Free Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series) by Aneesa Price Page A

and met his gaze hoping
he’d see the bridled desire and remorse evident in them. “But your friendship
means more to me than a quick bout of hot sex. Friends are hard to find when
you’re a vampire or a wolf. I couldn’t bear to lose you and not have you in my
life.”
    “I think we’ve gone beyond friendship today, Anais. I have
enough faith in our friendship to believe that this is more than a quick bout
of hot sex and that we can overcome obstacles to our relationship when they
arise. We’ve known each other for so long that we’re well accustomed to each
other. We know each other as best friends and now I hope we’ll know each other
as lovers too. We can be so good together if you’d just allow it.” His voice
was filled with disappointment and hurt.
    “We don’t know that for sure.” She moved up next to him and
took his hand. “I just don’t want to mess what we have. If it’s more than sex
to you, are you telling me that you’re ready to settle down into a long-term
relationship with me Raulf?”
    “I want you, admire you and have loved you as a friend for
my whole life. A more intimate relationship between us will cement that, not
harm it.”
    “I’ve always known you to be a romantic.” Anais commented.
“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you no longer belief in those fairy
tales. You still have some growing up to do and when you do, it will strip away
that romantic naivety.”
    “That’s bullshit and you know it.” His voice held the fire
of angry frustration and fear of loss. “You’re just too scared to open up, to
share. I would never hurt you. I’m not your ex.”
    “Of course you’re not my ex. But we can’t guarantee the
rest. I know you would never intentionally hurt me and neither would I you. But
we could still hurt each other unintentionally. If I were to hurt you like
that, I couldn’t live with myself.”
    “You’re hurting me now.” Physically, his need was still
throbbing and emotionally, his heart was breaking while he heard her shatter
his hopes and dreams with every word. Exasperated by her obstinacy, he gripped
her arms, fixed his eyes on her. “Look at me and tell me that you don’t want
this, that you don’t want us. Tell me that you don’t want what we can have.
Love, togetherness and family.”
    “I can’t give you family. I’m a vampire.” Better to break
his heart while he was young and had time to find happiness than later when it
was less probable.
    “I don’t need children, Anais. You know that’s not what I’m
speaking about. You’re being deliberately obtuse and difficult. You’ve already
given me family. My family is here, in this house and the pack.”
    “And the pack needs a leader with a partner that can stand
at his side. As alpha you need heirs to pass the sovereignty to.”
    “That’s just tradition and I’m the alpha so I can change it.
There is no explicit law that states that I have to mate with only my own or
that an alpha is only born of another alpha. I can even recruit an alpha from
another pack – there are packs where an alpha is forced into submission by
another because of bloodline.”
    “I can see that you’ve thought of this before.” Anais shook
her head. “For that, the hurt I’m causing, I’m sorrier than you could know but
I’m still not willing to spoil what we have with potential, not certain,
long-term romance.”
    He pleaded to her, through the pain, “Give us a chance,
Anais. I know we’ll be good together and happy. I can make you happy.”
    “No, Raulf, we’ll make each other miserable in the end. I
don’t want a romance between us.” She hated herself for the pain she was
causing them.
    “You’re lying. I can take your fear, your self-depreciation
and your closely guarded heart as excuses but I won’t have you lie to me. That
is what will damage this friendship you claim to honor so much – lies.” Hurt
flashed to anger turning his eyes feral; the wolf was angry. He stormed