the Vampires Beloved

Chapternine:Marina Released

Tavany

The Vessel hums weakly in my hands, its energy spent. Centuries of fear, war, and bloodshed reduced to this—a relic.

Thorne stands close, tense. This is his past.

Her.

The moment I touch it, the world tilts. I’m not Tavany anymore—I’m her memories. Marina’s terror. Her love. Her choice: death over surrender.

“I’m here,” I whisper. “You’re not alone.”

Light spills from my hands, green and gold, asking, not forcing. The Vessel cracks—not shatters.

Marina’s presence rises, free. She looks at Thorne first.

His breath leaves him like a punch.

Her touch is fleeting—a ghost’s caress. Gratitude. Sorrow. Peace. Then she’s gone.

The war ends in silence.

Thorne catches me as I sway.

“I didn’t lose her,” he says, rough. “I just carried her too long.”

“You can let go now.”

His gaze burns—raw, alive.

Then his hands are on me.

No hesitation. His mouth crashes against mine, hungry. Years of restraint unravel. My fingers dig into his coat, feeling his heartbeat—steady, unburdened.

The kiss deepens, desperate. His hands slide under my clothes, calloused palms tracing my ribs, my waist, pulling me closer. My back hits the wall, his body hard against mine.

“Thorne—” His name is a gasp as his teeth graze my throat.

He answers with rough hands, shoving fabric aside. His mouth finds my breast, tongue circling, biting—I arch into him, moaning.

“Look at me.” His voice is fire.

I do. His fingers slide between my thighs, stroking, teasing. I’m wet, aching.

“I need to hear you,” he growls.

I don’t hold back. Whimpers. Pleas. His fingers thrust deeper, thumb circling my c**t until my legs shake.

“I love you.” The words wreck me.

Pleasure rips through me—I bite his shoulder to muffle my cry.

Before I recover, he lifts me, pressing me against the wall. His c**k slides against me, hot and heavy.

“Please.”

He doesn’t wait.

He fills me in one deep thrust. I gasp, nails raking his back.

“Mine,” he snarls, driving into me.

The wall shakes with each movement, his pace ruthless. I cling to him, breathless, as heat coils tighter.

Then—release. A sharp cry torn from my lips as I shatter. He follows, groaning my name.

Afterward, we don’t speak.

We don’t need to.