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“Okay. Just let me know if you get tired and we can take a break.”

Any trace of sleepiness was whisked away by the evening air and excitement of finally being in Italy. She’d had so many dreams of this moment that now it felt like another one. Surely she wasn’t actually walking down an ancient cobblestone street with her boyfriend, enjoying the sea breeze and the way his butt looked in those jeans!

Yet her senses did not lie. Once they left the city proper, the sounds of night bugs joined the rumble of the suitcase wheels on stone and sand. The couple strolled at a leisurely pace toward the castle looming in the distance. It grew with every step until they stood at the large oaken doors.

“I figured I’d show you the impressive entrance first, but we’re going in through the little door around the corner.” Sebastian gestured broadly to the front of the castle and Isabel began to giggle. “Hey, don’t knock it from the outside! Most of the inside is equally as ancient and crumbling. Just like me.”

Isabel grabbed Sebastian’s hand and stifled a yawn. “I’ll be the judge of that once we get inside. Starting with judging the bed, because while adrenaline got me up that hill, I’m probably going to fall over the moment it wears off.”

“Then I had best get you inside. Your castle awaits, my queen.” Sebastian led her through his usual entrance into the foyer, which had been meticulously dusted. The moth-eaten drapes and crumbling wood covering the windows had been replaced with heavy velvet blackout curtains. The furniture was polished, and when he lit the fireplace, the whole room flickered with a warm glow.

Isabel stopped in the middle of the room, eyes wide with wonder. “Wow, this isbeautiful!I expected something out of a ghost hunter TV show, not this!” She removed her shoes and stepped onto the plush rug in front of the fireplace, enjoying how her toes sunk into the soft fibers. “On the ‘ancient and crumbling’ scale, I give it a zero.”

“I guess my renovations and hard work paid off, then,” Sebastian teased and joined her at the fire. He’d removed his leather coat, revealing the loose white tee beneath. “I even renovated myself and purchased some new clothes for going out in public.”

“Ah, yes. Must hide the vampire-ness.” Isabel tapped her temple with a giggle. Sebastian nodded and wrapped his arms around her from the back again, crossing them over her chest. Her head instinctively fell back to the hollow of his shoulder with a soft sigh of contentment.

This moment made all of the anticipation and saving worth it.

They stood there in the warmth of the fire for a solid five minutes, just enjoying the sensation of being together. Isabel’s breathing slowed and evened, and her knees began to buckle. “Let’s get you to bed,dolcezza.” Sebastian stooped and swept her into a bridal carry.

For a moment she considered struggling, but his sheer size and strength as he held her to his chest was intoxicating. She felt safe and warm in his arms. And somehow…familiar. As if she’d been carried to bed by this man countless times in the past.

“Sebastian?” she murmured.

“Yes?”

“Do you believe in past lives?”

He paused for a moment, then continued down the dark hallway. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I just feel like we’ve lived this scene before, which I know is impossible. Almost like we met in a previous life. It’s strange, but nice.”

Sebastian remained silent until he had gently tucked Isabel into the large canopy bed he had prepared for her. “Perhaps we did, then,” he finally replied, smiling as she snuggled in with a yawn. “Sleep well,amore mio.I will see your lovely face in the morning.”

CHAPTER12

Vernazza, Italy. 6 June, 2007

The way the firelight glittered in Isabel’s eyes made Sebastian’s knees go weak. The image played on loop behind his eyes while he tucked the girl into the bed they’d shared through so many lifetimes.

Each new love story was unique, but each filled him with the same joy and wonder. And this particular ‘meeting’ was going much smoother than others had in the past. She hadn’t even flinched at the vampire revelation! That particular snag had been a problem more than once. He breathed a sigh of relief and closed the bedroom door, much too excited to get any sleep himself.

So instead, Sebastian made his way to the dungeon and began perusing his paintings. Some of his favorites he brushed his fingers across, allowing the emotion of the piece to fill his heart for a moment. The figures within went about their business, completely unaware of the painter who watched them with fondness glistening in his own eyes.

Soon there would be new paintings. New experiences to relive. No more need to wish for more blood paintings to tell the future. At least, not for a while. The image of Isabel appearing in the airport and the way her face lit up returned to his memory, and suddenly he knew he had to paint it.

The dungeon bedroom was cold and dark, but once the torches were lit, all Sebastian felt was peace. He rummaged through the pile of blank canvases and emerged with one about 12x14 inches. “Perfect. I should be able to finish one this size before she wakes up.”

He set up with care, lightly sketching the scene before dipping his brush in the paint and closing his eyes. While the well of power he usually felt when working with blood paint didn’t rise to meet him, he allowed the happiness he felt to flow into his brush. When his eyes opened, they glowed a soft gold.

One skilled stroke at a time, the image took shape. Sebastian smiled the entire time. A high that he only ever felt when painting his Muse filled his body as his paint filled the canvas. Hours passed and as the clock on the wall began to chime 9AM, the artist leaned back. His spine crackled and his muscles complained from hours of repetitive movement.

But the painting was complete. Isabel stood at the top of the staircase in a short red dress with leggings, her hair softly framing her glowing face. The crowd of the airport was nothing more than a blurred edge of color encircling the only focal point of his life. Sebastian ran his finger down the edge of the canvas, excited for the paint to dry so he could experience the scene again.

For now, he should live the present and love it. It was time to go make new memories with his soulmate. He dipped his brushes in the paint thinner until they were clean and carefully tucked everything away, then bounded up the stairs to cook breakfast. Before going to the kitchen, he padded silently down the hallway to the bedroom. He pressed his ear to the door and his vampire-enhanced hearing easily picked up the steady breathing of a sleeping human. Good, he hadn’t left her wandering alone!

It had been a very, very long time since Sebastian had cooked regular food. “Hopefully she still likes the same breakfast, now that she has lived in another country…” he murmured as he transferred some coals from the fireplace to the oven in the kitchen. The wood inside burst to life, heating the surface where he placed a kettle of water.