“I can’t be the only one.”
He brings our hands toward his mouth, sweetly kissing my knuckles. “You’re probably right. But how would we ever know? I think our situation is unique—maybe a once-in-a-lifetime chance that we found each other.”
“That you sniffed me out?”
“Like any proper wolf would.”
I laugh, but then inhale another deep breath, taking in this moment. “I’m glad.”
“Are you?”
Turning my head on the pillow to meet his gaze, I smile. “Yes.” I pause, staring into his eyes. The light streaming into the archway is behind me, but Jun is facing toward it. For the first time, I realize that his eyes aren’t achromatic. They’ve always registered as black pools to me, but… they’re actually a lustrous, very deep purple—like black but with a prism or sheen of purple. I’m just staring at him because I’m amazed by it. Incredible.
He blinks at me. “What is it?”
“You’re just… stunning.”
His mouth quirks up in that rare smile that tells me I’ve caught him off guard. I’m on a roll now, so I put all my effort into pushing him off me so that he falls over and onto his back. He laughs openly and swears from the surprise of it, and I throw my leg over so I’m sitting on top of him. “May I feed?”
He’s grinning like mad. “Oh, last night and this morning?”
“I’m hungry and you taste like heaven. Much better than those bags.”
“That’s a relief.”
I lean down into his neck, feeling his hands stroke down my sides and eventually cupping my arse. As I lick him, he lifts his groin and grinds into me just a little. This wakes my nature up, and I feel the heat of it building and fanning out of me. But I don’t stop it at all. Everything feels too perfect and sensual to interrupt it. I’m about to bite down when I hear Jun’s voice.
“You’re supposed to learn how to control this today with Nino, right?”
I pause, feeling it radiate warmly around us. My incisors are elongated and pulsing. My eyes are alighted, and Jun’s hands are still lazily stroking me and he’s hard underneath me.
“It might be nicer to just spend the day in bed and practice together… understanding your lovely, untamed aura. I think we could figure some things out? I can help you…”
My mind and body are set to full-on vampire mode at this precise moment, and I agree with him. The energy within me is already extended outward and resting. It’s liberating, and I want to do this with him—to learn and explore myself with Jun. I know he accepts me like this now… well, not just accepts. It’s much more than that.
I’ll find Nino today and tell him never mind. At some point, anyway.
Epilogue
A year and a half later…
Junichi
“Ne, abeoji. Jega gugeul mandeulkkeyo. Jega modeun geoseul da hal su isseoyo.”
Jae is standing on the small circular dressing stage in my studio as I finish up the bottom hem of his kimono. He’s talking to his father on the phone.
“Aniyo. Jega tteogguggwa gimchileul mandeul su isseoyo. Gimchileul gajigo osil pilyo eobseoyo.” Jae shakes his head, but he’s smiling.
I’ve been studying Korean for the past year. After he talked with his father and told him that we bonded, he literally booked the first flight out to England to meet me. It was surprisingly very serious, and he brought his sister, too. Jae had never met his aunt before—or anyone from his father’s side of the family. She was sweet. She cried and hugged him a lot, but she only spoke Korean. I felt bad about not being able to speak with her directly.
They’re planning to visit us here, in Japan, after New Year’s, so I’ll be ready this time.
“Ne, goenchanayo. Abeoji kimchiga deo masijyo.” He rolls his eyes before rubbing his palm down his face. Jae is telling him that he’ll have the New Year’s meal already prepared, but his father insists that his kimchi tastes better than Jae’s. My mate is conceding.
“Algesseoyo. Abeojikkeseo banchaneul deo mandeuleo juseyo. Abeoji, gomawoyo. Najunge malsseum deulikkeyo… Annyeonghi gyeseyo.” He hangs up, frowning. “I think my kimchi is better—honestly, he uses too much garlic.”
“Are you going to tell him that?”
Jae laughs, tossing his phone away and onto the small couch just below the window. “No. If he wants to bring kimchi on the plane it’s his prerogative. I’m not fussed about it.” He’s still glancing over at the window, his eyes wide with wonder. “It’s snowing.”
“It’s supposed to snow for the rest of the night,” I respond, talking around two pins sticking out of my mouth. Terrible habit, putting these damn things in my mouth. I shift toward the front of him as I sit on my small rolling stool, then sit up straight to adjust his belt. “Did Cyrus’s plane land?”
Jae snorts. “Yes. He and Sarah arrived just fine.”
I stop, pulling the pins out of my mouth as I look up at him. “Say what? What happened to Benjamin?”
“They broke up last week—again. This is someone from his office that he kind of fancies. He’s just figuring himself out, which is fine, but I’d appreciate it if he didn’t randomly swap out guests. I quite liked Benjamin.”
“Did he tell her that we’re all vamps?”
“Yes.” Jae frowns. “She’s ‘chuffed’ about that part in particular.”
“Oh God…”
“I stopped by the Kurashiki estate earlier to drop off the papers for the second round of surrogacy. Cellina and Giovanni were there.”
“Oh yeah?” I say, before sticking the pins back in my mouth.
