Ildaria frowned at the question, not wanting to acknowledge that she’d been more than a little lucky a time or two. She’dalways escaped unscathed. Her hunters had not always been so lucky. She had caused more than a few grievous wounds. Not wantingto think about that, she said, “You still haven’t explained the price of blood and taking people’s land.”
“I had concluded that you had someplace on the shore where you lived. But a check of the land registry did not turn up yourname, or anything close to it. Either you had used a different name, or someone there must be hiding you. My only hope wasto force you out of hiding there. To do that, I needed to force the other immortals out. Perhaps then—” He paused abruptly,his lips compressing, and then said, “I was becoming desperate, Angelina. I have been searching for two hundred years. Itwas the only thing I could think to do.”
“So you ruined all those immortals.”
“No one was ruined,” he assured her quietly. “I know the rumors say I got the land cheap from desperate immortals, but I spread those rumors on purpose. The truth is, I paid more than fair market prices for the properties, and then moved them to properties I own by the shore down by La Romana. Properties I gave them for free. All they had to do was show up to sign the contracts, where I could read them to see if they knew of you, or had even unknowinglyseen you. After that, I made them agree never to tell anyone, and never to return to Punta Cana. Every one of them was happyto agree. They got the new land plus payment for their old property. And it is nicer there, less developed.” His mouth tightened.“I had no desire to ruin poorer immortals, I was just trying to flush you out by taking away your hiding place.”
“But Vasco . . .”
“Vasco has no idea what I have been doing. None of my children do. They all believe the rumors and stories they hear. I havenot spoken personally to any of them but Ana since the night you were attacked. And I only saw Ana once or twice afterward.Fortunately, she was newly mated as well, easily read and either unable or too distracted to bother reading me.”
Ildaria frowned. Vasco had said his father had been distant the last two centuries, but he’d never said he hadn’t seen himat all. “Why wouldn’t you see your own children?”
“Because I am ashamed,” he confessed unhappily. “I attacked you like an animal. Drugs be damned, I should have been stronger than those blasted drugs. I should have resisted the rage. I should have protected you from myself. I will not have my children know I am such a weak, disgusting animal.” Closing his eyes, he ran a weary hand through his hair. “I needed to find you first and make it right with you before I could face them.”
Opening his eyes, he managed a smile. “But now I can. I have finally found you. I can claim you now and finally make thingsright. Say you will be my life mate, Angelina.”
“The hell she will. She’s my life mate!” G.G. roared before she could respond. She wasn’t the least surprised by his outburst,or the way he suddenly leapt up and rushed across the room. She was surprised when he suddenly stopped dead. His face went blank and he backed up to the couch and sat down.
Ildaria turned back to Juan and demanded, “Let him go.”
“I will release him when you give me your answer,” he said simply.
When she started to shake her head, he said quickly, “Lucian told me this mortal was a possible life mate too. But he alsotold me he has refused to turn for you, Angelina. He cannot possibly love you as I do, or he would not hesitate to turn.”
Ildaria frowned. He was hitting her where her insecurities lay. G.G.’s refusal to turn and be with her longer than the thirty or so years he had left as a mortal did bother her despite knowing the reason for it. She’d hoped that time and life mate sex would convince him. That he would come to love her and change his mind. But while they’d admitted their love to each other in the SUV, he hadn’t said anything about turning, and she was beginning to fear he never would. That she wasn’t enough to make him want to. Her only hope was whatever trick his mother had up her sleeve and she didn’t even know what that was.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter though. She did love G.G. But even if she hadn’t loved him, Juan had been the boogeyman to herfor two hundred years. And while she believed it was possible he was telling the truth—
“He is telling the truth,” Lucian said mildly, and Ildaria whirled on him furiously.
“Will you get out of my head and let me think?” she demanded.
“I am just trying to be helpful. I am telling you that everything Juan has said is true. He has been desperately searchingfor you for two hundred years, and became so desperate, he came up with that ridiculous plan to try to force you out intothe open by removing any immortals in the area where you were spotted most often.”
“Thank you, Lucian,” Juan said dryly, obviously taking umbrage at his plan being called ridiculous.
“None of it matters,” Ildaria said firmly, scowling from one man to the other. “The fact is I love Joshua, mortal or not.”
“How can you love him?” Juan burst out, really looking as if he couldn’t understand it. “My men said they call him G.G. forGreen Giant here for heaven’s sake, and look at his ridiculous hair and clothing.”
Ildaria did look. Her eyes traveling over G.G.’s bright green Mohawk, and the jeans and T-shirt he’d donned that day. The jeans were a faded blue with several rips and frayed holes,
