“Don’t, Byron, we promised we would be honest and open, no matter how it would affect me. I know you’re hungry—your eyes are red, and I can feel you in my blood,” Amelia said.

“I can’t hide anything from you now that we’re bonded by blood, can I?”

Amelia gave her a soft play-hit on the arm. “Exactly, so don’t even try, vampire.”

“Fair enough. How long do we have?” Byron lowered her lips to Amelia’s, and started to kiss her chin and cheeks.

“An hour. It’s plenty of time. Remember, I’ve got a car and driver now, no more running to catch the Tube for me. One of the perks of being married to a rich international banker.”

“Are there other perks?” Byron said before kissing Amelia’s jawbone and down her neck.

“Oh, a couple.” Amelia reached down and grasped Byron’s solid buttocks.

Byron’s rate of breathing increased and her eyes became a deeper red. She broke away from her neck kisses and said, “You know you could feed me without having sex, don’t you?”

Amelia laughed. “What? You get the pleasure of feeding and I get nothing else? Not likely, vampire.” Amelia stroked Byron’s hair. “I want this always to be special between us, never routine, not like the way you feed from your attendants. This is different. It’s you and me with no barriers between us, no lies or half-truths, just Byron and Amelia, Principe and Principessa bonded by blood, heart, and soul.”

Byron simply gazed at her with awe. “I don’t know how I survived three hundred years without my shining girl, never mind the last six months. It was…lonely.”

“I know, sweetheart, but you don’t need to be alone now. I’ll always give you what you need, and this will always be special.”

Byron’s hunger was getting more desperate, and she said, “May I feed, Principessa?”

Amelia pulled her down into a kiss. “Always, Principe.”

Byron smiled and felt her first ripple of pleasure. Amelia was not only perfectly attuned with her DNA, her blood, but sexually too. They fulfilled a need in each other that needed no explanation.

As hungry as she was, she wanted to kiss Amelia, and show her how much she loved her. Feeding from Amelia wasn’t simply about being hungry for blood and sating that need. It was about tasting her lover’s lips, tasting her body, and savouring every last part of her, before losing herself in the sweet ambrosia of her Principessa’s blood.

Amelia moaned into her kiss, and Byron couldn’t wait any longer. She reached down between Amelia’s legs, and found the wetness that showed her how much her lover wanted her.