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Toni sipped her wine, not a bad Pinot Noir for a wedding, and watched as white dots bobbed and weaved in the distance, the water below nothing more than a mass of black from this distance. Mesmerizing. Even though she couldn’t see the water, just knowing it was there brought her a sense of peace as it always did.

In a former life, Toni must have been a mermaid. Or a pirate. Or something having to do with the water. Did everyone love it as much as she?

Her train of thought was broken by a prickling awareness. Someone was watching her.

She didn’t have a sixth sense like her best friend, Alessandra, did. She wasn’t one of the Cheld—a line of superhuman beings created to counterbalance vampires. She wasn’t the one who’d led the vampires to Stone Haven, and yet she could tell one of them was currently watching her.

Toni turned to look at him, her heart lurching as it did every damn time he was near.

What in blazes was Lawrence Derrickson doing at her wedding?

Well, not precisely her wedding, but she hadn’t seen him at the ceremony earlier or any time before now. She was pretty sure she would have noticed. When it came to Lawrence, she couldn’t help but notice. He was a six-foot-plus, sandy-haired, green-eyed vampire, for heaven’s sake. And sure, it turned out vampires weren’t the gothic, garlic- and daylight-phobic creatures popular culture set them out to be, but they were still practically demigods. They were immortal, and they drank blood, for God’s sake.

Pretending she hadn’t seen him wasn’t an option. There were no more than ten people out here on the deck, the bartender included, and Lawrence was staring straight at her. She couldn’t see his eyes from here, but Toni knew their piercing green color. He was Alessandra’s friend and trainer, an ever-present part of their circle. Avoiding him was difficult, but that hadn’t stopped her from trying. She’d gotten quite good at it in the past two months.

Breathe, Toni, breathe. He’s just a man.

Well, not quite a man, actually. He was so much more.

But it couldn’t matter. Even if Tyler wasn’t the best boyfriend in the world, he was hers. And at least she was committed to something in her life. Being with him felt safe, a word she’d never use to describe how she felt with Lawrence.

The thought of Tyler made it easier to ignore Lawrence and the sidelong glances he always gave her. It made it easier to pretend she didn’t wish there was some admiration or affection in his eyes. Truth was, Alessandra’s friend looked at her as if she’d just stolen a treat from his dog. No, not that. It was like he could see something in her she didn’t even know was there. Like a bit of icing on her nose. If she hadn’t been thinking about that three-tier wedding cake all night, she’d probably have been able to think of a more profound comparison.

As it was, cake seemed as good an excuse as any to dart inside. Avoiding Lawrence. And maybe herself a bit too.

* * *

“Hi, I’m Kat.”

Attractive. Same age he’d been before the change, just over thirty. No ring.

Alas, she lacked long red hair and amber eyes that shot arrows through his soul.

“Pleasure to meet you, Kat,” Lawrence said, watching Toni retreat back into the restaurant. His feet itched to follow her. Instead, he smiled at the pretty blonde guest and took his drink from the bartender.

“When I first moved to Pennsylvania,” he told Kat, “I couldn’t get away from this stuff.” He lifted his Yuengling, remembering. He’d asked for a lager, and the bartender had handed him one of these—a beer with a label he couldn’t even pronounce.

He’d lived in nearly every country around the world, had been alive for over seven hundred years, and still there was so much to discover. A beautiful side to the curse that had created so much ugliness. Despite that, he was more than ready to stay in one place for the foreseeable future. Lawrence was ready to settle down.

“So,” she said, her honeyed tone leaving no doubt as to her intentions. “Do you know the bride or groom?”

Actually, he had become close to the bride’s father, Stone Haven’s mayor, over a business deal, but telling her that would prolong a conversation that he was ready to end.

The floor-to-ceiling windows that gave guests a view of the dark lake behind him also gave him a clear view of Toni. She stood alone, her profile effortlessly elegant, her gold and black gown eye-catching. “Pardon me,” he said to the woman at the bar. “I just got here and want to greet the new couple.”

Lawrence itched to go to Toni, to take her shoulders in his hands, but she wouldn’t welcome it. He forced himself to make a wide berth around her. Trying to distract himself, he found the bride’s father at the table closest to the dance floor. Murmuring apologies for his late arrival, he made up for his tardiness by fawning over the couple as if he were a subject in their court, a role he’d played more than once before over several hundred years.

In England. In France. Though not in his homeland. He’d not seen Scotland for centuries, and though he still dreamed of his homeland, he knew he could never return.

Later, as he made his way to the inner bar, Lawrence’s eyes found Toni once again. He allowed himself to study her for a second—the strands of hair that had escaped her updo, the curve of her neck. What was she doing here? And where was Tyler?

As if you give a shit about that condescending asshole.

“There you are.”

Dammit.

“Caught you!”