Free Devour by Andrea Heltsley Page B

Cody to finish his. When he’s done, he grabs both of our glasses and sets them on a nearby empty table.
    “Come on, we need to find Lord Dominique to make it official. Then we can tell our families.”
    I smile and grasp his hand tighter. We’re really doing this. We’re going to initiate the blood bond tonight. The thought sends a thrill of excitement through me as we weave our way through the crowd of curious onlookers.
    We finally reach a small , closed off room at the end of the ballroom, next to the staircase. Cody knocks loudly and we wait for permission to enter.
    When the door opens, we are face to face with Lord Dominique himself.
    “Well, Callie and Cody; what brings you to me tonight?”
    “We wish to be mated , sir.”
    He looks from me to Cody and then back again. “If you’re sure, come on in and shut the door behind you. Please, have a seat at my desk.”
    Excitemen t races through me and I’m having a hard time keeping myself in check. Cody’s touch is the only thing grounding me right now.
    “Initiating a mating is serious. There is no going back once the bond is started. I just need you both to be aware of this. This is forever binding.”
    “We are aware and very excited to do this,” I say as I smile at Cody with more love and respect than I thought I could muster up for another person , especially after such a short amount of time. I mean, I have known him forever, just not like this.
    “I agree. We’ re ready,” Cody adds.
    “Fair enough , let me get the tools and we’ll get started. Face the chairs toward each other while I’m gathering supplies and ensuring our privacy. This is a very sacred ritual.”
    We do as we’re told and I squeeze both of Cody’s hands in excitement. He takes advantage of the situation and leans forward for a quick kiss. It reminds me why I am here and I become more excited, if it’s even possible.
    Soon, Lord Dominique returns, setting various things on the desk. Then he goes to task preparing us. He ties our left hands together with silver infused rope to test our sincerity. It hurts like hell, but I know it has to stay on until the completion of the ritual. We are able to heal quickly, so it’s just the pain we have to endure.
    Then , on our right hands, he must give us the mating seal. He heats the seal up with a flame and then dips it into the red ink. I am to go first. I give him my wrist face up and wait for the pain to come. He lines the seal up with the base of my wrist and then stamps it down in one swift motion.
    At first, I want to pull my hand away from the pain. Lord Dominique holds it firmly in place and soon the pain dissipates. When he finally removes the seal, I am left with a family crest. The crest belonging to the vampires is tattooed on my wrist. I am officially a mated member of the community.
    I look up at Cody and grin. He looks back at me with desire and determination. Lord Dominique repeats the process on Cody. He takes it admirably. There was no expression of pain and he remains stoic throughout the entire process.
    Lord Dominique wipes the remaining ink off each of us with an alcohol pad. Now it is time for the words.
    “Cody will go first. Please repeat after me. I, Cody Gregoria, pledge the mate bond to you, Callie Andell. I will go to the ends of the earth, heaven and hell for our love.”
    Cody enthusiastically repeat s the words and then it is my turn. “I, Callie Andell, pledge the mate bond to you, Cody Gregoria. I will go to the ends of the earth, heaven and hell for our love.”
    “ Great, now repeat after me together. May our houses be forever unified and our love never quantified.”
    We both repeat the promise and wait for the last part of the ritual. “You may kiss your mate-to-be and untie each other’s bonds.”
    Cody’s lips sizzle against mine as I return his kiss. With my right hand, I manage to untie the rope and have it off of him in a matter of seconds. I toss my end to the ground and wait for the