My Vampire Mate

Chapter 42

I sighed as Drew wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He was covered in blood—both fresh and dried. Most were his. Some were Dageian’s, and some were mine. Still, I revelled in his embrace as if it was the best thing in the world. Because it was.

“What’s wrong?” Drew asked, and I then realised that my expression was probably distant and suggested that I was deep in thought. We paused as everyone’s eyes and attention drifted to me, and my skin crawled at the memory of Dageian licking my neck after he got rid of the dagger.

The dagger. That occupied my mind subconsciously. From the minute he took it, I knew I had to get it back. I think my veins have surpassed their limit for bleeding into molten gold, and I had no more daggers to spare. Besides, it was hell getting the last one out of the carved wood, so Drew ended up breaking it. Making a new one would take days—that’s enough time for Dageian to wake up in his sociopathic rage and come after us again.

We had to find that dagger.

“The dagger,” I finally mumbled.

“What?” Mason asked with his forehead pulled together in confusion.

“Did you give it to him?” Drew asked in a tone that I didn’t like too much. I threw him a glare, which surprisingly had him flinching back. If this was another situation, I’d probably laugh.

“Yes, I gave it to him,” I hissed. “He had you captive, and you expected me not to?”

“I didn’t mean….”

“You would’ve done the same thing if it was me.”

He sighed before attempting to pull me into a hug, but I shrugged away. “I know, baby. I really do. Sometimes I forget that this mate bond works both ways.”

“Just because you feel it stronger doesn’t mean I don’t feel it at all. Do you have any idea how I felt when I thought you died?” My voice betrayed me by breaking, and his eyes fell even sadder than before. “If you died, you would’ve expected me to move on and be happy, don’t you?” I asked, but he didn’t answer.

He simply hung his head.

“Answer me,” I demanded. I needed to hear him say it.

“Yes,” he said, defeated.

“And if I died, what would you do?”

“I… I’d die on the spot. I wouldn’t be able to go another day.”

“And you expect that it’s any different for me? Sure, the bond has its flaws. If one of us dies, the other won’t be able to go on. Even if we stay alive—”

“We’d barely be living,” he added softly, at which I nodded.

“So how could you possibly think that I’d be stubborn and refuse to give him that dagger when he had you— my mate? How? Did you know that he told me that he’d kill me? And I believed him. He told me that he’d kill you too. But he said that if I brought him the dagger, I could see you one last time. I could feel you one last time. And I didn’t hesitate, and I didn’t ponder. I’d take that any day over refusing to give him the damn dagger.”

“I know, Amber. I’m so, so sorry.” He reached for me again, and this time I let him hold me. A sob rose from my chest and broke through my lips as his arms wrapped tighter around me. I’ve become such a crybaby over the months.

“I was so scared, Drew,” I admitted. “So, so scared.”

He kissed the top of my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a while. It was like a silent message, more like a promise, that he’d always have me. I felt better after that even though he didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to.