center of her pleasure.
Flicking her with his tongue, he reveled in her cries and moans. Pulling one arm out, he pressed a hand to her lower belly, holding her down as he tasted her, thrusting his tongue in her opening, then sliding back up to tease her clit.
When he felt her body tensing, he moaned, and his tongue worked its magic until she was repeating his name over and over again. Pulling his other arm out, he slid two fingers inside of her.
Her body began to move in time to his thrusts as he worked her higher and higher until she came hard and loud, her body wetting his fingers even more.
With an animalistic growl, he surged up her body, and buried himself to the hilt with one thrust. He gave her no time to recover, but started moving inside of her, the feel of her wrapped so tightly around him making him shudder.
She wrapped her legs and arms around him as he thrust within her. His gums burned and his throat ached. The urge to sink his fangs in her nearly overwhelming, but he didn't want to frighten her, and his need for her was such that he was afraid he would be too rough.
However, he couldn't keep from expressing his need to her. "I want to taste you, Grace, so very badly." He kissed her hard, absorbing her cries of pleasure as he pulled out slowly and then pushed himself back inside of her. She was so tight, so wet...
With a growl, he did it again, and again, until she was digging her nails into his back. Breaking off the kiss, he moved his lips down her jaw to her throat. He could feel the blood pulsing beneath her skin.
She tilted her head away and dug her nails into his back. "Do it," she breathed. "Ah, gods, Aiden...do it. Please."
Tightening his arms around her to hold her still, he reared back and struck, his fangs sliding through her skin effortlessly. He roared as her blood gushed into his mouth, the taste of her like nothing he'd ever had before.
MINE.
The word pulsed through him, confirming what he had always known, and he delighted in it. A sense of rightness spread through him as he lost himself in the taste and feel of her.
Grace cried out as he pulled on her vein, increasing his thrusts again at the same time. He felt her blood quicken with her rising excitement, racing through her and into him, and he fought to control how much he took from her: Careful of her even in the throes of his lust.
Aiden's entire body began to shake as he tried to hold back his orgasm, but when she began to cry out incoherently and convulse in his arms, he couldn't wait any longer. With one last draw of her sweet blood, he slammed into her over and over until he exploded inside of her.
Withdrawing his fangs, he threw his head back. The tendons strained in his neck as he roared with pleasure and the domination of his mate.
When he could think again, he licked her wound closed and rolled off of her, gathering her up in his arms.
"No demon?" she asked breathlessly.
"No demon," he confirmed. "Just me, love."
As he rubbed her soft skin and their pulses returned to normal, he said, "When you feel up to doing so, you can drink from me."
She looked up at him hungrily with those large, lovely eyes. "I want it now."
He narrowed his eyes at her, then lifted his wrist to his mouth.
She took his arm in her hands and put it to her mouth, sucking hard. Her eyes rolled back in her head at her first taste of his life-giving blood.
His cock twitched and hardened with every pull of her mouth. A low growl of pleasure rumbled in his throat.
Bloody greedy female.
If putting up with a spitting boot brush was the price he had to pay to have this, then so be it.
The Series Continues A Vampire Betrayed.
Keep reading for a sneak peak!