After Cain's sacrifice, after the entity retreated, after the adrenaline faded—Adrian crashed.
He and Kieran returned to their penthouse as dawn broke, both covered in blood and ash. The moment the door closed, sealing them away from the world, Adrian's control shattered.
"He's gone," Adrian whispered, then louder, "He's gone and I just got him back and—"
Kieran pulled him close, letting him break. Adrian sobbed against his chest, grief and relief and exhaustion pouring out in equal measure.
"We survived," Kieran murmured into his hair. "We're alive. That's what Cain wanted."
"I know, but it's not fair—"
"Nothing about our existence is fair. But we're together. That counts for something."
Adrian pulled back, looking at Kieran's face—beautiful even exhausted, even covered in battle's aftermath. Through their blood bond, he felt Kieran's own grief, his relief, his desperate need to confirm they'd both survived.
"I need you," Adrian said roughly. "Need to feel alive. Need to feel something other than loss."
Kieran's eyes flashed red. "Then take what you need."
They came together with desperate hunger. Kieran pressed Adrian against the wall, his mouth claiming Adrian's with bruising intensity. Their fangs clashed, drawing blood that they licked from each other's lips.
"Bedroom," Adrian gasped between kisses.
"Too far."
Kieran lifted him effortlessly, Adrian's legs wrapping around his waist. They didn't make it to the bedroom—barely made it to the couch. Clothes were torn away with vampire strength, buttons scattering, fabric ripping.
"Need you now," Adrian demanded, his hands already working Kieran's belt. "No foreplay, no patience. Just you inside me, reminding me we're alive."
"Demanding little vampire," Kieran growled, but his hands were already sliding Adrian's pants down. "I've created a monster."
"You created perfection."
Kieran laughed darkly and positioned himself. "This might hurt—"
"I don't care. Do it."
Kieran thrust forward, and Adrian cried out at the sudden fullness, the burn of insufficient preparation, the perfect pain-pleasure of being taken roughly by his mate.
"Fuck," Adrian gasped, his head falling back. "Yes, like that, don't stop—"
Kieran set a punishing pace, one hand gripping Adrian's hip hard enough to bruise (which healed instantly), the other braced against the couch. His fangs scraped Adrian's throat without breaking skin—a tease, a promise.
"Mine," Kieran growled. "You're mine. Not the entity's, not fate's. Mine."
"Yours," Adrian agreed breathlessly. "Always yours."
Their blood bond amplified every sensation—Kieran felt Adrian's pleasure as his own, Adrian felt Kieran's possessive desire. The feedback loop drove them higher, faster, both of them desperate for release.
When Adrian came, he screamed Kieran's name, his fangs sinking into Kieran's shoulder as his body clenched impossibly tight. Kieran followed moments later, buried deep, his own fangs piercing Adrian's throat.
They stayed locked together, drinking from each other, feeling the life force flow between them. It was intimate beyond sex, beyond physical pleasure—it was communion, confirmation, the ultimate statement that they'd survived.
When they finally pulled apart, both were panting despite not needing air, both covered in each other's blood and completely satisfied.
"Better?" Kieran asked, pressing kisses to Adrian's forehead, his cheeks, his lips.
"Better," Adrian confirmed. "Thank you."
"Always. Whenever you need reminding that we're alive, that we're together—I'm here."
They cleaned up eventually, then collapsed into bed properly. Adrian curled against Kieran's chest, tracing patterns on his skin.
"Do you think we'll always be this intense?" Adrian asked. "Or will we eventually settle into comfortable domesticity?"
"After a thousand years apart, I think we've earned some intensity." Kieran's hand stroked through Adrian's hair. "But yes, eventually we'll have calm moments. Boring even. That's part of immortality—the full spectrum of existence."
"I look forward to boring with you."
"Romantic."
They fell asleep tangled together, the bond between them humming with contentment and love.