He resisted the urge to smirk. Two-hundred-and-six, to be exact. However, his maturation age was his third decade plus four years, so she technically wasn’t far off. “I feel a lot older.”
She laughed. A musical little sound he enjoyed as much as her speaking voice. “Count your blessings.”
“How old are you?” he asked, scooting a little closer to her, unable to resist.
“Twenty-seven.”
He was ancient compared to her and felt so very dark next to this creature of light. She had a glow, and when she smiled, the whole night around her brightened. That kind of attribute shone in those who loved life, who were easily amused, and who savored every little wonder about it. “What about you? Do you still work?”
She sighed, shoving her hands between her knees. “No. Kind of impossible to when you’re coughing up blood and getting nosebleeds at any given minute. It’s gross. People find it hard to be around someone with a looming expiration date. My mere presence depresses my friends. They try not to show it but, they can’t help it.”
“Well, your presence doesn’t depress me.”
That made her smile again. “Good to know. Unfortunately, my disease is a huge hindrance for a chef. Blood and veggies just don’t mix. Even if they’re both organic,” she joked.
He chuckled. “A chef?” He glanced at her hands, lovely long fingers ideal for pinching spices and kneading dough.
Slowly, he reached for her hand, giving her every opportunity to deny him. But she didn’t. He tenderly laid his palm over it.
A zing shot from his arm to his heart, startling him, and drawing a gasp from her.
He lifted his gaze to hers, mesmerized by their haunting, sad depths. He turned her palm up, intertwining their fingers. Now that felt good, connecting to her like this. Real touch that had nothing to do with lust.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured.
An odd ringing began in his ears. He could hear her rhythmic pulse, her jugular pumping with her lifeblood. His teeth were throbbing to lengthen and pierce her flesh, drink her. He flinched. Get a grip. She’s not for the taking. “You shouldn’t be out here, Gaelen. You’re freezing.”
She closed her eyes. A breeze hit and sent those wisps of hair prancing. “I like to feel the cold.”
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing back the ache mounting inside him. “It…it isn’t good for you to be out here. You should go back inside. Where it’s safe and warm.” And where you cannot tempt me.
Her eyes opened and met his, brows lowering. “You can’t say what’s good or bad for me,” she told him, taking her hand out of his. “I have enough people telling me what to do, how to live. If you’re going to be here with me, then don’t tell me what I already know.” She rose and walked toward the ledge where they’d originally met.
His heart lurched for upsetting her. Now that she wasn’t near him, he yearned for her to come back. He caught up with her, wishing her hand was still in his. This is insanity. The emotions and physical reactions were not making sense. Even so, he couldn’t walk away.
“Gaelen. I’m sorry.” At a loss, he stood there, unable to leave her alone, though a part of him knew he should.
“Don’t you just love New York?” she asked after a while.
He briefly closed his eyes at the lovely, breathy sound of her voice again. He was quickly falling in love with it. “Yes.”
“Me, too. It’s got everything. Always changes, but at its core, stays the same.”
He wholeheartedly agreed. “Not every city has a heartbeat, or pulses with its history and culture, but New York City does. And always will, I suspect. Even after living in so many places, I find myself back here.”
“You speak as though you’ve lived lifetimes.”
“I have, more than you’d ever believe.”
She turned to him. “Fitz, you just made me realize what I want to hear now. I want to hear all about your life. Unless you have to be somewhere?”
He didn’t. It was still a couple hours away before the group met up with him on this same rooftop. He’d make sure she was out of sight before that happened. He smiled and crossed his arms, happy to grant her wish. “What do you want to hear about?”
“Everything.”
“That could take days.”
“You have that many stories?”
“Let’s narrow it down. Pick a continent.”
“A continent?” she exclaimed.
A soft bang from the metal door startled her.
He narrowed his eyes at the disruption. “Someone’s coming.”
“We should hide.” She rushed around the other side of the access door. He followed her in a much less rushed pace, squatting beside her.
When she looked up at him, Fitz winked, putting one finger up to his lips.
She let out a little giggle, then covered her mouth.
A flashlight moved around. The steps of whomever had come up were slow and staggering. It was a guard just doing his rounds. If he discovered them, Fitz had the mind to pick Gaelen up and leap to another rooftop so they could resume their conversation.
But then again, if he did that, he’d reveal one of his inhuman abilities, which would scare the shit out of her and end their night together. For the moment, he had to keep up the average man act. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they continued to hide.
When the metal door slammed closed, she looked at him, relieved. “Do you think he’s gone for good?”
Their faces were so close, he caught a scent. Sterile, clinical soap, and something unique to her. The ache persisted. He barely moved his mouth, feeling the sharp edges of his canines on his tongue. “I think we’re safe.”
She fixated on his mouth. So close, he felt her sweet breath on his lips. “Fitzgerald. Who are you?”
A man who wants you more than he can show. He got to his feet, held out his hand, and she took it. Gods, how he longed to wrap his arms around her and really embrace her. But he couldn’t. The desire lingered and if he didn’t stop touching her, things would go too far. He had no business seducing a female human tonight, least of all a dying one.
Yet, he yearned to do something special for her. Something he shouldn’t.
It was against vampiric law. It was a notion he rarely indulged. Most of all, it was dangerous, but, like she said, he liked a little danger now and then. He took a few big steps back, his hand slipping out of hers. “I want to show you something.”
“Show me what?”
What he wouldn’t do for that smile. “You said you wanted to see something amazing, right?”
Her eyes proved her skepticism. She didn’t believe he could show her something up on this rooftop, right here, right now. But he could. He wanted to give her what she longed for, and if she screamed in horror, ran from him, well, at least he’d know he’d made one of her wishes come true.
Keeping her stare, he closed his eyes, conjuring the change. It wasn’t difficult considering he was already amped up just being around her. At once, his canines lengthened a few centimeters, nails sharpened, and his green eyes flashed brighter than their normal shade.
Gaelen’s eyes widened and mouth dropped as though in slow motion.
Catching a whiff of fear, he blurred to the roof’s corner, as far away from her as he could be. “I won’t hurt you, I promise,” he emphasized.
She hadn’t moved for several long seconds, but then covered her mouth. “Tell me you’re an illusionist.”
“That would be a lie. I’m—something else.” Let her guess.
“A demon?”
He would’ve laughed if she didn’t sound so serious. “No.”
“A devil? The devil?”
Ha. That was a first. He shook his head.
“V—vampire? But they don’t exist. Right? They’re a myth.”
He started to smile. “And we keep it that way.”
“But…” She cast her gaze about. “Oh, my God…am I hallucinating?”
“
Far from it.”
“Come back, Fitz,” she commanded. “Face me. Closer this time.”
He did, remaining a good five feet from her, but she closed the distance immediately, staring up at him. Her hand crept to his jaw, fingertips feathering over it. He hissed at the bliss of her touch, and forced his teeth back to their usual size, his eye color to an ordinary shade of green.
“Incredible,” she whispered. “Aren’t you worried I’ll tell?”
“No. I trust you.”
She dropped her hand. “Why? Because I’m dying?”
“Gaelen.” He shook his head, searching her eyes, setting his hands on her upper arms. “I see a light in you, one that is open and accepting to the world, even its dark side. I think you should be privy to one of its oldest, ultimate secrets as well.” He traced his gaze over her face. “You don’t seem as terrified as most would be.”
“Maybe I’m just in shock.” She cocked her head. “Or maybe I just always sensed there was more out there than meets the eye. I’m in awe, but nothing about you terrifies me. I was only scared momentarily because of my ignorance. But if you’re telling me that vampires really exist, then I feel lucky to know. Besides, you said you wouldn’t hurt me. I trust you.”
“Good. Because I meant it.”
She twisted her lips, looking him up and down as though seeing him differently. “So you drink blood? Sleep in coffins? Stay out of sunlight?”
He grinned, happy he’d told her, and relished in indulging her. It’d been many years since he’d revealed his kind’s existence to a human. “Blood is life to us. That much is very true, but it can be controlled, just like your appetite can. It took hundreds of years to accomplish, but we’re not as—ravenous as we used to be. Coffins, I find, are a little snug and outdated. Plus, they’re outrageously obvious in the house. I prefer to stretch out my legs on a California king-sized bed,” he said, causing her to laugh. “Sunlight is the bane of our existence, but only directly. As long as I remain in the shadows or under heavy clouds, I can be out during the day, though not more than half an hour or so. After that, we become ill and drained. Rainy days are best. We live for those.”
Her smile grew. “Tell me. Tell me all you can.”
That and more. “I want to take you somewhere. It’s not far. Will you go—?”
“Yes.”
Fearless to the end. He swooped her up in his arms, told her to hold on tight, jumped to the next ledge, blurred the roof, and jumped again.
She didn’t even look frightened.
“Sure you can handle this?” he asked.
“You handle me. I’ll handle my sanity.”
He laughed and jumped to the building next door, then the one after.
She kept gazing at him as if he was some kind of hero.
He wasn’t, but tonight, he could play one.
For her.
Two
A few blocks later, they arrived at his friend’s penthouse courtyard.
Really, the man had outdone himself personalizing the space that was once a slab of concrete. Most of the area was covered by a wooden awning draped in vine and mini bulb lights. There were lounge chairs and a loveseat, all decorated with fat pillows, and a hammock. In addition, a daybed, a square slate fire pit, and a bar.
Fitz set Gaelen down, enjoying the awe on her face.
She touched one of the bulbs. “Who lives here?”
“Spencer. A friend of mine. He’s away for a few days.”
“Another vampire?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Just how many of you are out there?” She pulled the elastic band from her hair and ran her fingers through it.
Gods help him, he wanted her. Her nipples puckered in the cool air under her thin shirt, and he burned to rub his thumbs over them, suck on them, make her moan. He furiously cleared the erotic vision from his mind. “Uh…I don’t know. We don’t exactly take a census. Maybe a million?”
“In New York?” she exclaimed.
He chuckled. “The world.”
“I wonder how many I’ve met and had no idea…” She ran her hand over the faux fur covering the daybed, and his heart hammered, imagining her on it, naked, caressing him with those hands. He stuffed his hands in his jeans as she walked around the space, touching every little interesting object.
Off to the side, there was a patch of artificial grass with an oversized chessboard in the middle, the game pieces as big as fire hydrants.
She picked one up with an amused laugh. “Do you know how to play?”
A smile stretched his mouth. He adored her. “I do. How about you?”
“Sort of.”
He started to remove his jacket. “Then I insist. Your move.”
Who knew he would have more fun playing chess on a giant board with an enchanting stranger than anything he’d done in the past decade? While she wasn’t a complete novice, she did forget a lot of the rules, but he couldn’t care less, even when she tried to transfer her pawns two squares after the first move. Every time she laughed, every time she smiled at him, a part of his jaded heart healed a crack.
After their game, they squeezed in the hammock and rocked gently, watching the planes go by, and even saw a shooting star. The whole night seemed swathed in magic and innocence as they entertained one another with simple conversation. The last time he’d done such a thing he’d been a boy, and that was a long, long time ago.
He kept his lust in check as she asked question after question regarding the life of a vampire. In fact, that part wasn’t even the most fascinating to her. She wanted to hear all about the places he’d lived, people he’d met long before her time.
“You can basically do anything you want since you live forever,” she remarked, curled up next to him as though they’d known each other for years. And, he thought, it certainly felt like they had.
“We’re actually very limited, which is why we rely on stealth wealth. Nothing outdoors. No sports. No aviation. No hospitality industry. I could never work on a ship or anything involving sea travel, for instance. Think about all of the things you’ve done in the sunlight that I will never experience.”
“God, Fitz. You’re right. How sad. You’ll never know what it’s like to be a pirate and you’d look so good in a ruffle shirt.”
He laughed.
She rested her cheek on his chest. “So…when you need blood, how do you get it?”
“Direct from the vein is best, of course. There are some humans around the world that offer their necks and wrists in exchange for money, but I personally don’t like to do it unless I have no choice. Occasionally, I’ll take it from a stranger, but it’s risky. Especially now with camera phones and the human population growing more and more every year. In sum, we survive on energy, a little bit of real food, and blood. Naturally, blood is best, but I only need it every couple of weeks, as long as I’m doing the other two in between.”
“I can’t believe it isn’t more well-known. I mean, don’t you leave teeth marks when you bite?”
“One of our gifts is rapid healing. When we bite, a little of it is transferred to the taken’s skin. Heals immediately.”
“But how come there aren’t more of humans running around screaming they’ve been bitten?”
“They have no memory of it. How can I put this? Human blood is very vulnerable. Cancer, for instance, can take over quite easily, but vampires have evolved to be immune. You are our weaker cousins, many centuries behind. Before the sun, we were the only ones on earth, living on animal blood, many years before humans. When a vampire bites, humans are essentially drugged because they can’t withstand the transfer of our power to their blood, so they fall into a deep sleep. When they wake, they remember nothing of the encounter.”
“In other words, you basically poison us when you bite? Like a snake?”
He shook his head. “Except it can’t kill them, unless we drink them dry. They wake up feeling like they had a strange dream. Remember, we also
feed off energy, which is why we only need to consume blood two, three times a month. And avowed couples can feed from each other, eliminating the need for a human altogether.”
“So, you don’t want to take my blood? Even if I said I wanted you to?” She pushed up and looked down at him.
Her blood? No.
But her kiss and her body? He traced his tongue behind his teeth, a stirring beginning again. He reached up and cupped her jaw, pressing the pad of his thumb on the dent in her chin, rubbing it tenderly. “Why would you want me to?”
Her throat moved as she swallowed. “I…I don’t know. I guess I’m curious to know what it’s like. Would it turn me into one of you?”
“No. And it hurts,” he told her softly. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. He’d been told there was a certain amount pleasure in it as well, but she didn’t need to know that. “You don’t want to know what it’s like.” His thumb had found her bottom lip and traced it.
A breathy exhale escaped her lips. “Fitz.”
“What?”
“Why, when you touch me, do I feel like I’m in a strange dream?” she asked. “Is that also one of your vampire abilities? To hypnotize humans with just a touch?”
Frowning, he withdrew his hand and started to climb out of the hammock. He wanted to know the same thing. “No. Only witches can hypnotize.”
“There are real witches, too?”
He turned from her, closing his eyes and willing the insatiable desire to go away. He kept his tone nonchalant. “Of course there are. They aren’t a big secret, though. It’s pretty obvious when one of their spells is at work.”
“How?”
“A lot of inexplicable things happen in the world, right? Sometimes it’s because of a spell. But demons keep the balance so there’s never too much good or too much bad. That’s why there are just as many inexplicable disasters as there are miracles.”
“Demons?” she exclaimed.
Gods, he was telling her way too much, because it was way too easy, talking to her, being with her. The desire to share all he knew was astonishing, and damnable. He went to the bar and grabbed a bottle of vodka. “Don’t worry about those guys. They keep to themselves.”
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