“Man, you’re tellin’ me shit I know. What’s the big fuckin’ deal?”

“Why aren’t you feeding from your mate?” Gregor asked cautiously.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Abel bit out, “but I am. Though, seein’ as she was destined for me, I waited a couple of centuries for her, and I kinda like having her around, draining her, or drawing her down so she’s got no energy, isn’t somethin’ I’m big on doing.”

The mood in the room changed completely in a way that Abel had to concentrate on his fangs not snapping out. Delilah felt it too; he sensed it and knew it when her fingers curled around his forearm.

But the expressions on their faces didn’t match the mood.

Yuri looked incredulous. Gregor and Lucien looked remorseful.

“What?” Abel clipped.

“He doesn’t know,” Leah breathed, and Abel glanced at her to see she’d grown pale.

“What?” he snarled.

Gregor, Yuri, and Lucien advanced into the room, closing the door behind them.

It was Lucien who spoke.

“Do you know you can numb skin?” he asked.

“Figured that out,” Abel answered.

There was some relief in his expression before he went on, “Abel, vampire saliva is healing.”

“Figured that out too,” Abel told him. “Numb, bite, draw, heal.”

“No.” Lucien shook his head before lifting a hand and dropping it. “Of course, you’re partially correct. Numb, bite, draw, heal, but when I say vampire saliva is healing, I mean miraculously so. I feed from Leah three times a day, sometimes more.”

Delilah’s fingers curled tight on his arm as Abel grunted with revulsion, “What the fuck?”

“My saliva in her bloodstream means her blood regenerates faster. It takes time to build it up, but only weeks until she can withstand feeding regularly,” Lucien shared.

“Oh my God. Awesome,” Delilah whispered.

“It’s more,” Lucien went on. “The longer you feed, the more healing properties she gets. You immunize her from disease, and by that, I mean any disease, like we vampires cannot suffer. Including diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, all of them.”

“Christ,” Abel whispered.

“And more,” Lucien continued. “She’ll begin to heal more rapidly. Cuts, scrapes, bruises will disappear within hours, then within minutes. And the longer you feed from her, things such as broken bones will heal in days.”

“Oh…my…God! Awesome!” Delilah exclaimed on a muted cry.

It was then Lucien gave it to them.

Everything.

In a variety of really fucking good ways.

“And feeding regularly will halt aging. Meaning as long as you continue to do so, she will never die,” Lucien finished.

Delilah’s nails sank into his flesh, but he didn’t feel it.

He didn’t feel anything.

She will never die.