It was warmth like I’d never felt before. Like sun touching your face after it had been raining for days. Like the heat of a shower in the morning that you never want to leave. And it buzzed against my skin, making it come alive.
My lips parted in surprise and awe. His fingers wrapped more firmly around mine, barely veiled strength in them.
“Can you feel that?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
“Are you doing that?”
“No. It has nothing to do with me. Or not only me. It’s us.”
The way he said the world thrilled me. Us. It felt like that. Just us in the world, only the two of us who could communicate with each other without ever having to speak. Because right now I could feel the same awe he felt. I could see the amazement in his eyes. I could fee how badly he wanted to do more than touch my hands.
But the bars still separated us.
After a moment, he pulled his hands away and stepped back. My skin cooled, the hum fading away and making me feel almost…empty.
He stared at his hands, clearly feeling it too. “There’s a word for this,” he murmured.
“What?”
Jacob dropped his hands. One moment, we were sharing something amazing, and the next, he was closed off again. But I wasn’t going to give up.
“Are you really a vampire?” I asked.
His gaze flicked to the door. Just beyond were other deputies and people who worked in the police station. If they heard me, they’d probably think I was crazy. But his desire to keep this between us proved I was right.
“This isn’t something we can talk about here.”
“Then let me out,” I said. “You can see I’m not dangerous. I just want answers.”
“I want answers, too.”
I released the bars and nodded. “We can help each other.”
He debated this, looking like he might walk away right then.
“Please,” I said.
His eyes came back to mine, looking dark and dangerous. He could snap me like a twig. But I believed, deep down, that he wouldn’t hurt me.
“You realize the risk you’re taking asking me things you have no right to ask,” he told me.
I shivered in spite of myself. I knew how dangerous he could be. The man who told me about these vampires—about all vampires—had told me stories that had chilled me to the bone. But I also knew that this particular vampire had done something good.
And right now, I could hardly think of anything else but him. If he was really so horrible, how could we have such an amazing connection? Or was he really tricking me and this wasn’t real?
I trusted my gut. It said this was real, and this was worth the risk.
“I can tell you about the man who told me to come here,” I said.
His gaze snapped to mine. “Just one? Or was it a group?”
“Please. Get me out of here. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
His jaw clenched, and then he nodded. “I’ll be back.”
He vanished through the door, returning a few moments later with Chris. He unlocked the cell and didn’t say a word as I followed Jacob outside to the cloudy afternoon.
Jacob still pulled sunglasses over his eyes. “Come with me,” he said.
Keeping my satchel close, I got into his car, knowing things were going to change forever.
He drove us away from town. I kept thinking of questions I wanted to ask him but kept deciding I wanted to wait until I had his full attention. Until I could see his face as he responded. And there was no guarantee that he would respond anyway.
“Where are you from?” he asked as we left houses behind and started toward the trees.
“Colorado, actually. At least that’s the place I remember most. We moved a lot when I was young. I was born in Florida and my parents moved here soon after. We lived in Boulder. That’s when…” I trailed off. That was when I’d seen him. When we’d been coming back home from a trip.
I looked over to see his face. He had one hand loose on the wheel. He looked like he was focused on driving, but I doubted that. I figured he was more focused on just what he was going to say to me. And what he should hold back.
“I’ve been in Chicago for the last five years, although I make it out to New York a lot,” I continued.
“To speak with your publisher,” he said.
I nodded. “Yes.”
My eyes automatically dropped to his other hand, which was nestled casually on the console between us. Part of me wanted to reach out and touch him, to run my fingers along the veins in his hands. To feel the warmth spread through me.
But I didn’t know how Jacob would take it. Though I doubted he would hurt me, he seemed unpredictable. He seemed…like he wasn’t sure whether to accept what was happening between us or shut it down.
He had years of experience—years more than me, at least. He knew how to control his emotions better. Maybe it was different as a vampire anyway. Maybe emotions weren’t as strong. Maybe everything was different.
I wanted answers to those questions and more.
But mostly, I wanted to thank him for saving my mom’s life. I don’t know why he had done it, but I owed him my life.
When we wound down a familiar road, I realized we were going back to his house. My car was still parked in the drive, and he parked next to it.
I buried my surprise. It made sense, I guess. Here, we could talk freely. A chill worked its way through me. We could be alone.
We both got out and he led the way to the door. We stopped before he opened it, and he raised his eyebrows at me, as if to ask, “Are you sure you really want to do this?”
I was. I needed this. Not just because I’d been searching for him my whole life, but maybe even more because of our recent connection. I couldn’t turn away; I couldn’t leave him.
Something inside made me sure that we were meant to be in each other’s lives.
When we stepped inside, an older man walked up with a nod. “Mr. Westington.”
Jacob smiled at him, a sincere smile that transformed his face. He cared for this man. I couldn’t say how badly I wanted that smile aimed at me.
“This is Hawk Verity,” Jacob told the man. “And Hawk, this is Mr. Dupont.”
I shook the man’s hand, finding it warm. Human. Or, at least, I thought so. I was beginning to wonder if I really knew human from vampire anymore. Or, at this point, if it really mattered.
“Shall I make coffee?” Mr. Dupont asked.
They both looked at me. “Are you going to have something?” I asked Jacob.
This seemed to amuse him. “Coffee will be fine,” he told the butler. He gestured down the hallway, careful to keep from touching me. “The library, I think.”
I took my time getting there, so I could take in as much of the house as possible. It was like going back in time. The house looked very British, with antiques everywhere and dark wood. I halfway expected to turn the corner and find a set of stairs winding to a tower.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, stopping to look at a painting. It showed Jacob, looking exactly the same as he looked now. Dark hair that was long enough to touch his collar in back, dark eyes, and perfect posture. “How old is this?”
“Nearly 100 years,” he said without hesitation.
It surprised me that he told me the truth. He hadn’t admitted outright yet that he was a vampire, but maybe he figured we were past that.
I still hoped he’d answer my questions. Not just about how he saved my mom that night, but about vampires in general.
He gave me a rare smile. “I had it commissioned by a very well-known painter.”
I immediately searched for a name in the bottom corner, but he angled his head at the same time. “This way.”
I gave up the search and followed him into the library, already distracted again. As a writer, I’d done my share of travel and research, and I’d seen some pretty amazing places and met some amazing people, but this whole experience was already at the top of my list.
The library had a wall of windows on the far side, which showcased the forest. Snow still graced limbs of trees and shadows underneath.
“I bet this is amazing in the summer,” I said.
“Precisely why I built it. A whole bank of windows so I can feel the sun.”
He faced the windows, hands locked behind his back in the same pose from the picture in the hallway.
“You’re okay with the sun, then?” I asked, coming to stand next to him.
Jacob didn’t look away from the view. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures. The heat warming my skin…”
He didn’t have to finish. He was probably reminded of how it felt when we touched.
I moved my hand just slightly, letting my fingers brush against his. “Kind of like this?”
His jaw clenched. I was testing him, I knew. But I couldn’t seem to stop wanting to touch him.
“Do you not fear for your life?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“You saved my mother’s life. I owe you mine.”
His shocked eyes met mine, so much feeling in them I couldn’t stop myself. I reached up, my fingers running along his jaw and to his cheek, the tingling warmth traveling up my arm. It was addictive.
“Don’t say that,” he answered, voice rough. “Every life is precious. Your mom would tell you the same thing.”
I lowered my hand. “You’re right. My mom would have said the same thing.” When his gaze held mine, I added, “She died a year ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She had a full life she never would have had without you. I’ve been looking for you all these years, trying to make truth of what I thought I’d seen. I almost stopped so many times because I thought maybe I was crazy. I devoted my whole career to uncover the supernatural and the paranormal. All of that so I could try to find you. And now I have.”
I released a slow breath, unable to express to him how important this was. The culmination of a lifetime of work. It had finally come to this.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “That’s not nearly enough. But, thank you.”
His eyes darkened. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, I only knew this was a moment I’d never forget. And I was compelled by a force completely beyond my control now.
With another breath, I leaned in, stopping with his mouth an inch from my own.
“Thank you,” I said again, my voice hoarse.
He didn’t move for a long moment, and the next thing I knew, his hands were on me.