In two weeks, when she had two days in a rowoff again, she and Julian were going to Maine for a visit. Hissiblings, nieces, and nephews were eager to see them, and he wasexcited to see them too.
Aida was looking forward to the trip, butmore, she was looking forward to their future. She’d never wantedto be a vampire, but she was so incredibly happy she got to spendthe rest of her days loving this man.
Julian draped his arm around her shoulders asCassidy finished her song and gave an elegant bow. The young men atthe front leaned forward in the hopes they could see down hershirt. Disappointed, they all leaned back again.
Applause thundered through the packed bar.“Encore!” someone shouted, though it was still early and Cassidywas only getting started.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said as she grinnedat the crowd and gave a little wave before descending the stairsand heading for the hallway.
“Are you ready to go home?” Julianinquired.
She smiled as she turned to kiss him. “Morethan ready, and I’m not wearing any underwear.”
Julian would have laughed if his mouth hadn’tgone dry. He gulped when she gave him a sultry smile. Digging intoher purse, she pulled out her keys and dangled them before him.
“I’m wearing a skirt, which makes runningdifficult, but I’ll still race you home,” she said. “Winner gets tomake the loser do whatever they want in bed.”
Grabbing her hand, Julian threw some money onthe bar and waved to his brother before leading her out the frontdoor. Once they were outside, Julian stopped beside her as shepulled her heels off and held them in her fingers. She’d prefer tobe barefoot on a city street than lose this race.
“Ready?” he asked, and she nodded. “On yourmarks. Ge—”
She pushed him away from her and ran.
“Cheater!” he yelled after her.
She giggled and dashed in and out of thepeople strolling the sidewalks while he chased her down the street.Careful not to run too fast, she still poured on enough speed tostay ahead of him, but she suspected he was letting her win.
He caught her at the outer apartment door andspun her into his arms before taking the keys from her to unlockthe door. He carried her inside and up the stairs.
“You may be a cheater, but I’m going to loveyou for the rest of my life,” he told her.
She rested her hand against his beardedcheek. “All’s fair in love and all the devious things I’m going tomake you do.”
He laughed, and she kissed him. He’d been somuch more relaxed since they completed their bond. She sensed hisinward calm every time they exchanged blood or their minds brushedagainst each other. All the suffering it took for them to get herewas worth it as every day, her love for him grew and their bonddeepened.
EPILOGUE
One year later.
The door to the bar opened, and a man with darkbrown hair stepped into the shadowy interior. Before becoming avampire, Aida never could have ascertained the color of his eyesfrom so far away, but the dim spotlight focused on Cassidy caughtthe corner of an eye so deep a brown it was nearly black.
Aside from being incredibly handsome, nothingelse made him stand out from the crowd. However, the hairs on herarms rose as Julian stiffened against her. In the middle of pouringa drink, Kyle ignored his customer’s protests as he set down thebottle and walked toward them.
“Is that a…?” Aida started.
“Vampire,” Julian murmured in her ear.
“Is he a Savage?” she whispered.
“No.”
This confirmation didn’t cause him to relax.Instead, he became more rigid as the stranger’s eyes went toCassidy and remained there. Kyle slammed his hand on the bar, andfor a second, Aida thought he was going to launch himself over it.The muscles and veins in his corded arms stood out as the vampcontinued to stare at Cassidy.
It was only the second vampire, outside ofthe Byrne family and friends, that she’d encountered since turning.Though she had been a little concerned another vamp, seekingrevenge like Gerald, might come after them, it hadn’t happened, andher worry lessened every day.
Kyle and Julian didn’t relax when thestranger finally turned away from her to survey the crowd. When hisgaze landed on them, a muscle jumped in his chiseled jaw.
Julian removed his arm from her shoulders androse. “Get behind me.”
