Changing inside me.

Mi kuir. Mi reka. Mi raorth. They played over and over in my head, begging to be spoken. I wanted to belong to Killian. I'd always wanted it. This moment had been a long time coming. Now every cell in my body pushed me closer and closer.

"Mi kuir. Mi reka. Mi raorth," I said.

Magick surged around me, through me, and I screamed as my building climax shattered like someone lit firecrackers inside my body. I pulsed around his hard shaft and pushed backward from the love seat, meeting his every thrust.

He groaned, grabbing my hips, and continued to drive in and out until he came with a loud shout. His thighs tensed against mine, and his fingers dug into my hips, keeping us as close together as physically possible.

The ebb of magick flowing between us slowly dwindled. He pulled away and helped me up. My knees buckled, and I gasped in surprise, grabbing his arm to keep myself upright.

I shouldn't have felt out of breath or weak in the knees. I was a vampire -a creature that rarely tired and never slept. But at that moment, I would've collapsed were it not for his strong grip. A fog filled my brain like the mist from home used to cover the hillsides.

"It was a spell, wasn't it?" I asked as he walked me through the bedroom into the ma.s.sive bathroom situated behind the fireplace.

Chapter Thirty-Eight.

EIRA.

He flipped a few switches and light flooded the s.p.a.ce. Cream-colored marble lined the walls, the floors, even the ceiling, a stunning contrast to the dark gothic bedroom. Intricately wrought iron sconces were s.p.a.ced along the walls, throwing a soft glow throughout the room. A large mirror above two sinks lay just ahead. An enormous white marble bathtub adjacent to a gla.s.s box shower was situated in the center of the room.

"It was an oath and a spell wrapped into one. They are the words Elvin people recite at their wedding. I gave you the medallion so many years ago, and I called its magick to protect and keep you safe," he said, leaning me against the cold marble wall while he turned the water on in the ma.s.sive shower.

Cold? Why did I even notice the temperature? Nothing was ever cold to me.

"Diana said it kept my heart for you." I shivered and pressed myself closer to him.

"And mine for you, my beloved. Neither of us was capable of falling in love with another as long as we both lived. I attributed my lack of enthusiasm for life to grief or I would've searched the ends of the earth for you. After losing you and then losing Jon-"

"You turned to hating the world and lost focus on the good things," I answered, raising my hand and caressing the blonde scruff on his cheek. "I know that same hatred. It kept me going for hundreds of years. I never understood why I couldn't get over you. Why my grief always felt fresh. It wasn't until I saved Charlotte's mother and found some peace with the Mason family that I had any reprieve from missing you. But now I wonder if I felt that way because of my proximity to your home."

He nodded. "The magick calling for each of us was soothed some because we were only a few hours away from each other most of the time. It helped, but-"

"But it still hurt." I pulled his mouth down to mine. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"We are completely linked now. My family's Elvin magick has created a bond that will follow us to the grave."

"But neither of us will likely die," I whispered, wondering how long an Elvin lived. "Or will you leave me again?"

"I am semi-immortal. I will eventually begin to show age, but not for thousands of years. Catastrophic wounds can kill me, but I can heal from most injuries that would claim the average human. I do believe you are stuck with me for a very long time."

Heat from the steaming water in the shower was fogging the bathroom. The moisture hanging in the air was pleasant and soothing to my anxious mind. The idea of Killian dying and leaving me to wander the earth alone again had my stomach in knots. I didn't know much about his people...about his kind. Just that he had lived with the Drakonae in the Veil.

"Let me wash away your worries, Eira." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. "Just let me love you."

I stepped away from him and into the down-pouring rainfall inside the shower. The hot water pounded against my skin, and a sigh of contentment slipped from between my lips.

"You should take your clothes off and join me." My gaze flickered to the open crotch of his pants where his c.o.c.k was swelling again.

Drawing my fingers down my stomach, I slid them between my l.a.b.i.a until my fingertips touched my throbbing c.l.i.t while my other hand kneaded one of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Killian's groan was music to my ears. More of my anxiety faded away as another climax began to swirl and build in my core. Even for a vampire, my senses were extremely heightened, and my body temperature was unnaturally high. I didn't know what to make of it. I just knew I needed to feel him against me again. Inside me.

Moments later, his naked body was pressed against mine, and his scent overwhelmed me. I wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him lower. My fangs descended into his flesh, and I growled as the sweet taste of his blood flowed into my mouth.

His body stiffened in my grasp for a moment before he relaxed and enjoyed the experience. I didn't need much, just a sip to take the edge off of whatever was throwing my body out of whack.

I pulled away, slicing just the tip of my tongue on my fangs and spreading my blood into the two open puncture wounds. Seconds later, the flowing water from the shower washed away any trace of his blood and the bite marks, as if they'd never been there at all.

"Thank you," I purred into his ear as his mouth nibbled along the side of my neck.

"Anything for you, my love." He grabbed a loofah from a basket in the corner and poured soap over it before touching my shoulder. The soft scrubber and the silky soap was sinfully delicious; the tropical coconut flavor permeated the air, reminding me of tanning oil and Caribbean sun, something I hadn't been able to enjoy in over fifty years thanks to that stupid Instinct drug that started the downhill slide that destroyed the United States.

"Happy thoughts," Killian's husky voice rumbled. He pushed my body beneath the falling water again and then closed his mouth over one of my hard nipples. Every tug and sc.r.a.pe sent energy rippling through my body straight to my s.e.x. My body temperature had continued to rise, and I felt the strangest shiver spark through my chest.

My mouth opened, and water trickled in as I again struggled to stand under the onslaught of his mouth on my nipples. The loofah was gone, and his bare hands now slid up and down my hips, smoothing the water over my skin and washing away the slickness of the soap. He loosed the nipple he was torturing and straightened, pulling me flush to his body. His hard c.o.c.k pressed into the softness of my stomach, and the flutter of excitement rippled through my s.e.x.

"I need you right now," I said, peering up at his blue eyes through the falling water. "I don't think I can stand it much longer."

A flicker of surprise danced across his features, raising an eyebrow and curving the edges of his mouth upward. "I can help with that." His hands slid down my ribs, and his palms cupped my a.s.s, lifting me up and slamming me down on his erect c.o.c.k.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and moaned into his chest, trying to keep from biting into his mouth-watering flesh again. The scent of his sweet blood called to me, but the pulsing of his c.o.c.k between my legs had my full attention.

He shut off the water and carried me through the bathroom, across the bedroom, and then paused at the bedside.

I leapt from his arms and lay across the center of the bed, spreading my legs wide, inviting him to climb on top. My hair soaked the sheets beneath me, sending another strange shiver down my spine.

I shouldn't be cold. The sensation was something foreign to me.

Killian's warm body covered mine a moment later, and I forgot why my fluctuating body temperature was worrying me. He slid his hard c.o.c.k into me torturously slow, dragging it in and out until I wanted to scream. I wanted to come again so badly my legs were trembling on either side of his hips.

He caught my thighs and pulled them up, resting my calves over his shoulders, allowing him to hit my core harder and deeper.

"Ahhhh," I moaned. My hands closed around the wet sheets beneath me, and I rocked my hips in time to each thrust. G.o.ds, he felt good.

His hands kneaded my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and then he rolled my nipples between his fingers.

"I need." Words wouldn't form. It was like I couldn't catch my breath. But I didn't need air. Nothing about what was happening to me made sense, except that everything felt so good. Felt so familiar. Like when we had been together millennia ago.

White-hot pain tore through my chest, and I choked down a scream that would've awakened everyone in town. Then a climax tore through my body. My contractions milked Killian hard enough to bring him to his release moments later. He groaned and sunk down over my body, slick with sweat and panting for breath.

"G.o.ds, Eira. W-what did you d-do to me?" he asked, kissing along my shoulder.

My chest ached, and then it happened.

Thump thump.

At first, I was sure it was his racing heart I was hearing, but then there was a competing pattern.

Thump thump. Thump thump. The sound. The vibration. The feeling of a heartbeat was coming from my chest. Something I hadn't experienced since that fateful day on the beach over thousand years ago.

"Killian," I said, my body quivering. "I... why..."

"What is it, love?" he murmured into my shoulder. A second later, his hand was flat on my chest, and his gaze could've burned a hole through steel. "Your heart."

"I-I know."

"It's beating," he said, his voice no more than a hushed whisper.

Epilogue.

EIRA.

"Hey, sweetie," Raven purred from behind the counter as I entered Rose's Cafe.

The little golden bell tinkled above my head, making me grit my teeth. Why she had the d.a.m.n thing was beyond my comprehension. It's not like anyone in Sanctuary needed a bell to hear a door open.

"Are you okay? You're not your usually sparkling self." She made a vague gesture to my face, and I frowned.

My face was the spitting image of a worn-out dishrag. I felt like c.r.a.p, too. I didn't need to be reminded. Nothing was helping. Ever since Killian and I had bonded through the Elvin marriage spell two months ago, I'd grown worse and worse. I never slept as a vampire, and now all I wanted to do was sleep and eat. But blood wasn't helping, either. I needed it to survive, but it wasn't making me feel better.

My heart thumped ominously in my chest, and I sighed, slipping into an empty bar stool at the front counter.

"I don't know what it is."

"Where's Killian?"

"He's reading in the Blackmoor's library. Trying to find any references to Elvin magick that might have made it out of the Veil. I slipped away." I rolled my eyes and propped elbows on the counter to rest my chin on top of my hands.

"Meaning, he doesn't know you're out of the room yet."

"He's constantly babying me. I'm not an invalid. I'm just..." What was I? No one seemed to have a clue. Not even the Sisters had said anything past their first comment about this being a blessing. How the h.e.l.l being sickly and under the weather counted as a blessing was beyond me.

"Sticky bun?"

I scrunched my eyebrows and glared at the little punk-rock-purple-haired Pixie. I'd certainly been known to eat the buns with Diana on occasion. But I didn't need to eat food. Usually when I ate it was to make the people sitting with me feel more comfortable.

The tiny woman smiled at me and winked. "I swear, there's magick in these buns. They make everyone feel better."

"Fine. I'll eat a sticky bun."

"Good," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

The bell on the front door rang again, and several male Lycans strolled into the cafe.

I met the first male's intense gaze and could feel his scorn like a branding iron on my skin. What the h.e.l.l was his problem? My top lip curled in response to the widening grin on his face. The cafe was empty save for me, Raven, the Brownie in the kitchen, and one other Lycan male I didn't recognize sitting at a table in the far corner with a cup of coffee.

"Why she made you a Protector makes no sense to me," the approaching male said, his voice a mixture of disgust and taunting. "You don't look like you would hold up against a bunny rabbit, much less a Djinn."

His pals laughed nervously and slapped him on the back, verbally agreeing with his a.s.sessment of my ability, yet still concerned about my response - smartly still aware of the fact that I was a vampire.

My pulse surged in my chest. I sat up straight and wiped my clammy palms on the fronts of my jeans. G.o.ds, I was as pathetic as he was describing. Unbalanced and an emotional wreck. Still, he should've known better. Protector or not, I was still going to kick his a.s.s for being a douchebag. And all of theirs for the fun of it.

Raven reappeared through the swinging kitchen door, sticky bun in hand, and slid the plate of gooey deliciousness in front of me. The smell of the sugar and cinnamon filled my lungs, and something inside me surged to life. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, that dessert roll smelled better than a pint of Drakonae blood. My stomach rumbled like I hadn't eaten in years, and the irritating Lycans were completely forgotten.

"What can I get for you boys?" Raven called out from behind the counter.

They advanced, flanking me on either side. Their Lycan scent overpowered the warm dessert on my plate, and I felt my lip curl up again in irritation. Why? Why couldn't they just leave me the h.e.l.l alone? I hadn't asked for the special position of power in the town. It had been shoved in my face.

A rumbling growl started low in my chest, warning them away, but they didn't appear to be listening. Instead, the a.s.shole laughed again and sat next to me on my left while his buddies slid into the empty stools on my right.

"Eira, what's-" Raven's voice pulled my attention away from the rank odor seeping from the wolves on either side of me. They were literally making me sick to my stomach and p.i.s.sed off with each consecutive breath they drew.

My fangs descended, and I moved before she could finish her question. Grabbing the first a.s.shole by the collar of his shirt, I slammed him hard against the floor and pressed my knee against his chest just firmly enough to make taking a breath difficult, but not hard enough to crack ribs...at least not yet.

"I do not appreciate your rudeness."

He snarled, struggling beneath my hold. I felt his friends' hands close around my shoulders and arms. This was going to be ugly. My anger turned to hunger and clawed its way to the forefront of my mind. Lycan or not, they were going to bleed for p.i.s.sing me off. I'd never promised not to hurt a wolf, just the Mason Pack wolves.

"Get your hands off of her," a deep voice bellowed from across the dining room.

I'd completely forgotten about the other Lycan. My heart raced, and I shuddered through the urge to sink my teeth into the male I had pinned below me.

The men behind me moved off, and the other Lycan approached slowly, his hands outstretched so I could see he held no weapon. My vision was clouded by my rage, and I snarled angrily, hissing a volley of curses his direction in five different languages.

I heard Raven scurry from the room, probably to find Rose. G.o.ds, what was wrong with me? I never attacked people without just cause. Brawling wasn't my style. Why hadn't I just walked out?

Glancing down at the douchebag for a moment and then over at the approaching Lycan--his hands were partially raised in a peaceful gesture--I took a ragged deep breath and leapt away in one smooth movement. Jerkwad scrambled to his feet and opened his mouth to speak, but a snarl from the dominant male cut him off before a single word could leave his mouth.

I didn't need the oxygen, but I continued to drag in one breath after another, inhaling and exhaling until I could feel my pulse start to slow.

"Listen, Eira." The Lycan spoke softly.

"I can hear just fine, thanks."

He smiled and shook his head.