I didn't mean to bite her.
She was bleeding, dying-and I reacted.
Instinct. Survival. A mistake.
Only it bound us.
Now I feel her heartbeat inside my own.
Taste her thoughts.
Crave things I swore I buried centuries ago.
She's mortal. Off-limits.
And yet, she looks at me like I'm not a monster.
Challenges me, teases me, wants me-and I'm losing the war to stay away.
We're drawn together by something neither of us understands.
A bond that deepens with every stolen glance, every brush of skin, every night she falls asleep too close and I don't move.
I've killed to protect her.
Held her like she's already mine.
Felt something like love settle in my chest, sharp and terrifying.
But this bond was never meant to form.
The magic hiding her wasn't just for her safety-it was for mine.
And if she ever remembers what she truly is...
I may be the first one she destroys.