My body felt on fire, all the nerve endings were blazing with a scorching heat that felt like it would engulf us both.
The feel of his release, his bite, his very presence behind me was adding fuel to the fire. I urged him not to release me when I felt him start to draw back, it was all instinct. I needed his bite, needed to feel him, to bind myself to him.
As I thought those words a strange pulse started within me. I felt it twist around me, around him, like a snake, binding us together. Suddenly, a burning sensation erupted where he was biting.
Dante pulled back and groaned in pain. I turned to see him clutching his own neck as I reached for mine.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Dante looked up and gasped.
"Your eyes!" he whispered in awe. "They're white!"
Ignoring the pain in my neck, I bent to retrieve my phone and pull up the camera, I gasped. He was right, my eyes had gone fully white. The pupil was even gone. As the pain in my neck lessened I watched as the brown slowly creeped back in.
It was then that I noticed my neck. Instead of the bite I expected to see, or at least two holes, like in the movies, instead there was an intricate, pale pattern. It swirled like flames and all lines connected into one.
"Oh my god!"
I turned to stare at Dante and his wide eyes were staring at my neck. It was then that I noticed the same pattern on his neck.
"What just happened?"
Dante shook himself and started to zip up his pants. It was then that I remembered mine were still around my ankles. Quickly, I pulled them up and blushed harder than I had ever done before.
"Come with me," he ordered.
Dante turned and walked to the door but stopped when I didn't follow him. He sighed then returned to me. His hand in mine broke my shock and I allowed him to lead me away.
"You finished boss?" Luca called with a smirk before noticing our faces. "What happened?"
His eyes widened when he noticed the marks on our necks. So, others could see them too, they were real.
"I'm taking him home, clear my schedule for the rest of the day."
Luca nodded before Dante pulled me away. He let go of my hand as the elevator doors opened in the lobby.
"Follow me!" he ordered.
This time I did as instructed, though I felt like I was floating, pulled along behind him as we went. He drove us through the streets and I was aware of nothing. My mind was blank as I stared ahead, seeing nothing.
"We are here," he said in a soft voice.
I jerked a little in surprise as he took my hand again. He knelt outside the car with my door wide open. I hadn't even noticed we'd stopped driving. Mechanically, I got out and followed him inside.
I was aware enough to realise it was one of those old, expensive townhouses but that was all I saw as he led me through the house and to a bedroom. He guided me to the bed and told me to sit. I felt the bed dip as he sat next to me.
'Sorin?'
His voice sounded close but distant at the same time. I felt his hand cup my cheek and pull. He turned my face to his.
'Sorin?'
My eyes widened. His mouth … his mouth hadn't moved, but … but …. I heard him say my name.
'Do not be afraid, Sorin,' he spoke without moving his mouth.
"What!" I gasped.
Dante smiled and that helped to settle the queasy feeling in my stomach a little.
"This explains everything," he chuckled lightly.
"Explains what? That I'm going mad!"
"No, Little Lamb, you're not going mad. I said it makes sense now because ever since I've heard your name I've felt this pull towards you. When I finally met you and discovered you were a witch I thought you'd used your magic on me."
He kissed my hand and smiled.
"But then I realised you knew nothing of that side of yourself. I found myself losing control when I was around you. These past few weeks since you've started working in that room next to mine have been absolute torture for me, made me very hard almost all the time."
I blushed a little as I thought about Dante sitting in his office, his erection in his hand as he pumped himself to thoughts of me.
"It took everything in me to restrain myself. Then you were hurt, the smell of your blood called to me like no one else's had. Now I know why."
Dante stroked the pattern on my neck with a look of such reverence that it made my heart jump. No one had ever looked at me like that.
"Why?" I breathed, his touch was affecting me again.
"Do you know what a mate is?" he asked and I nodded.
"You mean like a wolf mate?"
"Yes, shifters have the ability to recognise their mate. For vampires, we have something similar to mates, but we call them our 'souls'. When you become a vampire, we believe our human soul leaves us and travels into our mates. Only when we reunite with our soul are we be complete again."
It sounded so sad and beautiful at the same time that it was almost unbelievable.
"Are you saying, I'm your soul?" I asked.
I held my breath as I waited for the answer. Either way I would die, either from pure happiness at being his soul or pure anguish at not.
"Yes, Little Lamb, you are my soul," he beamed at me. "When we joined my vampire needed to claim you. I've had sex with humans before but I've always been able to control my vampiric side but I couldn't with you."
I glared at the mention of him with others but Dante just laughed.
"Easy there, Little Lamb," he kissed me. "I'm just mentioning it so you understand. It was intense and chaotic and I loved every second. My vampire claimed you as his soul, and then your magic claimed me as yours."
I gasped as I reached up to touch my neck before slowly touching his.
"Really?" I asked, not daring to fully believe it.
"Yes, when I claimed you, your magic enveloped us and bound us together even more than my bite had. Now you belong to me …" he kissed my neck and whispered the rest in my ear. "... and I belong to you."
I claimed his mouth then and we soon lost ourselves to the night. Dante devoured my body, heart and soul as he brought my me pleasure I'd never known possible. It was only when dawn broke through the windows that he finally released me.
We laid on our backs and panted. My body felt exhausted to the point where I couldn't even lift my hand. I turned my head to look at him. His body glistened in the pale sunlight and I longed to taste him again.
"Easy there, Little Lamb," he chuckled, bringing my eyes to his. "If you keep looking at me like that I'm not going to be able to restrain myself again.
"Would that be a bad thing?" I teased.
"Yes! At least for you," he laughed. "Lift your hand."
I couldn't, no matter how much I tried, my hand wouldn't cooperate. Dante laughed before slowly rolling on to his side and pulling me into him.
"Your body is exhausted, it needs rest if you want to go again. Mine does too. If we fuck like rabbits we'll never last more than a few weeks. We'll both burn out and be no good to anyone let alone each other."
I knew he was right but I still pouted. I loved the feel of him stretching me, of his hands on me, his mouth … I could feel myself getting ramped up again.
"Down boy!" he playfully scolded. "Get some rest, we can devour each other every night if you wish, but right now we both need to sleep."
He pulled me down onto his chest and sighed happily as he wrapped his arms around me. As soon as my head laid on his smooth chest, I was asleep. I drifted off into a contented dreamless sleep, the best I'd ever had with my soul wrapped around me.