“Is that who took you through the light?”

  “Yes, the portal.”

  “Eventually, I stopped telling that story. Stopped telling the truth. I finished school and got my degree. I dated and tried convincing myself I shouldn’t wait for you. But there was always something missing.”

  “Do you mean there’s never been anyone else? Only me?”

  I can hear the smile in his voice. I could tease him and tell him there were many others, but there’s no use.

  “It never seemed right. What about you? Did you date and…you know?”

  He shakes his head. “I wasn’t there to date. I was there to learn.”

  “So, only me?”

  “Only you.”

  I can’t describe how that makes me feel, to know we’ve only been with each other, even after all this time has passed.

  “Tell me about vampires. About what you are.”

  He shrugs. “We’re not like the movies. We don’t get burned by the sun or holy water. The tattoo protects us from that. We don’t feed off humans to survive either.”

  “What do you eat then?”

  “Food,” he says with a smirk. “Drinking human blood is for pleasure, not necessity.”

  “And is the book right? You don’t become a vampire until you turn twenty-five?”

  “That is correct. We ascend and receive our powers then. We age maybe ten years, then we stop.”

  I’m fascinated. Utterly fascinated. In a few years, he’ll stop getting older. I don’t want to think about continuing to age while he stays the same.

  “Okay, tell me about Dysteria.”

  “Well,” he grins. “It’s this quaint bookstore owned by this incredible woman.”

  I nudge him. “Seriously. I want to know.”

  “Honestly, it’s a lot like the human realm. We have the same things. Stores, restaurants, businesses. We have some original things, like the Fortress, but overall, it’s the same. The main difference is only vampires are allowed there.”

  “Is that why my hand was burned when I reached for you?”

  “Yes. You weren’t invited in, so you couldn’t cross through the portal.”

  “But you could take me there.”

  “Don’t ask that of me.”

  I prop up on my elbows, my side touching his. “Because of the decree.”

  “Because you would be killed on sight, and so would I.”

  “So, that’s it? The decree says no humans, so it’s no humans? I thought there was an exception.”

  He shakes his head and sits up on the edge of the bed. “It’s not an option.”

  “What about the whole required tasks thing? What are those?”

  He glances back at me, his expression serious. “We can never do that. Not ever, Aria. You hear me?”

  “You’re back to denying the truth.”

  “No, I’m accepting it. We can’t be together. Couldn’t be together when we were kids. Sure as hell can’t be together now.”

  “As long as you’re in my realm, we make our own rules,” I say. “And I’m not ready to watch you disappear again.”

  Ripsy turns back to me, climbing over me. “I’m not ready to leave either.”

  As he slides inside me again, I pray he never does.

  14

  Ripsy

  I jolt awake, fearing for a split second she’s gone. Not sneaking back home but taken from me. She’s snuggled safely against my side, her fair skin a stark contrast to mine. Her puncture wounds are healed and dammit if I don’t long to taste her again.

  “Ripsy? What time is it?” she asks as I move from the bed.

  “Early. Go back to sleep.”

  Leaning down, I gently kiss her head and cover her up. She sighs, falling back asleep, and I slip from my bedroom, grabbing my phone from the counter. Despite Rafe being in Dysteria, I can contact him as though he were two blocks away.

  “We have an issue,” I say when he answers. “Confirmed Halfling in this area. Attacked a human female.”

  I don’t give him Aria’s name. If he gets that intel on his own, that’s his business. I won’t divulge anything about her — especially since what we have is only temporary. He’s already proven that to me once.

  “Just one confirmed?”

  He seems surprised, as though he were expecting more. I ponder this a moment while I get Sookie’s doggie bowl filled. Are there supposed to be more?

  “I haven’t been here long. I’ll track him down and bring him to Dysteria for execution. Any word from the other governors?”

  Each state has a governor, and like myself, some of us are assigned certain high population areas. We haven’t had an issue with Halflings since they were wiped out in the early 1900s, but since our kind still choose to reside in the human realm, we must make sure the laws are upheld — both human and vampire.

  “Unfortunately, yes. Several. I should’ve had The Council check on this issue decades ago.”

  “We’ll get them. They’ll all be executed.”

  My tone lacks conviction. I wanted to turn Aria last night. More than that, I wanted to claim her — which means turning her into a Halfling and impregnating her. I cannot fathom having my child executed simply for being created. For existing.

  Turning a human is simple. An exchange of blood. A claiming is so much more and must be done properly — exchange of blood during ejaculation or, in a female vampire’s case, during her orgasm. Works better if you orgasm together during the blood exchange. Sounds disturbing, but from my understanding, it’s extremely pleasurable for both parties.

  Last night with Aria was absolutely pleasurable. Different than the first time we were together. I can’t imagine experiencing anything more pleasurable than being inside her, tasting her blood.

  I thought about seeking someone else while I was in Dysteria. It wasn’t that the female vampires weren’t willing — they were very much willing. Rafe advised against it until my training was complete. And at that point, I’d waited so long, why not keep waiting? None of the women there intrigued me, sparked my interest. Only Aria has ever done that.

  Perhaps I should’ve heeded Sookie’s warning. Kept up the charade. But Aria isn’t stupid. She’s known what I am since the day I left.

  “What about the Death Trials?” I ask, almost as an afterthought. “Will we give the humans who helped create them a chance to prove their worth?”

  I whistle for Sookie to come with me and open the back door, letting her outside.

  “The Death Trials must be completed prior to any claiming.”

  “I understand. I simply thought they perhaps deserve a chance.”

  “A chance? Ripsy, we cannot allow this abomination to continue. Our kind isn’t as inconspicuous as we were hundreds of years ago. The world has evolved. We have evolved. And yet, humans still pose a threat to our species. We have failed to learn how to resist their charms.”

  “We were all humans once,” I remind him.

  “Nonsense,” he scolds. “Even before ascension, we have vampire blood running in our veins.”

  Rafe’s dislike of the human race is evident. If it were up to him, we would extinguish them. Wipe them off the face of the Earth. If we can’t get the issue with the Halflings under control, I expect he’ll try to do just that.

  15

  Aria

  My body aches as I roll out of Ripsy’s bed. I didn’t realize how sore sex could make a person. It’s a good ache, though. Definitely a good ache.

  I spot my dress on the floor but grab a T-shirt from Ripsy’s drawer instead, slipping it on. It isn’t like I have far to go to get a shower and a change of clothes.

  “We were all humans once,” Ripsy says as I start down the hall.

  Of course, I only hear one side of the conversation, and whatever the conversation was, it’s over when I join him in the kitchen. He doesn’t even glance in my direction, and his lack of attention has me seized with this moment of panic.

  Panicking that last night was a fluke, and he’s going to push me away. He’s already hinted at that. What we have is temporary. Impossible. Forbidden.

  Why does that make me want him even more?

  It’s like seeing a chocolate cake on display in the bakery but not being allowed to buy a piece. It makes you want it even more, want it desperately. Nothing else, no other options, will satisfy you.

  So, for a moment, I panic. I am terrified he won’t think of me the way I think of him — like a delicious, forbidden piece of chocolate cake. Then, he smiles. He fucking smiles, and the panic dissipates. If this is temporary, if that is the truth, it isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.

  “Sleep well?” he asks with a grin as he approaches me.

  “Like the dead,” I reply, then frown. “Are you dead? Undead? Whatever the horror movies say?”

  I put my hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating. Guess that answers that question.

  “Nope, not dead.”

  “That’s interesting. What about werewolves and witches and ghosts? Do they exist, too?” I ask. “There are so many movies and books. It’s hard to tell what’s fiction and what’s real.”

  “The movies rarely get it right. Sometimes the books do.”

  I laugh. “You did not answer my question.”

  “We tend to stay in our own realm. Mind our own business.”

  “Damn, you’re good.”

  He laughs and lifts me before sitting me on the counter, stepping between my legs and capturing my lips. I moan against his mouth.

  “You taste so fucking delicious,” he murmurs.

  “And to think, you want to give this up,” I joke.

  Ripsy lowers his head. “I have to. Eventually.”

  He takes a step back and reaches for his laptop, then turns and leans back, allowing me to prop my arms over his shoulders.

  “Until then, you can help me find your attacker.”

  “Well, I was thinking there are other ways we could pass the time,” I suggest, sucking on his earlobe.

  He chuckles. “You probably never read this in your books, but you need to recover. I can smell your arousal, but I sense that your body aches.”

  “You can smell me? Oh my God. That’s horrifying.”

  “It’s intoxicating, actually. Now, let’s get the fucker who hurt you.”

  He wants to protect me. Already has. That is what’s intoxicating.

  16

  Ripsy

  Being a vampire has perks aside from super strength, healing, and coercion. We’re extremely smart. Not always common-sense smart, since apparently there are a shit ton of vampires breaking the decree, but when it comes to computers and math and general knowledge, it’s a gift we receive when we ascend. I could’ve attended Harvard and graduated top of my class. That is…had I gone to college.

  So, it makes me laugh when Aria calls me a computer whiz. She’s so shocked and honestly can’t believe that I know how to do these things. Like hack the security cameras from the bar.

  “Everything’s online now. There’s always a way to hack it. And their videos upload to storage, sort of like the cloud. It’s not that difficult.”

  “I couldn’t do it,” she mumbles.

  “Are you kidding? You have a degree and have opened your own business. You can do anything you put your mind to, Aria.”

  “Except the tasks.”

  “We all have our limits,” I reply.

  “Can you at least tell me about them?”

  I point to the screen, changing the subject. “Should be any minute.”

  “How did you know where I was? You saved me, and I’m more than appreciative, but how did you know where to find me?”

  “I followed you,” I say with a shrug.

  “You followed me? I don’t know if I should be flattered or pissed.”

  “Hopefully the former, considering my stalker ways saved your life.”

  “There he is,” she says. “If we can get an ID on him, I can go file a police report.”

  I shake my head. “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Well, he may be a total douche canoe, but I don’t think he deserves death. A few months in jail might make him rethink his actions.”

  “He’ll be sent to the realm for punishment. He’s a Halfling.”

  “But I thought —”

  “Not every vampire follows the rules, Aria.”

  “Did the human do the tasks then? You know, get approval to create him?”

  “The Death Trials,” he replies.

  “What?”

  “The tasks are called the Death Trials. And no one has succeeded in them. He was created against the decree.”

  “What happens to him then? In Dysteria?”

  I open another screen, doing a facial recognition search on her assailant. I prefer not to answer her question. Execution is not pretty.

  “Ripsy, what happens to the vampires who don’t follow the rules?”

  I clear my throat. “They’re executed.”

  “For attacking a human?”

  “For being a Halfling,” I reply, sighing. “The fact that they were created breaks the decree. Everyone involved will be executed. There’s so much you don’t know about my species. So much you don’t understand.”

  “You need to tell me. Help me understand. I’m not the fragile teenager I was before. I can handle it.”

  I glance over at her and lean in, softly pecking her lips. “You were never a fragile teenager to me.”

  She presses a kiss to my lips, and my damn dick turns into fucking stone. Reaching over, she massages me through my boxers.

  “Tell me. I want to know every single thing there is to know.”

  Groaning, I close my eyes as she continues to stroke me. Before I lose control, I place my hand over hers, stopping her.

  “Nice try.”

  “Oh? You think that’s all I’ve got?” she smirks. “We have other firsts to experience, Ripsy Pendretti.”

  With that, she slides off the stool and down to her knees. When she takes me into her mouth, I hiss, my fangs instantly descending.

  I don’t know which feels better: her pussy or her mouth. But I’ll tell her anything she wants to know. Any-fucking-thing.

  17

  Aria

  I cook us some breakfast while Ripsy works, him intent on finding my attacker and me intent on filling my rumbling belly. Besides, now that I know my attacker will be executed, I’m not sure I want him to be found. Yes, he was an absolute asshat, but that doesn’t mean he deserves execution. A human punishment is more applicable.

  “Oh shit,” I mumble, looking out the kitchen window.

  “You burned it,” Ripsy accuses.

  I look down at the extra crispy bacon. “No, I didn’t.”

  “You forget how excellent my sense of smell is.”

  I nudge him. “Then, how come you didn’t sniff out my mom coming to my house? Could’ve given me a warning.”

  “Your mom likes me. I’m not screwing that up.”

  “She likes the fact that you’re investing in my dad’s campaign,” I correct, and he feigns being insulted. “Okay, she probably likes you a little bit.”

  Come to think of it, she didn’t flip out when she found out we’d had sex. She was understanding, sympathetic. I’m not sure all moms would’ve behaved the way she had.

  “Double shit. She’s coming over here. Do I hide?”

  He bursts out laughing. “I’m not afraid of Melora Daniels reporting me to The Council.”

  “I just…I don’t…” my voice trails off as she knocks on the door. “You aren’t going to answer in your boxers, are you?”

  “Probably not a good idea.” He hops up, heading down the hall.

  When he emerges with gray jogging pants on and no shirt, my eyes go wide. I stop him before he reaches the door.

  “Nope. Nope. Just nope. I’ll answer the door. You go put some clothes on. You’re dressed like a slut.”

  He chuckles, and I swear, it’s quickly becoming my favorite sound in the entire world. I wait until he disappears into the bedroom before I ease the door open. I probably should’ve thought about what I’m wearing. My mom’s face says it all. Her eyes go wide. Her cheeks turn red.

  “I…was…worried about you,” she manages to get out. “Asher said the two of you went out, and he hasn’t spoken with you since last night. It appears you’re doing just fine.”

  “I am.”

  I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to tell her what happened last night. She’ll insist I file a report, and Ripsy has already insisted on me letting him handle his kind.

  “Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you,” she says, giving me a hug. “You can finally be happy now.”

  “You could tell I wasn’t happy?”

  “A mother always knows when her child is unhappy,” she answers. “Just like I know you’ll bring Ripsy to your father’s official announcement for his candidacy tonight.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it, Mrs. Daniels,” Ripsy assures her, coming up behind me.

  He has a shirt on now. Thank God.

  “We look forward to seeing you both tonight. I’ll let Asher know you made it home all right.”

  Home. That is exactly what this feels like to me. I’m home.

  18

  Ripsy

  I wait patiently in Aria’s living room for her to come down the stairs. I promised to pick her up at seven sharp. It’s now eight minutes after. I’ll just say this — I was on time.

  I hear the clink of her heels and glance up, my breath catching in my throat. Her neck and shoulders are bare, seemingly inviting me in, and the strapless dress is a deep shade of blue, hugging her curves.

  “Do you want me to eat you alive, woman?” I ask, running my nose over the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent.

  “I take it you like it,” she replies. “I was always too self-conscious to wear it before…because I can’t wear any panties.”

 

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