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"Look good?" Lukas asked, relaxing back against the wall

"It looks delicious" She devoured the meal in no time, and when she was done, Lukas pulled out her chair for her, turned her to face hi her

"It’s my turn to feast," he said huskily

Chapter Twelve

ELIZABETH REACHED FOR Lukas as he reached for her, each unbuttoning the other’s shirt, pulling it fro it off the other’s shoulders

"The door," Elizabeth said on a laugh

Lukas pressed a hot, lingering kiss to her bare shoulder, then moved away to shut the door On his way back to her, he pulled his arms out of his sleeves and tossed the shirt on the back of the desk chair She did the saether, chest to chest, his ar around her waist, hers around his neck, as their

The kiss turned hot, his taste nectar, the feel of his cool, hard body, like Heaven He shts and warm fires, and never, never did she want to be parted fro alone?

Lukas pulled back, his gaze soft and sad, as if he’d felt the change in her ain, Lizzy-mine I promise"

"You can’t promise that You have no idea ill happen"

He swept her into his ar halfway over her, his face inches froleanore that fact for now I’ to love you tonight And in a feeeks, after the equinox, after the sorceress has renewed the ic of Vaain, I’ll coain For the rest of your life"

She lifted her hands, fra to hold you to that" Her fingers slid up into his hair "Now love me, my vampire I need you"

He smiled the sweetest, sexiest of s his way slowly up her throat while his hand slid down her chest, cupping one breast, then the other, caressing, tweaking, thenover her abdomen to the waistband of her pants

And all the while, he rained kisses over her jaw, her cheek, her forehead, her nose

"Lukas," she sighed, stroking his shoulders, his neck The play of ers, deft as ever, unbuttoned her pants, unzipped the short fly, then burrowed beneath the waistband of her panties, sliding down into her daasp, she arched into his touch, driving his finger deeper "Lukas"

"Coer stroked in and out, his thu her clitoris "Coood"

He rose over her slowly, his gaze catching hers, his eyes already white-centered, his fangs elongating as she watched And all she felt at the sight was a thrill of exciteave hi at the corners, he dipped his head, kissed her neck, and sank his fangs into her flesh As he took the first pull, she cried out at the pleasure, shocked by the orgas to build low inside her As his finger ic, hisat her neck, she exploded in a fiery shudder of intense, wonderful, pleasure

As she floated back to Earth, Lukas re her arhs, she welcomed him to her

"Love me, Lukas"

"Always, Lizzy-mine" Then he slid into her body, and she rose to asping and straining and loving, until release broke over the blaze of ecstasy, a rapture beyond cole of sheets and liainst Lukas’s chest, Elizabeth drifted toward sleep

This was the only place in the world that she wanted to be And it was the one place she couldn’t stay

Chapter Thirteen

ELIZABETH WOKE TO the stroke of cool fingers along her cheek, followed by a soft, sweet kiss

"Wake up, Lizzy-ily, and dressed, Lukas helping her He was already fully clothed and wide-awake Then again, by his own adet there?" she asked, putting on her shoes

"No Not usually" But his tone held a gri?"

His jaw tensed, but he ers in Vaerous?"

"Every place is potentially dangerous Less so nearest the outer boundary of the city, but in recent weeks, wolves have been spotted even there"

"Wolves? I thought there were no anirimaced "Werewolves"

Her jaw dropped "Oh, that doesn’t sound good"

"It’s not"

When she was fully dressed, he ushered her downstairs and out the back door Cyn was nowhere to be seen, but given that it was ht, she was probably in bed

Lukas lifted Elizabeth onto the horse, swung up behind her, then headed out across the open ground to the trees beyond The night was dark, but thethe dead trees white

They rode in silence for a tiain thick between them

"Lizzy, I have money," Lukas said out of the blue

"That’s nice"

He snorted "That wasn’t a rando you I can support you since you can’t return to your school And with extraGet out of DC, sweetheart, please? Just get away"

"My parents o visit theet out"

"You will"

But he continued "Over the centuries, I’ve accumulated far more wealth than I could spend in a dozen human lifetimes And if I can’t use it, it’s yours, sweetheart Micah can access it and give you all you need All you will ever need"

Money, ht offered her a measure of comfort but littlethat mattered

"If I need money, I’ll let Micah know"

Lukas released a less-than-happy breath "Fair enough"

They continued in silence, Lukas’s ar her hair Finally, he said, "The Boundary Circle is just ahead"