Flint stood outside the door, his stomach in knots of apprehension as his hand reached to open the door. Dougie’s men looked at him, smiling knowingly and he gave them a frown and a snarl of warning, his cheeks flushing as he growled, “Cheeky pups.”

Dougie was right there when he walked in, standing proud and erect, still on alert. “Hey, Flint, you all right?”

The Alpha looked him over, checking for injuries. Didn’t he know how old he was? He was no Wolf that required healing time. Even if he had been hurt, he would’ve recovered by now. Flint gave the man credit though for not leaving his post and keeping Kenzie safe. “I’m fine, Dougie. Thank you for watching over my Bloodmate, but you can go now. Everything’s been taken care of and the threat has been neutralized.”

“Are you sure? They could come back. That Kragen, and particularly that fucker Stelian, well, they’re both sleekit bastards.” Dougie’s entire body was tense, his muscles bunched tight and he held himself as if he expected an attack at any moment.

Flint stepped further into the room, ready to convince him without giving details. “I’m certain. I took care of those two personally. They’re dead, Dougie, so they won’t be coming back and certainly aren’t able to hurt anyone ever again.”

Dougie’s head tilted to the side, his eyes appraising Flint as if he’d only just met him. “Both of them? You’re certain they’re both dead?”

“Yeah, both of them,” Flint confirmed. “I handed Kragen’s head to Quinn so he could parade it around to convince his men they wouldn’t get paid and that’s how the battle ended. They were only there for the money. Stelian . . . that was personal. He hurt Kenzie. No details, but he’s dead.”

A smile spread over the Alpha’s face, one that lit up his entire countenance as he strode toward Flint. “That’s the best news I’ve heard, shit, in forever. I’ll get my men and we’ll head home to drink the night away in your honor. Goodnight to you, Flint. I hope we meet again in better circumstances.”

“My thanks to you and your men, Dougie.” Flint held out his hand, shaking the Alpha’s firmly. “I can’t repay you for your help, but if you ever need me for anything, just ask.”

“Aye, I surely will.” Dougie shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard before leaving, closing the door with a soft thud behind him.

That’s when Flint turned full circle, realizing he was alone in the cottage with just Kenzie . . . wherever she was. Where was she? Maybe she was still feeling the effects of her injuries and was resting? Yes, that was the most likely explanation. She’d be resting in bed so that’s where he headed. Heart in his mouth and mind full of boundless possibilities for their future . . . it was mind-blowingly exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Except . . . when he arrived at the bedroom, she didn’t look as if she were recuperating. Or resting. Or still feeling the effects from her injuries. No. Instead she was standing by the window with nothing but a towel wrapped around her slim frame, wet hair hanging down her back . . . obviously she’d just had a shower. Her reflection in the window clear as day and she saw him . . . her lips tugging up into a nervous smile as she slowly turned to look over her shoulder.

“Hi, you’re finally back. I’ve been worried about you.”

His breath caught in his throat at her beauty. She was stunning. So fucking beautiful that he couldn’t string a sentence together . . . a long sigh escaped as he stepped toward her. His hand outstretched, urging her to come to him. He needed her in his arms, to feel her against him, to taste her lips beneath his, run his tongue over her skin and so much more. His brain was in overload as all manner of thoughts stampeded through it with the many ways he wanted to lavish her with pleasure, how to show her she was his. That he’d love her for eternity . . . and beyond.

“You need to know something about me,” she whispered nervously as she turned towards him, nibbling her bottom lip.

Damn! His cock twitched to life, his fangs springing against his gums but he forced them back. Not a chance in hell was he allowing them to break free and scare her. Not happening. Flint’s voice suddenly made an appearance, husky with need as she took a tentative step in his direction. “What do I need to know other than you’re the most beautiful woman alive?”

A soft blush started on her skin, low on her breasts . . . well, that’s where he thought it started as the towel covered those but it was spreading from that area upwards and carried on over her silky soft neck onto her face, her cheeks flushing a rosy pink as her eyes widened and she gasped, “No, I’m really not, but thank you for saying that.”

“Yes, you really are.” He stepped toward her, his hand still reaching for her, desperation overwhelming him as he fought to control his urge to rush and pick her up and slam her against the wall and kiss her senseless.

“Stop, Flint, I need to tell you about me . . . about my peculiarities. I don’t want to freak you out when we . . . you know, take this further.”

He couldn’t stop himself from grinning. This tiny part-Faery thought she was peculiar? Really? She was standing in the room with an ancient Vampire and she was worried about how she was different? “And I’m not peculiar? In the grand scheme of things, I’d think I was a little unusual too. Don’t you think?”

“Well, aye, you are, but I doubt things happen to you like they do me when you . . .” She stopped, talking and moving as her face flushed scarlet.

What the heck was she so embarrassed about? Flint had no idea and he didn’t care. She was his and all he knew was that he loved her with an intensity that was astonishing and literally took his breath away. “Okay”—he crossed to the bed, sitting down and trying to look relaxed when, in fact, he was anything but—“Tell me what’s bothering you. I promise I won’t interrupt and don’t feel embarrassed, although that rosy glow you’ve got going on is a freaking turn-on, Kenzie. I’m finding it extremely difficult to keep myself from ripping the towel off you and . . .” He stopped, shrugging. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. Carry on.”

“Oh damn.” She took another few steps toward him, stopping just out of his reach and gazing down at him with dark green eyes that were dissolving before him as her pupils dilated to almost obscure them . . . at the same time as her eyes started to . . . sparkle? “Some things happen to me when I’m aroused. It’s why I’ve had a lousy love life and not many boyfriends. They kinda freak out when their girlfriend’s eyes begin to sparkle when they’re kissing. Or if I’ve managed to keep them closed and they’ve not noticed that part, if her skin starts to glow when things progress, well they sure as hell freak out then. So, I thought I should tell you about it now. So you don’t have a hissy fit when we . . . well, that’s if you want to, and shit. I’m making a fool of myself.”

“They’re sparkling now,” Flint whispered, “and I’ve never seen anything so fucking incredible. You’re gorgeous, Kenzie, sexy, beautiful, and I’m so ready to make you mine that my head is about to explode. I need to know, though, do you understand what that means? What a Bloodmate means? Because once we do this, there’s no going back. You’re mine from this moment on. From now for all eternity. Do you understand? I need you to know that. Really know that.”

“I do.” She nodded, a hand rising to land over her heart. “Kimber and I had a really long talk and she explained it to me, but even if she hadn’t, I would’ve known. I feel it in here . . . I’m sure, Flint.”

“I’m glad you two spoke, because truth is, I’m not sure I can put everything I’m feeling into words. It’s too . . . intense.”

“I know what you mean.” She reached for him now, her tiny fingers searching for his as she stepped between his thighs. “I’ve been dreaming of you for weeks, felt your touch, your lips, and woke every morning with tears on my face because you weren’t in my bed.”

“No more tears.” Flint reached up, pulling her onto his lap and finally, finally his lips covered hers . . . and it felt like he was in heaven.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her body so tiny against him, his cock hard and twitching against her ass as she moaned into his mouth. Flint couldn’t resist keeping his eyes open, not after what she’d said earlier, keenly watching her skin as it started to show signs of her growing arousal. And, damn, sure enough, he soon saw a soft glow beginning to shine beneath her silky skin, lighting her up like a fucking Angel. It was breathtaking to see and turned him on like no woman ever had before . . . the physical symptoms glowing brighter as he slid a hand beneath the towel, his fingers sliding up between her thighs to swipe over her dripping wet folds. Fuck! She was sopping! Ready and eager for him as she thrust her hips into his touch, impatient for more . . . but he denied her as he played around outside her opening, gently caressing, teasing and forcing her moans to grow louder as he toyed with her mercilessly.

Standing up with her in his arms, Flint walked around the bed, gently placing her in the middle of the bed, her eyes popping open as their lips broke apart. And there he saw her glorious eyes sparkling like a firework as she lay gazing up at him with lust and desire flooding through her . . . and then her words from earlier came back to him. About how she’d barely had any boyfriends. Shoot. Was she a virgin?

He had to know that before things went any further but he didn’t want things to cool off, so he started to undress, grateful he wasn’t in full combat gear and only in jeans and a t-shirt after cleaning up earlier. Kenzie’s tongue darted out, running along her lips as she watched him, her eyes glued to his chest as he removed his top. “I hope I’m not a disappointment after your dreams?”

She shook her head, a cheeky tug to her lips as she smirked. “Nope, definitely not disappointed. You’re much better in the flesh.”

Kicking off his boots, he undid his jeans, sliding them down and her eyes popped wide when she saw he was commando and when his cock sprang free, her tongue came out again, licking her lips. Damn, he couldn’t stop himself from seeing her mouth wrapped around his cock, and it twitched against his belly, causing her head to rise and look at him with look of pure lust and longing. Her hand held out to him as she urged him to her, but first he had to know . . . would he need to take things far more slowly this night if it were her first?

Stepping up to the bed, he stopped just shy of her touch, knowing if he allowed her fingers near him that he’d crumble. “Baby, you said earlier about having problems with boyfriends because of how you glow when your aroused and stuff . . . and, by the way, I just have to say how fucking glorious you’re looking right now. But, I’ve got a question . . . were you trying to tell me, in a roundabout way, that you hadn’t, you know . . . that you’re a virgin?”

Kenzie’s hand shot to her mouth, her eyes twinkling as she giggled. “No! Oh god, no! I might not have had much success with humans and not had long term boyfriends, but I’m not a virgin. I’d go to the gatherings with my grandmother, and well, look, the answer’s no. That’s all you need to know . . . right? I might not be the most experienced woman you’ve been with, Flint, but I’m not a virgin.”

“That’s all I need to know,” Flint agreed, kneeling on the bed to join her, relaxing now that he knew he wasn’t dealing with someone brand new to the world of lovemaking.

Even if she weren’t, in her words, experienced. She, at least, had been with a man . . . or probably a boy. But he looked forward to showing her the pleasures of the flesh and his first task was having her scream to the heavens as he brought her to the best damn orgasms of her life . . . yes, plural. He wasn’t allowing her to leave this room until he’d given her the night of her life, and then some.

When she reached for him again, he shook his head, gently taking her hand and placing it on the bed. “No, Kenzie, it’s my turn to show you how much I feel for you . . . in here.” He pumped his fist against his chest, hard. “I’m going to worship you and make you quiver beneath my touch, make you glow so fucking bright that you’ll be in no doubt that you’re mine, and I’m yours. Then I’ll take you, make you mine forever, my exquisite Faery, so lie back and let me take care of you because I want to taste every last part of you.”

She shuddered as he took up position between her legs, reaching up to unwrap the towel and feast his eyes on her nakedness, his breath catching in his throat at the magnificence that lay before him. “Damn, you’re fucking gorgeous.”

Running his hands up the inside of her thighs, gently prying them apart, he saw her juices coating her folds . . . he’d been right. She was sopping wet, so turned on and ready. But she wasn’t getting his cock. Not yet. Not anytime soon. Even though he wanted nothing more than to dive in and thrust deep inside her. This was her night. The night he proved his love to her and he was going to do it right.

Leaning forward to pepper her skin with soft kisses and making his way up one leg, then the other, Kenzie sighed, then gasped as he reached her inner thighs, her hands clinging to the towel beneath her. Flint tugged on it, releasing it from underneath her and flinging it to the floor, and returned to his ministrations, his breath whispering over her hot core. Her hips bucked beneath him as she sought his mouth, “No,” he laughed, reaching up with one hand on her stomach to hold her down in place, his tongue darting out to sweep over the very outside of her folds.

“Oh shit,” Kenzie groaned, her head thrown back, her voice high-pitched, almost a wail as he continued.

Using his free hand to slide along her inner thigh, caressing, teasing, and finally slipping a finger inside slowly thrusting as his mouth covered her clit . . . Kenzie howled. Her hips bucking, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat, and it fucking glowed, bright like a star, as he worked her expertly. Raising her higher and higher, his cock hard as steel, Flint’s eyes open the entire time, watching her writhe beneath him, her head rolling back and forth, her mouth open as she switched between making the most exquisite sounds to gasping for breath. It was glorious to watch as he brought her nearer and nearer that precipice of ecstasy . . . his tongue flicking out to dart around her nub, his teeth scraping it between them, catching it and nipping it slightly before he sucked the life out of it. Her skin was on fire, her legs now hooked around him, holding on for dear life and when he added another finger inside her, hooking them to reach that spot . . . she fell apart beneath him.

His eyes glued to her as she rode the wave . . . over and over she went, down the rabbit hole of desire, her skin glowing from within and it was the most magnificent sight he’d ever witnessed in his fucking long life. Flint had never, never seen anything so beautiful before as she continued to spasm beneath him, her sheath clamping tightly around his fingers, her body quivering and he swore he could see her damn heart thud within her chest. He certainly could hear it . . . as it beat like a merengue in her chest. Shit. He was sure he’d heard that tune the last time he was in Cuba!

Chuckling, he pulled back, Kenzie finally coming back to earth from the high she’d been flying, her arms flopping at her sides as if they held no bones inside, her tongue licking her lips as she fought to draw breath, her eyes opening to lock on his. “Wow! That was . . . just wow. And I’m not crying. Not like in my dreams where you’d disappear and leave me.”

“I’ll never leave you.” He crawled up her body, kissing as he went, spending time to savor her breasts that were larger than he’d thought for such a tiny body. Her nipples tight and taut, his teeth grazing one as his fingers played with the other, his eyes on her face as she wriggled beneath him. “You’re mine, Kenzie McBride, and I’m yours.”

“Flint . . . what?”

“Just Flint.” Leaving her breast with a pop he carried on, “I’ll tell you the story, but not tonight.”

“Okay”—she reached for him, her tiny hands cupping his face—“This is incredible . . . what I feel for you. My gran said it would be, that we’re soulmates, but feeling it, right here, right now, it doesn’t come close to how she described it.”

“Soulmates is for other species, and yes, it’s similar.” Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers, knowing she’d taste herself as they joined, allowing her a moment to savor that before pulling back and gazing into her eyes once more. Eyes that were sparkling so brightly that he could no longer see the green of her irises, and that shot desire straight to his groin, his cock twitching between them. “But what we have . . . is so much more, Kenzie. You’re my Bloodmate and that’s rare, so rare that most of us have never even heard of them. They’re so unique that Vampire’s think they’re a myth, a legend, and if it weren’t for Victor having found Kimber, then I wouldn’t have known of them either. So, my sparkling eyed Faery, you’re far more to me than a soulmate and that’s why you’re feeling the way you are . . . that’s why we’re feeling the way we are. I’m enraptured by you, totally and absolutely beguiled, and I always will be. But, there’s something else I need to discuss with you. Something you might be . . . troubled by. It’s to do with . . .”

“You need my blood . . . don’t you? It’s all right, Kimber explained that to me. She thought you’d fluff that part up and she thought it might be best if I was prepared. I told you, she and I had a long talk about everything to do with being a Bloodmate.” Kenzie nibbled her lip again and he realized she did that when she was nervous, it was one of her tells.

“I see.” Flint’s hand ran around her neck, gently caressing the back and up into her long tresses, his lips following to pepper the skin beneath her ear with whisper soft kisses. “And did that freak you out? Scare you?”

Kenzie reacted to his touch, his free hand returning to her breast and kneading it, tweaking her nipple into a taut bud until she was arching her back and forcing it further into his touch. Her voice breathy with need as she gasped, “Not exactly. I’m not scared of you . . . but will it hurt?”

Flint chuckled against her skin, licking along the vein that pumped her blood that was screaming loudly for him to taste it. “No, my darling, it won’t hurt in the least. It’ll be good . . . fantastic, erotic, and you’ll come so hard you’ll not know which way is up.”

“Oh my!” Kenzie arched her neck, giving him clear access, her legs dropping to the sides to welcome him inside.

“I’ll love you forever, Kenzie, as only a Vampire can.” Flint rolled his hips, slowly entering her sheath that greeted him with a warmth that felt like soft silk.

Her hands tangled in his hair, soft moans escaping her throat, her legs wrapping around and her heels digging into his ass as he started to thrust slowly, filling her up with his steely length. When he was fully seated inside, she groaned louder and he stilled, allowing her to adjust to him before continuing, her moans of pleasure urging him on. Flint had never felt such pleasure as it coiled around him . . . inside and out, completely overtaking him, mind, body and soul.

His fangs pressed painfully against his gums, desperate to feed on his Bloodmate. He could scent her . . . vanilla and caramel, but it was more than that, it was her unique essence that called to him. Her Faery blood was beckoning to him, luring him to take the last step in their mating and consummate their bond . . . make her his. More importantly, it would bind him to her for all eternity. He would live—and die—for her from this moment on.

Allowing his razor-sharp teeth to break free as he thrust harder, angling his hips just so, Kenzie let out a wail as he connected with her clit. She felt him scraping along her silky soft skin, forcing her neck toward him, Flint licked across the area he planned to feed from . . . then struck. Piercing her skin quickly, the first taste of Kenzie’s ambrosia dripped onto his tongue and he was officially in nirvana! Stars exploded behind his eyes, his heart almost exploded from his chest, his cock swelled and thickened inside her, and he swore he flew straight up to Heaven as he sucked his first mouthful of her blood in and let it slide over the back of his mouth and drank it down.

Their movements grew frantic, bodies slapping together, Kenzie screaming with unadulterated ecstasy beneath him as he drew her life’s blood inside him . . . when she shuddered, her sheath clamping his cock so tightly with the force of her orgasm as it ripped through her, he pulled his fangs free, closing the wounds quickly a few seconds before his own orgasm tore through him. A roar of release filling the room as he pounded into his Faery, his love, his Bloodmate.

It took them both several moments to recover, Kenzie secure in his arms as he felt their bond growing deep inside him. It was amazingly beautiful as he sensed the tendrils of their mating growing, taking root, and he knew she felt it too. The way she looked at him, awe and love in her eyes as her fingers played over his skin. Finally she broke the silence, her voice soft and full of adoration.

“I can feel you, Flint, the way you love me . . . it’s beautiful and I’m so thankful you found me.”

“I can feel you too, baby.” Flint hugged her closer. “I can’t describe how you make me feel but we’ve got eternity for me to try. Now, there’s a huge Jacuzzi that’s just begging for me to take you into it and show you all kinds of naughty things that can be done. Then we can try that huge bathroom, then the kitchen, then the lounge . . .”

“Flint!” Kenzie giggled as he jumped out of the bed, picked her up and carried her outside, feeling like the happiest damn man alive.