This Same Earth

  “It’s totally awesome, and I have my own basketball court,” Ben added.

  “You should have a party!” Dez said.

  Matt chuckled. “Gio’s not really one for entertaining.” His eyes widened and he added, “At least, you don’t seem like the type to me.”

  Giovanni clenched his jaw and glanced at Matt’s apologetic face before he looked toward Beatrice, who was glaring at him.

  “Hey, Gio,” she asked, “can you help me with something in the kitchen?”

  He excused himself from the table, glancing at Mano’s perturbed face as he left. He walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

  “Matt?” she whispered.

  He shrugged. “I’ve worked with him on and off for a number of years. He’s very trustworthy.”

  “But he’s been watching me? This whole time?”

  He rolled his eyes. “He’s not a stalker, Beatrice. He’s security, and he’s very good. He likes you, as well, if you’re curious. And I’m fairly certain he’s romantically interested in your friend.”

  “This whole time?”

  “I did what I needed to keep you safe. I’m not going to apologize for it.”

  She crossed her arms and glanced toward the dining room. “Well, did he ‘save’ me from anything? In all these years?”

  He crossed his arms and mirrored her. “As a matter of fact, no.”

  “Then I think I deserve an apology.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  “Why not?” She was fuming. “Apparently he was unnecessary.”

  Giovanni stepped close to her, towering over her as she glared at him. “An apology would imply that I am regretful or sorry in some way, and I make no apologies for doing everything in my power to protect you.”

  He didn’t expect the flash of tears in her eyes. “You wanted me protected? It was that important? Then why wasn’t it you?” she hissed before she stormed toward the hall bathroom. Mano entered the kitchen a few minutes later wearing a smug look. Giovanni felt a small burst of flame rise near his hand, so he crossed his arms again and pulled his temper back.

  “You managed to piss her off pretty well, Giovanni.”

  “Oh,” he muttered. “That’s nothing new. I’ve been doing that for years.”

  “Not for the past five, you haven’t,” Mano muttered. “That’s how long it’s been, right? That’s how long she’s been following your ghost to some old house in Chile?”

  Giovanni smirked. “Did she tell you that?” He saw Mano deflate a bit. “No, I didn’t think so. She’s very good at keeping secrets, isn’t she?”

  “She’s private.”

  “Call it what you will.” Giovanni leaned back against the counter.

  “Well, you don’t know her anymore. Not like I do.”

  Giovanni chuckled. “Oh really? And why do you say that?”

  “Because you weren’t here, asshole. Were you at her party when she bought this house? We’d only been dating a few weeks, but I made being there a priority. How about when she got her job at the Huntington? She was so proud of herself. Or maybe when her grandmother had the scare with her heart a couple years ago? Miss out on that, too?”

  He just stared in silence when Mano stepped closer in the small room.

  “How about when her scum bag of a mother showed up last year and tried to get money from her? Did you know about that?” He cocked his head. “Of course not, because you weren’t here. Know who was? Me. I was here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

  He smiled at the tall man who knew so little. “You think you know her fairly well, don’t you?”

  “I do know her. And I love her.”

  “I’m sure you do. But you don’t know her like I do.” Giovanni shrugged. “It’s not your fault. She hasn’t allowed you to know her that well, has she?”

  “You’re so damn arrogant.”

  “I am, but am I wrong?” he asked and glanced toward the dining room, noting that Ben seemed to be entertaining Matt and Dez with some amusing story. “I know a lot about you, Mano. Can you say the same about me?”

  “What does that even—”

  “She’s very protective of the ones she loves. So who is she protecting with her secrets? You?” Giovanni stepped closer and let his swirling green eyes bore into Mano’s. “Or is she protecting me?”

  Mano glared at him before he retreated, turning to walk down the hall in search of Beatrice. Giovanni could hear him knocking on the bathroom door when he walked back into the dining room.

  “Benjamin, it’s time for us to go.”

  Two weeks.

  She refused his calls for two weeks, until finally, Giovanni sat outside the library, waiting for her on the steps. When she walked through the glass doors and spotted him, she didn’t stop, so he followed her.

  “Beatrice.”

  She kept walking past the walkway to the parking lot and toward a small grove of isolated oak trees. She did not look back. For the first time since he’d come back into her life, Giovanni felt a hint of panic.

  “I want to talk to you,” he called as she paced through the trees.

  She whirled around and he almost ran into her. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea, Gio. Let’s talk.”

  “Fine. I think you need to tell Dez and Mano the truth about me. About everything.”

  She backed away from him and her mouth gaped open. “What?”

  “You need to tell them.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You say you love them and you want them to be a part of your life, so why don’t you trust them?”

  She might tell Dez…but he was betting she wouldn’t tell Mano.

  Beatrice only blinked at him. “I don’t—you want me to tell them?”

  “Do you love them?” She didn’t answer, so he shrugged. “It’s up to you, but you can’t continue to live with these secrets. It’s going to make you sick. It’s already making you angry.”

  “No.” She strode toward him, pointing a finger at his chest. “You made me angry. When you told Mano about us. It’s none of his business.”

  “Why were you hiding it?”

  “To protect you!”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that. I didn’t ask you to protect me.” He stepped closer and they circled each other under the oak trees.

  “And I didn’t ask you to protect me, but you did. Why the hell did you hire someone to live next to me all these years?” Her face was red and furious, but he could see the tears filling her eyes. “What was the point? Did he tell you when guys stayed over? Did he tell you when I flirted with him myself?”

  His fists clenched, but he forced himself to remain calm. “It didn’t matter, I don’t care about that. I care about you.” He approached cautiously, as if walking too quickly might scare her off. “You deserved a life. A normal life without me, so you knew—”

  “I didn’t want a life without you!” she exploded, tears finally falling down her face. “Don’t you get that? Are you that dense? Don’t you realize I was in love with you?”

  His heart ached. “Beatrice—”

  “Five hundred years and you couldn’t tell?”

  He walked toward her, desperate to take her in his arms, but she stepped back, dashing the tears from her eyes. “Tesoro—”

  “Why didn’t you come?” she sobbed. “Why? I waited for years! I never loved a man the way I loved you. I’ve never loved anyone that way. I never wanted anyone that way.”

  For the first time in his immortal life, he felt as if his heart could bleed from another’s pain. Giovanni could only whisper, “I know.”

  He stepped within arm’s distance and put a single hand on her cheek, which was flushed and wet with tears. In that moment, Beatrice didn’t look like a confident woman of twenty-eight; she looked like the girl he had forced himself to leave.

  “So why, Gio? If you knew, why? Don’t you realize I would have done anything for you? I would have run away with you.”

  “Beatrice—”

  ??
?Didn't you know?” She slapped his hand away, and her voice rose. “I would have left my family behind. I would have begged Carwyn to turn me so I could stay with you forever! Why?”

  “That’s why!” he yelled, grabbing onto her shoulders. “Don’t you see, Beatrice? That’s why I couldn’t come to you!”

  Giovanni dragged her to his chest, and their mouths crashed together. He wrapped his arms around her, his fingers gripping her back. He breathed her in, desperate to get closer, to take away the ache of her loss.

  After a few moments, he backed away so she could draw breath, but his hands reached up to frame her face.

  “Don’t you see?” he pleaded. “I couldn’t have denied you anything. I would have given you anything you wanted! You might have hated me in a hundred years, but if you had asked me, I would have done it.” He leaned down and kissed along her eyelids, threading his hands through her hair as he pulled her into a more gentle kiss.

  “Don’t you realize how I adore you?” he whispered against her mouth. “But I couldn’t steal the life of a girl when I wanted a woman’s love. I wanted you to have a choice, not an infatuation.”

  “So damn arrogant,” she whispered, clutching the collar of his shirt.

  “I know,” he said, as his mouth brushed over her skin, touching the face that had haunted his waking dreams.

  “I loved you. It wasn’t an infatuation.”

  He pressed his cheek to hers and whispered in her ear. “Then I will earn the woman’s love, if I have lost the girl’s.”

  Giovanni drew her into another kiss, and her arms reached around his waist as she kissed him back. He didn’t know how long they embraced in the darkness, but he groaned when he felt Beatrice reach up to his chest and slowly push him back.

  “I can’t do this. It’s not right.”

  “Yes, it is right. You know it is.”

  She shook her head. “What do you want from me, Gio?”

  He blinked in surprise. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “Five years ago, I would have said yes. Not now.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “Fine, let me make it clear.” He reached up to hold her face between his hands and look into her eyes. “I love you, Beatrice De Novo. I fell in love with the girl I met six years ago, and I love the woman in front of me even more.”

  “Gio—”

  “So you make the decision, tesoro mio.” He murmured and his thumbs stroked the soft swell of her cheeks. “It’s your choice. I want eternity with you, and I’m not leaving again.” He gave her a sad smile. “You can’t make me.”

  A storm raged in her eyes. Giovanni wanted to kiss her again, but he knew it wasn’t welcome. Her tentative hand reached up and stroked his cheek; he leaned into it, a low hum of satisfaction rumbling from his chest, until they were interrupted by the ringing of her mobile phone.

  “Who…” She pulled away and reached into her backpack. Giovanni tensed when he heard the panicked voice on the other end, even before she put it to her ear.

  “Danny? What—” she frowned. “Slow down, what’s going on? A what?” The color drained from her face. “What kind of accident?”

  Chapter Six

  Los Angeles, California

  December 2009

  Beatrice didn’t remember much about the ride to the hospital in Long Beach except for the familiar smell of leather and smoke that filled Giovanni’s old Mustang. She remembered the first night she’d ridden in it, the night she had learned about vampires and blue fire and men who lived forever.

  Men who wouldn’t be in the hospital after a freak diving accident.

  “It was the weirdest thing,” Danny said after he’d calmed down. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It looked like he was being attacked down there, but there was nothing around him. Then, it was like his mask was just sucked off of his face like the water was pulling on it.”

  “I’m heading over there right now. What did the doctors say?”

  “I got him to the surface and got him resuscitated. Thank God we weren’t that far from the marina. They’re going to keep him overnight and release him in the morning if everything looks okay.”

  Giovanni wouldn’t let her ride her bike to the hospital, much as he had refused to let her drive home the night six years before. She had never felt more confused in her life.

  “Danny said it looked like the water was pulling on him.”

  “Pulling on him?”

  She nodded. “Like he was being attacked, but there was nothing around.”

  She glanced over, and his face was grim. They drove in silence for a few more minutes.

  “It’s him, isn’t it? It’s Lorenzo. He’s back.”

  He frowned. “The last time I had information on Lorenzo was a year ago; he was lurking around Northern Africa. None of my contacts have reported any movement from him.” He shook his head. “He’s very recognizable. It’s more likely an associate of some sort, or someone he hired.”

  Someone Lorenzo hired to kill a man she loved. A combination of guilt and fury began to churn in her gut.

  “Did I ever tell you Mano was a diver in the Navy?” she said. “He’s really good. Danny says Mano’s the best diver he’s ever worked with, and Danny was a Master Diver before he retired.”

  “Beatrice—”

  “Two and a half years we’ve been together,” she whispered, “and he’s never had an accident. I used to worry so much about him, especially at night, I worried…but nothing ever happened. Everything was fine. Mano was always so careful.”

  I did this, her mind kept repeating. This is my fault. She suddenly had more sympathy for her missing father and the complicated mess he’d inadvertently drawn her into years before.

  Giovanni started to say something but paused and reached over to squeeze her limp hand. “I’ll find out who it was.”

  “Who controls L.A.?” she asked in a whisper.

  She could see his face harden in the passing streetlights.

  “Are you sure you want to know? Sure you want back into this world? Into my world?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Yes,” he hissed. “You have a choice! That’s what all of this was about, giving you a choice.”

  Beatrice shrugged, fighting back the tears in her eyes. She didn’t feel like there was a choice. She felt like she’d been hiding her head in the sand and others would be the ones to pay the price. She didn’t know what to do, and all she could think about was seeing Mano.

  She forced Giovanni to go home to Ben after he dropped her off at the emergency room. Beatrice walked in and found Danny in the lobby, waiting to take her upstairs.

  When she walked in, Mano was sleeping, and the quiet words of his doctor assured her that a week of rest and a break from diving were the only things needed for him to make a full recovery. Danny finally left them, and she curled up in the bed, squeezing herself into his side and laying her head on his chest as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

  Beatrice spent hours watching Mano sleep, seeing his steady chest rise and fall and listening to the faint murmurs as he dreamed. He had always looked so peaceful when he slept, his huge body relaxed and still in marked contrast to his waking vitality.

  She called in to work and took some of her vacation time to be with him, though she knew he didn’t really need her there the whole time.

  “Hey, Mano, what do you want for lunch?”

  “How about a break from hovering?”

  She snickered and looked over at him. “I’m serious. There’s some soup left, or I could make you a—”

  “I’m serious, too.” He gave her a slight frown. “Why are you being like this? You’re not a hoverer.”

  “You…scared me.” She frowned. “That’s all. You’ve never had an accident and—”

  “Accidents happen, baby. It was a weird one, but…”

  “What?”

  He tried to smile but could only shrug. “You don’t seem like yourself lately.”

&n
bsp; “Don’t be silly. I’m fine. You’re the one who needs—”

  “What’s going on?”

  Beatrice walked over and straddled his lap, pulling his arms around her. She put her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat as his strong arms held her. What could she say?

  You know my friends Carwyn and Gio? They’re vampires who drink blood and manipulate elements. Oh, and your accident was probably caused by a bad vampire who once kidnapped me because he’s trying to get to my father…who’s a vampire, too. But don’t worry, the good vampires rescued me. Then I stole a whole bunch of money from the bad guy, which is why he’s now trying to kill you.

  And Gio says he’s in love with me.

  “Nothing’s going on. I told you, you just gave me a scare. It’s fine. We’re fine. Nothing is going on.”

  She sat up and saw a bitter smile curling his lips. “You’re a bad liar, you know that?”

  Beatrice wanted to protest, to defend herself, but she couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t be another lie, so she simply leaned forward, holding him closer and listening to the steady beat of his heart. Mano gently stroked her dark hair, and she felt his chest rise as he sighed.

  “Lately, baby, I feel like being with you is like watching the tide go out.”

  “What?” She cleared her throat. “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t notice the ebb at first, you’re still listening to those waves go back and forth. They keep coming in, but…never quite as high as the last one.”

  “Mano—”

  “And you know there’s nothing you can do.” He kept running his hands through her hair in long, soothing strokes. “You could try to hold on, to chase the waves, but the water’s still going to slip away.”

  Beatrice bit her lip and felt tears slip come to her eyes as a portion of her heart began to crumble. “I don’t...I don’t—”

  “I’d say it was this guy, but I think the tide started going out months ago. Otherwise, we’d be living together now, you know?” She heard him choke a little. “And I wouldn’t be worried about your answer when I asked you to marry me.”