Shattered: Paranormal Vampire Romance (Immortal Love Series Book 4)

by Anna Santos

  Blood raced in my veins and heat spread across my limbs. His embrace was possessive and his mouth demanding.

  Stopping the kissing, he pressed his lips against my neck. “Tomorrow. We’ll continue this tomorrow. Today, we don’t have time.”

  Clearing my throat and securing my hands around his head, I spoke. “Okay.”

  His smile brushed my skin with kisses. “We just need to figure out the safe words and how to transmit them.” He stopped talking to nibble my neck. “Then, we’ll play.”

  I shivered with his husky voice and soft touches. My mate was beyond sexy and gorgeous. How could I not want to make babies with him and make him the happiest man in the world?

  Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT

  Eric

  Everybody was looking at the bride with widened eyes. I knew best than that since I couldn’t take my eyes of my mate—in a glorious sequin beaded cocktail dress with flutter sleeves, and an updo hairstyle covered with flowers. Her soft makeup that highlighted her pink, cross-bowed lips, and her stunning chestnut hair made her look like a goddess. My sexy vampire mate.

  Nonetheless, Jessica looked stunning. The wedding theme was fairies and butterflies. My mom's white wedding dress had shiny, fake colorful butterflies, and tiny red roses sewed to the tulle. She and her maidens wore flowers in their hair.

  My dad looked nervous in his burgundy jacket and black cotton pants, just like an elf king without the pointy ears like Jessica had described him when she saw him from afar.

  It was night, and everybody in our city and nearby communities had gathered next to the throne to celebrate the king's wedding with Jessica.

  The ceremony was simple. A veteran witch laced their hands together with a red ribbon, and they promised to love, respect, and treasure each other, for as long as they live. Once the rings were exchanged, they kissed, and the crowd cheered. The party ensued after.

  The musicians played with happiness their instruments while the guests gathered around the several tables where food was served. Some tapped their feet to the rhythm of the music while others ate and drank.

  I was seated next to dad, holding Beth's hand while she chatted with Anna, and I watched Jessica feed father as she talked to me.

  We were all happy. A type of happiness that you don't want ever to end, but you know that can't last forever. By the amount some were drinking, it seemed that they didn’t want to keep their memories of that night. I did. It would be the first night that I had Beth in my bedroom, sleeping with me. Not only that, it was the day we told everybody that Jessica was here to stay, and our family was blessed with having Anna and Kevin joining us.

  I wished I could frame that moment forever. Put it in a bottle and freeze the time. We could be real elves and fairies in the woods, having fun in an endless winter night. Nevertheless, time doesn’t stand still, and a day turned into a week, and it was time to fly to New York with Beth.

  ***

  It’s been a while since I’ve come to New York. The city was still loud and a mess as I remembered, though. Still, I could notice a sparkle of excitement in Beth’s eyes for being here.

  Beth was nervous since she held my hand really tight while staring outside the window of our SUV. The building brought memories to her that she shared in her mellifluous voice. She pointed at the coffee shops where she liked to have her coffee with her sister, the streets where she liked to buy clothes, the theater, they watched movies and ate popcorn.

  Listening to her sharing all those memories made me happy. Her untainted memories of her sister and her. I shouldn’t feel melancholic still my mind couldn’t help picturing her carefree and unhurt. I was also worried that the memories with her sister might leave her depressed. It was clear that Beth had the old sister’s syndrome. She believed that she should protect Marie from being the youngest. George, my older brother, was like that with me. Due to what Alaric had done to mom, I became an orphan before reaching adulthood. Dad became depressed and revolted with the world. It was up to George to raise me and deal with all my tears and fears. He overprotected me, and I felt cheated when he left to live his life with his mate. I believed that he had abandoned me.

  “We are almost there,” Beth said, leaning closer to the window. “I wonder how everything looks. I don’t have a key, but we have a concierge.”

  “I called first to let them know we were coming.”

  Beth looked at me. “It crossed my mind that they might have sold all my things for not paying rent, but we were transferring automatically and there was plenty of money in our bank account.”

  I cupped her hands with mine. “Everything is going to be okay. I just need you to tell me that you aren’t going to be sad once you enter your loft and realize that it’s empty even if full of memories of you and your sister together.”

  “I’m okay.”

  I smiled and changed the subject. “What’s your favorite place in town?”

  “SoHo, it’s beautiful. Harlem is also really special.”

  Raising our hands, I placed a kiss on hers. “Do you miss living in a big city? Affinity is tiny compared to this.”

  “It was fun to live here, but I rather live where you live. It’s also less crowded. Marie was the one who liked confusion and noise. She always liked to live in the big metropolis where the nights were just as agitated as the days.”

  “We are leaving once we pack everything, maybe I’m being paranoid.” I sighed. “I wish I could walk around with you. Go to the Broadway and the Central Park.”

  “It’s not safe. I know. Don’t stress about it. We can go somewhere else when you have free time.”

  “Yes, you are right. I’m slightly more occupied with dad and mom leaving on their honeymoon to Japan.”

  “Oh, Marie loved that store.”

  “Let’s not talk about her anymore.”

  Beth tilted her head to the right and blinked. “Why not?”

  “She had you for more than two hundred years. It’s time that I know more about Beth and not your sister.”

  She giggled. “Are you jealous?”

  I gave her a lopsided grin. “Just a bit.”

  Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed my lips. “You already know a good deal about me.”

  “I want to know much more.”

  “You will. My former home is filled with memories of me and my sister. Wanting or not, she was a fundamental part of my life. We were inseparable, so there’s no me without her.”

  “I know she’s your sister, but she sounded as if she was a little spoiled.”

  Beth shrugged. “We all have our flaws.”

  “Not you, you are perfect.”

  She caressed my hair. “I’m not perfect but I’m a lot better since I found you. You make me want to be better. Plus, I’ve never been this in love before. Dr. Kent says it’s the best time to mate because sex will be even better.”

  I chuckled. “Are you teasing me now, in this car?”

  “Oh no. I meant.” She bit her lower lip with slightly red cheeks. “I’m saying that we are making signs of progress and that being in love is easier for my sexual healing.”

  I laughed harder. “I like that description of what we are doing at night: sexual healing.” I stroked the hair from her forehead and placed a kiss there. “You are doing fine, darling. Plus, I said I’d be patient.”

  “You are and I’m happy, really happy about being here with you.”

  “I’ve never been this joyful in my life either. I could spend my entire day staring at you and enumerating all that’s perfect about you.”

  She averted her eyes to my chest. “Don’t be foolish.”

  “I’m not foolish. I love your eyes, your nose, your lips, your smile.” I breathed. “The beauty mark on the back of your neck and the one on your right shoulder. I love how silky your hair is and how soft your skin feels when I touch it with my lips. I’m completely and utterly fascinated by you.”

  Hiding her face against my chest, she hugged me, and I put my ar
ms around her. She didn’t say anything else, and I remained silenced, content for just holding her.

  Chapter TWENTY-NINE

  Eric

  The traffic was a chaos, but we arrived at the place where Beth used to live. She had a penthouse in the center of New York. The building janitor let us in after we talked with the doorman downstairs.

  Apparently, Beth and her sister didn’t go unnoticed to the building staff since the janitor asked a lot of nosy questions that displeased me and were forcing Beth to lie. He also got intrigued by the six men dressed in black suits who were behind me and Beth. Maybe I overdid it, but I had taken my best men, well my best men were Anna and Shane, but they were busy. Anyhow, I still had another four men outside in a van, waiting for us. So I got a bit paranoid, but I wasn’t going to leave anything unseen or neglected that could put my mate’s security at risk.

  After the door was opened, and the janitor tipped so he would leave us alone, my men entered inside and checked the place for threats. I didn’t want any surprises waiting for us or someone hiding. Since the place was clear, we got inside Beth’s apartment, and I ordered two of my men to be outside the door and the other four to be inside, waiting for us at the entrance.

  Once I stepped into Beth’s living room I felt like a boy in a candy shop. There were a lot of interesting things for me to see there. I would touch everything I found curious, and I would ask her a million questions about the pictures, the books, the DVDs and the souvenirs. I was excited to be there because it was Beth’s place. She was really patient with me, indulging my curiosity.

  I was acting like four years old, trying to figure out how the world worked. When she opened her bedroom, and I got inside, I stood really quiet, taking in all the furniture, the photos, the books, the clothes, the ballet paintings on the walls, and the white and golden of the colors, she chose to paint the walls and decorate the ceiling. It was a beautiful bedroom. I guess I knew my mate’s taste before I even knew her, and I was feeling pretty good about that.

  I stared longer at her bed, imagining her sleeping all those nights away from me. It made me gloomy. Being far from her made me feel terribly lonely. I shook the feeling aside when Beth stood in front of me.

  Putting her hand over my face, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  I caressed her hand, prolonging the touch of her hand on my face. “I love when you touch me.”

  “You look sad.”

  “I’m not.” I smiled to prove her wrong.

  “Everywhere I lived, I always had the silly fantasy of someday having you in my bedroom, talking about everything about us,” she whispered in my ear, and I put my arm around her waist and pulled her near me.

  “Now that I’m here, are you going to tell me your deepest secrets?” I teased near her mouth, leaning my forehead against hers.

  “Oh no, just my deepest fantasies,” she teased back, smirking wickedly and fleeing from my kiss. “But we don’t have time for that. There are a lot of things to pack and clothes to select. There is no time to play”

  I held her by her waist before she could flee and brought her against my chest. The contact made my body burn with lust. “Just tell me one.”

  “Just one?” she asked, turning her head to watch me. I felt lust burning my eyes, and I know that they were purple. She relaxed against me, unafraid.

  I nodded to her question. Smiling, she leaned her head to my chest. I kissed the top of her head and entwined my fingers around her hips.

  “I think I can tell you two. Since you asked nicely,” she provoked, and I waited patiently for her to tell me. “Okay, so there were days that I would wish we just—kissed passionately in front of my loft, and I would bring you to my bedroom, and we would ... you know.”

  That fantasy pleased me, and it was rather plausible of happening. Then I recalled that she was pure before she was taken. I held her tighter and pressed my nose against her neck before kissing her there. It was her favorite spot and always made her giggle and sigh.

  “And the other?” I asked.

  “We would just come inside, holding hands, and we would sit on the bed and talk. Like we do back home,” she whispered, shivering with another kiss I planted on her shoulder.

  I smiled with the last word she said: home. Home was with me now, and that was all that mattered.

  “It’s silly. I know.” She made the move to get out of my hug.

  “It’s not silly. I’ve dreamt of finding you, probably every day for a long time. I would also dream of kissing you,” I told her. “Your fantasies are not silly. They are adorable, and I want to make every single one of them come true.”

  Beth turned to face me, still inside my arms. I could tell she was hesitating, so I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just curious,” she said, lowering her eyes.

  “About what?”

  “How long would it take for you to be aroused by me if we would start kissing and … well if we met before when I lived here. I always wanted to know, if y-you feel arousal just for touching me.”

  “Well, I was controlled when I came inside the room, but I would just need five seconds and a glimpse of your bed,” I answered.

  She rose her head to look at me. “That fast?”

  “What can I tell you? You are smoking hot!”

  She laughed and hid her head against my chest. I don’t think she believed me. I caressed her hair and smiled to myself.

  “Even if you had just met me?” she asked.

  “In that case, perhaps thirty. No scratch that, maybe ten seconds.”

  “Liar. You are a gentleman, you wouldn’t be like that if you had just met me.”

  “True. I would stay like one hour totally mesmerized by you. I stood two days outside that cage, conflicted between your fear and my need to be near you. I could be patient, I’m really patient. But if you weren’t hurt, if we met under different circumstances, baby, I would do anything you wanted me to just to make you surrender to me.”

  “You already do what I want, and you don’t get anything in return.”

  “I get a lot in return. Seeing you smile and joyful are the nicest rewards I can have.”

  “I’m happy. I’m happy to be here and to have you here in my bedroom, in my house. However, I don’t belong here anymore. My place is with you,” she mumbled with shining eyes. “All the silly fantasies I made up during these years, centuries apart, are nothing compared with the reality. You are so much better than my fantasies! I’m so glad that I didn’t die, and I got to meet you.”

  My heart raced so fast that I thought it was going to leave my chest. Her words made me feel vulnerable, happy, and breathless. There were reminiscences of sadness in her voice but also of joy. There was also a raw pleasure that was flooding my heart and stinging my eyes with tears. I was feeling silly for wanting to cry. It was so not right. No crying. If I wept, she would too, and I didn’t want her crying anymore.

  I swallowed hard and breathed deep. Her eyes were in mine. All I could do was kiss her and hold her tight. So, I did. I kissed her, sweetly, tenderly, making her open her mouth to let me in, making her shiver against my body, between my arms. Until her hands clenched to my coat, her tongue tangled with mine, and my body trembled with lust and love.

  We weren’t planning go any further than kissing. Nevertheless, while she was relaxed and emotional in my arms, our kiss felt more than perfect.

  Chapter THIRTY

  Eric

  There was a lot in Beth’s apartment to keep me entertained while she was deciding what to take and what to leave behind.

  I looked through her books, her clothes, her pictures, and her paintings. The pictures were the ones that interested me the most. A lot of them were with her and her sister. I had to confess that Marie resembled Beth, but she wasn’t as beautiful as my mate. At least not for me.

  Beth’s timid smile and glinting eyes when staring at the camera made me happy. When she hugged Marie, that’s when her smiles looked more enticing a
nd carefree. Whenever together, they looked joyful. It was a shame what happened to Marie, Beth could use her support. Though, I didn’t want her near my sweet mate if she held such a grudge towards her sister. The smiling and innocent Marie had long disappeared from the moment my brother claimed her and played his twisted games to turn her insane. Would Beth be able to hurt her sister when the time came? A part of me hoped she didn’t. Even so, the rational part of me that knew what Alaric was capable of doing also recognized that we couldn’t show any mercy, and Marie would be a collateral damage.

  Seated on the armchair, I lost track of time while browsing through a digital camera that belonged to Marie. It had several pictures of Beth. She looked happy, dressed in casual clothes and doing sexy poses. It seemed Marie enjoyed taking photos of her sister. As for me, I didn’t mind looking at them and slightly drool over her sexiness and how carefree she seemed I wished I could fix her, so she could smile like that once again.

  A few hours later, the moving company arrived, and Beth got busy ordering them to remove what she wanted to be packed and taken. I noticed she had tons of dresses, a lot of them really old and kept in vacuum so they wouldn’t deteriorate. I could relate to that. I also had my physical memories of other periods to hold on to and relive old times.

  Once the moving company left, she gathered her jewels and money from her safe. She had a lot. I knew her family had money. Beth was as delicate as refined, and her good upbringing showed. Still, I’d never had the curiosity to investigate her family’s surname among the pureblooded vampires. Perhaps my dad knew her parents. If he did, Dad didn’t mention it. She was born in France. I was born in The Netherlands and moved to the United States at a young age, but I had been to Europe many times. It was unreal how we had never met before. How was it possible that I had not once seen my mate before? She wasn’t a teenage girl. She was a vampire woman—intelligent, sophisticated, and rich. How was it that I have never seen her in any of the parties I had gone when in Europe?