A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(55)

He stared at me for a few seconds, breathing heavily. I could see microcosms imploding beneath his lowered eyelids, long black lashes arching upward as if reaching for the sky. My fingers tingled with the urge to touch each of them and memorize the feeling that every atom composing Draven gave me.

“I’m a Druid, Serena,” he replied, his voice husky with desire. “My species is strong and unyielding, and honestly, I don’t really care right now. If I wake up tomorrow with your abilities, I’ll be fine. I’ll be even happier, because I’ll have a little bit more of you in me.”

How could I not love him, when he warped my entire world like that, wrapping it around his fingers and making it all his, perfect and impervious to anything that might stand against us? I let my head fall gently back, so I could get a better look at his sharp features, at his tender lips and his vibrant gaze.

“We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, Serena,” he whispered. “Let’s make tonight ours, at least. Because afterwards, I’ll be fighting tooth and nail to be with you for an eternity and more.”

I traced the contour of his lower lip with my finger, wondering how he’d come to be so intense, so strong, so… Draven.

He kissed me again, this time in a deeper and more intimate fashion, sending fire coursing through my veins. He lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he brought me near the bed.

We stood there, facing each other, our lips fused and hungrily demanding more, as his hands settled on my bare hips for a minute. I pushed myself forward to feel more of his hard body’s heat. He hissed and lifted my nightgown higher, prompting me to raise my arms. With one swift move, the cotton garment was tossed to the floor, and I was bare before him.

He stilled, taking his time to look at me, taking in every inch of bare skin and soul that I had to give him. He didn’t say anything for a while, just watched me carefully, his hands at his sides and his eyes even darker. I didn’t break our stare, but my hands moved of their own accord, unbuttoning his shirt and slowly peeling it off him. He slipped out of his boots and ran his fingers down the side of my face, tracing an invisible line down my neck and igniting an entire sun inside my chest.

“You are perfect, Serena,” he whispered. “You were made for me, and I swear I was made for you…”

My breath hitched as I sat on the bed in front of him. Ropes of muscles stretched methodically across his torso, his strong arms made for holding me. It was all mine, every inch of smooth skin, every curve and sharp edge that made him who he was. I placed my hand on his chest and let it move slowly downward, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine.

Draven bent forward, capturing my mouth in another kiss as he gently pushed me onto my back, covering me with his body. My temperature soared as his frantic heartbeat reverberated through my chest, setting off a chain of events that felt like it would forever shape my existence in this world.

I felt his golden energy washing over me like sunlight, his lips moving down my neck and tasting their way to my shoulder before descending and pulling me deeper into a state of euphoria.

I combed his hair with my fingers and beckoned him to come back and kiss me again. When he returned above me I realized his trousers had vanished and we were naked, skin on skin, sinking into the bed and into oblivion.

“Say it again,” he demanded, his voice raw and his fingers digging into my hips.

“I love you,” I whispered, and nibbled his lower lip.

He groaned as I sent him into a frenzy from which he could no longer come back. I was ready for him. I was ready to give him everything I had, including my soul. I felt my senses expand as he took me, moving gently as we abandoned reality altogether and lost ourselves in each other.

“I love you too, Serena…”

We made love as the world around us disappeared, our souls becoming one along with our bodies. Skin on skin, raw emotion and quivering muscles, unraveling senses and a white light enveloping me as Draven took me away from the physical plane and deeper into ourselves. I reached the peak of the universe, and I cried out to him, saying “I love you” each time he demanded it.

Our bodies were in perfect sync, moving like they’d been designed to fit so closely, so beautifully on one another. Our souls bonded as we soared closer to the sun. I felt it all—his whole life played itself before my eyes, each moment crisp and clear and colorful and full of emotions I’d never felt before. His emotions. His memories. His love for me.

It was all there, burning bright like a giant sun, and I was orbiting it, absorbing his energy and feeding him mine as we held on, as we tightened our grip on one another and experienced sheer bliss, over and over again.

“Say it again,” I told him, tears of happiness running down my cheeks as I reveled in everything he gave me, in everything he was, and in everything he made me feel.

“I love you, Serena.”

The universe contracted then expanded again. I cried out his name as he did mine, and we crashed into each other, melting into the sheets and marveling at how our very beings were able to fuse in such depth and detail.

Our souls felt irreversibly connected.

“Say it again,” I whispered in his ear as we relaxed in our embrace, my senses dazzled and my heart bursting with sunlight.

“I love you.”





Phoenix