Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

"I can see the memories of death just by touching the surface of walls or floors. Whenever a memory holds the moment of someone dying, I can see it," Belle explained. "Not just that... I've been having this strange nightmare." She went on to tell the creature about it, then asked, "Do you have any idea why I'm experiencing this? Does it have something to do with why I can go into the land of the dead?"

Kuhn stared at her for a long, silent moment, during which the sound of the rain seemed louder, and the howling wind outside slipped through the small gaps around the window, making the candle flicker. She almost thought he wasn't going to speak, that he would just keep staring, but finally, the creature spoke.

"I am a reaper's pet. My loyalty lays only with my master. Without master's permission, whatever I know, I cannot say. A reaper's pet can't say words that are not theirs to say. I, Kuhn, do not know what is making you experience this. I can say you are special, but I can't say why. Time will tell and give answers, but I cannot, or I will fall to dust… and you will get into trouble with elder reapers."

With that, the creature vanished right before her eyes. Belle heard her son gasp, then clap his hands like he enjoyed the spectacle.

Fall to dust? Get into trouble? Did that mean Kuhn did know something, but because of some consequence that might follow if he spoke, he was keeping it to himself? She had wanted even a little information, but now she realized Kuhn was not the right creature to give her the answers she sought about why she was like this.

Dragging herself back to the bed, Belle slowly sat down, cradling her baby, who rested his head against her chest. She leaned back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling where the shadows danced, knowing that sleep would be hard to find again tonight.

Belle stared unsightly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Angel moved restlessly against her, wanting to sit up and disrupting her thoughts. But knowing that tomorrow was the day she would have to give him to Evenly so they could bond before their journey, and that he needed to get enough sleep before morning, Belle cuddled the baby close and bared her breast. He hungrily latched on, and in no time, the baby was breathing softly, falling asleep while still sucking, giving her a little time to think.

Her thoughts were jumbled and scattered all over the place. She remained awake for a very long time until her lids grew heavy, and she finally fell asleep against her will, still wanting to stay awake until Rohan returned from wherever he had gone with this friend she didn't know about.

It felt as though she had only just closed her eyes when morning crept in, yet a weight far heavier than her baby's head was now resting against her chest. Through the fog of sleep, she tried to stir but found herself pinned, so she forced her eyes open… only to be met with the sight of deep blue hair spilling across her breast, a strong steel-like arm locked around her waist, and a leg possessively draped over hers.

Without thinking, Belle lifted her hand and slid her fingers into the silk-thick strands of her husband's hair. At her touch, she felt the muscles in his body go taut… and then came the hot, lazy whisper against the bare skin just above her dress neckline.

"Good morning, love."

His voice was thick, husky with sleep, and when he finally raised his head from her chest, she was greeted by a smile so soft and deceptively innocent it made her heart stumble in her chest.

His heavy-lidded dark eyes and the disheveled handsomeness of his face stole the breath right from her lungs. Wasn't she supposed to already be used to this man's charm by now? Why did it still feel like she was glimpsing his disheveled handsomeness for the first time? It amazed her how her heart could still beat faster like this.

"Good morning," she murmured back, her hand gliding down the sharp lines of his face before her fingertip traced the corner of his lips. She didn't need to look to know he was shirtless, and likely entirely naked beneath the cover that hung low across his hips. As he propped himself on one arm to get a better look at her, the sheet slipped even lower, revealing the taut, sculpted muscles of his back, every line and ridge making her throat tighten.

He could have fooled anyone into thinking he'd spent the whole night in her arms, but she knew better. And before he could distract her further with the heat of his body and that sinful proximity, she pressed her lips together and asked softly, "When did you return?"

Smiling that disarming smile of his, he moved closer, pressing her back down onto the bed when she began to rise, his body looming over hers as his hands planted firmly on either side of her head, caging her in against the pillow. He smelled faintly of her lavender soap, it seemed he had bathed upon returning, and yet he had not bothered to dress before slipping under the covers and using her chest as his pillow.

"Two hours ago," he whispered, his voice husky, as he dipped his head and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth. "Did you sleep well?" he murmured, the words melting into the slow trail his lips took down her cheek and along the curve of her neck, where his nose and tongue teased her skin with languid, possessive strokes.

"You always smell so good, Isa," he breathed, his warm exhale fanning over her pulse. "You make a man want to sink his teeth into your supple flesh."

He playfully closed his teeth over the fluttering beat at her throat, and she drew in a sharp breath, her fingers sliding into his hair as she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him lower until his weight settled deliciously against her.

He lingered at her neck, licking the spot where her pulse pounded, and Belle heard herself ask, breathless, "Do you want to take a bite?"

One of his hands left the pillow, gliding slowly down the side of her body until it curved against her ribs, just beneath the swell of her breast, his thumb brushing dangerously close. He groaned low against her skin. "You wouldn't mind if I took just a sip of your blood?"

Stroking the hair on his nape, Belle shook her head. "No." She didn't mind, because she recalled the time he had once taken her blood, it hadn't been as bad as she thought it would have been, and the pain had been pleasurable as well. He had never once asked to take her blood, even when they were short of it in the cottage. He always found ways to feed his vampire hunger for blood without needing her.

"Hmm," he hummed against her neck, the vibration of his voice sending shivers down her spine. "Push me away if it's painful, and I'll withdraw my fangs," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin.

Without warning, she felt the sharp sting as his fangs pierced her flesh, making her gasp and instinctively grip his hair, tugging hard before loosening her hold when his mouth began to work against her. His tongue swept over the bite, warm and wet, coaxing the blood into his mouth with slow, rhythmic suction. The pleasure that bloomed through her veins quickly drowned out the sting of his bite.

Tilting her head, she bared more of her throat to him, and his groan rumbled deep in his chest. In the next moment, he shifted, straddling her, his weight pressing her into the mattress. His hands slid down to bracket her ribs, fingers spreading possessively until his palms cupped the soft swells of her breasts. His mouth stayed latched to her neck, sucking and teasing, while his thumbs found her nipples through the thin fabric, circling and flicking until she couldn't stop the soft moan that escaped her.

Her toes curled when she felt the unmistakable heat and hardness of his arousal graze her belly, hot enough to burn through the thin barrier of cloth. A molten ache pooled low in her stomach, settling deep in her core, making her arch against him, seeking more. When his erection brushed her again, a whimper broke from her lips. She slid her hands down from his hips, letting her fingers roam lower, and her suspicions were confirmed. Her husband was completely, gloriously naked beneath the sheets.