He gingerly raised my wrist to his mouth. His cool lips brushed over my burning skin, raising tiny goose bumps at the temperature difference. His pink tongue flickered out and gently licked my wrist.
Nick’s brown eyes clung to mine and his mouth parted slightly. I could see his fangs peeking through the shadow of his lips. "Are you ready?"
I gave a single nod.
"You’re either going to be my downfall or my savior. I’m still on the fence. " His steady gaze never left mine as I felt his fangs gently sink into my wrist. It was easy to see the effect of my blood on him. His sallow skin began to grow pinker and the glow returned to his eyes. He took a few final deep pulls and I felt his fangs retract, his tongue laving over the heart shaped punctures until they disappeared before my eyes.
A strange part of me missed them and wished they were still there. What had happened to me?
Before I could blink, he'd wrapped me in his arms. His strong embrace swallowed me completely, making me feel safe and secure. "Thank you." His words were barely audible as his fingers buried themselves in my hair and he crushed me against his chest.
"For what?" Pulling back, I searched his face with confusion. A beautiful smile was on his lips as his thumbs stroked my temples.
His entire being seemed to relax against me, his smooth laughter shaking both of our bodies. "Love, you've trusted me with your life, your very essence. Should I mention that you've willingly accepted me for what I am..."
I placed a single fingertip over his lips. "Zip it. You had no choice in what you became. Look at what you've done. You've changed."
"Maybe. Maybe not." Nick effortlessly moved us back into the bed. He tucked me in snugly next to him and pulled the blankets around us. My arms wrapped around him, resting my head on his chest. We laid in silence for a while, content in each other’s embrace. It was strange to not feel the reassuring beat of his heart, to hear the steady strum in my ear.
The soft caress of his fingers up and down my spine relaxed me, making me forget the differences between us. In the end, it didn’t really matter. He couldn’t help what he was anymore than I could change the many mistakes I’d made in the past.
"Nick?" I questioned faintly.
His deep voice vibrated in his chest. "Savannah?"
"I've seen you drink beer and be outside in the sun. Can anything..."
"Kill me?" He snorted humorlessly. "No, I'm virtually indestructible. I'm the perfect killing machine."
I placed my chin against his chest and stared into his dark eyes. What would it be like to be immortal? Watching the world change while struggling to fit in?
His finger traced along my cheek. "I'm good to have around. I'm faster than a speeding bullet and can stop a train. I've tried."
My mouth must have been gaping because his megawatt grin dazzled me.
"Should I call you Superman?" I teased. “You do have the hair."
He waggled his eyebrows and tweaked the end of my nose. "I can't fly. Pick again."
"Hmm," I pursed my lips. "Maybe..." I was ready to rattle of a list of superheroes when the ring of my phone interrupted me.
A late night phone call can never be good. I reached for the phone. "Hello?"
"Savannah, it's your father."
Rising up, I squinted at the clock. It was nearly 3am. An early morning call from Carlton Wood definitely couldn't be bringing good news. Few phone calls from him did. "Dad, why are you calling me in the middle of the night? What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, dear. This is a call I didn't want to make. However," his steady voice paused briefly. "When was the last time you spoke to Kevin?"
"Kevin?" I thought for a moment. "It was at Vic's party two nights ago. Why?"
A heavy silence hung on the phone line. "Savannah, Kevin is dead. His body was found out in Griffith Park on an old hiking trail. Police suspect a wild animal, likely a mountain lion, had attacked him. He had been torn apart, his body drained almost completely of blood."
Stunned silent, I almost dropped the phone. I glanced over at Nick. He was listening and watching attentively. "When?"
"The police called me two hours ago. The police called me as I was his emergency contact. I attempted to text your earlier." My father’s voice took on an accusatory tone. "I can assume you weren't ignoring me?"
"Of course not. I was busy." Fucking Nick Hart, I silently added. "I know you and Kevin were close, Dad. I'm sorry."
"He was like a son to me. You broke his heart, Savannah. I'd hoped you'd reconsider his marriage proposal. Of course, it's too late to wish for things that will never happen."
"Dad..."
"Enjoy your time in Europe with your flavor of the month. This infatuation with your bad boy will be fleeting and I suppose one day you'll come to your senses." Carlton huffed loudly. "At least a father can dream. Good night, Savannah."
Flavor of the month?! I suppose I should appreciate my father's harsh directness. You knew where you stood with him. His biting words still stung nevertheless.
Nick gently took the phone from my hand and placed it on the bedside table. I regarded him carefully, studying the worry on his handsome face. "Are you alright, Savannah? I know you cared for him."
Nodding numbly, I let Nick pull me into the comfort of his arms. He soothingly stroked my hair and was blissfully silent, leaving me to my thoughts.
And my mind was reeling. Kevin had been so upset that he'd been a no-show at work and elected to go hiking in Griffin Park? That didn't sound like Kevin. It would have been more likely that he would have drowned his sorrows in a facial and shopping at Nordstroms, not choosing the option to go trekking in a park.
Mentally, I ran through the conversation with my father and the words left my mouth before I could stop them. "He was almost drained of blood."
Nick continued to run his fingers through my hair, twirling the strands around his fingertips. "I heard what your father said. First and foremost, I was concerned about you. But the facts have me concerned. Animals don't drain humans of their blood."
The tension in the room rose considerably. Nick was voicing my biggest fear. I traced wild patterns on his chest with my fingers, not wanting to meet his eyes just yet. "I know."
"That's something a vampire would do and could do," he mused. His voice sounded far away, his hands trailing through my hair methodically. My nails sunk into his flesh as the words sunk in.
My breathing hitched and my skin felt clammy. My words tumbled out in a rush. "Why would you say that?"
Wincing from the sting of my fingernails in his skin, he sighed deeply. "Because the majority of deaths that are deemed animal attacks is the result of vampires. That goes for the people that go missing, runaways...the homeless. They're the perfect prey. We sit and we watch. And we're everywhere. You walk by us every day, not knowing and indifferent to the existence of the supernatural. Ignorance is bliss, love."
The room went quiet after his statement. I needed to ask him, but I was petrified to hear his answer. "You don't know anything about what really happened to Kevin, right?"
Oh god, please don't know anything about Kevin. I squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation of his answer.
"No," Nick snapped. "He may have pissed me off at Vic's party, but I had nothing to do with his death."
I looked into his eyes, searching for any dishonesty. He stared back unflinchingly, his dark eyes calm. His hair had fallen across his forehead in a thick wave, his pale skin luminous in contrast. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry, Nick. I had to ask or it would have driven me crazy."
His body was rigid under mine until my apology registered with him. He swiftly pulled me closer, dropping a kiss to the top of my head. "I know. I would have worried if you hadn't asked. I'm sorry, Savannah. This is why I never wanted to pull you into this...life."
Hot tears prickled behind my eyelids. I refused to let him see me cry over another man. It just didn’t seem right. "Just hold me, Nick."
"I can do that," he whispered. His fingers rubbed over my skin, lulling my tired body into sleep. As I drifted off, I heard his voice add another word. "Forever."
***
Three hours of sleep wasn't conducive to being an even-tempered traveler. The only saving grace was we were flying on a private plane to avoid safety checkpoints throughout the airport. Starry-eyed TSA agents, charmed by Nick’s million-dollar smile and dimples, glanced at our passports and waved us through.
He could be smooth as silk when he needed to be.
After settling into the plush jet, I'd slept the majority of the flight. I'd woken up about an hour prior to landing. The plane was quiet. The only sound was the hum of the engine, muffled conversation and Nick's fingers tapping away on the arm of his chair next to me.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty. Welcome back." He leaned across and kissed me lightly on the mouth, moving so quickly for a minute I thought I'd imagined it.
I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Where are we?"
He glanced at his watch. "About an hour outside of Fiumicino Airport. How's your Italian?"
Snorting, I stretched and smoothed my rumpled clothing. "Try nonexistent."
He smiled broadly, leaning over to my ear. "Devo vi stupirà con il mio Italiano, bella?"
I'd be lying if I didn't say his flowing, perfectly accented words didn't make my stomach clench. Shakily, I managed to question him. "In English for the thoroughly turned on female?"
"Should I impress you with my Italian, beautiful?" Nick translated softly. He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. He slowly kissed each finger with his soft lips, his cool breath washing over my skin.
"Now you want to impress me? I think we’re past that." I smacked his arm playfully. Leaning in closer, I placed kissed over his cheeks, across the bridge of his nose and let my lips hover over his. "How many languages can you speak?”
He swallowed tightly and cleared his throat. "Fluently? Four or five. German, French, Italian, Spanish…" Nick's face darkened. "And Greek. A language I wish I had no use in knowing." As quickly as his face darkened, it cleared, like storm clouds rolling across the sky. "But enough about that. You're teasing me."
I giggled and rubbed the tip of my nose against his. "I prefer to use the word tempting. Or enticing. Those are better."
He leered sexily and his hands went into my hair, lacing through the long strands. His sparkling brown eyes gazed into mine, as if he was staring into my very soul. "Savannah, love. The things you do to me. You have no idea, do you?"
Shaking my head softly, I shifted as close as I could in our leather airplane seats. "Why don't you show me?"
A black eyebrow rose and his smile increased. "I don't want to start something I can't finish. But I can do this…"
His voice wandered off and his lips covered mine. If he was planning on keeping things chaste, he failed horribly. As soon as our lips met, his hands tightened in my hair, pulling me over the arm of the seat and into his lap. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I didn’t even try to stop the groan that escaped when the kiss deepened. My hands fisted into his t-shirt, only to slide down his stomach. My fingers disappeared under his shirt and slid over his smooth skin, raking my nails over the muscles of his abdomen.
I could tell he'd reached his limit. His rough growl and the feel of his fangs pressing against my lips told me as much. Reluctantly raising my mouth from his, I cupped the side of his face with my hand.
"We shouldn't be doing this anyway. We have a lot of company." My eyes shifted to the back of the plane where Randy, Pete and Johnny were engrossed in a boisterous card game. They weren't paying a bit of attention to what either of us was doing. Part of me wondered if Nick had told them to stay occupied just in case. "Do they know?"
He rested his head against the pillow of the seat and linked his fingers together, keeping me firmly on his lap. His dark eyes closed as he breathed deeply. "Know what exactly?”
I exhaled impatiently. "Hello? Do I need to spell it out? Do they know what you are?"
He snickered but didn't open his eyes. "Randy is a shifter. A wolf actually. The other two...clueless humans."
Nudging him with my elbow, I rested my head against his chest. "Hey. I resemble that remark."
He laughed, the musical sound rumbling through him. "So you do. But you should say you resembled that remark. Past tense."
"True." I snuggled against him and my thoughts shifted elsewhere. I wondered if Siobhan had figured out what Malcolm was...or had he told her? Then I was left to wonder how many vampires were roaming around, how many I'd encountered without even knowing it. That line of thinking brought my thoughts around to Kevin and my chest tightened. Even though I hadn’t been in love with him, I still had cared for him. He hadn't deserved to die at the hands of a sadistic vampire.
I must have zoned out for quite some time. Nick was gently stroking my arm and saying my name softly. "You looked miles away just now."
My eyes snapped up and focused on his. Smiling wanly, I waved him off. "I was just thinking about Siobhan and Malcolm and wondering about who went after Kevin. And why."
His expression grew strained at my comment. "I can't answer that for you. It could be random." His voice sounded forced as he solemnly studied my face. "You loved him once, didn’t you?"
"Once upon a time in a land far, far away I loved him. He really was more like a friend to me. My father loves...damn, loved him like a son. He wanted me to marry him so he'd get the son he always wanted." I let out a deep breath and rubbed my temples with the pads of my fingers. "I'm just sorry that things ended the way they did. He was so angry and hurt. There's no way to fix that now."
He was silent. I could almost see him mulling over his words, trying to choose the right thing to say. "In my long life I've made a lot of mistakes. I’ve done more things wrong than right. Savannah, I left my father to suffer with his grief because I didn't want to deal with my own. I caused his death..."
My hand covered his mouth, effectively cutting him off. "No, Nick. You didn't kill him. Theos did."
His arms tightened around me, hugging me tightly to him. I felt his cool breath spread over my scalp. "We could argue all night, love. If I hadn't been a pompous, spoiled brat and had been a better man, my father would have died a normal death. My actions led to his demise. It's simple really.” He glanced at his watch again. “We'll be landing soon. Buckle up."
His strong arms released me and I slid into my seat. I clicked my seat belt and took his hand. "If you'd been a better man I'd never have met you. So focus on that for awhile.”
His face went blank for a moment. He slumped back in his seat and I could sense his internal struggle with my words. He stared out the airplane window, lost in his thoughts.
I couldn’t imagine what Nick must be going through and I wasn’t sure anything I said would matter. Nick had been alone, shouldering the blame for so long that I wasn’t sure he’d ever accept that his father’s death or his immortal change hadn’t been his fault. He’d been at the wrong place at the wrong time, filled with pain and angry at the world when Theos found him. He’d clawed his way back from the darkness but had never shed his guilt. He might never be able to let it go.
I watched as the life came back into his face. He blinked a few times and his blank expression changed to one of astonishment and freedom…and it was staggering to witness. If possible, he looked even younger than before. Child-like wonder made his dark eyes widen as he stared at me. His long fingers intertwined around mine, squeezing them lightly.
"How did you…I've waited for over 100 years to hear those words. You...you're amazing." He brought my hand to his lips again. "Thank you."
Those were the last words spoken until we landed.
***
It was evening by the time we arrived in Rome. We'd once again breezed through customs, shadowed by the ever-silent Ian. He was so quiet that there were times you forgot he was in the room. Maybe it was a werewolf thing, but it made me uncomforta
ble. He sat in the passenger seat of the limo, his eyes scanning the road ahead. He was a strange one, but he seemed loyal to Nick.
"He's a good man. He's extremely shy but he would take a bullet for any of us," Nick whispered. He must have noticed I'd been watching Ian. His fingers made trails up and down my thigh, his feather light touch sending darts of desire through my body that settled between my legs. We'd been confined in an airplane and limo for hours and the tension between us had spiked considerably.
"I'm sure he is. He never talks. Unlike someone I know." I glanced over at Nick and cocked an eyebrow at him.
He grinned in amusement but his hands never ceased in their exploring. "Are you saying I talk a lot, love?"
"Maybe just a little." I brought my hand up and inched my index finger and thumb close together. "I'm just not used to a man talking and sharing so much. It's nice. Sorta."
The smile left his face and I giggled at his hurt expression. Leaning closer, I placed my head on his shoulder. "I'm teasing you, Nick. It's a joke, sweetheart."
"Hmmm." He hummed and his hand resumed its journey over my leg. His fingers crept higher with each pass. The electricity buzzing between us almost made the air crackle with the energy. Just as his hand brushed the inseam of my jeans, his phone made its presence known with a loud peal that echoed in the cramped space of the limo.
He glanced at the phone, mumbling under his breath. "Her timing is fucking impeccable." He cleared his throat as he pressed a button and put the phone to his ear. "Isabelle Kelley. What a pleasant surprise."
Ugh. Just hearing her name made my skin crawl. I dreaded when I was going to have to deal with her. It was my good luck that I’d yet to speak with her since working with Nick. Only Isabelle Kelley could make a barracuda seem friendlier and more pleasant to be around.
Leaving him to his own conversation as we drove along, I pulled my own phone out and paged through my messages. I skipped through to Siobhan.
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