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  Krishell stopped her pacing across Ashlynn’s guest bedroom to stare at her friend.

  “I mean, you came here two days ago with some clothes tossed inside a suitcase. You looked like you were running from something or someone. Plus, you spent the first night here sick in bed. I thought you were dying with the way you were sweating and carrying on.”

  “I can’t go back to my condo,” Krishell said, biting her bottom lip. “Devin is still probably looking for me.” She’d told Ashlynn most of what happened that night, but she was smart enough to leave out the part about Devin being a vampire.

  She had felt pretty sick the first night she was away from him, but she could at least keep food down now.

  “You can’t stay here forever. You do know that, right? If this guy is as crazy about you as you think he is, don’t you think he’s going out of his mind with worry? Hell, he doesn’t even know where you are.”

  “Why do you think I came all the way here?” Krishell asked. “I had a hard enough time easing out of his bed without waking him up. I swear I thought he would catch me when I was back at my house, but I got out of the building without a problem.”

  “Girl, you know how men are after they get good sex. They sleep like the dead unless they want to go at it again.” Ashlynn laughed then stopped. “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

  Falling down on the bed next to Ashlynn, Krishell shook her head. “I’m not sure of anything anymore. When I first saw Devin, I just had this burning, almost aching need to be with him. Nothing was going to stand in my way of getting him. I’d never felt like that before with any other guy. But after we made love, I was scared out of my mind. He’s so passionate, so intense. It’s like we connected with this link on a total different level. I couldn’t handle it, so as you know, I packed up and ran to you.”

  “You need to make a decision and soon,” Ashlynn told her as she got up from the bed. “Either you want this guy you’ve been telling me about nonstop for weeks, or you just wanted to get laid by him. Which was it?”

  Ashlynn walked out of the bedroom, leaving her alone to think. But the problem was, she already had her answer. She just hoped it wasn’t too late to find Devin and tell him what she truly wanted.

  Chapter Nine

  Where in the hell is she?

  Devin walked around inside Krishell’s condo, looking for a clue about where she could have gone after the night they shared. He thought everything had gone perfectly. She’d admitted repeatedly how much she wanted him, asked him to make her his. He’d felt her acceptance of him and what he was. She’d drunk his blood!

  He should have fought off satisfaction better than he did. Should have waited. Now, he had scared the shit out of his mate and she was on the run from him.

  Her fear blocked his ability to read her mind and find out where she was hiding. He shouldn’t have fallen asleep so quickly after he went through the ritual of turning her. She shouldn’t be alone, and she’d already gone through the first step without him there at her side to help her through it. The night sweats were the worst, and then the lost of appetite only added to the pain.

  Damn it!

  He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of another way to find his mate. Asking his domineering father for help was out of the question because he wasn’t in the mood for a reprimand.

  Krishell belonged with him, and it was his responsibility to find the woman he loved. She was scared and alone. She better be alone, because if she ran to another man for help he would kill the bastard with his bare hands. After tasting her blood, there was no way he would let her leave him.

  He shoved down his anger and focused his attention on touching his mind with Krishell’s.

  She had tasted his blood, so he was a part of her now as well. She was connected to him as no other woman had been in the past or would ever be in the future. Everything about her was made for only him.

  He took a seat in the chair near the couch and cleared all other thoughts from his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on nothing but Krishell.

  Baby, where are you? Can you feel me searching for you? Come back to me. We belong together. I’m as much yours as you are mine.

  The rattling of keys in the door jarred Devin from his trance. He made it around the corner in time to see Krishell walk through the door with a black suitcase in her left hand.

  Chapter Ten

  Krishell gasped as the suitcase dropped from her hand. “What are you doing in my condo?”

  “What in the hell do you think I’m doing?” he demanded as he pulled her into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t read thoughts of another man in her head. He did learn that her best friend’s name was Ashlynn.

  “I’ve been trying to find you for the past two days. Why did you make love to me and leave? Didn’t you understand that we are tied together forever? You are my mate. I love and adore you.”

  Leaning back in his arms, she stared up into his eyes. “I shouldn’t have left you like I did, but everything happened too fast. I just got a little overwhelmed and ran so I could get my thoughts together. It’s not every day a woman falls for a gorgeous guy who tells her he’s a vampire.”

  “Does this mean you aren’t going to try to leave me again?” he asked, running his hands down her back. “I was lost without you. Why didn’t you stay and talk to me?”

  Moving out of his arm, Krishell shut the door then moved across the room away from him. “I honestly don’t know why. I watched you while you were asleep, and you looked so peaceful, so content, while my mind was racing a mile a minute. I couldn’t get over the fact that I had just drunk your blood. I—”

  He’d been so lost in making Krishell his forever he never once thought about what could have been going through her mind.

  She was his everything.

  Moving across the room to stand in front of her, he said, “Krishell, I want you to know this. I love you. You are the reason I defied my father’s wishes. When you agreed to be mine, I couldn’t wait a moment longer to claim you as my own. I would do anything for you. I would give my life to save yours. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I can promise you that I won’t be that insensitive to your needs again.”

  Placing her hand against his cheek, she said, “Devin, I don’t want to be without you either. Those two days I was away from you were the worst in my life. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I swear my body acted like it was slowly fading away without you beside me. Even Ashlynn told me that I looked bad without you.

  “I came back here to tell you that I want to be with you. I mean, I did everything in my power to get your attention, and now that I have it I’m not about to toss it away.” She laughed, kissing him on the mouth.

  Growling, Devin wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and yanked her against his chest. “Sweetheart, you never had to do anything to get my attention.”

  “So, are you telling me that I wasted my time chasing after you?” she asked, staring up into his eyes. “Since you were already my mate, I should have waited for you to approach me.”

  “No, honestly, I like how you chased after me no matter how much I gave you the cold shoulder,” he admitted. “I loved the idea that my mate wanted me so badly she was willingly to do anything to get me. It was a turn on.”

  “Since I did such an amazing job of turning my mate on, what are you going to do to return the favor? I mean, you do have two days to make up for.”

  “Are you challenging me, Ms. Tynan?” He swung her up into his arms. “You should know better than to challenge a vampire who has been waiting centuries to find the love of his life.”

  “Oh, really?” she taunted. “What are you going to do to me?”

  “I’m going to make love to you so thoroughly that you will never think about leaving me or my bed again.”

  “Well, you better go to it,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Don’t worry, I will,�
� Devin promised as he carried her out of the living room and down the hallway toward her bedroom.

  The End

  Author Bio

  The Queen of Tease: If you want to read interracial romance stories that leave you panting for more and turning the pages faster than you can read them, Marie Rochelle is for you.

  After reading her first “dirty” book as a teenager, Marie knew she had to become a writer. A few years ago, she started writing to reach her dream. She writes her characters so her fans will believe in the Happily Ever After. She loves collecting bear figurines and reading a hot book when she gets the chance.

  Find out more about Marie here:

  Official Site: http:// http://marierochelle.weebly.com/

  Official Blog: http://shopdiva28.blogspot.com/