Caris Roane - Chains of Darkness

“I won’t kid you, it’ll be difficult, but we can manage it. If we need to establish a home base in Santa Fe, and live there part-time, we can do that. But there will come a point, especially as it becomes clear that I’m not aging—and you won’t either, by the way…”

“Yes, I know. I mean, I talked to Lily yesterday. They said that humans bound by blood-chains don’t age as fast as ordinary humans. So that will be a big problem.”

“Exactly. And so long as the vampire world is kept secret, at some point you will have to separate from your human family.”

“Hey, what if we faked annual visits to a plastic surgeon?”

He laughed. “Okay, whatever. We’ll figure this out.”

“I have no doubt about that, but thank you.” He felt a sudden wash of sentiment flow through her. “I just never thought I’d see any of them again.”

“You will. I promise you that, with all my heart. We’ll make it work.”

She kissed him again, lingering this time, and her voice pierced his head. So is there any reason why we have to get up right away? Does Adrien need you, or Rumy? Or can we stay here for a few minutes, say about twenty, although with your vampire speed it could be much quicker. She shivered with pleasure.

He drew back, laughing some more and gazing into her soft brown eyes. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, more than I thought I could ever love anyone.”

He shifted her to lie on top of him once more and held her tightly against him. “Gabriel is coming over in a couple of hours, so we’re not expected to show our faces until then.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful. We can take our time.” She squeezed him as she spoke.

Yes, he’d take his time. He’d work her body backward and forward, letting her know over and over how grateful he was that she’d shown up in his life and changed everything.

In just a few short days, she’d become his light and his hope, having bound him with a set of blood-chains that had replaced the dark chains of his childhood.

He could never repay her for a kindness he doubted she could ever truly comprehend. But by God he’d spend the rest of his days letting her know he loved her.