If we were tied to each other by blood and pleasure? Yes. It would be terrible. Because Devraj would be leaving soon, rejoining his glittering world where he was a movie star and much sought-after Stygorn. His expertise was in high demand as Jules had told me, so there was no doubt he’d leave New Orleans. Leave me behind. Because life outside of my gardens, my shop, and my life with my sisters didn’t work for me. I’d never leave. Never. Not even for a legendary blood-mate.

The sharp tang of fear merged with a swelling of hope. I swallowed against the sudden lump that had formed in my throat, then I looked away, focusing on the sharp angle of his jaw, the masculine lines of his neck.

What the hell was I going to do with myself now? I was already hurting from the loss of him, and he was still here.

“I’m really tired, Devraj.”

I could feel his gaze pouring over my face, but I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want him to see what I truly felt. He was too astute at reading people. After an awkward, tension-filled moment, he brushed a hand from my crown and down to cup my cheek. Leaning forward, he pressed a tender kiss to my lips.

“Goodnight, Isadora.”

“Goodnight.”

He swept off the bed in vampire speed, standing in the open doorway of my balcony. “Lock these doors when I leave.”

I nodded. Scooting to stand, I realized I was naked. I wrapped a throw at the end of the bed around me and met him at the open doorway, reaching to close the doors. I jumped when I felt his knuckles sweep down my jaw again.

“Look at me, Isadora.”

Bracing myself, I did, trying not to let my depth of emotion show there. He gave me one of those sweet smiles, the one that felt like it was just for me. One that told me maybe, just maybe, he was feeling the same way.

How could a man like Devraj fit into my world? We were just too vastly different. I’d never want to be with a man who lived in the spotlight. And there’s no way he’d never want to be with a woman whose highlight of the week was visiting an animal shelter. Would he?

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked sweetly.

“Tomorrow,” I said, forcing a smile.

With one more lingering glance, he disappeared over my balcony. I shut and locked the doors, then crawled into bed. I traced my fingers over the puncture wound in my neck, unable to deny the sigh of pleasure and sad smile it brought me.

Devraj had marked me well, and it would be hard to hide our relationship now. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I’d known I’d fall hard if I took that step back into his arms, so I only had myself to blame. Still, it didn’t make this any easier. I knew without any doubt that when he left, it would crush me. Break me. I closed my eyes, feeling a tear slide down my cheek, knowing no other man would ever compare to my beautiful vampire.

Chapter 27

~DEVRAJ~

I waited for Isadora. Very impatiently. Pacing in the living room, I checked the clock on the wall again. I’d texted her first thing this morning, and she said she’d try to come by. When I’d texted back in all caps I NEED YOU TO COME OVER, she’d simply sent back a smiley face.

She probably thought I wanted to fuck her into the stratosphere again, which I did, but that wasn’t why I wanted her to come over.

I glanced down at my new roommate who’d been keeping pace with me in the living room, his brown eyes partially obscured by the scruffy tuft of red hair on his head.

“Not sure she’s coming, buddy.”

He yipped. Then I heard a knock at the back door.

Tracing in a split second, I swung the door open, my heart tripping at the sight of her as it always did. Today, she wore well-worn jeans and a loose T-shirt with a thin yellow cardigan. I rarely saw her in jeans, and I had a split-second thought that she was denying me the easy access of her little dresses and nightgowns, but that would be ridiculous, right? We had the most intense sexual experience of our lives together last night. I knew she’d felt it as much as I did. She’d come so hard she fucking fainted.

And I’d fallen so hard, I knew she had to be mine. For as long as my heart was beating.

Her magic in my name. When I got home, I pulled the paper out and traced her handwriting with my fingers before pressing it to my lips. Isadora cared so deeply for me, and I knew it from the powerful punch of magic that pulsed from my six-letter name. It screamed from the scrap of parchment—deep, possessive feelings of longing and want. And more. But I couldn’t think about it too much because it made my chest ache.

She was conflicted; there was no doubt. She wanted me, but she didn’t. So I was going to do everything in my power to pull her over to my way of thinking. Because I had forever on my mind.

She gave me a tight smile, then her gaze fell to the little guy at my feet who greeted her with a tilted head and wagging stubby tail like he’d lived here all his life, not less than twenty-four hours.

“Archie!” she squealed and fell to her knees right inside my doorstep.

He barked and twirled enthusiastically in a circle before planting both paws on her lap as she showered him with love. Yet again, my heart ached as I crouched beside her, soaking in the pure joy on her sweet face.

“How—?” she started then laughed when Archie licked her hands then darted to her handbag, nudging to get inside. “How is he here?” She looked at me with disbelief, still petting him.

“Believe it or not, Miss Savoie, I’m an upstanding citizen, and some people deem me responsible enough to adopt a dog.”

“I just… I can’t believe he’s here.” She scooped him into her arms and hugged him tight, then looked at my curiously. “I didn’t know you even liked dogs.”

I shrugged. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

While petting Archie, her focus on him, she added, “But who will take care of him when you’re off doing Stygorn business? Or Bollywood business?”

Hmm. Lots of tells there, sweet Isadora.

I crouched down next to her and scratched him behind the ear. “I’m sure I can find someone to puppysit for me.”

“So everywhere you move, you’ll have to find someone new to watch him? That seems difficult to manage for someone like you.”

“What do you mean someone like me?” I watched her face while she avoided mine.

“You’re just very, you know, busy. Moving a lot can also cause animals stress. Did you know that twenty to forty percent of dogs suffer from separation anxiety? I mean, Archie will get attached to you, then you’ll go off on business or pleasure or whatever, and I just wouldn’t want him to be lonely. At least at Angel Paws, he had his canine friends and my weekly visits.”

Bloody hell. She was working her way up into her own fit of anxiety.

“Well, there’s an easy fix for that. You’ll just have to come over for frequent visits, won’t you?”

She finally glanced up at me. I was on my knees, sitting on my heels, hands fixed on my thighs so I wouldn’t grab hold and kiss the hell out of her to stop her insane cycle of what-ifs.

She let out a sad little laugh, sounding similar to how she did last night before I left her. “Sure. I could do that. Until you move off to Bolivia or Nepal or something.”

“Why would I move to Nepal?”

“I’m sure there are bad vampires to chase in places like Nepal.”

Her predictions of specific far-away destinations almost made me smile. Except she actually believed I was about to ship off thousands of miles away to remote, exotic locales.

“I suppose I’ll just have to stay here in New Orleans then.”

Her eyes rounded. “Why would you do that?”

“Can’t you guess?”

Her pulse quickened, thumping faster as she held my gaze, a frown forming as her mouth hung open in confusion. How could she possibly be confused by that? Didn’t she know I was crazy about her? I wasn’t ready for this to end anytime soon. I just needed her to take a chance on us.

“Devraj, we don’t fit…long-term.”

Acid burned in my stomach. But that had nothing on what her words had done to my heart, slicing it with soft, little syllables.

“Why not?”

“Seriously?” She raised her brow, looking at me like I was a child. She petted Archie absentmindedly who was now curled quietly in her lap, her gaze sweeping the living room beyond the foyer. “You drive million-dollar cars and collect ancient relics and marble statues and hang around with movie stars. Hell, you are a movie star. While I like to plant pansies and make herb bundles and visit dogs in shelters. I mean”—she scoffed in disbelief—“come on.”

“So you’re saying I’m too shallow and materialistic?” Though my words might’ve been biting, I kept my voice soft and calm while a storm raged inside.

“No!” Her frown deepened. “That’s not what I’m saying. We just don’t match, don’t you see?”

“I think we’ve been matching rather well.”

“That’s just sex, Devraj.”

“Really? Is it?”

Again, her face flushed with confusion and a deep blush. “It’s good.”

“It’s better than good,” I said with conviction.

She nodded. “I’ll admit that. But you’ll get bored eventually. This is exciting because it’s new, but over time, you’ll see we don’t mesh beyond the bedroom.”

She was literally tearing me apart. I could feel something crushing and crumbling inside of me. That’s when I realized she honestly didn’t know me as well as I knew her. Yes, I’d told her about my past, but I didn’t tell her about my present. That the reason I dragged these ancient relics around the world with me was because I longed for a home, longed for a place that always made me feel welcome and not so very alone. Like I’d been feeling since the night I’d met her.

My career as a Bollywood actor had been over for several years now, but she didn’t know that either. I hadn’t bothered to tell her because I was too busy spinning my web of charm as I liked to do with a woman I pursued. I needed her to know that this thing, as she’d called it, was far more than a brief sexual arrangement.