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I stood in the foyer for nearly an hour letting my mind flitter from here to there before I realized that I’d been standing there that long. I made a mental note to myself that I’d have to stay on top of the strange stamina that came with being a vampire. Standing perfectly stil , lost in thought, for such long periods of time would be a dead giveaway. Pun intended.
When I final y managed to pul myself from deep inside my own head, I wandered aimlessly through the house, clueless as to how I might occupy my time until Bo returned. And where was Bo, by the way? Earlier, it had only taken him a few minutes to fel that deer and feed from it.
After that, I found it impossible to keep my mind from straying back to his dream. I couldn’t help wondering if he was avoiding me for some reason.
Ruthlessly, I pushed those thoughts aside. I had no reason to doubt Bo, only a thousand and one reasons to trust him—with my heart and my life. I decided right then that if I had to remind myself of that on an hourly basis, I wouldn’t let myself forget it.
Relief flooded me when the doorbel rang. Though at first I thought it odd that Bo would ring the bel , I remembered that I’d locked the door and that he had no key.
Rushing back to the foyer, I flipped open the locks and flung wide the door, only to be greeted by two unfamiliar faces. Though neither was Bo, they were both equal y stunning.
The male and female standing on the stoop were a study in beauty and contrast. My enhanced mind cataloged their features and scents in an instant, starting with the girl.
Short, dark blonde hair framed an oval face dominated by cornflower blue eyes and a mouth to die for. She was petite, but perfectly formed. Apparently, she had no qualms about showcasing her body either, as evidenced by her skin tight, low-cut jeans and thread-bare, cap-sleeved t-shirt that drew attention to her ample chest. She smel ed like lavender and her smile was wide.
The guy was just as perfect and reminded me a lot of Bo, only I had to look way up to meet his eyes. The orbs were so dark a brown they appeared black, just like Bo’s. His hair was equal y inky and cut shorter than I usual y liked. One big difference was his skin tone. Rather than having Bo’s pale complexion, this guy’s skin was the tanned bronze of someone who loved the outdoors. And he smel ed of sandalwood.
He wasn’t smiling like the girl. He was watching me, and not just casual y either. He was staring at me with an intensity that made the hair on my arms stand up. It was neither a good feeling nor a bad one, just intense. Very, very intense.
“Can I help you?” I murmured politely after I’d quickly taken in every detail of their appearance.
“We are looking for someone and we were told we might find him here.”
The girl’s voice was clear and musical with just a tiny trace of an accent, one that I couldn’t readily place. It was faint, yet stil detectable in the clipped cadence of her words. Also, her annunciation was careful y perfect in that way that suggested English was not her first language.
I assumed they were looking for Sebastian, and tension immediately seized the muscles in my neck and shoulders. I knew that if they were associates of his, they were no good.
“And who might that be?”
“Bjorn Dahmen, but he goes by Bo.”
My mind spun. Could it be my Bo? It had to be, didn’t it?
I mean, what are the chances of two people showing up at Sebastian’s looking for another guy named Bo? Probably like a gazil ion to one. However, a smal , skeptical part of me insisted that I consider another statistic. What were the odds that someone might show up looking for Bo and not be somehow evil and in the employ of Sebastian? Probably another gazil ion to one.
I was immediately on high alert.
“I’m sorry. There’s no one here by that name.”
The couple glanced at one another and then back at me, the girl’s smile widening.
“I am sure it seems rather odd that two strangers show up on your doorstep looking for Bo, but I can assure you that Bo and I have a long history. I have been looking for him for many years. You see, we grew up together.”
“Wel , that’s al fine and good, but I stil don’t know who you’re talking about. There’s no Bo here.”
The girl chuckled and resituated the bag that was slung over her shoulder.
“One thing you wil soon learn about me is that I am an excel ent lie detector and I know you are lying. Just tel Bo I am here. He wil remember me.”
“I told you, there’s—”
“Please. Just tel him Annika is here. He wil tel you al about me.”
That gave me pause. And made me a little nauseous.
“Annika?”
“Yes,” she replied, smiling more widely. “Has he mentioned me?”
It was at that precise moment, when my heart was final y making its way back up from the toes of my shoes, that Bo returned. If there was any question about her identity, he immediately put it to rest.
“Annika?” he said as he rounded the corner of the garage to the front steps.
I’d been so distracted with Annika that I had neither seen nor heard Bo’s arrival. I watched him approach the front steps, a look of confused amazement on his face.
“Bo!” she squealed, charging down the steps and launching herself at him. Bo reluctantly raised his arms, patting her back awkwardly as she hung from around his neck. “Oh thank God! I have looked everywhere for you.”
When she final y released him and stepped back, Bo began to smile a little, which only made me feel worse about the whole thing. He was glad to see her. Surprised, but glad.
“Annika, what are you doing here?”
“I have been trying to catch up to you for…a while,” she explained hesitantly. Annika slid a quick glance over her shoulder at me before she leaned in toward Bo and whispered, “Is she one of us?”
Bo’s eyes darted from Annika to me and back again. A frown flitted across his brow before he nodded.
“Yes.”
“Good,” she said hurriedly. “I have been looking for you since you disappeared from Lindersberg in 1916.”
“What?” Bo and I exclaimed simultaneously.
Annika laughed.
“Why don’t we go inside and talk? It has been a long journey.”
As she and Bo made their way up the steps toward the door, I was jarred from my shock, remembering the tal , dark stranger that had accompanied the beautiful Annika. He’d stood quietly by as the reunion transpired, but now I wondered about him.
As if reading my mind, Annika introduced him as she reached the top of the steps.
