One Heart

13. Awakening

Kensie paced the room, one hand on her hip, the thumb of her other hand between her teeth. She could go into battle against one hundred foes, her twin blades singing through the air as she cleared the field. She could make strategic decisions with a moment's notice, giving crucial orders to subordinates with ease. But to take the bite necessary to awaken Sorah? That gave her pause.

Hesitation shook Kensie's nerves. She gripped her hips as she padded across the carpet—the only thing she could do to still the tremor in her hands. Ruling by Sorah's side would be a challenge, but it wasn't what worried her. What if she made a mistake? There must be risks to draining an heir's blood. If there were, Isha had never mentioned them. She'd explained the process in detail one night as if she'd known who Kensie truly was.

"You need to wait for her heartbeat to slow right down, you see. Then you stop," Isha had said, recalling her own awakening with Daroah.

Kensie needed her in this moment. Needed her guidance, her soft, mischievous wisdom, always free of judgement. She needed the thousands of years' worth of shared experience she had to offer, and the hundred and something of her own memories to add.

She needed her mentor. Her friend. She needed someone to tell her she was safe. That she wouldn't falter.

On return from her very first mission as Queen's Assassin, Isha sat her down to debrief. Not just to gather intel, but to examine Kensie's thoughts and feelings on the experience. To know her accomplishments, but more importantly, her weaknesses, the challenges. Because she cared about the emotional tole the position took on Kensie.

When she returned from her third mission, Isha knew the instant she looked into her eyes. It was the first time she had taken a life. She was nineteen at the time, and though well prepared for it, she hadn't quite expected to feel the discomfort such an act would bring forth.

"It pained you to end a life," Isha had said. She wasn't criticising. She was aware of the consequences and didn't view death with any sort of disrespect. Everyone, human, companion, vampire, was her subject. Taking a life, whether enemy or not, was not to be taken lightly. A loss was a loss.

"Yes. It's so final." Kensie had reflected on her feelings. On the way she would have felt had she lost a loved one. If she lost her queen. "There would be someone left to mourn them."

"But you'd do it again?"

"Of course, I would."

"Why?"

"To protect."

Isha's eyes had shone with pride. It hadn't taken much prompting for Kensie to reach the right conclusion. "Yes. To protect. And I want you to remember that. Know the cost of taking a life. Know what an immense decision it is to make. Never take it lightly and know it can never be taken back."

"Of course, my queen."

Kensie remembered with fondness the way Isha's serious demeanour faded in an instant as she swatter her across the arm, telling her to never again use such language.

Memories like that haunted her. They woke her from sleep.

"Kensie?" Sorah hung in the doorway to the ensuite with a towel wrapped around her, fine droplets of water still clinging to her skin. She walked around the bed, her eyes narrowed in concern. Then her palm was against Kensie's cheek, her thumb stroking the skin. The wordless act was enough.

A brief moment of hesitation stilled Kensie, until her eyes lifted to Sorah's. "Ready?"

"Yes," Sorah whispered. She placed a delicate kiss to Kensie's lips. "Are you?"

All Kensie could do was nod, holding at bay the tears that threatened to betray her in her voice. She held her lips against Sorah's forehead, drawing in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Kensie?"

"Hmm?"

"I trust you. You were born to do this. And only you can. I know you're scared, but you're safe. We both are."

"Thank you," Kensie whispered, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

Light shone in Sorah's eyes as she took Kensie's hand in her own. She ducked into the walk-in-robe for a moment to pull on a loose-fitting T-shirt before climbing into bed. "What happens now?"

Saliva filled Kensie's mouth at the thought of it. "Well... I'll drink a large volume of your blood. You'll be unconscious while your body aligns, but tomorrow you'll wake as queen. And... my wife."

A wonderous smile lit up Sorah's face. "I like the sound of that part." She simmered her expression a little, taking Kensie's hand in her own. "Will it hurt?"

"Yes, but only for a moment." Kensie dropped down beside Sorah, an arm slung across her waist. "Besides," she husked. "I don't think you'll mind."

Sorah smirked, her cheeks reddening. She drew a deep breath, then exhaled, before giving a nod. "Okay."

Fear was still rooted deep within Kensie, but Sorah had given her the confidence she needed. She failed to control herself as her canines extended from her gums and her mouth watered. Her desire was palpable. She couldn't wait to experience this side of Sorah.

Kensie shifted on top of Sorah, placing delicate kisses along her jaw and neck. In her current state—her predator state, she was aware of everything. Her teeth scraped skin, searching for the right location. She drew a breath, steadying herself, before biting down.

Sorah cried out—a moment of pain that melted into a cry of pleasure. Her arousal was evident—each sound making Kensie bite down harder in a vicious cycle that only drove them both to greater heights of pleasure.

A deep throb settled within Kensie and grew the more she drank. Sorah's cries grew wild with abandon as she clutched at the sheets—on anything she could get her hands on.

"Please," Sorah cried.

The scent of arousal hit Kensie as she slid her had up Sorah's thigh. Her control slipped as she entered her, rough and deep, over and over. They were both close, only seconds from release as Kensie increased her pace.

Needing no stimulation at all, Kensie's body shook with pleasure, her muffled moans melding with Sorah's as they both fell over the edge.

Listening to each beat of Sorah's heart, Kensie withdrew, replacing her teeth with her tongue. She caught the soft, satisfied glint in Sorah's eyes before they closed and she slipped into unconsciousness.