Page 58

Carla

A mari holds my hand, not letting go as we return to the cabin. Once inside, he helps me out of my jacket, then follows me up the stairs to our bedroom. I head over to the bed and start unpacking my clothes while he stays quiet. We’re both still processing everything we learned.

I place my clothes in the drawer carefully, one by one, focusing on the task to keep my mind from racing. Amari pulls off his suit jacket and tosses it into the chair beside the bed, then kicks off his shoes.

They land on the floor, the sound quiet but noticeable. He walks over, grabbing my hand, stopping me mid-motion. I look up at him, then drop my gaze, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

He pulls me into his arms, and I let myself be enveloped by his strength, his scent.

“Carla, you didn’t remember any of that? Dying?” he asks, his voice gentle against my hair.

I quickly shake my head, burying my face against him. His heartbeat—his heart that beats for me—steady beneath my cheek.

“No. But it makes sense. I always try to forget when things get too hard for me.” I pull back to look up at him, needing him to understand. “My life has always been hard, Amari. That’s why I fight so hard for Wintermoon. It’s an easier hard here.”

“Oh, Carla.” He cups my face between his hands and presses his forehead against mine. The tenderness of the gesture steals my breath.

“We need to see my cousin, Angie,” I say, thinking it through aloud. “She has access to the Blackwood journals—even the ones from the Witching Glen.”

“Okay, let’s schedule a visit, but I’d also like to make sure the border is secure before we do.

” He pulls back, looking toward the window into the forest where our children rest, watching, protecting us from the shadows.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about that email from Alexis.

She’s up to something, and something tells me that email was a warning that something is already coming.

And I’d like to work with Bobby about getting Verde and Petra.

..” he pauses, looking at me with sympathy, “or at least, what’s left of them. ”

My face falls at his words. The thought of my babies being cut apart, studied like specimens—it’s too much. I put a hand over my forehead, shaking my head. “I don’t want to think about that right now.”

I pull my shirt over my head, tossing it aside. When I look over at Amari, he’s grinning at me in that insufferable way that somehow still makes my stomach flutter.

“What?” I snap, pulling a nightdress from my bag and slipping it over my shoulders. I unbutton my pants and kick off my shoes, pulling them down and stepping out of them.

“Nothing, it’s just...you’re getting comfortable with me,” he says, his golden eyes following my movements.

I shrug, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. “I guess I am. You’ve been around me non-stop since I first met you. And you haven’t let up.” I look away, unable to meet his gaze as I continue. “I don’t ever want to be away from you either.”

He smiles, then follows me to the bathroom, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt while he watches me brush my teeth. I frown at his clothes as he starts to pull his shirt off and toss it into the hamper.

“Why do you have to wear suits all the time?” I grumble through a mouthful of toothpaste.

“Appearance conveys power,” he says, continuing to undress. “I learned that even in my Moorish culture. The silks we wore, our hygiene, the way we kept our streets and buildings clean—it all communicated our status, our worth.”

He pauses, unbuckling his pants. “Damon actually adopted that practice over time. Though he came from wealth, when he became a vampire, inconspicuous seemed to be what he strived for. But I was against it. I maintained my power through my appearance, and it got me far in a lot of places.”

I rinse and gargle, then look up at him. He steps into the bathroom, grabbing my washcloth, then gently wipes the toothpaste from my cheeks. The tender gesture makes my heart skip.

“During chattel slavery in America, no matter how I presented myself, my skin color decreased my value in the eyes of white men, time and time again,” he says, his voice hardening with the memory. “But my wealth and my appearance always gave them pause.”

He gives me a wicked grin and leans in, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek.

“I’m just a simple girl,” I tell him. “I like jeans and t-shirts.”

Amari pulls back and looks down at me, his expression amused. “You always dress for the occasion. Like that ‘fuck-me dress’ you wore for Ackley.”

I roll my eyes. “No need for the reminder of how desperate I was that night for some attention.”

His hands move down to my hips, pulling me closer. “You’ll never have to feel that way again. Because I’m here now.”

He pulls me closer and leans down, pressing his lips against mine. I hate the way my body just submits, just gives into whatever he wants when he gets like this. I gasp and let my head fall back, but Amari wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling my lips back to his.

The kiss deepens, his tongue slipping into my mouth, and I moan at the intensity. But he keeps it brief, pulling back to look down at me with that smug grin.

“I can still taste the peaches on your tongue despite the toothpaste,” he says.

“I’m not going to turn into some pretty princess for you,” I tell him, thinking of the images the children sent me. “Based on what I’ve seen, you have a type. And I’m not that.”

Amari narrows his eyes at me and then steps back. “The only change I’m expecting from you is becoming more comfortable in my company.” His eyes darken as he continues. “I look forward to the day when you’re comfortable enough to command me to lie down on the bed so you can sit on my face.”

My mouth falls open in shock, and I slap my hand against him, but he catches it, moving my palm to his beating heart and pressing it there. The steady rhythm beneath my fingers makes my breath catch.

“I’m looking forward to the day when you tell me that you love me,” he says softly. “That moment would mean everything to me. Though I’m fully aware that I don’t deserve it, I covet your heart more than anything.”

My face falls, and I curl my fingers against him. “You’re so arrogant it pisses me off so bad sometimes.”

He laughs at that, the sound rumbling through him.

“But it’s hard not to care for you,” I admit.

“Not good enough,” he says immediately. “I want your heart, and I want it fully.”

I look at him and sigh.

“I’m going to get it,” he declares. “Your heart and your love.”

Then he steals another kiss from me, pulling back before I can truly sink into it.

“How did you know about Tabatha?” I ask, changing the subject. “You pointed her out immediately in the vision.”

Amari narrows his eyes at me. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re going to ask me if I fucked her.” His directness makes me flush. “Well, the answer is no. No, I never fucked your cousins.”

“I wasn’t going to ask that,” I lie.

Amari scrunches his face up, seeing right through me. “Yes, you were.”

He sighs, leaning against the counter. “I didn’t become a manwhore until after 1492 when my civilization fell. That’s the same year I broke ties from being under Damon’s control. He was my sire, the vampire that created me.”

He runs a hand over his beard, his eyes distant with memories.

“While under Damon, who was sired by King Amir, I ran into the Blackwood witches in passing many times, but they were being hunted by Aya, so they were always in hiding. Damon helped as much as he could, but he had very little to work with.”

His voice softens. “When the curse was cast, Amir was broken, lost hope he’d find Anora.

Which is why he lost it and massacred a bear shifter clan.

If I remember correctly, she time traveled for a time, but it’s my assumption something happened to her, and he thought he’d never see her again.

He fell into madness, and the consensus was that he’d go into slumber and only awaken during the time of Anora’s birth. ”

Amari’s face darkens. “We thought Aya had killed all of the Blackwoods by then. She had hunted them so fiercely. I never understood why until now.”

He follows me as I step out of the bathroom and walk over to the bed. Before I can get there, he grabs my arm, pulling me back into his arms.

“I know we have a lot going on right now,” he says, his eyes softening, “but I’d like to cash in that raincheck.”

I look up at him, confused. “What?”

“The date I gave you a raincheck on. I’d like to take you on it, tomorrow night.”

I start to decline, but Amari steals a kiss from me, his lips soft but insistent against mine.

“Let me show you how you deserve to be treated,” he murmurs against my mouth. “Give you the date you craved so badly. I want to make it up to you.”

“Where can we go?” I ask, practical concerns intruding. “It’s not like there are restaurants on Wintermoon.”

“The tourist island,” he says simply.

“No, the humans don’t—” I start to protest, but Amari kisses me again. The tenderness of his touch, the way he caresses my skin, makes my objections melt away. When he pulls back from the kiss, I’m so flushed that at this point, I’d give him whatever he wants.

Amari chuckles and pops me on the ass, pulling back. “Perfect.”

“What am I going to wear?” I ask as he turns around and walks off to the bathroom.

Amari looks back at me, his fangs flashing in a grin. “Anything but that fuck-me dress.”

I hiss at him for that comment, and he laughs, shutting the door. I climb into bed and rest my head against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. A smile creeps onto my face despite my best efforts to contain it.

I’m going on a date with Amari Al-Baqar. The vampire I seem to be always on the fence about—whether I want to confess my undying love to him or drive a stake through his chest.

He’s maddening. And I can’t wait.

I roll to my side, hugging the pillow close. Something dark lurks at the edges of my happiness, though—the knowledge that I’m a doorway to limbo, that Alexis has my blood, that Verde and Petra are being studied and dissected.

But tonight, I push those thoughts away. Tonight, I let myself feel the happiness that’s been denied to me for so long. Tomorrow will bring its own problems, but right now, in this moment, I’m content to just be.

The bathroom door opens, and Amari steps out, a towel wrapped around his waist, his skin still glistening with water. My breath catches at the sight of him, and he grins, knowing exactly the effect he has on me.

“See something you like?” he teases, dropping the towel and sliding under the covers beside me.

“Shut up,” I mutter, but I don’t resist when he pulls me close, my back to him, his arm draped over my waist.

He nuzzles into my neck, his lips brushing against the bite mark he left there. I shiver at the contact, my body responding instantly.

“Just sleep,” he whispers, pulling me closer. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”

I relax into his embrace, letting his steady heartbeat lull me. As I drift toward sleep, I think about how quickly everything has changed. A week ago, I was alone, convinced I’d never have someone to call my own. Now, I’m falling asleep in the arms of a vampire whose heart beats for me.

Life can change in an instant. Sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. Tonight, I’m grateful it changed for the better.

With Amari’s arms around me, I feel safe. Protected. Wanted.

And for the first time in centuries, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.