The existence of vampires was new to the world at large, but a ton of people had been in on the secret long before the Great Outing. I just wondered how vampires managed to keep themselves a secret for as long as they had.
As we strolled in our formalwear under the moonlight—me still feeling like this was all one big dream—a bright light beyond the tree canopy caught my eye. “What’s that?”
“Ah, that is our night beach. The lights make one feel as though they are bathing in the sun. There is paddleboarding andnight snorkeling, too, if that is your poison.”
“You really thought of everything.”
“Just wait until you see our massive underground cellars—they were just remodeled. Perhaps I will take you for a tour later.”
Cellars? As in plural?But vampires didn’t drink much wine. Then again, Stark had a gigantic collection back in Leiper’s Fork. Books, antique furniture, and artwork, too. Oh, and a lot of plug-in air fresheners to mask the thrift-store aromas. He also had his-and-hers sex rooms, but I steered clear of those. I didn’t like the thought of who’d come before me. Pun intended.
“So,” he added, “shall I book you a massage for later? Or perhaps horseback riding? A movie under the stars? Yoga class? You merely need to ask, and my staff will make it happen.”
I was instantly back in suspicion mode. Stark was not a behind-kisser, and my back porch was definitely being smooched.
“You really, really are afraid of me leaving, aren’t you?” I stopped walking, and so did he.
“No. Because I know you will make the right decision and obey me. You will stay.”
Obey.I hated that word. “And you’re so sure because…?”
“Because after losing my Anna, finding you is a miracle more precious to me than anything I own, even this island.” He took my hand and pressed it to his heart. “Which is why I brought you here, for thesole purpose of protecting you, and in your heart, you trust me to do just that. I will never allow anyone to hurt you or stand in our way of being together. Even if it costs thousands of lives—millions.”
His last comment stuck out sideways. “Why would us being together cost lives?”
“I-I was merely making a point. However, you know what happened to Anna. I will not allow history to repeat.”
Hmmm…I still didn’t follow. Anna, a human, had been his first love. She’d ended up becoming the ruler of the vampires, eventually turning into a vampire herself. Her dream had been for her people to come out of hiding and live peacefully among humans, which Stark—along with many others—disagreed with. Then she was murdered.
Some believed that Stark had killed her over politics, but my understanding was that she’d actually dated Lazlo before falling madly in love with Montgomery Stark. Lazlo had murdered her out of jealousy.
Why Stark wouldn’t immediately kill Lazlo after that, I didn’t know, but years later, Stark would run across me and believe I was his Anna reborn.
I wasn’t, of course, but Lazlo had kidnapped me and forced our marriage because of it. First off, to mess with his brother, and second, because the vampire world also believed I was Anna, the beloved vampire queen reincarnated.That meant I had power. Power that Lazlo wanted via marriage.
Obviously, it had all ended badly with Lazlo dead and me like this, but in short, I understood Stark’s protectiveness. He’d lost Anna to Lazlo, and then he’d almost lost me, too. What I didn’t understand was why he thought being together would cost lives.
“Stark, is something going to happen if we get married?” Not that he’d officially asked, nor had I officially accepted.
“Besides copious amounts of fornication and all of your wildest dreams being fulfilled by a very handsome, deadly vampire? No.”
“You can tell me the truth. I’m not going anywhere.”
He brushed his hand across my cheek. His fingers were warm like the rest of him, which still surprised me. Vampires were not cold and hard.
“There is nothing to tell other than we are going to be ridiculously happy for eternity,” he said.
Despite my gut being on high alert, I loved the way that sounded. I wanted to believe in his tale of happy ever after.
I pushed up onto my tiptoes and kissed him. “Speaking of being happy, what’s for dinner? Because I’m ready to chew off your handsome face if I don’t get something in me soon.”
He laughed. “Right this way.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The island’s restaurant was nicer than any I’d ever seen, including the one at the country club in Leiper’s Fork where Stark lived.
When you entered, you had to walk across a tiny wooden bridge, over that same trickling stream, and then follow a torchlit path through an atrium filled with fragrant flowers and lush tropical plants, very different from the outside vegetation.
