Page 88 of Endlessly Raphael

“He’s dead?”

“That’s the rumor. His name was Malik Dane.”

I can see the stress visibly release from Rapha’s face. “Yes, he’s dead. His whole crew is dead.”

“You know for sure?”

“We killed them.”

I smile, patting his chest. “You were my hero even before I knew you.”

He kisses my forehead. “You should sleep.”

“I have so much shame,” I whisper. “If my family knew…”

“No. Listen to me, Haven.” My eyes snap open at his commanding tone. “You should feel no shame for doing what you had to do to survive. It’s your father who should feel ashamed for putting you in that situation. It doesn’t change anything for me. I told you, a vampire’s morals are very different from mortals’. You are still the most precious, beloved joy of my life. There isn’t anything you could do or have done that would change that.”

“You mean it?”

“Haven, my darling, you are my mate. You were made for me and I for you. All of our faults and mistakes are washed away by our love. You are perfect.”

“You don’t think I’m tainted?”

“You are new again, my beauty. Perfect as you were and as you are now. My only wish is for you to believe it.”

He kisses me softly and another wave of warmth washes over me, releasing the sadness and shame I carried with me. All the tension in my body melts away, and I relax into his arms.

“Thank you.”

“Rest, darling.”

“I love you, Raphael. I’ll tell you again when I wake up. I’ll tell you every day, endlessly, until you’re tired of hearing it.”

“I will never get tired of that.”

THIRTY-TWO

Raphael

While Haven sleeps, I rise to do something I’ve thought about almost since the moment I saw his face. Quietly, I pull a new sketchpad down from my closet shelf, then position myself in a chair by the bed.

I study his sleeping form, then allow my fingers to move on their own as I attempt to do justice to a man so beautiful he leaves me breathless at times. I try to capture the perfect slope of his nose, the sweet curve of his cheek, the sensual pout to his mouth, adding the beauty mark near his left eye.

His vampire is present, adding new features to his already wondrous face. The sharp tips of his fangs press into his plump bottom lip. His skin, already flawless, is now so smooth it rivals the finest silk. His hair falls in shiny black curls around his face.

Ah, but his neck. Elegant in its curvature, my earlier marks just barely present as his body heals them away. All the gods, Haven is stunning. And he is mine.

I spend the next several hours working on my sketch, laboring over every detail, from each long eyelash to the tiny mole on his earlobe. When I’ve done the best my skills can manage, I set it down and climb back into bed with him, nuzzling my nose into his hair. His scent is even stronger now, like the magnolias I so love. What a wondrous thing it is to love the one person meant to hold my heart in his delicate hands.

“So loud,” Haven whispers, bumping his ass against my growing erection.

“What is?” I whisper back.

“Everything.” He twists in my arms and focuses on me, a sweet, relaxed smile on his lips. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Guess what?”