The familiar tension thickened, heat creeping between them. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink. “Is that when you became a cop?”
“No, not at first. I took odd jobs and moved around a lot, trying to blend into the background. Once people found out that vampires were real, I was able to stay in one place without raising suspicion.”
When their eyes met, the pull grew stronger. “You turned your life around, Garrett. Isn’t that the most important thing?” she asked, sounding so sincere it made emotion claw at his throat.
He loved her optimism. If only it could rub off on him. He’d become jaded living for all these years alone. “I wanted to do something to give back and protect the innocent, not corrupt them. I needed to make up for the deeds of my past. Rumors began to circulate that Malcom came here to the states because of Sybil’s Cave.”
Her fingers skimmed his cheek. He hissed out a breath. Her touch left a trail of need and raw heat in its wake. “Who you were in the past is not the person you are today.”
“True,” he said with a nod. “But it doesn’t excuse what I’ve done.”
His words did nothing to ease the crease around her mouth. “If you have reason to believe that Kurt Lawrence has been working for Malcom, I see now how this case has become personal for you, and not because of me or Brooke.” There was a note of hurt in her voice.
Garrett decided to leave out the part about obliterating his sire to dust once he got his hands on the vampire. It was the only way to avenge his family’s honor and stop the bastard from harming another woman. But Gillian wasn’t in a state to hear that right now. “From the moment we met, it has always been personal for me.”
Her eyes widened with a combination of wariness and heat. “Garrett,” she murmured, and he moved closer and glanced at her lips. He needed to remind himself that no matter how much he wanted her, she was a witness and it wouldn’t be right. So he counted to ten to keep from ravishing her.
“Immortality has been nothing short of hell. I’d give anything to be human again. Reliving the horrors of my past, and watching loved ones get sick and die while I go on without them, can be a fate far worse than death. There’s no end to one’s pain.” He leaned back in the chair, drained from retelling the truth about his past.
“You’re alive, Garrett, for a reason. By becoming a cop, you turned your life around and your karma. Whatever Malcom did to you and your family will come back to him times three. I didn’t want to bring it up because I wasn’t sure if it was my place, but Saje mentioned something about water from Sybil’s Cave that can turn a vampire human again if combined with some ancient spells and potions.”
The heartfelt words and passion in her voice stirred something deep in him that he hadn’t realized was asleep. But he had lived too long and been through too much to put stock in such foolish notions. She tilted her head to the side, and her hair slid over her shoulder like a waterfall. He wanted to run his fingers through the silky strands and press his lips to hers, taste their sweetness.
“Have you ever heard of such a thing?” she asked, interrupting the train of his lust-fueled thoughts.
He chuckled and extended his arm to rest against the back of her chair. “Nothing against Saje, but I’m not overly confident there’s any sort of elixir powerful enough to turn me human again. The Romani who traveled through Europe back in the day tried to peddle a cure with promises of potions that had transforming capabilities.”
“Did you ever try one? What if it actually worked?”
“I assumed they would put some sort of curse on me that would be far worse than immortality.” The pain of getting his hopes up only to have them crushed again wasn’t something he was keen on.
This bearing of the soul wasn’t his typical interaction. Sure, he dated his fair share of women…wining and dining them. Typically, by the time they’d make it back here for dessert, they both knew what they wanted. In the twenty-first century, women seemed to crave sex almost as much as men—or vampires for that matter. But being with Gillian felt different somehow. Having her here made him feel alive again.
His phone pinged. “Excuse me for a moment.” He lifted it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, shaking his head in frustration. Yet another dead end.
“What is it?” He looked up and Gillian’s pulse pounded at her throat. “Did they find the car?”
“The bastard must’ve been tipped off and switched vehicles. They found one matching the description you gave in an abandoned lot. But if we’ve learned anything from this little exercise, it’s that you might be onto something with the whole social media thing.”
When her face fell, he resisted the urge to pull her onto his lap and wrap her in his arms. By far, she was the most alluring creature he’d ever laid eyes on. He wanted to get her mind off things. “I believe you were pointing out your friend’s expertise with spells and potions.”
“Yes. Willow is part Romani, and Saje is a genius with potions. I’ve been around my share of witches, and trust me, they are some of the most powerful I’ve ever known. Our coven is stocked with a library of Grimoires, ancient spell books from generations of witches. Whatever may lie in Sybil’s Cave, I sense we could find a way to make you human again.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Gillian, and I’m not out to burst your bubble. But there’s no cure, and if there was, I’d know. Witches and Romani have been searching for hundreds of years. Any vampire would pay a fortune or kill for such a thing.” Her optimism was so genuine it almost stirred the beginnings of hope in him.
She sighed, looking crestfallen, and glanced over at their now empty cartons of Chinese food. Her hand moved to her stomach. “I’m stuffed. Thanks for dinner and for the distraction. I’m really glad you confided in me about your family.”
Sharing secrets between men and women led to intimacy. By opening up to her he risked teetering on dangerous ground. “Gillian, I—” Before he could contemplate the situation any further, his phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was a text from Denopoulos.
Meet me at the RH hospital. Greystone just woke up.
He got to his feet and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I’m sorry. We have to cut the evening short. I’m calling Dubrosky. She can stay with you. Once she gets here, I have to go.”
“What’s going on?” Gillian sat up on her knees. “Is it about Brooke?”
“No, but it’s a lead, and let’s hope it helps us find her. The vampire who attacked you is awake. I’m meeting Denopoulos and Teague at the hospital so we can question him.”
“How will you get him to tell you about the Brotherhood?”
