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CELESTE

W hy was this shifter staring at me like he’d stepped into a haunted house and I was the resident ghost?

Sure, he was attractive. That wild blond hair. The amber eyes framed by dark lashes. The cut cheekbones and strong jawline. A lean, muscular form encased in tight black leather pants. And his scent? Delicious. Sparking an instant craving.

But I doubted he was even thirty—far too young for me, a vampire who’d been around for over two centuries.

After I’d teased him about his awkward stare, his mouth dropped open as if about to speak, but then he clamped it shut. He turned and rushed away without uttering a word.

I snorted at the odd behavior and returned to the performance. A woman finished singing, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” in an enchanting voice, while a man played piano masterfully beside her. A soothing sound, the perfect way to unwind on my first night here on the cruise.

I sipped my cocktail, a blood-infused expensive champagne, and sat back in my chair to enjoy the show in this tastefully decorated lounge at the bow of the ship.

The scents of various supernaturals surrounded me.

None as enticing as that jaguar’s, but my reaction to him was almost as odd as he’d been.

It had stoked awareness, a hint of hunger like I hadn’t experienced since I’d been turned into a vampire.

But back then, I had been consumed by the desperate thirst for blood.

This was— different .

A surprising response. Alas, perhaps it had something to do with adjusting to the ship.

I took a long sip of my drink. A vampire across the room nodded in greeting and raised his glass.

I kept my lips tight, nodded back out of courtesy, but gave no other encouragement to start a conversation.

I wasn’t here for any kind of romantic entanglement but to escape one.

I’d booked this Caribbean cruise to get away after I’d discovered that my fiancé had been cheating on me.

It had been three months since I’d called it off, but he’d started coming back around a few weeks ago, saying he missed me.

I snorted. He probably missed my money and my lifestyle more than he missed me.

After the show, I ventured outdoors to stroll beneath the moon and stars. The scent of saltwater filled my nose. I passed a few other couples but walked mostly alone. After a few laps around the deck, I headed back inside to explore the rest of the ship.

So much was going on—shows, restaurants, a casino. One voice reached me, and I froze. No, it couldn’t be.

It sounded just like Lucien.

I spun around, scanning the crowd—but saw no sign of him. I exhaled sharply, my hand instinctively clutching my chest.

A human reaction, to be sure. Yet some reflexes remained, even decades after my physiology changed.

I let out a nervous laugh. This was exactly why I needed this vacation. Because even thousands of miles away from home, I thought I heard my ex’s voice.

That was the toll he’d taken on me.

He was probably searching for another woman to mooch off of by now. Lucien loved to spend money he didn’t have. And I’d indulged him. But no more. I’d never let anyone use me that way again.

Even if I had to spend the rest of immortality alone.