Page 34 of Little Mate
“You see it.” My response is a nod, my eyes held by the sight. “My father is connected to the underworld, pretty girl. He’s a god—a very powerful one—and before most of creation was past its primitive stage, he took a small reprieve from his duty.”
“A god?”
“Yes.”
“And he came here?”
“He did.” His large hands cup my face, and each sweep of his fingertips across my cheeks brings goose bumps to my sensitive skin. But then again, all of me feels this way. Raw, exposed, and his. It’s unlike any feeling I’ve encountered in my twenty summers; all-encompassing and rooted so deep within my soul that I feel him all around me.
A part of me. We are one.
“Was your mother fully human?”
Theo nods, and I’m a bit surprised by the hint of sadness in his expression. “A chief's daughter with no real knowledge of what he was. My father took her from her home, got her pregnant, and stayed until the day of my birth a few months later.”
“And she’s—”
“I killed her.”
“What?” The ease with which he admits this causes me to jerk back. “You killed her?”
“I drained her from within before tearing through her abdomen.” Another caress, his eyes flashing red as they watch a vein in my neck tick. “I’m a monster, sweetheart. No part of me has or will ever be human.”
“What you are is perfect for me.” The words slip before I can register, but the truth is there nonetheless. Theodore didn’t ask to be created from the union, nor did he have control over his needs. He fed. “You also did what all babies do, Theo. They feed on the breasts of their mothers and find sustenance in what they can provide. You were just a bit different.”
“You’re extraordinary. So fucking beautiful.” That is all he says, but his true emotions are there in his eyes. Still red, bright, and unyielding in his stare, but they show his truth. This bone-deep sentiment that I return without conscious thought, my small hand now cradling his sharp jaw with just the right amount of facial hair, a sexy stubble I find myself wanting to feel rubbing against my thighs.
My thoughts are all over the place.
Surprised. Happiness. Shock. Lust.
They’re tumultuous and uncontrollable, taking me from one frantic extreme to the other all within the span of a single breath.
“This is crazy.” Without conscious thought, I bring my face closer to his. He watches me do so, his nostrils flaring a bit when a small trickle of excitement coats the pink flesh between my thighs and nipples tighten to stiff peaks.
“Yet you want it. Want me.” Denying our mate bond is a slap in the face to the one belief every species obeys. There’s one soul meant to bind with yours. One heart that will share the same beat, and while Theo’s technically doesn’t, I still hear it. It’s low and steady; a thump thump thump that sings only to me.
“I do.” Closer, and I can almost taste him in the air between us. “Will never deny you.”
“Then kiss me.”
“Is that a request?”
“No.” His body moves slightly closer while his hands grip my hips. “I’m commanding you to.”
“And who am I to disappoint a king.” The moment our lips touch, I let out a breathy sigh. Theo’s lips are soft and plump, the fullness making me itch to bite them, and I do, embedding my teeth in deep while his chest vibrates. While those strong hands hold me a little tighter within his hold.
Then, there’s the sound of fabric stretching—the protest loud inside the quiet room where only my harsh breaths can be heard.
“I need to feel you.” He fists a little more and the slits at my sides ride higher, exposing flesh to the fresh air. Theodore’s nostrils flare and his sharp fangs drop, tongue slicing across his bottom lip and then mine—tasting me. “Please, pretty girl. Nothing between us.” This leaves him on a rumbled groan, those amber eyes turning bloody red within my next intake of breath. Bright. Heated. “Skin on skin.”
“Yes.” My dress is torn off before the last syllable passes through my lips. At once, my skin prickles with excitement and the goosebumps on my arms have nothing to do with the cool night’s air.
I’m bare. On complete display.
The ruby of his eyes turns dark, almost black, yet the hint of red still reflects off the candles in the room. They’re beautiful. Everything about him is.
Theodore’s handsome with a sharp jaw, piercing stare, and dark hair. The epitome of tall, dark, and dangerous, yet, as I pull back for a second and stare, I see what others don’t. There’s more to him. More than the rumors and horror stories.