MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

His other hand stroked her jawline almost reverently, callused thumb caressing the silken skin under her burning eyes. "Your past may be stained, my love, but your present is one of the bravest, most selfless people I've ever met. And it's that woman that I love with every part of me - demon or not."

At his achingly earnest words, Rose felt the first tear slip free, slipping down the ridged planes of her face in a glistening trail. Never in all her countless lifetimes had she imagined that acceptance could taste so sweet...or cut her so deeply.

"Blake..." she choked out, covering his hands on her face with her own. "How can you...why would you want anything to do with what I am?"

His answering smile was brilliant, eyes crinkling at the corners with the force of his emotions. "Because when I look at you, I don't see a monster or a demon. I see the woman who fought to her last breath to keep me alive. I see the person who opened my eyes to a whole new world of wonder...and love."

His hands slid down to settle on her shoulders, his solid warmth seeping through the thin material of her shirt and into her cool flesh. The tenderness in his touch made Rose shudder.

"You're not alone in this, Rose," he murmured, the certainty in his voice ringing through her like a bell. "We can face this darkness together, no matter what lies ahead. Just don't shut me out."

It was the depth of his faith, his unshakable conviction that somehow they would weather this seemingly impossible storm, that finally undid Rose's last defenses. With a broken sob, she crumpled forward into the sanctuary of his embrace, dissolving into heaving gasps of pent-up despair and longing.

Blake gathered her close, tucking her head under his chin and tangling his fingers in her silken hair, ignoring the way her claws pricked his skin. His jaw tightened as he fought his own surge of emotion, concentrating instead on offering Rose what little comfort he could.

"It's going to be okay, my love," he whispered fiercely over the top of her head, as much a promise to himself as to her. "We'll make it through this. Together."

He rocked her gently in his arms, smoothing his hands tenderly over the dips and ridges of her demonic frame until her sobs ebbed into the occasional shuddering breath. When at last she lifted her head, eyes red but calmer, he lifted a hand to brush the tear streaks from her cheeks.

"Thank you," she rasped, mustering a ghost of a smile through her anguish. "I don't have words to tell you what your acceptance means to me."

Blake smiled back, eyes crinkling fondly.

Folding her legs up onto the bed, Rose made herself more comfortable, an unconscious admission that she intended to reveal everything. Blake followed suit, settling onto the mattress across from her with knees brushing, giving her space but letting her know he was listening intently.

Tipping her head, she gave Blake an assessing look, searching his face for revulsion or alarm at what she'd revealed. But all she saw was a deep, thoughtful expression as he absorbed everything she had just told him.

His eyes dropped to where her hands lay motionless in her lap, taking in the delicate lethality of the jet black claws protruding from her fingertips. When he glanced up again, open curiosity shone in his gaze.

"So...how powerful are we talking here?" he asked, the slight quirk of his lips indicating he was already imaging vampires like those from the old horror movies. "Like, I can roll up some garlic and a wooden stake to defend myself? Keep you out of my room at night with a cross over the door?"

His teasing, lighthearted tone was a desperately needed balm after her outpourings of confession and despair. Rose felt a surprised laugh bubbling up from her chest, the sound like ringing bells in the tense silence.

"Oh, you have no idea," she chuckled, fangs flashing in a dangerous smile. "No piffling superstitions would protect you from the likes of me. I'm stronger and faster than you could ever imagine, with power beyond your comprehension. We are unholy creatures of the night, with all the dark abilities of legend...and so much more."

Blake arched a brow comically, shifting just a bit closer with a playful gleam in his eye. "So much more, huh? Well get on with it then. You can't dangle a hook like that and not take the line."

Rose felt another laugh slipping free, the weight on her shoulders lightening just a bit as the warmth of Blake's steady presence worked its magic. She fixed him with a look of wicked glee, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Well, for starters..." she purred, trailing off dramatically as she swiftly summoned a swirling twist of hellish flame around one hand, letting it lick across her palm in mesmerizing patterns.

Blake inhaled sharply, inching that much closer in unabashed fascination, the scorching heat ghosting over his skin. Rose's grin widened as she banished the fire with a thought, watching the naked awe on his face.

"Pyrokinesis is standard, of course. It's not really fire but condensed…" Blake could see she struggled to come ip with the right words to explain at first

"… condensed aura that can be modified into varieties " she drawled in a tone of studied nonchalance, fangs glinting in the low light.

"I can do a few tricks other than light a torch but that's aside for now. Different vampires can different tricks so don't be caught off guard,"

"But that's without even touching on the telepathy, super senses, accelerated healing, hypnosis, most shared trait by most vampires. Hard to master but very effective as a vampire can twist minds into compliance with but a thought."

Blake's eyes practically bulged out of his head as her words rolled over him, spinning images of untold power and dominion. Rose drank in the reaction with relish.

"So you see," she practically growled, "if I wanted, I could bend you to my will without even lifting a finger. Make you my plaything, a mindless extension of my desires, helpless to resist my every whim."

Inexplicably, Blake felt a tingling jolt of electricity shoot down his spine at the implicit sensual promise in her throaty words. Rose's mouth quirked up at the corners, eyes flashing with knowing wickedness.

"Surely that fantasy isn't quite as terrifying as you imagined?" she all but purred, daring him to admit how her sinister flirtations affected him.

Blake swallowed hard, pulse quickening as Rose allowed her dominance to bleed through her demeanor, oozing raw, primal power. He opened his mouth to reply but the words seemed to be caught in his throat, too many possibilities tangled on his tongue.

Instead of speaking, he slowly inched forward until their faces were just scant inches apart, until the heat of Rose's skin seared his own and the siren call of her intoxicating scent filled his senses. His gaze was intense, challenging, jaw set in determination.

"Trust me..." he murmured, barely above a whisper, desire and apprehension mingling in his voice. "I find that fantasy anything but terrifying."

The bravado in his tone was captivating, sending a molten thrill shivering through Rose as she marveled at the extraordinary mortal before her. So young and naive to her world, and yet from the blazing depths of his eyes she could see he had found his courage.

A part of her couldn't help but wonder...now that he knew the truth, now that the shadows had been banished and her monstrous self laid bare for him to perceive in all its dark glory...would he still want her?

Before she could reign in her scattered thoughts, the question slipped free, raw and more vulnerable than she had intended.

"Blake...what is it you want from me?"

Blake smiled almost immediately. For someone so powerful beyond his imagination, she sat and wondered what he wanted.

"I want the same thing you want from me," Blake replied.

"Don't be too sure, love. Do you know what I want?" Rose asked with a playful grin.

"My blood?" Blake played along.

"Well, you are not wrong but we'll consider that option later down the line. But right now I want a different thing," Rose said, eyes trailing off from Blake momentarily.

"Ask then," Blake simply replied, holding her hands.

"Take this stress and maybe this dress off me," Rose said barely audibly. But Blake got the message all too clearly.

#Author's note#

Help support the book please

The offer to do a mass release for a magic castle is still on guys!

Help me grow please!

1 magic castle ~ 7 chapter mass release!! For three days in a month!!

Give me a go ahead please!