Page 104 of Origins of Eternity

“She’ll kill you.”

“She will try. I no longer bow down to her, so I won’t be of much use anymore, but I’ll be okay. Her people might come here. I don’t know for sure. She might have them there, waiting for me, but I am trusting you, Arwen. You have to stay hidden.”

“Just hide with me, Iro. We can talk more and come up with a plan together.”

“I can’t, sweetheart. She’ll just keep coming. And I need this to be over so that you and I can figure this out.”

“Iro, I–”

“What?” Iro asked when Arwen didn’t say anything else.

“I don’t know that I want to.”

“Want to what?”

“Figure this out.”

“You mean… You and me?”

“I don’t know how I feel right now.”

“That’s okay. You can take your time. We’ll talk.”

“Iro, when I woke up this morning, you were cooking us breakfast. We talked about how I like morning sex, and we made love. I had no idea vampires even existed. Now, Iamone, and you’re telling me we’ll have to move all the time. I have a job, a career that’s important to me. I have an apartment, a family, friends. I can’t be a vampire.”

“But youarea vampire, Arwen. I wish I could change that, but I can’t. I was too late. I didn’t expect her to go after you because she wanted me back, and she knew that if she did anything to you, that would never happen. I am so sorry for my part in this, but there’s nothing you or I can do about it now.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t know that I want my life to beaboutbeing a vampire. I want to work. I want–”

“Please let’s talk about this later. I’m begging you. Just hide for me right now, and I will come back for you. We’ll go somewhere safe. I’ll find another place in the city and lease it under a different name if I can’t take care of this tonight. Just don’t go anywhere, and we’ll talk.”

“I’ll hide, Iro, but–”

“Good. I’ll show you.”

“What if you don’t come back?” Arwen asked.

“I will. Trust me, beautiful Arwen; I will come home to you.”

Arwen followed her up the stairs to a part of the house she hadn’t been in before. Iro showed her to a closet, and she assumed that was supposed to be the hidden room until Iro pressed a button on the back wall of it.

“It’s small, but it’s dark, and there are sound panels in it, too, so they won’t be able to hear you as well. I’m going to make sure the button is hidden with a box so that they don’t see it, but you need to take these just in case.” Iro handed her two knives. “Silver. It’s the only thing that kills us. Silver to the heart, or beheading. That’s it, Arwen. Stabbing us anywhere else will hurt enough to knock us back a bit, but we’ll heal, just slower. So, it’s the heart you have to hit to kill us. If someone gets in here, you stab first, ask questions later.”

“I can’t stab someone.”

“If they’re trying to kill you, you’d be surprised what you can do. Just stay in here and be quiet. I know you’re hungry, and I promise I’ll get you blood when I come back, but I need you to hold on a little longer for me. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” Arwen replied.

“Okay,” Iro said and cupped both of her cheeks. “I love you. No matter what happens when I get back, I love you, my beautiful Arwen.”

Iro kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

CHAPTER 30

Cassia

“You don’t want us to go? We can get her back. Gigi isn’t answering her phone. I’m worried, Cassia,” Miranda said.