“Cassia?” she guessed.
“No, Cassia isn’t the love of my life.”
“She’s your wife. She said that, I think.”
“Arwen, I loved another once, and she died. Cassia found me heartbroken, and she turned me into this, into what I am now. I’ll tell you the whole story later, but sweetheart, Cassia isn’t the love of my very long, eternal life. It has taken me far too long to realize that I’ve never really loved her, and she’s neverreally loved me. She used me, and she uses others to get what she wants.”
“But you were with her.”
“Yes, on and off for years.”
“How many years?”
Iro squeezed her hand and said, “I was born in 1666 in London, just after The Great Fire, and I was turned when I was thirty-one.”
“You’ve been the same age for… three hundred years?”
“Yes,” Iro said. “I lost the accent a long time ago, but some of it remains, and when I’m living in the UK, it comes back at times. Cassia turned me, and I thought we loved each other. We’ve been together on and off ever since. When I met you, we were off, and she had just asked me to return to her. I declined. She didn’t like that, and she followed me here to DC, where I met you.” Iro smiled at her softly. “Arwen, I love you. When you walked into that bar, something clicked inside of me that had never clicked before. It told me to pay attention and that you mattered, and I told Cassia that she and I were finally done; that I didn’t want to get back together ever again.”
“So, she kidnapped me?”
“Yes. And I will never forgive myself for not protecting you, Arwen. I thought if you were here with me, you’d be safe. I–”
“Is that why you wanted to put in an alarm at my apartment?”
“At first, it was just precautionary. I didn’t believe Cassia would harm you. But there was something else I didn’t know, and I have to tell you that next.”
“What? God, I’m not sure I can take much more than you’re avampire, Iro.”
“Zara, Arwen.”
“You said she was safe.”
“She is, love. She’s safe at my office. She’s hidden there where no one will find her, but Zara met Cassia, too, Arwen.”
“Met her how?”
“Cassia found her, and she used her to spy on us. Zara reported back on–”
“Zara wouldn’t ever–”
“She turned Zara, sweetheart. Cassia made her a vampire. Zara can tell you the rest herself, but she had her reasons.”
“For spying on me and reporting back to your ex?”
“Yes. I am not one to defend her actions, but shedoeshave a story to tell you herself when you’re ready.”
“I need to talk to her now. How can she defend–”
“Arwen, what do you remember after you were taken?”
“Being in a house and Cassia talking to me.”
“And?”
“And she–” Even though it had hit her all at once a few minutes ago, she hadn’t been able to process it right away like she was processing it now. “She made me drink blood.”
“Yes,” Iro said. “It’s how you turn a human into a vampire.”
