Blood Brothers

Seven Years Later

I panted against my partners mouth, trying to draw in her tongue and my breath all at the same time. Her fingers raked through my hair as her smooth thighs wrapped around my waist, keeping me close. Urging me closer.

She moaned when I thrust against her, using an agonizingly slow, slamming roll that ground our hips together and drove her wild. Her breath hitched when I scraped my teeth over her shoulder, teasing her with a brief note of pain before soothing it with my tongue.

She chanted my name in breathy whispers, interspersed with demands for me to go faster.

"I know what you want Annabelle. Let me give it to you." She nodded frantically and relinquished control again. I grunted in satisfaction and rewarded her with more speed. Her cries grew louder and sharper as I drove her towards completion, then her mouth fell open in a soundless wail as I finished her.

I shuddered against her as I finished behind her and slid to one side, laying next to her as we both caught our breath. She chuckled as she rolled to snuggle into my side.

"Thomas?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Annabelle."

"Really?" She glanced up at me and grinned when I nodded. "Then, you've changed your mind about marriage?"

I blinked, brow furrowing as I looked down at her. "No. I don't want to get married."

Annabelle huffed as she sat up, getting agitated. "Thomas, I don't understand. If you love me, then you should want to spend your life with me. Don't you want to settle down? Have children? A family?"

I propped myself up on one elbow, shaking my head. "I don't like children. And I'm not ready to settle down yet. We talked about this Annabelle."

She got to her feet and yanked on a dressing gown with sharp movements. She was getting angry. "Yes, we talked about it. We talked about all of it." She stopped, turned away from me as the tension flowed out of her and sadness crept in. "I thought I could change your mind."

"Annabelle, I'm not going to change." I cut off as the anger came back and she stalked out of the bedroom. I sighed and slid out of her bed, pulling my clothes back on and following her. I hesitated in the doorway to the kitchen, watching her making tea. I waited patiently while she wrestled with what she wanted to say.

"I want to settle down Thomas. I want children. A whole house full of them. If that can't be with you then..."

I nodded. "I understand." I carefully crossed the kitchen to her and carefully wrapped her up in my arms, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm sorry." Then I released her and headed for her door, wincing when I heard her start crying. I left her house to go back to my own, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walked.

We had been together almost two years. It was about how long my relationships averaged apparently. The war had finally ended a year ago and the entire country had rebirth on the brain. I was perfectly content with the way things were.

Le'Roy's family had grown, almost tripling what we had started with. Most of the Vampires had moved out of the original house and into accommodations of our own. Ciro and I shared a small apartment near the heart of the city, both of us happy to leave the barracks in the Victorian house behind. The barracks were mostly used for housing humans to feed from at this point.

Ciro and I had been sent on various missions, mostly together but with others too, and each had only strengthened my reputation as a cold methodical killer. The title of 'executioner' was beginning to grow on me. Ciro was gaining a reputation as a slick talker, so we made a good team.