Delilah would be the first he didn’t have to do that with. Delilah would be the first who that happened with day in and day out.

And he loved that too.

But Abel did not think beyond that. Did not think of the days passing into months, then years, all of it leading to an inevitable conclusion that would leave him again with that hole in his gut, the agonizing pain of not having what he needed, and worse, the hole she would eventually leave in his life when she left this world, her being it. The one. The only woman who could give him what he needed, leaving him with centuries of missing it with no shot at having it back.

For she was filling his life already, just days in, with her talk of vampire TV shows and her ready acceptance of her destiny and her bonding with his family.

And what she’d given him that morning.

Christ, what she’d given him.

He’d felt her fear, smelled it, but she sat on that bed knowing, since she’d seen his strength in action, that it was a very real threat he could harm her. And she didn’t tell him to go.

Instead, when he drove his cock home, her cunt clenched around him, welcoming him deep, her head snapping back, her hair flying everywhere.

Christ. He’d never forget it, not how glorious it felt, not how colossal it was.

Then she’d given him her blood.

He’d had rat’s blood, cow’s blood, pig, chicken, goat, sheep, and finally, human woman. He’d never had a male’s blood; it didn’t smell good and the idea of taking it turned his stomach.

But he’d never had blood as warm and rich and sweet as Delilah’s. Given to him freely, giving all of her in one go, giving him everything he needed the first time she took his cock…

Fuck.

He knew she was his destiny. He understood that would come with emotion.

He was still surprised at how quickly he was falling in love with her.

Her comb clattered to the cement.

She cursed and Abel again focused on her, thinking, if they were to stay there much longer (which they weren’t), he’d put another sink in on the other side of the tub so he’d be able to get in to do the minimal prep he needed to take on the day. This was something he’d had trouble doing earlier, squeezing in at the side to brush his teeth while she leaned across the sink, swiping makeup on her face.

He’d also give her a vanity, a huge-ass one, where she could rest all her shit while she was getting ready.

She wouldn’t have it here. But wherever they settled, he’d find that for her. For the rest of her life, he’d find her everything she needed.