Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“I don’t know.” She pressed her lips together. “This morning I was a normal woman, you know. I had a friend and I lived as part of a wolf pack, and kind of crushing on this very old vampire. Now, I’m being told I am one of the most powerful beings in the world. A cult wants to drain my blood, and my parents were supposedly an abomination because they fell in love—enemies, blood enemies—and they had me. They knew happiness for a short time, way too short a time.” She sniffled. Just thinking about the love they had, that she’d seen. Life had been so unfair to them, cruel even. “It’s a lot to take in.”
He moved to sit beside her and took her hand within his.
“Crazy Lizzie also said…”
“What?”
“That we’re … mates. Kind of like Elle and Brandon.”
“We are.”
“Are you happy about that?” she asked.
“I am. I knew vampires could find a person to love, but mates for my kind, that is rare.”
“My dreams, they’re not … dreams, are they?”
“No, you’re having premonitions of what’s to come.”
She took a deep breath. “So they’re coming after Elle.”
“Yes.”
“Because of me?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t let that happen.”
“We won’t.”
Layla rested her head on his shoulder. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Alexander changed hands, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and with the other hand, he linked their fingers together. “That’s pretty much every single person in the world. None of us knows what we’re doing.”
“You’ve been alive for a long time. Surely you know what you’re doing?”
“I did know what I was doing, but now I seem to be worried about a young woman whose life has just changed.”
Layla didn’t know what to do. She placed a hand on her chest and rubbed. “It’s a lot to take in.” She rubbed at her eyes. The tears kept coming.
Alexander didn’t say a word. He held her and she sobbed for the parents she didn’t know and the life that could have been different.
The gargoyles apologized to her. They said they had tried to love her the way her parents would have wanted, but they didn’t feel love or pain, or anything. They were loyal to their master and mistress and only wanted the best for her. They had meant well, she knew that.
Slowly, as the minutes or maybe even hours, passed, the tears began to fade. She still felt a great heaviness in her heart, which she doubted would fade so quickly.
He kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes. That simple touch made her feel safe. She wanted to stay here with Alexander, when everything could be fine.
“They’re coming for Elle,” she said.
“They’re coming for you. Elle is just an easy target.”
“So, we’ve got to stop them.” She took a deep breath. “Is everyone downstairs?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “I guess I better go and say hi to everyone.” She blew out a breath.
“Before you do, they might be a little nervous.”
“Why?”
“You probably don’t know this but once you start to access your ability, you’re going to have the skills to control them, to control nearly everyone.”
“I’m not going to do that,” she said. The very thought of taking away a person’s free will disgusted her.
“You might not intentionally plan to do that.”
She shook her head. Alexander pulled her into his arms. “I’m not going to force someone to do anything.” She breathed out a sigh. “Do you think they’re going to be afraid of me?”
“Yes.”
Layla moaned. “I don’t want that.”
“It will pass. All things like this will pass.”
“It shouldn’t even be a topic of conversation.” She blew out a breath. “It’s a lot, okay, a lot to take in.”
“And I’ll be here for you.”
“Do you want to be here for me?” Layla didn’t know if she wanted the answer to that question, but she also didn’t know what was worse—knowing or not knowing.
“What do you mean?”
“You had a wife before, a family, and—”
“No, I didn’t have anyone or anything. I told you, back then, it was a different era, a different life, where we had to have an heir. I have never felt love, never felt anything like the way I feel with you.”
Layla looked up at him. “You can’t love me.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t even know me. I don’t even know myself.” She stood up and took a step toward the door. “This is all a little too much. I don’t want you to feel obliged to stay with me.”
Alexander laughed. “Is that what you think is happening right now?”
“Isn’t it?” she asked.
“No.” He stood up. “Why do you think I stayed here?”
“Because you were helping Brandon?”
“No, that is not the case, not at all.”
Layla rubbed her temple. She was starting to feel a headache develop with everything going on. It was all happening so fast. She just needed it to slow down a little.