And he wanted to travel down her frequency, taste of her waves over and over. “I need you in my bed.”

She smiled.

He slid his arm behind her knees and picked her up, carrying her back into the castle.

Gus waited at the threshold, dancing from foot to foot. “Mastyr?” he inquired. “What is the news?”

Gerrod smiled. “Jason and the Guard have rescued all the missing realm-folk. The Invictus, at our wastelands, are dead.”

“Thank the merciful Goddess.” His gaze shifted to Abigail. “And will the Mistress be staying with us?”

Gerrod turned to Abigail then leaned down and kissed her. “I have it on excellent authority she never plans on leaving Merhaine again, except to visit her family, of course.”

Abigail smiled.

“Oh, blessed night, most blessed night.” Augustus continued in this theme, but Gerrod moved past him and carried his prize deep into the castle, down the long hall to his private suite. He slammed the door shut with his foot, turned, and locked the damn thing. Ethan would have been proud of him.

He wasn’t exactly sure when he would emerge, or when he would next let the castle staff see Abigail, but the rest of the night was his.

He carried her through the bedroom and into the bathroom. He didn’t set her down until he had her near the shower. He turned the water on, glancing at her over his shoulder. She was staring up at the ceiling touching her new fangs, then wincing when she punctured her thumb. “Wow, they’re sharp.”

A growl left his throat unbidden.

She blinked at him and smiled.

“You look so pretty with those fangs.”

She turned and moved to the sink to look at herself in the mirror. “How do I get rid of them?”

“Don’t. Not yet. You’ll need them and I want them.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I just want to practice.”

He unbuckled his boots and removed them.

“So what do I do?” she asked, still prodding her gums.

“It is sometimes helpful to merely focus carefully on what it is you want to do.” She turned toward him ready to ask another question, but at that moment he slid his leathers down his thighs so that now he was fully exposed and aroused.

She blinked several times, her gaze low. Her tongue made an appearance. “You are so wicked. But I want to get the hang of this.”

He finished removing his pants and smiled. “Then by all means, you should practice.”

He hopped in the shower and soaped up. He scrubbed hard, wanting to get clean of his captivity. He had just finished washing his hair, when he felt her near. Then her hands were on him and she was stroking his pecs, running her fingers the breadth of his chest.

For just this moment, a vibration passed through him that had nothing to do with either of their frequencies. He felt as though the universe had just shifted position, making an adjustment long needed, and suddenly the world was right, entirely right, wholly right.

When she put her arms around him and laid her head against his chest, and his arms found and held her, he knew the adjustment had been made, finalized, perfected. He was home.

But there was one last piece of this puzzle, that which Vojalie had warned them was necessary to complete the final bonding to his blood rose so that every other mastyr vampire would know she belonged just to him.

An exchange of frequencies while mating.

Like hell he could tolerate any other mastyr vampire getting within a yard of her until she was well and truly his.

“I want to wash my hair,” she said kissing his chest, then looking up at him.

“Allow me.”

He took his time and washed it for her, lathering up all that glorious long red length. This was how everything had begun just a couple of weeks ago, in the shower, hair shampooed, rinse applied. But this time, he was caring for her hair.

He added the crème rinse and took a moment to turn her toward him, to fondle her breasts, her stomach, the soft flesh between her legs, until he buried two fingers inside her. He kissed her deeply, her fangs now receded to safety, so that he could plunge his tongue into her.

I love you, he pathed.

An odd sound like, mnmhmnnn, came out of her.

He drew back and smiled.

“Ah, that half-smile of yours.” She kissed both sides of his mouth then looked up to meet his gaze. “I love you, too, more than I can say.”

“Let’s rinse your hair so I can take you to bed.”

A few minutes later, he carried her into his bedroom.

*** *** ***

Abigail lay in the middle of Gerrod’s bed, her bed now, staring up into the eyes of the vampire she had come to love. She still couldn’t believe that this had happened to her, not just that she was now vampire, but that love had found her.

He leaned down and kissed her, his lips soft, moist, sensual. His frequency was open and pummeling her all over, very low right now. They were just getting started. He had his car on idle and even in this state it was pure heaven.

She smoothed her hand over his cheek, just savoring him, the look of him, feel and smell of him. It was like being surrounded by mountains and oceans and everything big on the earth.

He was propped up on his arms, holding himself above her, his knees between her legs, his rigid cock stroking her abdomen very lightly, a wonderful promise.

“This is more than I ever expected to know in my entire life,” she said.

His head dipped and his smile emerged again. He kissed her hard, pushing his tongue into her mouth. After a long moment, he drew back. “Words cannot express all that I feel. I am overwhelmed one moment to the next. I will ask only this: What can I do for you? Tell me what can I do.”

“Well,” she drawled. “My blood is a bit lumpish. How about you start by taking care of that?”

He groaned. His lower hardness shifted and began pushing against what was ready for him. He kissed her again. I can’t believe that what I need is here, with me.

It’s my pleasure, she returned. Giving you what you need has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

Abigail, you please me in endless ways. Thank you for coming back to Merhaine. You have made my life complete.

He shifted slightly, drifting his lips over her cheek to glide down her neck. He begin licking the skin above her vein. He was thrusting steadily now, pushing in, pulling back. Her heart beat fast now, readying for him.

Take all you need, she pathed.

He struck. The jab stunned her as he opened the vein, then pulled out. But the moment he began to suck, and draw her blood into his mouth, her body fell into the most delicious lethargy. Pleasure began building and his vibration came stronger now. He groaned and was breathing hard.

So good. Oh, Abigail, I’ve been starved for so long. You are a banquet.

Tears slipped from her eyes. She surrounded him with her arms, caressing the muscles of his shoulders, arms and back. His rhythm, as he stroked and sucked, filled her with deepening pleasure. She savored those sensual waves of energy, which he released at every point of his body, his fingers, his chest, and his cock deep within. Yes, the vibrations were aaaaahhhh.

She moaned softly. Gerrod, I love that you’re taking my blood.

Like fire in my body.

He finished drinking but sustained his rhythm. He looked down at her. “I know I have blood on my mouth.”

“I know, now kiss me.”

He crashed down on her, kissing her hard. She cried out against his mouth, overcome with the swell of emotion that kept riding her chest. So much pleasure.

Will you take my blood now?

When he drew back, she asked, “How?”

He smiled and his hips grew still. In a smooth turn, as though he was simply moving her through water, he rolled and brought her on top of him, still connected low.

Her head was dizzy from the unexpected movement, but she smiled. “You always surprise me.”

“Good.” His hips flexed and because the position had changed, she felt him inside her in an entirely new way. “Oh, Gerrod.”

He didn’t say anything but exposed his neck.

A shiver passed through her that heightened all the waves of energy still playing over her. The part of her that was newly vampire looked at the contour of the exposed skin, the angle of the jaw, the shape of the ear, the placement of the clavicle. It was as though she could measure every millimeter from one point to the next.

She didn’t try to analyze her next move, but rather went with her instincts. As she lowered to lick a long line up his throat, she realized some new part of her was actually hungry. And there it was, her first understanding of blood hunger.

She licked his throat several times, pulling back each time to watch his neck shift and the vein rise. A swell of desire propelled her forward, her fangs emerged, and she sunk them. She felt Gerrod’s hips jerk and his vibration seemed to get stronger. Oh, God, all these sensations. The fangs retreated and blood flowed. She formed a seal around the skin and suckled.

But as she did, her hips began a serious pistoning motion as though driven by her blood-need. The taste was not what she expected, but rather flavored like his scent, like fresh rain, which seemed so impossible and yet was like everything she knew Gerrod to be.

When his blood reached her stomach, the fireworks began, little sparks dancing everywhere, even in her veins. She moaned. His hands were on her hips now and he took over the thrusting, his muscled thighs pumping her hard, the rippling waves of energy taking her to the edge.

She was so close.

I’m close.

Just let go.

Two more sucks and the orgasm gripped her, rolling along all her sensitive flesh and flying up through her body, up and up until she released his neck, arched away from him, and the final sensation crested. She screamed and writhed, savoring the ecstasy, the deep fulfillment, the intensity of his energy moving in powerful waves, over her and through her. And the whole time, he thrust up into her, helping all that pleasure to go on and on.

At last, she stilled above him, arms stretched out, eyes closed. He took both her hands in his. “Look at me.”

She couldn’t quite focus but she eased back toward him and planted her hands on either side of him. She met his piercing blue eyes and fell into them. He flexed his hips. He was still very hard within her.