Page 63 of Thorn Evermore
“Thorn.” I sit in an armchair. “I’ve wished for this since I was a teenager and saw my first vampire movie. They were the opposite of everything I was. Charming, sexy, strong, beautiful. I’m still mad you found me when I was forty with this body and this face, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I won’t have you speak like that about yourself,” Thorn scolds. “You are beautiful to me. You are sexy, you are strong.”
I scoff. “You don’t have to say things that aren’t true.”
“They are true. You’ve endured a lot in your life. A mortal existence is not easy. Give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished.”
“What?”
“You’re happy. You have a profession you’re good at that brings you joy. You have friends. It annoys me that you cannot see your own beauty, but I can see it enough for both of us. I adore your body and all its soft edges and supple curves. Your moans and whimpers are music to my ears. The way you melt into my touch lights up a very tired soul. My barely beatingheart races whenever I see your face. You are the excitement I’ve spent centuries seeking.”
“Thorn…”
“I want to kiss every freckle on your flesh, and by the gods, I want to taste you on my tongue. Your cum is sweet and addictive. I can only imagine what your blood tastes like.”
My belly flutters as heat surges through me straight to my crotch. “You really are attracted to me?”
“No one else exists. Just you, Kyson. Perfectly suited for me.”
“Um… you want to, um…” My throat tightens at the thought. “Drink my blood?”
“I want to bathe in it. I want it to soak into my skin and become part of me.”
“Oh god.”
“I will turn you, my darling. I will make you my love for all of eternity, but you have to know what you’re getting into. You have to accept the hard parts along with the good ones.”
“Do you ever regret it?”
“No.”
“Then neither will I.” I take his hand and press it to my chest over my heart. “You know what’s in here, right? So you know I want it.”
He exhales a cool breath that flutters across my face. “Gods, give me strength.” His eyes close and he shivers. “Let’s slow down a bit. I need to keep my senses about me.”
“Will it make me prettier? Skinnier?”
Thorn opens his eyes, fixing me with a disapproving glare. “I will not turn you until you understand that you are already perfect as you are. You are my mate, Kyson. That means you are everything I desire. You obviously need to see that for yourself.”
I open my mouth to object, but I can’t. He’s right. All my self-esteem issues keep me in a bubble of my own making.
“How do I make it go away? How do I believe you?”
He doesn’t answer me. Instead he kisses my hands.
“You could influence me. You said you can do that.”
“It’s only temporary. You have to believe it yourself for it to stick.”
“That could take years. I don’t want to wait years. I want to…” I shake my head as tears sting my eyes. “The night I met you was because I was so damn tired of living a half life. I was exhausted from fighting off demons other men left behind. I want to be free, Thorn. I want to… live. Trulylive. If I have to die to do it, then I’m in.”
Thorn brushes my hair from my forehead, searching my eyes. The longer I hold his gaze, the calmer I feel, and warmth floods my body.
“You’re doing it, aren’t you?” My words are slightly slurred, drawing a giggle out of me. “Wow.”
“I’m not doing anything. You’re just feeling what I feel because of our connection. Once I taste your blood, you’ll always feel me. When I turn you, we’ll be bound together inextricably.”
“Then do it. Taste me.”