We got out of the truck, but the vampire was no longer in the back. “Fuck, where did he go now?” Aaron asked and looked around.
“Gentlemen,” he said from above us and dropped to the ground from the roof, and even though he had to be at least twenty feet above us, he landed as light as a feather making no sound. He strolled up to us, and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to scare us, or if he just enjoyed the drama of it. But whatever the reason, I was done with the games.
“Just get it over with already.” I held out my arm and this time he didn’t hesitate and wasn’t gentle. I forced myself not to protest as pain shot up my arm, but then something else happened. Visions of the vampire, only it was him as he must have looked before being trapped in the coffin.
His hair was dark and neat under the hat he wore that was the same style as many in the late 1800’s. Isaw him through someone else’s eyes as he leaned in and I braced for another bite, but instead of the sting of pain, he kissed me. My blood came to life, and I forced myself not to claw at his back to hold him to me and hoped he wouldn’t end the kiss anytime soon.
Pain shot through my arm again, and the mists of the past cleared. “What was that?” I asked. The touch of his lips against mine was so real I had to force myself not to touch them.
“Sometimes, if there is a strong connection between a vampire and their prey, they will experience shared memories,” the vampire explained and narrowed his eyes as he watched my every move. “Did you have such visions?”
“Marlon. Your name is Marlon, and at one time, I was . . . your mate?” The words were foreign, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure what they meant, somehow, I knew they were exactly right. “You and I met on the journey from the east.”
His eyes widened, and he took an even closer look at me. “How can this be? I can taste your connection tothe traitor who forced me into the grave and buried me there.”
“Is your name Marlon?” I asked and leaned closer to him.
“What of it? You could have learned that in the vision you claim to have seen.” He turned away, and I knew he still needed more blood.
“You can feed on me again. Just don’t take too much.” I held my hand out to him again, and when he bit me, he was gentler and took his time. Our eyes met while he drew more blood from my wrist, and this time I knew he was experiencing a vision. His eyes flicked back and forth as he watched what only he could see, before jumping away from me.
Blood ran freely down my arm, but for a moment, all I cared about was him. “Blake, your wrist.” Aaron tore off the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it up for me while I continued to stare at Marlon.
“It cannot be. Why would fate deal me such a cruel blow?” he mumbled as he paced away from us.
“You know it’s true. We both saw it. You may not want to believe it, but I can feel it in my bones. It’s true.” Shaking Aaron off me, I stepped closer to Marlon. “I know you, and you know me. You know as well as I do, I’m not your enemy. I am your mate.”
“Blake? What the fuck are you saying?” Aaron asked as he looked between the two of us.
“It cannot be,” Marlon roared, but had not moved.
I slowly walked up to him and took his still dirt-caked hand. He reluctantly let me. “I know none of this makes sense. But I saw it when you fed from me. We were mates, not enemies, or at least you believed we were.” It was odd to talk about a past that happened way before I was born, but it was as though a veil lifted from my eyes, and I knew what I said was true.
His expression softened. For a moment, he stared at my warm hand where it rested on his that was still skeletal. “It cannot be,” he growled, and bared his fangs. “I fed from the one that trapped me, and it was your blood.”
“Do you not feel the pull to me?” I asked, and it seemed forever before he spoke again, and when he did, I knew without a doubt he hated every word.
“I feel the pull, and I know you could be my mate. But I also know you are my executioner. My love is what trapped me, and I won’t let it happen again.”
Three
Blake
“What do you mean, love trapped you?” I was beyond denying it any longer. Now I wanted answers. Aaron got bored and wandered into the house. I knew he’d be playing a video game as soon as he raided my fridge, so I folded my arms and waited.
Marlon narrowed his eyes and seemed to size me up as he slowly paced in front of me. “Vampires do not mate out of love. It’s something we cannot choose, and we’re helpless to deny it. If we find our fated mate, it’s impossible to resist the pull.”
“But that still doesn’t answer my question.” I tried to be strong and show him I wasn’t afraid of him. But I could imagine how easy it would be for him to kill me, and I had a feeling the thought had crossed his mind many times as I watched his lip curl in disgust.
“The connection we had went beyond the bond that made us mates. I loved him and he loved me. But sometimes love isn’t enough.” He sat down on the tailgate of the truck, relaxing back against the corner panel and swinging his legs. If I didn’t know he was a vampire, I’d have sworn he was just one of my friends sitting here shooting the shit with me. But he wasn’t my friend, and the sting in my arm reminded me he was definitely a vampire. “Love made me weak. He’d asked me many times to turn him, but I couldn’t bring myself to end his life.”
“But he’d grow old and die, eventually, while you would live. Didn’t you want to spend more time than that with him?”
The look he gave me was a mix of a little annoyance and a lot of hurt. “I didn’t want him to die,” he whispered. “But if I had changed him, he would have never forgiven me. This existence is truly a horror.”
“Look, I don’t really need to know all that. But I’m willing to help you figure out who trapped you if you’d like.” I forced myself not to roll my eyes at how stupid I was. I hadn’t meant to offer, but dammit, something in his helplessness haunted me.
“What difference would it make now? He’s dead and gone.”
