Page 17 of Seth
Chapter Ten
Seth
Consciousness hovered just out of reach, but he snuggled closer to the warmth that pressed against his chest and came close to falling back to sleep.His arm tightened as an image of Aubrey flashed and the events of the night before emerged from the recesses of his mind with sharp focus.
When he blinked open his eyes, he found his nose and mouth pressed against her beautiful red hair and he inhaled a deep breath.She smelled of cinnamon, with a hint of orange.That brought a smile to his lips as he savored every nuance he learned about her.As she snuggled closer to him, he pressed a kiss to her head, marveling that he’d finally found his mate.
“Seth.”
“I’m right here, gorgeous.”
She cuddled against him and with a deep sigh, fell back to sleep.As with everything else that fascinated him about Aubrey, he listened to her even breaths and shivered when she gripped his hip to move him closer.It had been the same the night before.They had clung to each other as their bodies moved in a rhythm as natural as breathing, each touch as intense as the last, until it built to a crescendo that had both of them crying out in release.He’d never been so aware of his body and the sensations that she drew from him, but it had been her pleasure that he wanted most of all.
He had tasted her, marked the sensitive skin on her neck and breasts, claiming her in every way.But nothing compared to when she drew from him.A piece of the puzzle that had been missing his entire life clicked into place with ease, and he understood that he existed to be Aubrey’s mate.After the bite, everything righted in his world.Although he could feel her strong emotions before, such as jealousy, after they’d made love and she had some of his blood, he could feel her more fleeting emotions.Her worry for his well-being had her retracting her fangs before she was truly sated, and as she settled into his arms to sleep, contentment and happiness washed over him as she burrowed back against his chest.
For the first time since he learned about the existence of vampires and shifters, he could see himself transitioning into a vampire.The one reason that the assassins had bought him the SUV was because he had never wanted to be anything other than human.He knew that Reaper or even Liv would have turned him if he’d asked, but it had never been an interest to him.Until now.
Kai and Reaper had told him that the transition from human to immortal was a very intimate time between mates, and could be painful.He didn’t care about the pain.As long as Aubrey stayed with him, he would be okay.But he worried about how to broach the subject with her.It wasn’t every day that your new mate asked to be turned into a vampire.But he trusted her completely, no doubt in his mind that this was the course of action he wanted to pursue.But first, he had to convince Aubrey.
“What are you thinking about?”
He glanced down and met her sparkling silver eyes that never failed to make his heart beat faster.“I’m thinking about our future together.”
Pushing herself up, she turned toward him.She brushed a quick kiss against his lips before she leaned back and searched his gaze.“And I hope that means us, naked, in various positions that I’ve read about in my romance books?”
A laugh erupted from deep in his chest as he brushed a kiss against her lips.“Yes, but that’s not all.”
Sensing the seriousness of the conversation, she sat up and wrapped a sheet around her to cover her naked body from view.Sitting cross-legged on the bed facing him, with her elbows resting on her knees, she scanned his face for any clues.“Are you worried about my reaction?”
“A little, but I couldn’t live without you in my life, so the decision is a fairly easy one to make.”
Her brows drew down and she stared at him for a long while.“You want me to change you.”
“Yes.I can’t live without you, Aubrey.You are my mate, and I am yours.I would be willing to sacrifice everything to be with you, so what’s a few days’ pain in the long run?”
“How long have you been thinking about it?”
He blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.She wasn’t rejecting the idea outright.He understood that she wasn’t going to overreact to his news, possibly because of the reaction and ease in which she drank from him.
“Since the first moment I spotted you in class.”
“Why?”
“Because you are my mate, and I plan to be with you for the rest of our lives.That would be much easier if I was a vampire.”
She contemplated his words for several long minutes.She never moved away from him, and he felt safe enough to thread his fingers through her hair.He wanted to tell her of his feelings for her, but he couldn’t influence her decision.
“Don’t make a decision right now.I want you to meet my immortal family and you can think about what you want.I promise I won’t pressure you.I want you to know everything about me.”
Nodding, she took him by surprise and leaned forward to kiss him, a playful brush against his lips.He deepened the kiss and as she opened for him, time lost all meaning as he savored each gasp and moan.Happiness shot through him, multiplied by his feelings and hers swirling together in his chest, until he could sense anxiety that wasn’t his own.
“What’s wrong, gorgeous?”
“Your family hasn’t even met me.How do you they know I wasn’t a threat to you?”
“Because they trust me.If I was at all worried, Liv would have had Xander scour the Internet for any record of you, and you would have probably been surveilled by Jade or Gunnar to ascertain the danger you posed to me.”He laughed as he thought about his family, surprised that they hadn’t already done some of their own research.“Have you caught a scent around your place that you haven’t recognized?”
“No.I can smell them on you and in your house, but they aren’t familiar to me.”
