“I know, I know, you’re Mr. Denial,” I said, waving a hand and turning around to dash back up the stairs. “But you’re ignoring three important things.”
I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist that, and I was right. After a moment of inner struggle, he asked, “What three things?”
I paused at the top of the stairs long enough to throw him a smile and say, “One, you can’t leave me here alone. Two, Iamyour Beloved whether or not you want to face that fact. And three ...”
“Yes?” he asked when I hesitated.
I shrugged. “I don’t want to be left alone. I don’t know anyone in this country, I don’t speak the language, and I’m vulnerable. I need you.”
His sigh was filled with antagonism, but I didn’t let that worry me. I grabbed the few items of clothing that were laid on a chair, and stuffed them into my suitcase, saying, “If you have to go potty, doggy, do it now before we get in the car. I have a feeling Merrick isn’t going to be happy with the idea of potty breaks.”
The hall was empty when, five minutes later, the dog and I stumbled down the stairs, my two large suitcases bumping after me.
“Well, pumpkin rot!” I swore, going to the front door. Maybe Merrick was sitting in his car waiting impatiently for me.
The drive was just as empty as the hall. A little flutter of yellow caught my eye. A note was stuck onto one of the white stone columns.It is not safe for you to be with mewas all it said.A taxi will be here soon.
Hurt pierced me, a hurt tinged with a deeper sense of betrayal than that caused by Cousin Carlo. I stood for a moment, the note in my hand, not believing that Merrick had really left. How could he just drive away from me? What about everything that Christian had written about in his books? None of those Dark Ones had been able to leave the one woman whom they loved above all else.
There is no love,Inner Tempest said sadly.Lots of lust, sure, and some pretty impressive bow-chica-bow time, but no love.
“Well, this is just the limit,” I told the dog, slumping down on the steps, everything about me crestfallen, from my heart right down to my posture. “Cousin Carlo is most likely a bad guy and ran away from me. Merrick abandoned me. Criminy beans, how can he not realize that we’re supposed to be together? Everything says we are. What an annoying vampire. Nowhere in C. J. Dante’s books does he mention how downright annoying they are.”
The dog licked my hand in obvious agreement.
“Now what are we supposed to do?”
A car pulled into the drive and came to a screeching stop in front of me before I could do more than wonder how much of a distance our mental link would work across.
“Get in,” Merrick said, leaning over to open the passenger door.
I stared at him for a couple of seconds. “You’re annoying. You are stubborn. You don’t know a good thing when you see it. I’m not sure I want to go anywhere with you.”
“And you’re too cheerful, see the good in everything, and believe what you read in those damned books of Christian’s. Get in.”
I sniffed, thought about telling him to take a flying leap, but instead rose with infinite dignity, and let the dog into the backseat. “All right, but I want it understood that you hurt my feelings by leaving me more than my cousin did.”
“I came back for you.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve only been gone four minutes.”
“Doesn’t matter. You left me, your almost-Beloved, behind. With a dog.”
He looked like he very much wanted to roll his eyes, but instead got out and took my suitcases, tossing them into the trunk of the car. “I’m sure that thought will haunt me for years, but I will strive to overcome it and focus on the job of ridding the world of monsters like Victor.”
“Hrmph,” I said, and slid into the passenger seat.
Silence reigned for about ten minutes as we retraced the route that headed south.
You can’t live without me.
He glanced my way.I can do so quite easily, as a matter of fact.
I read the books, Merrick. I know that once you find your Beloved, you can’t distance yourself.
That’s not true.
C. J. Dante says it is. Is that why you came back? Because you missed me? Or was it because you were hungry?
“Christian has a lot to answer for,” he muttered under his breath, then said louder, “We aren’t Joined, Tempest. Until then, I am not irrevocably bound to you.”
