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“Why wouldn’t you want me to meet him?” I wondered aloud.

“Charlotte, he is not someone I trust, and when it comes to my creator, I cannot protect you as with others.”

“What power does a sire exactly have over their bloodline?” The question wasn’t one I’d been able to answer during all my years of research. Finding books and information on physical, anatomical facts were one thing, but social, emotional, and psychological norms? There was no guidebook for other supes. And I’d already made far too many assumptions.

Julian’s jaw worked as I waited.

“A vampire cannot harm their sire. Nor can they disobey if the sire commands something of them.”

The thought of someone having that kind of control over my vampire chilled me to the bone. Sure, I could mind-bend, but I didn’t like doing it and wished it wasn’t even a thing. But what if the person with that power had no moral compunction about demanding things of others?

It was what Carmichael had wanted to do to me—had almost accomplished. I shuddered.

“Okay. One more thing for now.” I hugged myself, knowing I had to go there. Even though a part of me didn’t want to.

Julian waited, patient, still, and stoic as usual. Gazing into the depths of his ocean eyes made it harder to bring up, as did his scent and the memory of what we shared mere moments before. Still, I had to be clear.

“I want you to promise me you won’t go after Carmichael on my behalf.”

Julian hissed but reigned it in immediately. “I am sorry I have overstepped already. My feelings for you are strong, and I know you don’t have memories of our past together. The truth is, I haven’t been in a relationship with someone for over a century, Charlotte, and I don’t have a history of them ending well. But I won’t lie or pretend I don’t feel a connection to you beyond mere attraction. It probably helps that your blood is stronger than any human’s could be. But that is precisely why I do not trust him. I will try to follow your wishes. Truly. But if it becomes a choice of stopping him or letting him hurt you in a way I cannot reverse, I make no such promises.”

That was a lot to take in, so I focused on the blood part and went into scientist mode. “So, he’s interested because I’m a psychic? What about other non-humans? Is their blood like mine?”

“Different creatures taste, well, different. Some give me more pleasure than others, and some have a stronger effect on my own abilities for a short while after I drink. Yours is at the top of both categories.”

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “He mentioned it to me. Carmichael. He said I was an addiction, and that’s why you wanted me.”

Julian’s irises flooded with scarlet, but he remained still and in control. At least outwardly. “My feelings for you are deeper than any physical reward. If I could somehow prove that to you, I would.”

My heart swelled. Maybe it was just my own hopes and wants, but I believed him, and I threw my arms around him to prove it. He gathered me to him, lifting me off the ground as he held me close.

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” I said as he let me gently down. “I shouldn’t have assumed you’d come to Sam’s to spy on me or that you didn’t trust me to take care of myself.”

“I don’t blame you. I may have thought the same in your position. And my own assumptions put you in terrible danger. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

“I guess we should just forgive each other then.”

One of Julian’s rare and genuine smiles set butterflies loose in my belly.

“We should probably get you home. We could both use some sleep,” Julian said.

Vampires didn’t sleep much, but after what he’d been through, and despite my blood, I imagined he needed some kind of rest. What I wanted was to take him home and lose our clothing, but recovery time was a thing, and I sure could use some comfort food from Mama and my own bed.

I held his hand all the way to the car, ignoring the smirk on Gladys’s face as we passed by. And when we set out on the road, I leaned my head against the cool glass of the vamp mobile and let my mind drift. I traced the spot on my neck where he’d taken blood from me to recover, and a smile played on my lips.

“Your name is always Charlotte,” Julian said, snapping me to attention.

“Excuse me?”

“In every life. Your name is Charlotte. Annette was…someone else.”

My pulse pounded as the information sunk in. “How many lives have I lived?”

“To my knowledge, four, including this one.”

My throat dried up, but I forced words out. “You found me in each?”

“I missed you once. By the time I reached you, you’d died.” His eyes searched mine as he drove toward home. “The first life was our longest together. And the one before this we met briefly, but you…made other choices. It’s always your choice, Charlotte.”