He grabbed the side of the chair, arms trembling, and slowly rose. I threw my arms around him. I felt him lean into me, and then he put his hands on my waist. I felt the cool rush of his breath against my neck. Then I felt him wobble, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell who was holding on and who was letting go.
He let out a breath and sat down hard in the chair. His hands slipped around my waist, and then he turned me around, so that I was facing the villa, and pulled me into his lap. He pressed his chin against the back of my head.
“You’re still my girl,” he said.
I knew he was waiting for me to say the words, our litany, but my throat clenched.
Vivi sat down on my lap and put one arm around Jude, one around me. I couldn’t seem to pull in a breath, as if the whole lagoon were caught in my chest. The wind kicked up, and my hair streamed across my face.
I pushed it out of my eyes. Raphael stood at the bottom of the terrace, washed in golden light from the villa. He rubbed his eyes, leaving a damp sheen on his cheeks. I felt a sudden longing to run back to him. His lips parted, as if he’d released a sigh, and his thoughts brushed through me. His expression was caught somewhere between grief and yearning. I held his gaze and pulled him deep inside me, out of the night, into a sun-drenched place. His eyes brimmed with knowing.
Raphael, I will always love you.
Always, mia cara. Always.
I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone at Berkley, including my editor, Faith Black; my copyeditor, Amy Schneider; and Lindsay T. Boggs, my publicist. Nancy Nicholas checked my French (all mistakes are my own). I will always be grateful to Ellen Levine for believing in these vamps from the beginning, when no one else did. Love and thanks to the in-house biochemist, Tyler West, and medical/genetics expert, Dr. Will West.
Hunting Daylight (9781101619032) Page 41