Gena was exhausted the next evening. Marcus had been keeping her awake the whole day in preparation for the psychic. If the psychic was going to see into Gena’s dreams, she’d have to be sleeping, and for her to sleep on command, Marcus had made it his mission to let her get no rest. Not even a catnap.

By the time seven o’clock rolled around, Gena was more than cranky. She was downright hostile. Her head pounded and her eyelids felt like lead bricks.

Marcus thought it was hilarious.

She wanted to be furious with him every time he laughed at her pain or threw a piece of popcorn at her to keep her awake, but she knew he was trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

He’d taught her a lot about vampires as they passed the daylight hours inside the dark penthouse. The most important knowledge she’d taken was how to hurt them.

There were lots of untruths sprinkled in the vampire mythology. The vampires had planted these to protect themselves. Simple things like reflections and holy water were all made up. That way, if they were ever accused of being a vampire, they could just hold up a mirror or drink water from the church to prove they weren’t demons.

The cross myth was partial truth. All vampires are highly reactive to silver, so a silver crucifix could burn them to the touch and cause them excruciating pain if it pierced the skin, but the cross itself did nothing to them.

This led to the even stranger revelation of the stash of weapons Marcus had hidden in the penthouse. A varied assortment of silver daggers and swords were in the closets and drawers around the living space and kitchen. There was a sword under the bed and even more daggers in the bathroom.

As if that wasn’t enough, Marcus even had a handgun loaded with specially made silver bullets.

Though the silver could cause intense pain, it would only kill if the heart was destroyed or if the head was removed. Well, that wasn’t specific to silver. Though legend said only a wood stake could kill a vampire, really any instrument that destroyed the heart would do the trick.

Gena hadn’t been happy to learn all of this, but they both believed it was necessary for her to learn how to defend herself. She just hoped she’d never have to utilize any of the knowledge.

Because of the vampires who might pop in for a visit at any moment, Marcus thought it would be best if she kept the gun with her. His reasoning was that it would be safer for her to have some form of self-defense, and he’d have Vlad bring him another gun for himself in the evening.

Despite the seriousness of their situations, not all their day was talk on how to kill a vampire. Most was spent lounging on the sofa with Lady curled up next to her as she watched various movies with Marcus. If she weren’t so tired, waiting for a psychic to tell her why she wasn’t dying, or learning about how to kill vampires, it might’ve been a relaxing day.

When the intercom finally buzzed, Gena breathed out a sigh of anticipation. Was this really going to work? She stood back as Marcus opened the door. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t the young girl who stood in the entryway.

She couldn’t be more than eighteen and had wispy blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans. The backpack over her shoulder identified her as a student. Gena frowned. “You’re a psychic?”

The girl smiled. “Yep. I’m Mia.” She narrowed her eyes at Gena. “Sorry I’m not a sixty-year-old gypsy with crazy long hair and lots of bracelets.” Apparently this was a sore spot for her.

Gena was speechless. She didn’t mean to offend her. Before she could apologize, Marcus defended her by saying, “She has been through a lot. You give her any more shit, I will throw you out of here quicker than you can say abracadabra.”

Mia turned her glare to Marcus. “I’m not a magician.”

Marcus changed topics. “Is there anything immediately noticeable about her?” He motioned to Gena.

Mia looked over at Gena and Gena fidgeted under the scrutiny.

“Are you kidding? This girl’s glowing brighter than a Christmas tree.”

Just like Ryan had said. “What does that mean?” asked Gena.

Mia shrugged. “I’ve never met anyone with an aura like that. I have seen a few on the streets, but you don’t just walk up to a mystical being and ask what they are, if you know what I mean.”

Gena could see how that would be awkward. “So I’m not the only one? Are you sure that makes me mystical?”

Mia responded, “Well, I’m not sure of anything yet. I am sure I’ve seen bright white auras before. As for you being mystical, isn’t your seeming inability to die the reason I’m here?”

That would be mystical, thought Gena. “That whole ‘dying thing’ has been an issue for me lately.”

Mia smiled. “Unfortunately, I’m not on speaking terms with a lot of others like me, so I can’t ask anyone what you might be. Vlad told me you have night terrors and you want me to try to read you during these terrors.”

Gena nodded. “Why aren’t you speaking with other psychics?”

“Let’s just focus on you right now,” said Mia. “I can try to read your dreams. However, true night terrors are not related to nightmares. If there are dreams causing these outbursts, I will be able to see them.”

Gena was relieved she might be getting answers. “What if I don’t have any? They only come once every couple of months and I had one last night.”

“Well, we can at least try. If these terrors are supernatural, they’ll be much more likely to happen tonight. Marcus is probably acting like a beacon and my presence will enhance that beacon.”

Gena looked over to Marcus, who gave her an apologetic smile. “Whatever you do tonight, Gena will be safe?” he asked.

“I can’t imagine why not. All she has to do is sleep,” said Mia.

“Let’s get started,” said Gena.

Fifteen minutes later, Gena was lying in Marcus’s bed with Mia and Marcus both looking at her. “This isn’t awkward at all,” muttered Gena.

“I know it isn’t ideal, but he won’t leave.” Mia was right. Marcus refused to leave her alone with a stranger, no matter how small and harmless she looked.

Mia continued, “Just close your eyes and try to relax. You were tired before I got here, right?”

Gena nodded with her eyes closed.

“You will fall asleep eventually. Even if it takes a while, I’m not going anywhere. Just keep those eyes closed until you fade away,” said Mia with a soft whisper.

Sure enough, Gena did eventually drift away.

––––––––

––––––––

Marcus was useless at the moment. Gena was still in a deep sleep, and Mia was in a trance-like state next to her on the bed. One of the small blonde’s hands rested gently on Gena’s forehead while Mia’s eyes were also closed and her head was tilted back against the wall.

Marcus paced out into the living room. He could only take so much helplessness at a time. The previous night’s serving had almost been too much for him to bear.

He didn’t regret killing the human, though he did regret he was put in a situation where murder was his only option. Rok and his people, whoever they were, had to be stopped. They obviously had no regard for human or vampire life, and that made them incredibly dangerous.

If they ever came into power, the casualties would be too high to risk. Now Marcus needed to infiltrate their operation even more than ever. He’d known he’d have to prove himself somehow. He’d even guessed he’d have to shed blood to do so.

Marcus hoped having Gena pretend to be his human would show how far he was willing to go, but he also knew his refusal to share her was a mark against him.

If one man’s death would save so many others, he didn’t regret being the one to cause that death. He’d never expected Gena to agree.

He knew he had blood on him when he’d arrived back at the penthouse the night before. He didn’t know what he would have done if she’d given him the look of disgust he was expecting. He’d hoped to get out of the soiled clothes and into the shower before she noticed anything. Instead, she’d jumped on him the moment he’d entered the apartment.

All of his efforts to avoid her had been fruitless, and she’d ended up seeing the exact red marks he was trying to hide. Seeing her moving the bloody material away to see where he was hurt had felt like a knife in his gut. He couldn’t process the thought of her with a murdered human’s blood on her hands.

Sometime while he’d been frantically scrubbing her hands clean, she pieced the dots together. Instead of running in horror or condemning him, she quickly saw the bigger picture. She’d defended him against himself.

Seeing her standing so strong against all his darkness had been too much. He forgot all about his promise not to touch her, and their kiss had been earth-shattering. Even now he was cursing Vlad for calling and making him remember that stupid promise he’d made.

He’d hoped Gena would give him some sort of encouragement to take her back to the bed, but she’d gone on as if nothing had happened.

He could still feel her bare skin against his palms. How her breasts filled his hands just right. He was damn proud of himself for keeping his hands to himself since their kiss had been interrupted. However, he could’ve sworn the dog had been giving him the evil eye all day, as if Lady knew exactly what he was thinking.

Not that the day had been bad, by any stretch of the imagination. They had watched some good movies and had some good conversations. The more he learned of her, the more he realized just how normal her life had been before.

He wasn’t sure what they could do to find out what she was if Mia couldn’t help them. Whatever he did, he had to be careful not to piss Gena off, considering he’d now given her detailed instructions and the means to kill a vampire.

He never felt comfortable telling anyone his weaknesses, but Gena deserved to know how to defend herself. He hadn’t planned to give her his gun, but she insisted she knew how to use it, and he knew it was likely he’d be leaving her alone in the apartment a few more times.

Considering that she was so much weaker and slower than a vampire, the gun might be her best chance. She probably couldn’t kill one, but she could possibly slow one down long enough to get away.

The silver daggers were his weapon of choice, but impractical for a human, or human-like being. By the time she was close enough to use the dagger, she was probably screwed anyway.

Hopefully her unique ability to not die would hold up even if she did get hurt. In order to know the rules of her ability, she’d have to have one hell of a nightmare for Mia to see.

Just then, he heard a commotion from the bedroom. He used his full speed to get to Gena’s side.

Gena lightly thrashed on the bed while Mia still held one hand at her forehead with her eyes closed. Without opening her eyes, Mia said, “Something is happening. It’s not a dream. This is something different...” Her brow creased as though she concentrated harder. “She’s in a field in the darkness.” Mia’s head tilted to the side as though she was trying to see better. “She is not alone. She is surrounded by people. They’re dressed strangely. I don’t think this is happening presently. I think she is seeing something that happened long ago.”

Marcus held his breath as he willed Mia to continue.

“There’s an old woman being held back by a man as a second man questions her. Gena is worried for the woman’s safety. The woman is not answering the questions being asked of her. Gena is surrounded by other women. They are all scared. Some are crying. Gena is trying to hear what the men are saying, but she cannot over the other women’s tears. The man questioning the older woman hits her and she falls. Gena screams and runs to the woman’s side.”

Marcus clenched his fists as he forced himself to remain still. Every fiber of him wanted to wake Gena from this horror story in her mind.

“One of the men grabs Gena’s hair and pulls her back. She struggles, but she is no match for the man.” Mia paused for a moment. “These men are vampires.”

Marcus’s eyes widened at the statement.

Mia continued, “The vampire holding her is about to throw her back to the other scared women, but he stops. Instead, he reverses directions and pulls her to the vampire who interrogated and struck the older woman.”

At that moment, Gena let out a scared whimper in her sleep and thrashed heavily, as if trying to wiggle out of someone’s grasp. Marcus clenched his fists to prevent himself from waking her from the nightmare.

“Gena can hear now. The interrogator asks her where ‘he’ is. Gena shakes her head. She doesn’t know who the man is asking about. The interrogator pushes her hair back from her neck,” Mia said as a disgusted shudder ran through Gena’s sleeping body. At this point, Marcus had no doubts Mia was seeing exactly what Gena was.

“The interrogator points out bite wounds on her neck. She had been bitten by a vampire. These men are looking for the vampire who bit her. They think the women have killed him. She promises that the man who hurt her is not dead. This gets the interrogator’s attention. Gena assures him that he is alive, but has left and she doesn’t know where he has gone.

“The interrogator uses his mind control to see if she is telling the truth. His influence doesn’t work on her, but he doesn’t know that, and she’s telling the truth anyway. Gena sees he believes her and hopes the men will leave her and the other women alone.”

Mia gasped in shock as a frown crossed her face and Gena let out a gut-wrenching scream. “The interrogator bites Gena. She struggles, but can’t get away. All around her, other women are being murdered. Some are being drained, but most are just being cut down by other vampires.” As Gena still screamed, a tear rolled down Mia’s cheek.

Marcus shook with anger. He walked over to the screaming Gena to wake her from the nightmare, but Mia’s hand shot up and stopped him. He didn’t even know she was aware of what was happening outside of Gena’s head. “If the vision hasn’t stopped yet, there’s a reason,” she said.

Marcus forced himself to take a step back as Gena’s screams slowly died down. Mia continued, “He feeds from her until she’s mostly dead. The vampires get up to leave while making plans to find the one they came looking for. As they leave, Gena’s vision starts to blur. A bright light appears in front of her. She thinks it’s calling her to heaven. It’s not God. There’s a woman walking toward her, wearing all white. She is crying but Gena is still dying. The woman promises this will never happen again. She promises to keep her safe next time. The woman holds Gena as she stops breathing.”

Mia’s eyes opened at the same moment Gena bolted upright in bed while letting out a loud scream. Marcus rushed to the bed and rested a calming hand on Gena’s arm. Her hands went to his shoulders as she tried to catch her breath and compose herself. “Did it work?” she asked breathlessly. “What did you see?”

Mia cautiously got up from the bed. “You don’t remember anything?”

Gena shook her head. “I never do. Was it some sort of dream?”

“It was more like a memory,” said Mia.

Gena raised a brow. “I don’t have any memories that make me scream like that.”

Mia looked to Marcus. “You’ve never met Gena before a week ago?”

“Not even before a few days ago.”

“You’ve never met anyone who looked or acted a lot like her?” she asked.

Marcus held back his anger. “Did you see me in the vision?”

Mia paused, and he could tell she chose her words carefully. “The women they were attacking were not normal women. They were nuns. The vampire they were looking for was named Marcus.”

Marcus felt as though the ground had been ripped from beneath him. “What the fuck are you saying?”

A flash of fear crossed Mia’s face. “I can only tell you what I saw. Gena is reliving a memory of someone I think you knew a long time ago.”

In a blur of motion, Marcus was on Mia. He pushed her against the ledge that overlooked the rest of the apartment. With a hand around her throat, he lifted her until her feet no longer touched the floor. “Who sent you?”

“Let her go!” Gena screamed.

Marcus was too enraged to listen to anyone. “Who told you to tell those lies?” he shouted at the psychic.

“No one!” screamed Mia back at him, as best she could with his hand cutting off her air. “Your current girlfriend and your dead girlfriend are the same person!”

At the crazy accusation, Marcus was sorely tempted to throw the small woman over the ledge. Before he had the chance to really consider it, a sharp burning coursed through his hand. He quickly dropped Mia the safe five inches to the ground and looked over to Gena, who held the flat surface of a silver dagger against his hand. He grasped the silver from Gena and tossed it out of reach.

“Why would she lie? Think, Marcus!” yelled Gena.

Why would Mia lie to him? He’d never met her or heard of her before a few hours ago. She could be working for anyone. Who would want to bring Mary into this? He’d never told anyone about her. How could someone have found out about Mary?

Marcus looked between the completely freaked out Gena and the calm but cautious Mia.

“Your vision is fucking wrong,” he spat at Mia before he turned and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door on his way out. He probably broke the damn thing, but he didn’t care at that point. He just needed to get away from those two women. One of whom was apparently his Mary.

He didn’t believe it for a second. Mary had been so young and innocent. Innocent to the ways of the supernatural and of men. Physically, she and Gena had nothing in common. Mary had pale everything. She had beautiful pale blonde hair with eyes such a light shade of blue they almost looked white. Combined with her white as alabaster skin, Mary had had the kind of ethereal beauty men killed for. Hell, vampires killed for. Marcus knew every vampire at that massacre that day, and he’d made sure not one died an easy death.

Gena was practically the opposite in appearance. She had dark hair and dark blue eyes. Tall where Mary was short and curvy where Mary was thin. She was still beautiful—just a different, darker beauty. She wasn’t the same type of innocent as Mary. Gena had been with men before. She worked at a hospital and had seen the horrors one man could do to another.

Hell, she’d personally felt the horror one man could do to her. Did that make her less innocent? By virtue of the time Gena had lived in, her experiences would be very different. Hell, not growing up in a convent would be enough of a change.

But she was still innocent. Her heart was pure. He had seen enough corruption to know innocence when he saw it. Even as Ryan attacked her in her own home, she’d tried to stab him where she knew it wouldn’t be fatal.

But that didn’t make them the same person. He tried to think about other similarities. They had both found themselves in extraordinary situations and managed to handle themselves very well. They were also both quick to smile. They both loved animals. Mary had told him once that whenever she was sad, she could find solace in the fields watching the horses graze, and he’d seen how tightly Gena would hold Lady without even being aware she was doing so.

By this point, Marcus was miles away from his apartment. He hadn’t even been aware how quickly he was walking. He stopped and leaned his back against a building to collect himself. He brought his shaking hands to his face and brushed his hair back. What was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to say to Gena? That she might be his old girlfriend and, because of him, she and all of her sisters at the convent were brutally murdered?

“I can help you,” came a voice from behind him.

Marcus jerked toward the voice. No one had snuck up on him in centuries. This woman didn’t seem like anything special. She was pretty enough, with light blonde hair almost the same color as the fitted white pantsuit she wore. Marcus could tell she wasn’t a vampire, but he was also aware she wasn’t human.

Marcus stared at her cautiously. “Who are you?”

“My name is Anael,” she said. “I am Gena’s mother.”

Marcus looked her over once more, noting her light coloring. “Gena or Mary?”

Anael tilted her head toward him in acknowledgment. “Both,” she said. “Mary’s body was half mine. Gena’s body is formed from her mortal parents, but her soul and Mary’s are the same.”

Marcus sighed at the confirmation that Gena and Mary were the same. “You waited until now to say this? If you knew all along what was happening to Gena, why didn’t you help her?” he asked, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

He could see the guilt plainly in Anael’s eyes. “You have to understand, this was not my choosing. I was never supposed to have a daughter. Her father was one of the most noble men I had ever known. He was meant to die while saving his village from destruction. He was knowingly planning on setting the enemy’s camp on fire, fully aware they would catch him. That fire gave all of his people a chance to escape and live.”

Marcus stared blankly at the woman in front of him. She had to be crazy. “That’s great for you. He sounds like a great guy but I don’t see what Mary’s father from five centuries ago has to do with you fucking ignoring her now.”

She winced at the language, but Marcus refused to feel bad.

“My own hubris overtook me. I was fascinated with what we could create with half of me and half of the noblest man I’d ever encountered. I could not save him, but I could carry on his lineage. When it was found out that I carried a half-mortal baby, there were consequences to be paid. She could live with me, sheltered from all humans her entire immortal life, or she could be raised with the mortals.”

Marcus interrupted her before she could go any further. “What are you? What is she?”

Anael’s pale blue eyes met his. “In this country, you would call me an angel.”

Marcus took that like a punch in the gut. “I fell in love with an angel?”

Anael ignored his question and continued her story. “We are not like mortals. We do have emotions, but they are not as strong as a human’s or vampire’s. For me to keep a half-mortal daughter with me would cause nothing but suffering for the child.

“So I left her at the convent. The women there could give her all the loving I never could. When she was murdered, I gathered her soul as she died. I kept it safe until I found the perfect family for her. They had been trying for years for a baby, but their own offspring never survived in the mother’s womb longer than a few months.”

Marcus finished the story for her. “And it was all well and good until Ryan saw her aura was a bit brighter than a normal mortal’s?”

Anael nodded. “An aura is a glimpse into the soul. Gena will always have that.”

“So why didn’t you collect her soul again this time?” asked Marcus.

“I’m no fool. She had two mortal bodies and both were brutally murdered at a young age. She was never destined to exist. I believe this is nature’s way of trying to eradicate her. Instead, I brought her back with a stronger body. One capable of healing itself if needed.”

“So she can’t die now?”

“Her body can heal itself of almost anything on its own, but the basics are still fatal. Destroying the heart or head. However, if I or my brethren are watching over her when this happens, we can hold her soul and prepare a new body for her. I made sure her new body looked like the mortal one she was used to. Because I broke the rules, Mary was never to know I existed. When I came to her as she was dying, she was never allowed to have any memory of that day. That didn’t stop her from seeing it in dreams. So every time she would dream it, she would forget it. Gena has no idea who Mary is or what she looks like. It was only logical to have the new body look like Gena.”

Marcus nodded. “Only logical,” he said with a sardonic tone.

Anael narrowed her eyes at him. “I can understand your distaste for what I have done. No matter your feelings for me, I sent Gena to you so you could keep her safe.”

That caught Marcus’s attention. “You sent her to me?”

Anael shrugged. “In a way. I made sure Hope would take her to Vlad so she would see you there. When Ryan tracked her, I made sure I tried to force her to leave. It was too late and he cornered her. However, the part of my plan to connect her to you did work. A part of you must have recognized Mary. Why else would you have followed her?”

Marcus took a deep breath to control his rage. “You’ve been manipulating us this entire time.”

“I can’t change your feelings. Anything you felt for Mary or for Gena were and are real. All I can do is subtly influence. I never wanted you with Mary. It broke my heart when she said she would leave with you. Now I am beginning to believe that you’re the one being in the universe who cares as much for her as I do.”

Marcus couldn’t take it anymore. “I barely know her!” he shouted at the angel in front of him.

Anael was unfazed. “I’ve seen into your future, Marcus. I looked into it the moment you first set eyes on Mary. Do you know what that future holds? Nothing. You will be alone for the rest of your existence if your destiny plays out the way it was intended.”

Marcus contemplated whether he’d be sent straight to hell if he punched an angel.

Anael continued, “It doesn’t have to be that way. Gena has no destiny. She was never supposed to exist. You can be together for the rest of your immortal lives. All you have to do is guide and protect her in ways I cannot.”

“So Gena is supposed to be my consolation prize from a destiny that screwed me over?” asked Marcus.

Anael shook her head. “It’s only a consolation prize if you don’t truly love her. You loved Mary. You loved her enough to change sides in the war and offer her an eternity with you. Gena and Mary are the same in all the ways that matter. I know you can love her too. You are half in love with her already.”

“Why was I destined to be alone?” Marcus needed to know why fate would damn him to an eternity of emptiness.

“Destiny is a strange thing. There is always a point of beginning and a point of ending. Sometimes on the way from one point to another, things do not go as planned. There was never meant to be a vampire war. Kirill was always meant to win. No matter what, destiny would see to it that he would emerge the victor. If you never met Mary, you would’ve fought against Kirill and died.

“Instead of fighting against destiny, you switched sides and fought for it. There was no need for you to die after the switch. However, though you remained alive, there was no other soul that was marked for you. You were always destined to be alone. Because Gena and Mary were never supposed to exist, they also do not have a soul paired for them. Somehow you were drawn to her. I think, even though there is no destiny at play, you’re meant for each other.”

Anael abruptly jerked her head to the left, as if listening to someone he couldn’t see or hear. “I am being called back. I was not supposed to talk to you about any of this. I’ll not be able to come back.” Anael walked up to Marcus and grabbed his hands in hers. He felt the strangest sort of electrical current shoot through him.

“I have been watching you two since the beginning. At first I tried to protect her from you, but now I see I never needed to. Instead, I should have relied on you to protect her. Please watch over my daughter in a way I never could.”

He could see the pure sadness and helplessness behind her eyes. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know whether he could promise to look after Gena. How could he even start to comprehend that his Mary and Gena were one and the same, let alone half angel?

He never had a chance to answer Anael. She gasped as she suddenly disappeared from his sight, and his hands closed in where they had just been holding her hands.

He could not promise to spend the rest of his life protecting Gena. He just couldn’t.

However, he wasn’t averse to trying.