Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 18

18

The taste of Lillia’s blood lingers on my tongue. It is one of, if not the most, delicious blood I have ever had. Venom pools against my tongue as I think about it so I try to distance my thoughts as she sleeps quietly, her chest rising and falling against mine.

“ Bite me.” Her sweet voice, full of lust, echoes in my mind.

I’m obviously not having an easy time trying to not think about her blood.

Lillia is unlike anyone I’ve met, mortal or not, and she continues to take me by surprise with every moment that passes. I move a strand of hair away from her face to allow myself an uninterrupted view of her face. She doesn’t stir as the tips of my fingers brush gently over her shoulder. The warmth of her skin radiates against the chill of my own.

I allow myself a moment to simply dream of that life, to simply think what if. Could we have loved one another before? Could it be possible that our souls are connected in a way that cannot be seen by the human eye? I’ve lost my belief in there being someone who was fated to be mine, but she makes me want to believe again.

She is the soul in which mine has found a home.

I’m unsure how long I’ve been in deep thought, but the faint light of the dawn is creeping through the curtains. Her phone lights up seconds before the sound of her alarm sounds. She groans, flipping over, and snoozing the alarm clock. My skin tingles in protest at the absence of her warmth. Sleepily, she rolls back over and faces me.

“Good morning,” Lillia purrs, stretching and smiling up at me.

“Did you sleep well, love?” I lean down to kiss her forehead.

“I could have kept sleeping, honestly. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept so soundly.”

“Maybe I should sleep over more often.”

“You should.” Blush creeps across her cheeks and the scent of her arousal fills the room.

“My love, I assume that alarm means you need to go to the shop, yes?”

“Eventually. I always give myself more than enough time because I hate being late.”

“Do you have time for me to have breakfast?”

“Yes,” she whispers, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth.

“Good.” I say with a devilish smile, lifting the blanket and making my descent beneath it. I place my hands on the inside of her thighs, spreading them to allow myself access. With a swift glide, I run my tongue against her clit. Lillia grips on the sheets and lets out a moan, encouraging me to continue.

She tries to stifle the screams as her climax continues.

“I need you,” Lillia begs, propping herself up on her elbows .

“I am yours, however you want me.”

“Inside of me,” she says breathlessly. “I want you inside of me.”

“ Hmm . Last night wasn’t enough for you, love?” I whisper, gliding two fingers into her wet pussy. A moan escaped her throat as I pumped my fingers into her. “Does my girl want more?”

“Please,” she whimpers.

“On your knees,” I commanded.

She obeys, settling on her hands and knees. I slide my hand down her spine, and she trembles with the anticipation of what’s to come. The tip of my cock lines up with her opening, teasing her before I take hold of her hips and slowly slide into her. Lillia moans as we develop a steady rhythm of me thrusting into her as she rocks back. I lower my hand and find her clit, stroking as we move in unison.

“Finn.” She moans my name, long and drawn out as I drive deeper. Her walls spasm around me as she comes to another climax. I pull back slowly, keeping just my tip inside of her, before slamming deep into her again. She gasps, her head falls forward. For a second, I think I’ve hurt her.

“Again,” she demands. A mischievous smile forms on my lips and without needing much convincing, I do as I’m told, pulling out and slamming in her again. I steady my mind before I lose myself in her, as much as I want to. But I know I can hurt her if I’m not mindful of my force. The beat of her heart echoes in my ears and all I can think of is tasting her blood again. My throat burns in desire for the sweet crimson substance that flows through her veins. She clamps down tight around me. Heat radiates at the base of my spine as my own release nears, my vision blurring as I pump deep into her. Slowly, I pull out of her and help her lay on the bed.

“That’s one way to wake up.” A laugh escapes her lips as she moves to cover herself up with the blanket as she moves off the bed.

“You don’t need to hide your body from me, love. In truth, I would worship every inch of it for the rest of my life.”

“You’re immortal.”

“Exactly.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You can ask me whatever you want.”

“What would happen if I drank from you ?”

I try, and fail, to hide my surprise. “Well, blood-sharing is an intense and intimate thing. Especially if it’s done in a sexual relationship, even more so since you’re mortal. You would be inclined to feel love for me, even if it wasn’t something that came naturally to you. You would crave me, my presence, my pleasure.”

“Would I become like you if I drank your blood?”

“Not necessarily, but yes it could happen. You would have to die with my blood in your system.” I crease my brows. “Then, there’s the sire bond.”

“Sire bond?”

“Really, it’s just a fancy way to explain the connection between a maker and progeny. A lot of the lore that surrounds vampires is false, but there are some things we consider important above all else, sire and mate bonds. We are unable to bring harm or lie to either our mate or the vampire that sires us.”

“That’s really interesting.” I can see the thoughts in her mind forming.

Lillia’s expressions leave very little to be questioned. If something makes her uncomfortable, intrigues her, or makes her overwhelmed, it’s written in the lines of her face.

Her beautiful face.

“What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours, love?” I ask, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek .

“Nothing. I mean, I guess a lot of things.”

“You can ask me anything. I will always be honest with you.”

“Have you ever had a… mate?” She refuses to meet my gaze, blush creeping up onto her cheeks.

“I’ve had lovers, if that’s what you’re really asking, but none of them were my true mate.”

“How do you know?”

“There are…well, there are signs,” I shrug. “Ways that our bodies respond to one another, ways our souls call to one another.”

The way my body responds to yours.

The way my soul found a home with yours.

“I see.” Lillia chews on her bottom lip. “And what about your maker, how is that relationship?”

“He is my best friend in the entire world, but also like a father or a brother at the same time. I go to him for every bit of advice that I need.”

“Did you want to change? To become a vampire?”

“I did. He gave me the choice and I had nothing else to live for.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, love.”

“Do you ever want to change anyone else?” Her eyes shift back and forth.

“Eventually, maybe . But I would want it to be their choice, like the one that was given to me. I won’t ever change anyone against their will again.” I pause before ending the conversation. “That’s a story for another time.” My chest tightens with the thought of Wren sobbing at my feet the day I turned him.

Lillia nods and changes the subject. “How long ago did you and your maker meet? ”

“I was made in 1878. He had been a vampire for a long time before that.”

“So, you’re like… really old?”

“I mean, technically I’m only twenty-six,” I laugh. “I’ve just been twenty-six for a very very long time.”

“Like almost a hundred and fifty years?”

“Yes. Does my age bother you?”

“It doesn’t. I just can’t wait to hear all your stories. You must have so many, and history has always been something I loved learning about! Now I know someone who was there!” The excitement radiating off her is simply intoxicating.

“And we have nothing but time.”

“I need to get up and get ready.” She buries her face into the palm of her hands.

“Should I go?”

“I don’t want you to, but I really do need to get ready, and I don’t think that will be happening if you are in my bed without a shirt.”

“I must go home to speak with my maker anyways. I will see you again this evening, my love.” I kiss her gently on the tip of her nose, already anticipating the hollowness in my chest I will feel in her absence.

It’s with reluctance that I leave, practically forcing myself out of the door of her cottage. Before leaving the grounds, I do a perimeter check. When I’m given no reason to watch her longer, ignoring my instincts to stay, I head in the direction of the manor. Reminding myself the entire way home that we will be reunited later. There’s something pulling me back to her cottage, my gut wrenches in warning the further I get away from her.