Page 90 of Venice Vampyr: The Beginning

His words broke the wall around her heart down as if it was merely a paper screen. She locked eyes with him. They had a glint in them now, a red-orange glow. Previously, she would have dismissed it as a reflection of the candlelight, but now that she knew what he was, a vampire, she understood that he was tethering at the edge of his control. And at that very moment she realized what she wanted.

Her lips parted, and the words she thought she’d never utter, spilled over her lips. “Then bite me and make me yours.”

***

Lorenzo’s heart stopped as his body jolted backwards of its own volition, virtually catapulting him off the bed so fast he realized his vampire side had taken control. Bianca’s words echoed over and over in his head: bite me. She knew! Bianca knew!

His heart started beating again, faster now. He gulped down air, expanding his chest, his body ready to fight.

“Lorenzo, please, come back.”

Bianca’s plea made him snap his gaze back to her. Still tied up and utterly vulnerable in her nudity, her eyes hadn’t lost the desire he’d seen shining in them earlier.

“I … you … you’re mistaken.” His brain couldn’t produce a coherent thought. It felt like somebody had taken his brain cells, disassembled them and thrown them into a barrel that now rolled down a mountain top.

“I know what you are.”

He shook his head. Denial was the only solution. “You know nothing.”

“You’re a vampire. I saw how you changed.”

“No!” He took a step back.

“That night you quarreled with your friend … I saw your fangs, I saw your eyes. I know what you are. I heard you say it.”

Lorenzo ran his hand through his hair and took a tentative step toward the bed. “You eavesdropped?”

Bianca nodded. “I’m glad I did.”

“You didn’t run. Why?”

“I wanted to. But then you came out of the parlor.”

Slowly, he approached the bed, watching for signs of fear from Bianca, but there were none. “You could have escaped later.”

“No. I can’t escape you. Not then. Not now. You’ve captured me and my heart. You looked so distraught that night, so sad. I didn’t have the heart to leave you. And when you told me you needed me, I …” Her voice trailed off, but her eyes continued her sentence.

Could it be real? Did she truly love him? How could he know for certain? He had to offer her a choice. “You’re free to go, Bianca.”

Lorenzo stopped next to the bed and reached for her wrists, untying them swiftly. Then he stepped back. “Leave now. I won’t hurt you. All I ask is that you keep my secret.”

Bianca sat up, shaking her head in the process. “No. I can’t do that.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. Why did she have to force him to do this? He didn’t want to wipe her memory of all that had happened, but now he knew that he had to. Anguish swept over him at the thought that the same fate as Elle’s would befall Bianca. “I beg you.”

Bianca slid off the bed, her bare feet making barely any sound on the wooden floor. With two steps, she crossed the distance between them and laid her hand on his chest. “I won’t leave you. I want you, now more than ever.”

He put his hand over hers. “It’s madness, you should run while you still can.”

“My heart’s already made its choice. I want you. But if you have tired of me already—”

He placed his finger on her lips. “I’ll never tire of you.”

She gifted him with a ravishing smile. “Then bite me. I know you want it. I can feel it every time your teeth graze my skin.”

His cock stiffened at the thought of sinking his fangs into her. He pulled her into his embrace. “My love, you can’t even begin to understand what this means to me.” To be allowed to feed off the very woman who had captured his heart, was more than anything he’d ever hoped for. “I’ve been craving your blood ever since you stepped into my home. And I’ve fought it every day.”

“No longer,” she whispered and tilted her head to expose her graceful neck.