Lost, crazed, her fingers gripped him, nails digging into the muscles in his back.
“Tell me what you want,” he demanded between clenched teeth.
“Your bite,” she mumbled. “Please…”
He smiled, then angled her head, baring her neck, and bit into her flesh, marking her, branding her. Then he gulped, swallowing her blood.
She shuddered.
He drank and drank. The more he drank the better it felt until the need to taste him gnawed at her. Her mouth watered.
She held back until she was close, then she sank her teeth into his neck, piercing his skin. She tasted the richness of his blood, and drank and drank. The longer, the better the taste.
When he withdrew his fangs from her neck, she did too only because he drew her face toward his and stared into her eyes. It sent her over. He came, her walls clenching, squeezing out every drop.
Then he let go completely, unleashing his emotions, allowing her to feel the impact of his release.
Beautiful.
She collapsed against the expanse of his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, then laced the other in her hair.
Kissing her forehead, his mind whispered,
Yes, sweetheart, I’m yours and you’re mine. Forever.
She heard and stilled. Although she’d known once they completed the mating, exchanging blood, they could hear each other’s thoughts and communicate telepathically, it startled her.
“Regrets, already?” His voice portrayed no anger, only love.
She smiled. “No, Jake. None.”
He lay down, taking her with him. Sprawled atop of him, she angled her face to his and felt the strength of her emotions flowing around them.
Love. Contentment. Satisfaction. Belonging.
“Feel that, sweetheart?”
“It’s how I feel about you.”
“It’s how I feel about you,” he contradicted.
She smiled, wondering again how she could’ve been so blind. Jake had shown her how he felt before, the first night they’d made love.
At that moment, staring into his beautiful dark eyes, she realized her gift hadn’t failed her. She’d just misunderstood it.
Jake wasn’t trouble. Both of them had been troubled, and as fate would have it, they were each other’s happiness.
“I’m sorry, Jake.”
He silenced her with a quick kiss. “Don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made, Val. Don’t dwell on the past. Live for today.”
Epilogue
“Sweetheart?”
Jake’s voice jolted her from her dreams. He nuzzled her neck, feathering light kisses. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his dark gaze leaning over her.
“Morning, beautiful,” he whispered. “Someone missed you.”
Annie.
God, how she missed her.
Quickly sitting up in bed, Annie rushed toward her, her arms open wide. She welcomed the embrace.
“Val! You’re back! I missed you so much!”
“Oh, sweetie, I missed you, too,” she whispered, rubbing her back softly. She carried her and set her on the edge of the bed.
Annie eyed her neck. “You won’t leave anymore, right?”
Guilt filled her. Before she could answer, Jake closed the distance between them and kneeled in front of them.
“Pupa, it wasn’t Valerie’s fault. She was sick.”
“Sick?” Annie’s gaze darted back to her for confirmation.
She had been sick, heartsick, but not the whole truth. She would be Annie’s guardian now along with Jake and would always strive to tell her the truth.
“Annie, you know adults make mistakes, too.” She paused. “Your uncle Jake and I had a misunderstanding. I didn’t take care of myself, and I got sick, very sick. I’m so sorry.”
“Are you better now?”
“Yes.”
Annie’s gaze trailed toward her neck again—the spot Jake marked. “You still want me?”
She removed a stray hair from her face. “Of course, Annie. I’ve always wanted you, and I’ll always want you, just like your uncle.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, sweetie. I promise.”
“So we’re going to be a family?”
“We are a family,” Jake assured.
Annie smiled widely.
“Come on, we’ve got to get ready.”
“Ready?”
He winked in Annie’s direction, who giggled. “Yep, we’re celebrating.”
“What are we celebrating?”
His eyes reddened briefly, his eyes trailing down her neck.
She flushed.
He grinned. “Lucas came by today with several documents. We are Annie’s official guardians. Jenna’s making a big lunch to celebrate. I invited your mom and dad, too.”
He kissed her lips softly, quickly, then wrapped his arms around both of them.
She smiled, giddy.
I love you, Jake.
His gaze held hers, his arms around Annie and her.
And I love you, sweetheart.
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading
Fate Forgotten
, Fated Immortals Book 2. I hope you enjoyed Jacob and Valerie’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Up next in the Fated Immortals Series is Giovanni’s story, the vampire king. Before then, Elemental Sisters Book 4.
If you enjoyed
Fate Forgotten
, you can read more about Jacob and the Fated Immortals world in
Awaiting Fate
, Fated Immortals Book 1, and in the Elemental Sisters Series:
Demon King’s Desire
,
Burdened by Desire
, and
Heavenly Desire
.
Honest reviews are always welcome and very much appreciated.
A word about the author…
J.L. Sheppard was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where she still lives with her husband and son.
As a child, her greatest aspiration was to become a writer. She read often, kept a journal, and wrote countless poems. She graduated from Florida International University in 2008 with a Bachelor in Communications. During her senior year, she interned at NBC Miami, WTVJ. Following the internship, she was hired and worked in the News Department for three years.
It wasn’t until 2011 that she set her heart and mind to writing her first completed novel, which was published in January of 2013.
Besides reading and writing, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with family and friends.
http://www.jlsheppard.com
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