Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“I didn’t either.”
“I think I hurt you.”
I exhale loudly. “Yeah. I’m going to feel it tomorrow.” I know my spine is going to be bruised from being fucked so hard on those steps, not to mention how rough his hands were with my thighs and wrists, and of course the wounds on my neck.
“She said to put that on it,” I say, pointing at the vial on the freezer top.
“Ah, yes,” Valtu says. He takes it and then removes the towel, wincing at my wounds as he does so. “Again. I am so sorry.”
“I know you are,” I tell him. It’s plain to see. “Maybe next time we—”
“There won’t be a next time,” he says sharply as he drips the liquid onto the wounds. It immediately numbs it. “I can’t lose control with you.”
“Well, I don’t want you to feed from anyone but me. Also, you never told me that your cock gets bigger when you’re feeding.”
He shrugs lightly. “Just makes sense, doesn’t it?” He finishes the sentence with a grin. “How about we take this one step at a time? I can’t just tell you I’m a vampire and then throw you in the Red Room for some public feasting a day later. Baby steps.”
“Baby steps sound fine with me.”
He leans in and kisses me softly on the lips, brushing my hair off my face. “Can I tell you though, I feel the most whole I’ve felt in a long time? Years. Decades.” He peers deep into my eyes and there’s an affection inside his depths so poignant it feels a lot like love. “It’s like I tasted a universe inside your blood. A universe just meant for the two of us.” He chuckles and looks away. “That sounds cheesy, I know it does, but it’s true.”
I can’t help but smile. “I think you need to be a little cheesy sometimes, Val. Helps to balance all of this.” I gesture to the blood all over myself and everything else in this room.
“You called me Val,” he says, blinking at me.
“Is that okay?”
“It’s what those who are closest to me call me,” he says fondly. “I’d be honored if you did too.”
“Okay.” I smile shyly. “Val.”
He kisses me again. “My dove,” he whispers against my lips.
Chapter 20
Valtu
My favorite night of the year has arrived; the night of the winter recital.
Never mind the fact that it’s late November and technically not winter yet. It’s cold, foggy, raining most days, and Venice already dove headfirst into Christmas decorations. It’s winter enough for me.
The best part of the night, however, isn’t just that I can watch my students display their talents that they’ve been developing over the last few months, but that after the recital there’s a black-tie cocktail party in the inner courtyard. The school strings a canopy across the roof to keep the rain off and they go all out with the food, drinks, and decorations.
Of course, tonight is more significant than ever.
Tonight, Dahlia is playing.
I just know she’s going to be spectacular.
“Val, you’re blushing,” Doctor Van Helsing says.
I glance at him as he appears behind me in my mirror. He’s wearing a black suit and looking dapper as always, and other than the hipster-ish glasses on his face, he looks exactly the same as he did back in the day.
I give him a withering look and finish adjusting my bowtie. “Remind me why I said you could come, Abe?”
He raises his martini glass to his lips. “Always good to have a doctor in the house, I say.”
“Yeah, that’s what you say.” I finish with the tie and then attempt to put some sculpting paste in my hair so that it’s not a wavy mess. I put too much and with a sigh of frustration, end up slicking my hair back off my head. Thank god I stopped aging before my widow’s peak expanded.
“Oh, a new look on you,” he says. “You are definitely trying to look like a count tonight. Have you ever thought about blending in? You Venetian vampires are something else.”
I turn around and notice he’s actually holding two martini glasses. He hands one to me.
“Cheers, by the way,” he says with a wink and we clink our glasses together.
I have a sip. Gin with a twist and it’s stronger than it should be. I cough. “Did you put ether in here or what?”
He shrugs. “Nothing wrong with a little hair on your chest, Val. Might stop you from blushing.” He walks out of the bedroom.
I go back to inspecting myself in the mirror, vanity taking complete control over me. He’s right, of course. My cheeks are a little pink and the whole reason I’m fussing is that I want to look good for Dahlia tonight. The recital is a big deal for the both of us, of course, and it will be the first time we’ll be in public together outside of class. Not that I plan on revealing our relationship to anyone, that would be stupid, but it will feel good to be with her in that setting. I just hope I can hold myself together when I’m near her, I have a bad habit of totally losing control.