Chapter 38

" I 'm still hungry," I told Simon as we walked down the quiet street. We were somewhere near the Eiffel Tower now; I caught glimpses of it glowing between buildings every few steps.

Simon hummed. "Would you like to try something warm?"

"Warm?" I tilted my head.

His words sank into me, and my eyes widened considerably. He meant drinking blood from a human. Simon watched me carefully, studying my reaction. I expected to be repulsed, possibly terrified, at the idea of hurting someone. Instead, the first thoughts through my head were how delicious that blood might taste—fresh from the vein. My fangs lengthened on their own accord and I swore, jolting in surprise.

Simon chuckled, his concern fading. "You'll learn to control that with time. Come on, I'll help you." I took his outstretched hand. We walked for another block in silence before he paused, motioning to a homeless man curled up against a building. "Tell me why you don't want him."

I stared at the man. Besides the fact that he was covered in dirt and grime, I found nothing wrong at him at first. Then, I breathed in deeply. There was something else through the smell of the muck and his blood. A pungent and sour odor seeped through him.

"What is that?" I asked, cringing.

"If I had to guess, based on the wounds on his hands and arms, probably meth," Simon murmured, guiding me along. "In general, drugs have little effect on vampires, except when you consume them through the blood of humans. Drink the blood of a human who is high on marijuana, and you'll feel that high as if it's your own."

"Sounds like a good time," I teased.

His eyes twinkled when he looked at me, and he nodded. "There are certainly vampires who use it to their advantage. It's important to know, though, because you don't want to be a meth-addicted vampire."

I snorted at the mental image. "What about alcohol?"

"Interestingly enough, alcohol works the same on vampires as it does humans. Drinking it is enough," Simon explained. We turned the corner, coming across a pair of tourists on their way to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle for the last time that night. "What about them?"

I watched as we walked a couple dozen feet behind them. One smelled like cheap Victoria's Secret body spray, and the other smelled… different, like she had two different scents. She turned to laugh with her friend, and my eyes found the bulge to her stomach. I froze, gripping Simon's arm. She was pregnant, and I could hear her baby's strong and steady heartbeat.

"No," I croaked.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, guiding me away. "I'm sorry, Lucinda. I didn't notice until you did."

I huffed out a breath, resisting the urge to cry. "Can you pick, please?"

"Of course."

After another ten minutes of walking, we found a French man smoking a cigarette in only his boxers. Simon let go of my hand, approaching the man from behind and tapping his shoulder. The man spun in annoyance and was halfway through a dozen French curse words when Simon covered his mouth and shoved him against the building. I couldn't look away as his fangs sank into the man's skin cleanly.

It was horrifying and gruesome, and everything I wanted.

Simon lifted his head a second later, blood dripping down his chin. My eyes widened at the sight of him, and only one thought reverberated through my mind: mine . Simon was mine.

I shook myself out of my trance when Simon beckoned me closer, holding the man up against the wall with an arm across his chest. The man seemed dazed now, his eyes rolling back.

"Is he okay?" I breathed.

Simon glanced at him and shrugged carelessly. "They usually faint from shock."

I grimaced, but approached. My fangs extended and the veins beneath my eyes turned black. Simon said something about where to put my fangs; I could hardly hear him over the roaring of my heartbeat in my ears, which grew louder and louder the closer I came to his throat.

My teeth sank into his skin in the same place Simon's had, and warm, thick blood filled my mouth. I swallowed, trembling as I pressed myself against the man's body.

It was unlike anything I'd ever tasted before. It was life itself, powerful and endless and…coppery.

"Lucinda, you have to let him go now," Simon said, his hand on my shoulder. "You'll kill him."

His words splashed over me like ice water and I leaped back, forgetting I was supposed to be holding the man upright. His body slumped forward. Simon caught him easily, lowering him to the ground and tilting his head back against the wall so he could breathe. My fingers shook as I touched the blood on my lips.

"Did I kill him?" I asked.

"No. He'll wake up in a few hours with a headache," Simon replied.

I listened to the man's heartbeat for a few seconds longer, until I was sure it was strong and steady.

Simon slipped his hand into mine and guided me away. "You did well."

I couldn't reply. I felt acutely aware of every drop of blood leaking down my chin and staining my shirt. Human blood. Blood I stole.

I knew I would become a monster.

I didn't know it would feel like this—powerful, entrancing. Part of me hated that it felt like that, and the other part—the newer, darker part of me—relished in it.

Simon guided me around a corner. We turned and my eyes widened to see the Eiffel Tower looming over us, golden and glowing. I could hear crowds gathered a few streets over, but it was quiet and lonely here. Simon sat me down on a bench and pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, kneeling in front of me to wipe the blood off my face. When he was satisfied, he tossed all the tissues in a nearby trash can.

I stood again to stare up at the glowing tower. It would light up any minute for the last time tonight. Simon stepped up behind me, his hips against mine as he rested his hands on my thighs.

"You're doing well," Simon reminded me, kissing my shoulder.

"I'm doing everything I can not to break," I replied.

"If that's all you can do, then it's enough."

I leaned into his lips on my shoulder; he pressed small kisses to my bare skin where my t-shirt had fallen slightly. Keeping my eyes on the Eiffel Tower, I tilted my head to the side to give him better access. If his mouth was the only thing keeping me sane, I wanted all he could offer me. Simon hummed against my skin, moving his lips closer to my neck, where his tongue flicked against my pulse.

His hands tightened on my hips and pulled me against him. "Perhaps it's inappropriate, but I have to say that you make a fucking stunning vampire."

I snorted, shaking my head. "All I've done is cry and hyperventilate."

"And come beneath my tongue and cock," Simon murmured.

Shivers ran down my spine. "Oh," I breathed.

I gasped when his fingers dipped beneath the hem of my shirt, tracing my bare skin above my jeans. Instinctively, I pressed my ass against him, barely hiding my whine when I felt he was already hard.

"Should we go back to your apartment?" I rasped.

"No," he replied. "You should drop your pants and bend over right here." I tried to turn toward him in shock, but he wrapped one hand around my throat and kept me still. "Say the word, and we can go somewhere you're more comfortable. But say yes, and I'm going to fuck you right here."

I dropped my hands and popped the button of my jeans.

Simon chuckled. "Good girl." He stepped back while I pushed my jeans over my hips, leaving them around my ankles. "Now, bend over," he commanded without touching me.

I glanced around again, laughing once as I rested my elbows on the stone fence and bent forward, exposing my bare ass to whoever might walk by.

Simon hummed in approval. His hands glided over my hips, pulling a soft sigh from me. I heard the clink of his belt and the zipper of his jeans, but forced myself to keep looking at the Eiffel Tower instead of him. He knelt behind me, nipping at the backs of my thighs. I yelped, covering my mouth as the noise echoed through the night.

Simon's tongue found my core, dipping into me hungrily. He helped me step one foot out of my jeans and spread my legs wider, groaning as he consumed me. He was merciless, pulling moans and cries from me without regard for where we were. He fucked me with his tongue, then pressed two fingers into me and curled them deliciously. I shoved my hips back against his hand, dripping for him and frantic for more.

"That's it, my beautiful vampire, fuck yourself on my fingers," he growled.

"Simon, please, touch my clit," I whispered.

He did as I asked, using his free hand to rub circles on the most sensitive part of me. I continued to rock against him, my whole body alight with the pleasure he provided.

I covered my mouth with both hands when my orgasm crashed through me. Still, my cries echoed through the night.

I'd barely come down from my high when Simon stood. I heard the glide of fabric against skin as he pushed his pants over his hips, and then I felt him pressing against my entrance. With a growl, he wrapped one hand in my hair and pulled me back onto him, slipping into me in one thrust.

I didn't bother to muffle my sob of delight.

"That's it, my darling. Let this whole fucking city hear how I make you feel," Simon growled.

He rolled his hips into mine slowly a few times, relishing in the feeling of me clenching around him. Then, he let go of whatever control he'd been clinging to. The sound of our hips connecting echoed down the street. I felt like I glowed with the stars from a thousand galaxies, burning hotter and hotter with every thrust. Simon kept his hand in my hair, tilting my head back and keeping me pinned and prey to his pleasure.

"Touch yourself, Lucinda," he breathed. "Come for me, baby."

I slipped my hand between my legs, finding where we connected and tracing light circles over my clit.

In front of us, the Eiffel Tower burst into a million glittering lights. Cheers sounded through the city. People danced. People kissed.

I came with stars in my eyes.