Behind my father, I see a woman come into view. She has brown hair like mine, and brown eyes. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her that it takes me a moment to recognize her.
“Maman?”
She doesn’t touch me. She rests her head on my father’s shoulder and simply smiles at me. The same love that warms me from my father’s eyes shines from hers.
"Go,” says my father. “Get out and live."
"What?"
It’s the same words he said to me before he died. Why does he say them now when I am dead?
Before I can ask him, he slips from my grasp. He moves away from me, walking into the bright light with my mother on his arm. Even though they’re retreating I can still feel them with me. In my heart.
"Carignan?”
This voice I know is Hadrian’s. I turn around, but I don't see him. Just darkness. It's then I realize that my eyes are still close.
I open them.
I see the dark, blackout blinds of Hadrian's room. The only light is the fire burning in the hearth. I’m lying down on his bed. All around me I smell the spicy scent of him. I can taste it on my tongue. I can feel it in my blood.
A memory flashes through my mind. It’s of me and Hadrian. He has me locked in a tight embrace. My face is at his chest. My mouth is on his heart, taking in the blood directly from that organ.
I did die. But Hadrian didn’t. He brought me back to life.
"There you are,” he says as he brushes my hair away from my temple.
His touch before this moment always made me heated. It’s an inferno now. My senses reach a height beyond 18,000 feet. I can feel the grooves of his fingerprints. I make out each of the unique lines that belong only to him. I can now tell his touch from anyone else’s.
"Hey,” I say.
"Hey."
"I'm not dead." It’s all I can manage when so much is running through my head.
“That fact is debatable.”
"I'm a vampire."
"I had to.” His strong voice is a wary plea. “I had to try and save your life. You made me want to live. I didn't want to do it without you."
The wariness invades his features. He’s waiting for my reaction. Will I rage at him for turning me into what he is? Or will I thank him for bringing me back to him.
I sit up. I’m naked beneath the sheets. Perfect. It’ll save time for what I have planned.
Hadrian ignores my naked chest. His gaze is still intent on my face, like he’s still waiting for my reaction to what he’s done, what he’s turned me into.
“You brought me back to life,” I say, “Back to you.”
His eyes close. His sigh is heavy with relief.
I look down at my hands. The last thing I remember when I was awake was pain. Nothing but pain. And then his face. I clung to the sight of him until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer.
“Where is she?” I ask. I don’t want to speak her name. Luckily, I don’t need to clarify.
"Gone."
"Gone-gone?" I ask.
He nods.
I don’t ask for any elaboration. There’s only one thing that I care about. “So your heart is all mine now."
I reach out to him, placing my hand over the tattoo on his heart, the one that marked him as the Prince of Pain. I want to etch over it with a mark of my own.
"I am all yours now. My body, my soul, and my heart."
“Yeah? Sii uno ragazzo bravo. Show me.”
He grins at my words. He comes to his knees on the bed. He doesn’t need to lord his power over me. He has my total devotion, my total submission, my total self.
Though I’ve been given this second life, I won’t toy with it. I won’t seek out danger. I won’t taunt a true death.
I will protect my life. I will share it with this man who has given me a reason to live to the fullest. I will no longer harness myself and dangle the tether of my life.
Well… not unless Hadrian is holding the other end of the rope while I’m tied down to a bed.
“I want to take you to my cellar,” he says.
“What’s there?”
“My play room.”
“You mean like video games or something?”
His grin is wicked. “Come see.”
I follow him out of the house and down into the earth. I’d follow him anywhere. When he opens the door to the dark dungeon of the cellar, I gasp. I don’t step back. I step forward, ready to strap into whatever paces he wants to put me through.
“And I’m yours.”
Hadrian spends the rest of the night, the rest of our forever, showing me that he is indeed the master at what he does. He is no longer the Prince of Pain. He has become my Prince of Pleasure.
Want More?
Get ready for the next book in the Midnight Doms series, Her Vampire Hero by Nicolina Martin
Alpha’s Blood
Her Vampire Master
Her Vampire Prince
Her Vampire Hero
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About Ines Johnson
Lover of fairytales, folklore, and mythology, Ines Johnson spends her days reimagining the stories of old in a modern world. She writes books where damsels cause the distress, princesses wield swords, and moms save the world.
If you liked Ines’ Vampires, then you’ll love her Dragons; alpha male shifters, fated mates, and steamy romance with a touch of 80’s nostalgia! To grab a free book from the world of the Last Dragons just visit http://bit.ly/LastDragons
MORE PARANORMAL ROMANCE BY INES JOHNSON
The Last Dragons
The Dragon’s Reluctant Sacrifice
The Dragon’s Ambivalent Sacrifice
The Dragon’s Willing Sacrifice
The Moonkind Series
Moonlight
Moonrise
Moonfall
The Knights of Caerleon
First Knight
One Knight
Read the Bad Boy Alpha Series that launched Midnight Doms
Bad Boy Alphas Series
Alpha’s Temptation
Alpha’s Danger
Alpha’s Prize
Alpha’s Challenge
Alpha’s Obsession
Alpha’s War
Alpha’s Mission
Alpha’s Sun
Shifter Fight Club
Alpha’s Desire
Alpha’s Bane
Alpha’s Secret
Alpha’s Prey