How to Discipline Your Vampire(119)

            “Be serious.”

            I wiped my mouth. “I am! If you’re asking me to give up food and drinks, blood better taste like fucking Nutella.”

            He chuckled. “Do you still want me to explain the rest?”

            I nodded, mouth full of dessert. Eat while you can, my stomach said.

            William stretched out next to me and put his feet up on the ottoman. “Well, it’s basically an exchanging of blood. We’d cut each other’s wrists and drink. You’d take in as much vampire blood as you could, and I would drain you of your human blood.”

            I inhaled. “Until I’m dead?”

            “You would die, yes. Just not for long.”

            My spoon scraped the bowl. Damn. I was out. “How long?”

            He smoothed my hair. “I would stay with you like that, mouth to wrist, until my blood took hold inside you. I’d be essentially re-sanguinating you with my own blood. Once the transfer was complete, you’d wake up the following sunset.”

            I licked the remaining chocolate off the spoon and avoided his eyes. “And I could still go out in the sun? Just not too long or else I’d be itchy?”

            “We’ll stock up on antihistamines. My first sun rash was nasty. I looked like I used poison ivy as an exfoliant.”

            My skin prickled. “Okay, and what about fangs? You’ve never shown me yours. I thought they were supposed to shoot out and stuff.”

            He shrugged. “We’d be filing yours down pretty soon after the change. No need to inflict large puncture wounds, right? The vampires of today are much kinder and more discreet than our predecessors.”

            I handed him the bowl. “I think you may have convinced me. We’ll get around to it eventually. For now, just give me another scoop.”

            He bowed, low and graceful. “Anything you desire.”

            “Then just take the carton into the bedroom.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

            Cerise

            Before I headed out the door, I fought the impulse to look in the mirror one last time. It wouldn’t be any different from how I looked before, so I stopped my compulsive nitpicking and just allowed myself to be fabulous. My hair was done in simple blond waves that fell in round swirls down past my shoulders. My dress was a mermaid-cut satin sheath with thin red piping around the edges that laced up my back with a sexy matching scarlet ribbon. The last hint of kinky color in this typically pristine look were my white Louboutins, with their slinky red underside.

            Instead of a limousine, William hired a classic Bentley to pick me up at my doorstep. Our select little group of guests were already at the venue. They were all waiting for me. I preferred to take this ride on my own. I didn’t need anyone fussing over me any more than I was doing already. I needed quiet right now. I smoothed the dress over and over, feeling the satin’s calming whisper against my skin. Cool and silky, it reminded me of the man I was about to marry.

            The chauffeur opened the door with a bow and flourish, and made way for me to step onto the dock. It was sunset, and the Portsmouth Harbor sky and sea were the colors of birthday-cake buttercream roses, pink and purple and white smeared across the horizon. Docked at the end of the long, petal-strewn pier was a large luxury yacht. I could make out the name, Sea Bound, from where I stood. I snickered at William’s little joke. Well, big joke. Big luxury joke. I swallowed and centered myself before taking the first step down the broad wooden walkway.

            I felt the soft flowers squish slightly under my pointy heels, and part of me worried I’d take a nosedive and end up facedown on the dock while William and our friends looked on from the deck of the ship. Instead of panicking, I just put one foot in front of the other and assured myself I had nothing to worry about. I was only about to make an eternal commitment to a vampire. Breathe in, breathe out, Cerise. Left foot, right foot.