Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
With one arm, she held the thin sheet to her chest. Her entire body was coiled like a spring as she watched me warily.
It was the moment that I’d dreaded all my life. I’d always known it would come. I hadn’t been delusional enough to believe that I would be able to hide it forever, but I’d hoped that we’d be further into our lives before my mate became aware.
The knowledge that Rosemary had leaned into the mating bond so easily, had accepted it all so calmly, had only intensified my fear of her learning the truth. Our relationship had started so effortlessly. Part of me had taken that as my due because everything around us had been so fucked up. Like it was the Gods’ way of giving me a win when everything else was going to shit.
“Tell me,” she said quietly.
I opened my mouth and closed it again, unsure how to begin.
“I know Vampires,” she said slowly, her gaze searching my face. “I’ve seen them in action.” She paused and swallowed like she was carefully considering her next words. “I’ve never seen a Vampire like you were last night.”
Every wall that I’d built up, every emotion that I’d pushed away, every memory of a time when I’d laughed something off instead of being angry, every deep breath I’d paused to take, every warning word or touch that my brothers had given me, every worried look that my parents had shot me or each other, every time I’d deliberately blinked the red out of my eyes as I fought to center myself—it all rushed through me with the force of a tsunami.
The walls silently shattered.
“It’s genetic,” I choked out, my voice barely audible. I stayed near the dresser.
I wanted to touch her so badly, but I never wanted to frighten her.
“When my father was young, there were warriors who fought bare-skinned.”
She frowned.
“Naked,” I clarified, as if she didn’t already know what I meant.
I was fumbling it.
“Okay,” she murmured slowly.
“They were called berserkers,” I blurted.
Rosemary’s mouth went slack with surprise.
“Most were Vampires,” I continued. “Some weren’t. They were terrifying on the battlefield. In a time when chain mail and armor were the norm, someone fighting bare was a bit of a mindfuck to their enemies.”
“No shit,” she breathed.
“Like I said, some were Vampires, some weren’t. But they all had one thing in common—they fell into a sort of trance when they fought. Nothing mattered but the battle. Hyperfocus. They didn’t get tired. They didn’t flag. Not ever. Not even when they were wounded.”
I leaned against the dresser and smoothed a hand over my beard, clearing my throat.
“Your dad was a berserker?” she sputtered. Her eyes lost a little focus. “I mean, Erik the Butcher is a pretty bloodthirsty name. So I figured that he probably did some shit, you know? I’ve seen him fight, and the guy can move, but—”
“The ability is genetic,” I said, cutting her off before she said something offhand that tore my heart out.
Her eyes met mine, and it took a moment before realization set in.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Oh, that’s what—can your brothers do it, too?”
“No,” I replied flatly. I’d been the only one with that particular trait.
“So it’s just you then.”
“Yes.”
She sat there silently for what felt like forever, her eyes pointed toward the floor between us.
“So the red eyes—”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Does it happen often?” she asked, raising her head.
“No. No, it hasn’t happened since I was a child, not until last night.”
“But I’ve seen your eyes. They flicker.”
“I’ve always been able to control it,” I explained uncomfortably. “It doesn’t go further than that.”
“Then why couldn’t you last night?” she asked quietly.
I huffed in disbelief.
“Because of me,” she said in understanding. “Because I was in danger.”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t let me leave Pop’s?”
“Part of it,” I admitted. “But only part. I just wanted you to be safe.”
“You can’t control everything,” she countered, gesturing at the bandage on her face. “You realize that now, right?”
That I wasn’t willing to admit. My emotions were too close to the surface.
“Why are you standing way over there?” she asked softly, patting the bed beside her. “Come sit by me.”
Relief made my legs wobbly as I took the few steps to the bed and sat down carefully next to her. Rosemary had never felt small or fragile to me, and I loved it. I enjoyed the fact that she was strong and capable of doing damage if she chose to. I adored that her body and mine lined up so perfectly. I worshipped the muscles she’d built almost as much as her long, silky hair. But then I’d seen her with that human on top of her, and now I felt like I was finally noticing how much thinner her wrists were, how slender she was in comparison to my bulk, how delicate her long neck was.