Chapter Three

The sunlight creeping through the window was excruciating even through closed eyes. Images from the previous night's events danced through my mind like a film and I could feel a wide grin forming across my face. I tried to stretch but something was holding me down. I couldn't move.

I slammed my eyes open, squinting through the shock the sun gave my eyes. I lay there naked and chained to a bed that was not my own in a room that I had never seen before. Where the hell am I? How in the hell did I get here?

A strong coppery scent overwhelmed me. My throat was on fire. I looked down at my naked body which appeared to be covered in a sticky, crimson fluid. The burning in my throat grew stronger and the pit of my stomach seemed to boil with hunger.

I screamed as a sharp pain cut through my gums. It felt like I was having a tooth extracted without anesthesia. When the pain ebbed to nothing more than a dull ache, I used my tongue to examine where the pain had started. I nicked it on what felt like a sharp and pointed razor. I gently examined further before reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Holy shit I have fangs!"

The door to the room bursts open and Liam rushed to my side. The look I shot in his direction must have warned him to tread lightly because he abruptly chose to stand by my side rather than to sit beside me.

"Why the fuck am I chained to a bed and where in the hell am I?"

I screamed, pulling as hard as I could on the steel cuffs around my wrists and ankles. He flinched as if I had cut him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the cuffs I had been restrained by.

"I am so sorry Saraid. I promise I will explain everything."

His willingness to just release me after I screamed at him and the memories of our night together made the anger, I was feeling die down enough that I didn't clock him for chaining me up in the first place.

"There better be a damn good explanation for all of this!" I said as I waved my free hand up and down my body indicating that I noticed the blood that decorated my naked figure. He simply nodded and released the final cuff and I caught a glimpse of the wet trail of a tear that had just fallen from his chin. Every bit of anger I felt seemed to dissipate with the thought of him being hurt.

"Why are you crying?"

He turned his back to me and whispered, "I wouldn't have ever wanted this for you. I knew from the legends that we would share power, but I was turned into a vampire it wasn't a gift born to me. I didn't know Saraid. I'm so sorry."

The memory of our mystical union came back to me and I remembered that our powers were somehow tied to each other now. I grabbed Liam by the hand and pulled him down, so he was sitting on the bed beside me.

"So, I'm a vampire now?"

His body shook with his sobs as he nodded his head. It was so heartbreaking to see such a strong man cry. A moment of clarity befell me and just like that I was horrified.

"So that's why I am covered in blood? Oh God, did I kill someone?"

Liam picked up on my despair and his protective instincts must have went into overdrive because he pulled my body into his and laid my head on his chest.

"You did Saraid but it's not your fault. It's mine. I was trained to be prepared for everything and I did not see this. I may not have thought it was possible, but I should have been prepared for it anyway. I promise I will tell you everything. Do you want to hear it all now or would you like to shower first?"

As much as I wanted answers, I needed a shower. Liam offered to assist me in getting all the blood off, but I just needed to be alone with my thoughts.

"I'm assuming I have clothes to wear?"

He nodded towards the black duffel bag that sat on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Thanks," I said and started to walk to the bathroom.

Shit, I almost forgot. I couldn't have him thinking that I hated him. I was not the happiest person in the world but as a witch when it comes to magic, I believe nothing is completely predictable. So, I dropped the bag on the floor and walked back to him. I stood there in front of him on the tips of my toes, grabbed his face between my hands and kissed him on his full pillow soft lips. A kiss that was meant to reassure him had calmed my nerves enough that I could feel my new fangs receding into my gums where they would remain hidden until triggered again.

I looked into his gray eyes so filled with torment. "None of this is your fault Liam. Magic is unpredictable."

With that I turned back and headed for the bathroom and paused at the door, "Oh and you will find that once I'm around it's pretty much impossible to get rid of me."

I caught the change in his expression from a look of torment to one of joy as I shut the door to the bathroom.

"Mission accomplished," I said to myself.

His bathroom was a work of art. Black woodwork adorned with a white and black marble sink stood across from me in the enormous bathroom. To the left of me was a door that led to the toilet and beside that was a closet that I assumed held his bathroom linens and supplies.

To my right was a glass wall with a door that opened outward and gave access to a massive shower with three walls that appeared to be made of the same white and black marble that made up the sink. The marble walls housed numerous shower heads designed to spray your body from all angles. One massive, round showerhead hung from the ceiling.

I sat the duffel bag full of my clothes on the floor in front of the shower and reached inside to run the water and to adjust the temperature. The water was hot, and it felt great on my tired muscles.

Who knew blood would be so difficult to clean off? It took me three shampoos and at least ten rounds of harsh body scrubbing. Thankfully, while Liam was packing my bag, he thought of everything. He packed my homemade rose and morula oil shampoo, loofa, and the body wash I made in the exact same scent as my shampoo. He even packed my toothbrush and my razor.

Confident that I was squeaky clean I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in the blue towel Liam had left out for me. I wiped the fog from the black wood framed mirror and stared at my own reflection. Something was different. My features looked more polished as if I was wearing a coat of foundation or finishing powder. The once sapphire blue of my eyes had now lightened to an almost translucent gray with a ring of deep blue circling my pupil.

Aww, I have his pretty eyes.

I smiled as I shook my head to get rid of my inner monologue. As my mind was going over all the changes my body had undergone, I started brushing my teeth.

Ok no blood, check. Fresh breath, check. Dirty clothes, oh ha-ha there are none.

I dug through the remaining contents of the duffel bag to find something to wear. It looked like he had shoved half of my wardrobe in there. I didn't care about being fashionable if I was comfortable, so I settled on a pair of black capri leggings and a white t-shirt. I replaced the towel on the chrome rack and proceeded to wiggle myself into my favorite white bra and matching lace hipsters. I put on my comfortable clothes and voila, almost done.

Liam had thought of just about everything but my hair brush. I found his on the sink counter and decided to use it. It's not like I was using his toothbrush or anything.

Something red caught the corner of my eye when I sat the brush back down on the bathroom counter. Did I miss some blood? As I examined my left hand further, I could see that it was a tattoo of some sort. It looked like two red, interwoven lines of barbed wire that wrapped around my ring finger. Great. One more thing I have no memory of.

When I opened the door, Liam was sitting on the freshly made bed waiting for me. "Shit!" My exclamation made him jump. "You can hear my thoughts, can't you?"

His laughter answered on his behalf. He opened his arms to me in invitation and I walked into those arms without hesitation as he began to chuckle again.

"I'm glad you like my pretty eyes, but I much preferred the blue of your own."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, closed my eyes and kissed him. I used that kiss to fuel my own magic and willed it to do whatever I wanted. Finished. I broke the kiss and opened my eyes to find his staring back into mine. My eyes that were now once again the blue that he preferred. His look was quite comical. It was like he had never seen magic before.

"I aim to please. Now come on, you have some explaining to do."

I heard a familiar voice in the house traveling up from the lower level.

"Wendy's here?"

He led me to the door and as he opened it, he said, "Yes, she and Chase have been here with me and keeping me sane while I tended to you."

"Well, my foster moms always said that I was a handful."

Apparently, I was the only one of the two of us who found that funny. I wanted answers, but I feared the answers I wanted. Feeling my ambivalence, he pulled me closer to him, so I was safely tucked under his arm. I allowed my head to rest on his chest.

"We are in this together Saraid. I promise you. You will not have to go through any of this alone." That declaration alone made me feel a thousand times better.

We reached what appeared to be an enormous gaming room to the right of the wide staircase we had just descended. There were brown leather sofas and matching reclining chairs placed strategically throughout the room. Dark cherry wood accessories complimented the furniture nicely and flat screen televisions of various sizes were mounted on almost every wall. And there standing in front of a wide patio door that opened to an even bigger in-ground pool, stood Wendy.

A high-pitched squeal escaped her mouth as she ran towards me with her arms opened wide. I could tell she was hugging me tightly, but it felt different. Usually I would feel constricted but this time it felt as if she was barely touching me at all.

"I am so happy to see you. I was scared to death. You look great," Wendy said in her usual whimsical voice.

I noticed the clock on the wall behind Wendy read six o'clock. Considering six in the morning here provides very little light I realized that I had been unconscious all day. I glanced over at Liam who had returned to my side after Wendy released me.

"How long have I been here?"

All three of them seemed to look at each other before Liam said, "Three days well, four if you count our first night together."

My head began to swim with an influx of emotions, "Four days. I have been here for four days? What happened?"

A deep guttural sound, much like the sound of someone clearing their throat broke me away from my inner thoughts. "Come sit with me and we can tell you everything."

Liam gently squeezed my hand as he led me to the sofa closest to us. He sat so his back rested against the armrest and I was positioned so my back would rest against him.

Chase sat in the recliner across from us while Wendy sat sideways on his lap with her head snuggled into his neck. It made my heart clench to see her so happy. Liam's hand stroked my still wet hair as we all sat there in silence to appreciate the moment.

"Okay someone fill me in. How have I lost four days?"

I had broken the silence successfully dragging their attention back to the matter at hand. The responding voice came from behind me.

"What do you remember?"

I leaned back and let my head rest on his shoulder. "I remember the club and I remember what happened with you and me at my house and then I woke up here."

I felt a tension escape Liam's body and he seemed to relax even further around me. He was worried about something. Then it dawned on me and I laughed.

"Don't worry, what happened between us is not something that I could forget that easily."

"I carried you to your bed that night and laid there with you. Maybe two hours later you got up. At first, I thought you had gotten up to get a drink of water or something but then I heard the front door open. I tried to stop you because I didn't think you would be too happy to find out you were outside walking in the nude. I grabbed your hand and you turned on me. It didn't register that you had become a vampire until I saw your fangs. I tried to talk you down and get you back into the house. I swear Saraid your powers are a force to be reckoned with. When I reached out to you, you threw me clear to the other side of the woods and straight into a tree. That's when I called Chase and Wendy to help me. I can handle vampires but you, your power was too strong for me."

I felt my mouth fall open with embarrassment and horror as I listened to the events of that night being recanted. I listened as he continued.

"We found you behind the motel in town feeding on a man that seemed to be taking his trash out when you came across him. Wendy hit you with some faerie magic to stun you just enough for me to get you here and in restraints, but we barely made it inside before it wore off. Chase provided me with the anti-magic restraints to prevent you from spelling your way out of them. I fed you blood from my reserve but of course in the frenzy you were a very careless drinker. That's why you were covered in blood. Not because of the prick you killed."

Wendy knowing me the way she does chimed in to reassure me. "I wanted you to know that I looked into the background of the man that you fed on. Turns out you did a solid for the kids in Thomasville. The nasty jerk had a fascination with taking advantage of children."

She stated the facts in a way that said she was happy he was dead. I can't say that I didn't share her feelings. I don't usually believe in playing judge, but pedophilia is where I draw the line. The only good pedophile is a dead pedophile.

I looked at Liam once more with concern, "I really threw you into a tree?"

"Oh yes you did. With no hands. It was magnificent."

I shot him a look to let him know I did not find it magnificent at all. "Did I hurt you?"

He pulled me back down, so I laid on his chest once more with my head resting on his shoulder and continued stroking my hair again.

"Nothing more than bruises."

I knew guardians were gifted with superior strength, but I didn't know he was pretty much indestructible. That made the idea of forever that much more promising.

"After that night we were afraid that you were dying because you laid there in the bed for three days completely unconscious."

"I don't even know what to say guys. I am sorry that I put you guys through all of that."

It was Chase who spoke this time, "It was nothing. Liam and I go way back and what he protects, I protect."

"And the same applies to you, old friend."

Wendy interrupted the male bonding moment with, "There is just one more topic of concern."

She looked to Liam this time, "I did some further research into this Divine Coupling that occurred between you and Saraid. Everything you described lines up with the usual cases of divine coupling. Your magical abilities are now shared between the two of you to an extent. You should be able to communicate telepathically with each other, she will be able to benefit from the extra strength you inherited from your guardianship and possibly even shapeshift, and you can now benefit from her magic as well. However, vampirism is non-transferrable magic. Saraid did not become a vampire as a result of your coupling."

I was elated to hear this revelation. I smiled at Liam. "I told you that it wasn't your fault."

Wendy did a little snap with her fingers to draw the attention back to her. "Saraid, do you know anything of your lineage?"

What kind of question was that? She knew I grew up in and out of foster homes.

"No. You know I was bounced in and around the foster system for as long as I can remember. I didn't even know I was a witch until I met you."

She smiled. "Right. Liam said something about your name at the club that got my gears turning. I couldn't find an explanation anywhere for you suddenly becoming a vampire. Liam said your name is popular in Ireland, so I started there. There is a coven of witches there called the Celtic Coven. Every year a member of noble blood would birth a child with the ability to siphon magic. These siphons were the strongest of the coven and were born to rule it. The one who birthed the eldest siphon ruled over the coven until the eldest siphon came of age and from there a line of succession was formed. When one passed, the next eldest living siphon would take his or her place. Over time no more siphon babies were born and only one known siphon still exists. Her name is Lillian and she is the Queen of the Celtic coven," she paused as if she was trying to let the outpour of information sink in, "Saraid, I think you're so much more than just a witch. I think you're a siphon and I think this Queen is related to you somehow."

I got up from the sofa and began to pace back and forth. I can handle magic and coupling and so on and so forth but the thought of knowing that I could possibly still have a family out there that never bothered to look for me was more than I could take. I could feel my emotions changing from shock to outrage as beads of sweat formed from the rise in my temperature.

Liam wrapped his arms around me from behind and immediately it all fell away. Instead of verbally asking I decided to put our new joint telepathy powers to the test. "How do you do that?"

His voice was just as soothing in my head as it was out. "I can feel what you feel. Therefore, I can provide what you need most. Stability, comfort, and loyalty."

I didn't have to second guess his motives or doubt a single word he said. I was in the coupling with him and I knew that if he needed me to, I would travel to the depths of hell and back to protect him and I knew he would without a doubt do the same for me.

"What exactly is a siphon Wendy?" Liam asked.

Wendy looked at me as if she was trying to determine if I could mentally handle any more surprises. Truthfully, I wasn't so sure I could myself.

"Siphons are said to be the most powerful of witches. That's why they ruled the Celtic Coven. They can strip any supernatural being of their magic, absorb it and make it their own. It was used as a form of punishment for lawbreakers and treasonous acts until one of the rulers abused the power and too many witches ended up dead. The whole coven was almost wiped from the planet by their own leader. Since then there were no more children born with that ability."

I knew deep down that what she was saying fit the scenario of how things played out, but I didn't want to believe it because if what she was telling us was true then I had no control over these powers. I unknowingly siphoned vampire magic from Liam which could have killed him and then became a vampire myself.

"This is a nightmare."

"Not necessarily Saraid. Siphons can steal magic of course but the magic they take usually vanishes over time. It's more like borrowing power. There is a chance that you being a vampire is temporary," Chase explained with a voice that offered hope.

That was welcome news but if I was being honest with myself, I wasn't too bothered with being a vampire. I was more concerned with the fact that I could have hurt Liam. Right on queue his voice sounded in my head, "Don't be afraid of that. I am immortal whereas the witches and creatures who died weren't."

Liam spoke again but this time out loud, "I do think that your new abilities are best to be kept secret for now. You are the first vampire witch in history. Combine that with the ability to siphon magic and you have a big target on your back."

I was sure that he was right. Witches are not supposed to be able to do magic after death even if they come back as the undead. It's like a contract that says once your heart stops so does your magic. Of course, there's no real contract so it's more like an unwritten rule.

"But I'm not dead" I said to myself. I stood there quietly, holding my breath and I could feel the thud of my heart against the wall of my chest.

"It's because I didn't die," I announced to the room. All eyes were on me.

"A witch is not supposed to be able to do magic as a vampire because during a normal transition a person dies before becoming one. If I am a siphon and I siphoned myself into this then that means my heart never stopped beating therefore I never died. It's like a loophole no one ever imagined."

"I have been mulling this over for days trying to figure out how all of this happened, and you come up with the only logical explanation in five minutes. Powerful and smart. I like it," Liam teased.

Wendy seemed to be lost in daydream. I had to call her name twice to get her attention.

"You okay?" I asked.

She nodded, "I'm just thinking."

She stood, and it was her turn to pace. She was nervous about something. She walked toward me until she was face to face with me and grabbed my hands and held them in hers.

"I am afraid of what you will think or how you will react, but I think you should meet this coven, your relatives."

I yanked my hands from hers and the action made her flinch. Wendy had never said anything to me that would make me angry until that moment. Those people had not been interested in me my whole life so why should I go to them?

"Have you lost your mind Wendy? Those people left me on the street alone as a baby. I had no family. My childhood is nothing more than memories of pain, hunger, and abuse. They didn't come looking for me. They just ditched me and forgot me. I will not meet them. I don't even want to lay eyes on a single one of them."

I hadn't realized how loud my voice had gotten. Wendy was now behind Chase and peeking out at me from behind his arm. Liam was now standing in front of me partially blocking my view.

"What is wrong with you people? You are acting like I just sprouted a second head."

I was angry, but I never wanted to be the responsible for the look of fear on all their faces. Then I felt it. I quickly backed away from Liam.

"No, Stop!" I screamed at Liam as he tried to follow my steps. "I don't want to hurt you."

It felt like my body was covered in flames. Flames that started from the inside and erupted out and around me like a backdraft. Those imaginary flames were a manifestation of the power bubbling to the surface and forcing its way out and feeding off my emotions. I needed to reign it in but, how could I?

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I imagined myself peacefully swimming in a clear blue lake beneath a water fall. There under the cascading water was Liam. I could see myself swimming in the lake towards him. It was working. I reached outward with my mind, calling the power back into myself just as the version of myself in my vision reached Liam and embraced him. I could feel my core cool as my anger resolved. It was over, and no one got hurt.

My eyes opened, and I looked out at Wendy, Chase, and Liam. Liam was on his knees with Wendy and Chase on either side of him. Fear wrecked me, and I ran to him.

"Oh my God what happened? I was trying not to hurt you. That's why I said to stay back!"

I fell to the floor in front of him surveying every inch of him trying to determine where he was hurt. He was drenched in sweat but there was no sign of injury.

"What happened is you are hot as hell woman. What you feel, I feel remember?"

Wendy asked the question that I couldn't get out, "It's that literal? I thought it referred to just emotions, not the emotional and the physical."

"Me too. Kind of defeated the purpose of me telling you to stay back."

Grateful that he was still in one piece and in perfect health, I wrapped my arms around him and just held on to him as if my life depended on it. The sting of tears burned my eyes before the dam burst open and I began to cry hysterically. Liam adjusted his position so that I was sitting on his lap. He silently held me as I cried into his shoulder, running his hands through my hair in a comforting gesture. Disappointed in myself for my childish display I wiped the tears from my face and willed myself to stop crying.

"I'm so sorry guys. I'm such a mess."

I looked up into the face of my best friend, "Wendy I am so sorry for losing my temper."

She said nothing and everything when she joined Liam and I on the floor and wrapped her arms around the both of us. Who needs relatives with a family like this? That's what we were becoming. One big, happy family.

Chase offered me a hand to help me stand and I in turn held my hand out to help Liam up. When his hand touched mine, I saw it. There in the exact same position on the exact same hand was a matching red barbed wire tattoo. I made a mental note to ask him about that when we were alone.

A familiar burn plagued my throat and my stomach began to churn. "I don't suppose you have any more donated blood left, do you?"

The question was directed at Liam. He nodded and disappeared from the room only to return moments later with what appeared to be a dark glass wine bottle in one hand and an amber colored glass in the other.

I accepted the glass that he had filled for me and the smell immediately triggered the extension of my fangs, only this time it wasn't painful at all. I took a swig from the glass and let the coppery liquid slide down my throat feeling it soothe the sting from the hunger like an ointment.

Liam looked at me with pride. Like he was the lucky one to have been gifted with me as his partner. It was quite the opposite in my opinion. Since he had met me, I have been a bundle of tantrums, bloodlust, and tears. The only thing that seemed to keep me level headed was him so that made me the lucky one.

"Vampirism becomes you."

Once I had downed my meal, I focused my mind on willing my fangs to go back into hiding. Feeling them slowly recede to their hiding spot I was satisfied. "That was easy" I thought.

It was getting late and quite frankly, I was exhausted. We said goodnight to Chase and Wendy and had made plans to meet them at my house the following evening. I didn't mind spending the occasional night in this massive fortress with Liam, but I was going to want time in the comfort of my own bed too. But tonight, I was just happy to be with him.

He gave me a quick tour of the rest of the house before we headed back up the massive staircase to his room. There was so much house for just one man.

"I need to shower," he said.

I sat on the edge of the bed and I watched for a moment as he tried to undo his braid. I called him over to me.

"Here, let me help."

He sat down on the edge of the bed with his back to me and I started to unwind the strands of the braid. His jet-black hair hung in waves created by the braid he had worn. It was soft as I ran my fingers through it, working through the small tangles that caught my fingers along the way. I could see glimmer of the silver hairs with each stroke of my fingers.

"Your hair is gorgeous Liam. I must say, I'm kind of jealous."

He grabbed my arm from over his shoulder and laid a soft kiss on the top of my hand.

"If you could see yourself through my eyes, you would know how ridiculous it is that you would be jealous of anyone. There is no one out there as beautiful as you Saraid."

That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. Of course, I was convinced that I should take him to see an optometrist because surely, he needed glasses.

As he stood and leaned over to kiss my forehead he said, "Make yourself at home. I will only be a few minutes," and with that he disappeared into the bathroom.

I know that from the outside looking in on my life, people will think that I am crazy. How could I give myself so easily to a man that I had just met a little less than a week ago? The answer is simple really. We were literally born to be together.

The divine coupling while unexpected had united our souls. It was as if we had loved each other in a previous life and were ripped apart and thrown so we landed on separate parts of the planet and we had just found each other again. I was drawn to him in every way imaginable as he was to me.

With that final thought and as if on a timer the door to the bathroom opened and he was there surrounded by a swirling cloud of steam and completely nude apart from the towel that he wore around his waist. He held his brush out to me, "Do you mind?"

I giggled like a school girl. "I don't know. I'm kind of entranced by the view," I teased.

He sat in the same position as he did when I undid his braid. I immediately went to work on his wet hair being careful to brush from the bottom and working my way up. Once I was satisfied that his hair was smooth and tangle free, I started braiding his hair the way he had it, close to the neck and tight.

"You got a tie?"

He held up his wrist, so I could pull the little black band from around it. I secured the end of his braid with the tie and rested my cheek on the back of his shoulder. He pulled my arm under his, so I was hugging his chest. We sat there completely still and just enjoying the peace.

"Thank you."

He looked sideways at me like I had said something crazy.

"For what?"

"For everything. You've just met me and already you have seen me naked, crazy, blood thirsty, and moody. That's a lot to ask a person you just met to deal with."

He stroked my arm in a comforting way as I continued, "I can't explain it but somehow you are what grounds me. You touched me downstairs and everything I was feeling when I found out about the coven just disappeared. When my anger got the best of me, I felt like I was on fire, like completely engulfed in flames. I had to think of you to calm myself enough to call the magic back into myself. You seem to be at the center of my self-control and you have been here for me without a single complaint."

He seemed to be processing everything I had said because he sat there, just looking at me like he was trying to find the right words to say.

"You really have never heard of divine coupling before, have you?" taking my head shaking from side to side as a no, he continued, "Divine coupling is a marriage of souls. You and I are bound to each other by all the elements and in every way. Heart, body, and soul. It's much like a normal wedding, without the fortune spent on ridiculous parties and cakes and dresses. It is much more intimate for our kind and it is something that we do not choose for ourselves. We trust that our magic knows what we need and trust me Saraid, I needed you."

I glanced down at my left hand which was palm down on the bed and holding most of my weight.

"Is that what this is?" I asked, sitting up so I could show him the mysterious tattoo like mark on my finger.

"Much like normal humans our vows are sealed with a symbol. This symbol has no breaks in its surface as it encircles the finger which symbolizes infinity. The intertwined barbed wire symbolizes the strength in unity and it is red because red symbolizes love."

Huh. It made sense when he stripped it down like that. I didn't know if I could call what we had love though. We had only known each other for four days and three out of those four I was unconscious. What I did know was that I was strongly connected to this man. I didn't want to leave his side and I know that we were stronger when we are together.

"With everything you have seen and put up with these past few days, are you sure you wanna be magically married to me? I hear I tend to get pretty crazy."

He joined in on my laughter and pulled me on to his lap. "I wouldn't want anyone other than you. I know you don't fully understand all of this yet but in time you will see that I literally live and breathe for you and you alone."

He patted my thigh as a signal that he needed me to stand up, so he could pull back the blue and white quilt on the bed. With the new sheets it hardly looked like the same bed I was chained to earlier. I paused mid-climb.

"Should we chain me back up? I don't want to hurt anybody."

"No. If you were still a danger to anyone, I wouldn't have released you. The bloodlust has passed so now you will only feel the normal hunger and of course the burn."

Trusting his judgement, I climbed on the top of the bed and scooted to the far side, so he had room to climb in. He wouldn't sleep because full vampires don't sleep. Being only part vampire, myself meant that my human side still needed it.

Liam had removed his towel before he climbed into bed. I loved to admire his body and I wish I had the energy to do what I want to do to him but tonight I just need to be with him, and I need sleep. So, when he laid back on the bed I snuggled into the cocoon between his arm and his body and laid my head on his chest. He was gently caressing the small of my back when my vision blurred, and I drifted off to sleep.