Page 49

“And by that, you mean?”

“Kill the crazy,” Lucille interjects.

Silence descends. “Amelia.” Erin’s voice quivers and I know what she wants to know. “Have you mated?”

“Yes, I have.”

Erin’s face pales. “Who is your mate?”

“You are.”

Erin stands stock-still, staring at me. “But I’m human. Is that even possible?”

“It’s happened a couple of times in the past,” Laurence says.

“And they were able to live together?”

“No.” Mother drops her head as she speaks. “In each case, the vampire has expired.”

“No,” Erin barks. “No, Amelia, that cannot happen.”

“Before we get into that, I need to know how you feel about all this, Erin.”

“How do I feel? Amelia, I have no idea, this is all…”

“Not about this, about me.” This is the moment of truth.

“Well, telling you how I feel in front of your entire family wasn’t my plan, but okay. I have been drawn to you from the moment we met, even if I was reaming you out for breaking the rules.” Erin shoots me a wink. “My feelings for you grew so quickly, it’s hard to wrap my head around.”

“That’s your soul calling for Amelia’s,” my father says.

“My soul?”

“Yes. We know a vampire’s soul is always searching for its mate. This is a strange situation. Amelia has had to fight her urges. There was no guarantee you felt the same, but now, I think it’s clear. Your soul has been searching for hers, too.”

“When you say fight her urges? What do you mean?”

“The moment my soul mated with you; it craved that bond. If you were a vampire, you would have felt it too and we would have come together, cementing that bond.”

“But because I’m human, it’s not happening how it should?”

“Exactly. It seems I’ve had side effects from not bonding with you.”

“Are you telling me your so-called ulcer is the result of mating with me?”

“Yes.”

“Jesus Christ, Amelia, I am so sorry.” I’m out of my chair in a flash. There is no way I will let Erin blame herself for any of this.

“No, stop. This isn’t your fault. It’s not mine either.”

“Mother Nature is a bitch,” she sobs into my chest.

“She is,” I chuckle.

“So what now? Does that mean we can’t bond?”

“We think you can,” Lucille adds. “But you have to give yourselves entirely to each other, Erin. This is a commitment of the deepest order. For Amelia, once the bond is set, she cannot live without you, so, Erin, if you leave her down the line, you will kill her.”