That was all she said before leaving. Dante lay there for another hour before he pushed himself out of bed and took a shower. Vowing to do whatever it took to bring Maya home, he joined the police academy the next day.
Cassidy blinked away the tears burning her eyes as she felt his suffering and that of his parents in his words. When she held her hand out to him, he took it. She never wanted to let him go.
They talked until the sky lightened on the horizon and their voices grew tired, but there was still so much more she yearned to learn about this man. She could talk to him every night for an eternity and never grow tired of listening to him.
“How did you become a vampire?” she asked as she stifled a yawn.
Dante ran a hand through his hair as he considered that low point in his life. “It’s not exactly something I’m proud of, but after the death of my parents, I started to drink more than I should have. I still had the police force and friends, but I didn’t have a whole lot else, and the booze helped me forget that for a time.
“One night, I was in a bar, getting drunk after my shift again, and a pretty woman approached me. We talked, I learned her name was Clora, and after an hour, she took me back to her place. When she saw my locket, she asked the story behind it. It’s not one I often shared, but I drank enough that night not to care. So I told her about Maya and that my biggest fear was dying without knowing what happened to her.
“My tale intrigued her, or at least that’s what she told me afterward. She offered me a choice; I could walk out of there the next morning with an altered memory of the true events, or she could guarantee me more time, so my fear might never come true.
“I can’t exactly tell you what my thought processes were that night—there was a lot of tequila involved—but I do remember agreeing to do whatever it took for more time, even though I didn’t know what I agreed to. I went through a whole lot of pain, woke up thirstier than I’ve ever been in my life, and I couldn’t escape the pounding hearts in the room with me.”
“Hearts?” Cassidy asked.
“While I was transitioning, Clora went out and brought back two girls for me to feed on. Thankfully, she made sure I didn’t kill them, because I’m not sure I could have controlled myself. When I finished feeding, she took them away. I stayed with her for about a month while she taught me about my new world.”
Cassidy buried the jealousy boiling inside her like rancid acid. “Then what happened?”
“I woke up one day, she was gone, and I was on my own. I’d already quit my job; I didn’t think it was a good idea to try keeping this big of a secret around a bunch of detectives.”
“Probably not.”
“I go out of my way to avoid running into someone from my past life, and so far, I’ve been successful. I’ve gotten better with my mind control, so at least they won’t remember it if I do run into someone.”
“What did you do after Clora left?”
“I didn’t have a whole lot going on, but I knew I had to do something, or I was going to go insane and probably start drinking too much again. So, I decided to bring other missing people home while I worked Maya’s case, and a new life was born.”
He was living a life so different than the one he envisioned when he was younger. Back then, he’d dreamed of being a lawyer, his law office, a beautiful wife, and children. After Maya vanished, he still held dreams of a family, but they lost the shine of those earlier dreams.
The dark cloud of Maya’s disappearance would forever dampen all future joy. Every special event, every holiday, and birthday, someone would always be missing. And then, after becoming a vampire, he gave up all dreams of a family as he was sure he could never have one. But now, with Cassidy, those dreams were coming back, and they were vivid and wondrous; he would fight to the death to keep them and her.
Cassidy yawned as pink and yellow colors stretched across the sky.
“You’re tired,” Dante said. “Would you like to come upstairs? We can get some sleep before going to meet Lindsay Parks, or I can walk you home.”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He desired her, yes, but he also wanted to hold her in his arms and fall asleep secure in the knowledge she was with him.
She should go home and let their relationship progress slowly, but she couldn’t leave him, and she would only toss and turn until she saw him again. “Upstairs sounds good,” she said with a smile.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cassidy woke in Dante’s arms feeling more secure than she ever had. The carved muscles of his bare chest and abdomen were melded to her back, and contentment stole through her as she nestled against him. This was where she belonged.
The realization caused her heart to knock against her ribs. Am I ready for this?
But it didn’t matter if she was ready. Life didn’t care what her plans and expectations were.
When his hand caressed her hip, her mouth went dry and her pulse raced. Earlier, she was too tired to do more than crawl onto his bed and pass out, but now her body was coming alive as his fingers set her blood on fire.
She should break away before this went too far and it was impossible to turn back, but she didn’t want to. She craved his touch and the joy that would come from losing herself to him for a little while.
Dante felt it
