Midnight (15 page)

“What did you do?” Amara looked scandalized.

Marco shook his head. “Go get Royce. We’ve got to figure
something out.”

“You killed him! You told me you’d never kill anyone, and
you just killed him for no reason.”

“He’s not dead. He’s just unconscious.” He ran a hand through
his hair. “Go get Royce. Now. And pull your fangs back in just in case he wakes
up.”

“Fangs?” She brought her hand to her mouth, her fingers
skimming along the sharp points of her teeth. Her eyes widened. “When did this
happen?”

“When you were yelling at Derek. You should probably keep
better control of your temper until you learn to control the teeth.”

“I didn’t even notice.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. That’s the reason I don’t want you
left alone. Now for the last time, please go get Royce. I need his help.”

She nodded and ran down the hall to the den, where Royce had
gone to watch TV while she and Marco had talked. She came back a few minutes
later with Royce in tow. He didn’t look very happy to be disturbed from what
Marco suspected had been a nap.

“What the hell did you do this time, Marco?”

Marco shot a glance to Amara. “She showed him her fangs. He
got a little nervous.”

“Don’t you blame this one all on me.
You’re
the one
who punched him.”

“Would you rather he ran around telling everyone you’re a
vampire? I’m sure there are quite a few scientists out there who would love to
get a hold of you.”

Amara pursed her lips, her hands on her hips. “Oh, please.
This is L.A.
Everyone
here is nuts. There are even a couple of clubs
downtown that cater to people who think they’re vampires. They wouldn’t have
believed him.”

She had a point there. Still, he wasn’t going to take any
chances with his life, or his woman’s.

Amara raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not a possession.”

He blinked hard. “Excuse me?”

“You need to stop thinking about me as your woman. You don’t
own me, Marco.”

That was really creepy. “Have you been able to do that all
your life, or is this something new?”

“Do what?” She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about.”

“Read minds.”

She shook her head and sighed, looking very annoyed. “I told
you this already. I don’t read minds. I just get feelings every once in a
while. Just like everybody else.”

“No,
not
like everybody else. Didn’t you even once in
your life think this was an unusual skill?”

Royce looked at them, obviously fascinated by the
conversation. “She reads minds?”

Marco shrugged. “It would appear that she can. Her
grandmother was a psychic.”

“Makes sense that she’d be more observant than the average
vampire, then.”

“Please. My grandmother was a fortune teller in one of those
chintzy shops that the tourists love back in Vermont. It’s nothing.”

Royce ignored her. “Let’s get him on the couch before he
wakes up.” He turned to Amara. “Can you do mind control?”

“You’re kidding, right? I can’t even make up my
own
mind. How am I supposed to do it for someone else?”

Royce rolled his eyes. “Can you try?”

“Can’t
you
do it?” she asked.

“Actually, no. It takes a very long time to develop those
kinds of skills, unless you’re born with them.”

“Well, I most certainly wasn’t born with anything like that.”

Marco wondered if he was going to have to drag her through
every part of her new life kicking and screaming. “Just give it a try, okay?”

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

She settled down on the couch next to Derek, who was
starting to moan and stir. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked around,
his gaze settling on Marco. “You punched me! I should sue you for that!” Then
his gaze settled on Amara. “What the hell
are
you? Is this some kind of
joke?”

She shrugged, looking bored. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

“You had fangs!”

“You must have real life confused with the movies again,
honey.” She spoke to him like she was speaking to a toddler, slowly and
carefully enunciating every syllable. “I have fangs when I’m in costume,
because my
character
is a vampire. As a human,
in real life,
my
teeth are perfectly normal. See?” She flashed him a wide smile.

Derek nodded, but didn’t look quite convinced.

“Are you snorting coke again, honey?” She batted her eyelashes
at him and he blinked. Marco was amazed at the display. She didn’t need mind
control. She had enough attitude to accomplish the task, and then some.

Derek started to shake his head, but then turned sheepish. “I’m
sorry, baby. I know I promised to stop, and I did for a long time. But when you
made me leave I couldn’t help it. I needed something to take an edge off the
pain of losing you.”

“You know what, Derek? You’re an idiot. I kicked you out,
and it was the best move I ever made. You did me a big favor by being an
unfaithful jerk with no morals. If you hadn’t totally screwed up my life, I
never would have met Marco, who makes me happier in bed than you could ever
hope to.”

Derek blinked and turned to Marco. “Are you sleeping with my
fiancée?”

“She’s not your fiancée anymore.”

Derek lunged at Marco, but Amara’s swift kick to his gut
sent him tumbling to the ground, doubled over in pain. “Get out of my house,
Derek, before I call the police and have you arrested for harassment.”

“You can’t do that. That’s bullshit.”

“Then I could always tell them about the cocaine you have in
your pocket. I’m sure they’d love to bust you again for possession.” She tapped
her fingernails on the phone that sat on an end table. “How about it,
honey
?”

Derek’s eyes filled with fright and he hustled out of there
before Amara could issue another threat.

Royce laughed after Derek slammed the door behind him. “You
really know how to hit him where it hurts.”

She shrugged. “He’s already been arrested too many times.
One more time and he goes to jail.”

Marco could just imagine what would happen to someone like
Derek Sanders in jail. He had to admit, the idea held more than a little
appeal.

“Don’t even think about it.” Amara glared at him.

He laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

* * * * *

Marco woke up from his extended nap at a little after ten
that night. He rolled his head from side to side and stretched, wondering why
Amara wasn’t in bed with him. He was going to have to get her on a better sleep
schedule before he went insane from lack of sleep.

Smelling freshly brewed coffee, the one thing he could still
tolerate in small doses, Marco wandered down to the kitchen. Amara was standing
at the stove, cooking of all things. The smell of the meat frying in the pan
hit him, making him lose his appetite.

“What are you doing?”

“Royce went out to get a bottle of wine. I thought I’d make
something to go with it.”

More than likely Royce went out to feed and didn’t want to
upset Amara with that knowledge. “Why bother cooking? You don’t need to eat it.”

She shrugged. “It’s habit, okay? Give me a little while to
accept this change.”

He could understand how she was feeling. He’d been through
it himself, so many years ago. “Okay. What are you making?”

“Chicken.” She scooped the chicken from the pan and put it
on a plate. Slicing off a small chunk, she blew on it before she popped it into
her mouth. “Actually, this isn’t bad.”

“What did you put on it?”

“Nothing.” She looked surprised. “I would have thought it
would be boring.”

“Your senses are too heightened to enjoy seasoned food. If
you still feel the need to eat actual food, keep it simple and it won’t taste
so bad,” he said. “Of course, you no longer need food to survive, as long as
you feed on a regular basis.”

She frowned, her expression doubtful. But then she smiled
and ignored his comment. “Do you want some?”

He shook his head. “I prefer to keep my diet liquid.”

She winked. “I wasn’t talking about the chicken.”

She set the plate on the counter and beckoned him to her.
Forgetting that he was just about to sneak out to feed, he walked toward her
and pulled her closer. “Yeah, I could go for a little bit of you right now.”

Placing his hands on her hips, he drew her tightly against
him before he kissed her. Amara moaned and melted against him. She was so
damned responsive—he loved it. It thrilled him that he would have this, have
her
,
for the rest of his life. And that was a very long time.

This was where he belonged. Kidnapping her had been a dumb
idea, more than dumb, but Ellie was wrong about one thing. Something good
had
come of it—he’d found the woman he wanted to spend forever with.

He just hoped Amara felt the same.

Would she get sick of him in a hundred years?
Sooner
?
Would she leave when she learned to take care of herself and didn’t need him
anymore? He hoped not. He didn’t want to live without her. He’d already lost
two women, and they hadn’t meant to him what Amara did. If she left, he wouldn’t
want to live anymore.

Whoa. Wait a second, when did he become such a fatalist?

Amara pulled away and glared at him. “Where are you?”

“I’m right here.” He tried to kiss her again, but she
stopped him with a hand over his mouth.

“No, you’re not. Your body is here, but your mind is
somewhere else. If you aren’t going to focus on me, then maybe we should just
forget this whole thing.”

He shook his head. “I am focusing on you, but you’re
distracting me.”

“How so?”

“Every time I try to think about being with you now, I get
worried about you leaving in the future.”

She hit him playfully on the shoulder. “I’m not going
anywhere, you big idiot.”

“You’re not?” He shook his head. “I thought you didn’t want
this life.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?
Besides, I’d already decided I wanted to stay with you before I found out you
turned me into a blood-drinking freak.”

“You’ve mentioned that. I still don’t understand why.”

“Well, duh. I love you. I swear men can be such morons
sometimes.”

“You love me?”

“Yeah. Funny, huh? I hardly know you. I don’t get along with
your family. You don’t like my cooking, but I can’t seem to get enough of you.
Strange how life works sometimes.”

“Yeah, strange.”

She loved him. He knew he was smiling like an idiot, but he
couldn’t help it. He’d gone so many years without love, and he was going to let
himself enjoy this now.

“Okay, I suppose you’re not going to say anything?”

He winked at her and pressed his body against her. “What do
you want me to say?” He leaned in and nipped her neck. She moaned, but she
tried to push him away.

“You’re the one who was getting all mushy with the ‘future
without me’ stuff. Now you’re just going to ignore me?”

“Does it feel like I’m ignoring you?” He thrust his pelvis
against hers, making sure she felt how hard he was. “Believe me, sweetheart, I’m
not planning on ignoring you. In fact, I plan on doing just the opposite.”

He cupped her breasts, barely covered in the thin robe she
wore, and brushed his thumbs over her nipples. They instantly pebbled. He hoped
she’d continue to walk around the house practically naked, even after they’d
been together for a few thousand years.

His cock strained against the confines of his jeans. He
thrust against her again, enjoying the sweet agony of being so close, but not
quite touching. He knew she wasn’t done berating him yet, but when her tantrum
was over, he planned to take her back to bed. First for a lot of sex, then for
a little sleep.

Amara cleared her throat. “So you’re going to pretend I didn’t
just tell you I love you?”

He laughed. Why was it that he couldn’t resist teasing her?
He licked her jaw. “Love? Is that what this discussion is about?”

He parted her robe and ran his hands along her hot skin. His
whole body quivered and he nearly lost it right there when she unzipped his
pants and slipped her fingers inside. She ran her hand along his cock and he
shivered, almost forgetting what he needed to say.

“Yes, love.” She ran the pads of her fingers over the head
of his cock. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He grabbed her wrist, but she
shook him off. “If you want this to go any further, you’d better start talking
right now, buddy.”

“Yeah, I suppose I love you.”

She snorted. “Suppose?”

She tortured him with her fingers for barely five seconds
until he gave in. “Okay, fine. I love you. I’ve loved you since you slammed me
in the face with the teakettle. I will always love you. Just don’t ever forget
that, okay?”

“Why would I forget?” The confused look on her face was
sweet.

“You might get sick of me after a while. Do you think you
can wake up next to me every day and not eventually want to go out and find
someone new?” He kept his tone light, but he was genuinely worried about that.
It had happened once, and the marriage hadn’t been hundreds of years old when
it did.

“I could say the same thing about you. You’ve traveled the
world, and seen so much. You’ve lived so long. How could you ever be content
with me?” She bit her lip. “Am I going to be enough to keep you happy?”

“There aren’t any guarantees in life, but the one thing I
can promise you is that I’ll love you for the rest of my life.” He shrugged. “Whether
that’s a few years or a thousand, who’s to say? But I’ll give you everything I
have for as long as I’m around.”

Marco heard the doorknob turn and decided it was time to
take this upstairs. He started to lead Amara out of the kitchen, but she
stopped him. “What about Royce? He went to get—”