“You mean, not go to meet her?” Sadie asked.
He glanced at her with a nod.
But that wouldn’t work. If that woman was somewhere out there, who was to say that Andrus wouldn’t bump into her two years from now? Ten years from now?
“I don’t want to give you my heart, Andrus, and then get tossed aside one day because you meet this woman some other way. I mean, what if we had children and were married. That would break my heart.”
“You wish to marry me? And have children?” he asked, completely astonished.
She shrugged pathetically. “I want them with the man I fall in love with. So why wouldn’t I want them with you if we were in love?” She looked into his eyes, where little wells of tears had formed. “Are you…crying?”
“No. Men like me do not cry,” he said defensively and stood.
“Where are you going?”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” He looked devastated. “This home has been leased for one full year. I would have purchased it for you, but I suspected you would not enjoy living amongst a community of paranoid elitists. I much more imagined you living in a house near the beach or where the atmosphere is lively and youthful—like you.”
He’d rented this place for her for an entire year? “So you’re going?”
“It is for the best. For both of us,” he said.
Her heart sank. “I don’t want you to go.”
“What other option is there? As you pointed out, there is no path forward for us when she will always be out there. And if I stay, I’m merely prolonging the inevitable.”
“I guess…” This was hard for her to say. “I’d hoped that you’d meet her and still choose me, as crazy as that sounds.”
The look on his face matched the heartbreak she felt inside. “If only such a thing were possible.”
She blew out a breath and then smiled at him. “Don’t feel bad. At least we’re ending it before anything really happened. It’s better to be left wondering what might’ve been than to find something special and have to give it up because of some cosmic arranged marriage.”
“That’s absolutely right!” Cimil screamed from the other room.
Andrus shook his head. “I will leave you now.”
“Wait. No. I can’t stay here,” Sadie said.
“Of course you can. I rented the home so you’d be safer.”
“I can’t take your charity, Andrus. And I will be just fine at my apartment.”
“Just because Tim is dead doesn’t mean you are safe. The attack at the bar happened after he drowned.”
“What? Did you just say that Tim is…dead?”
“Oh.” He suddenly looked guilty. “Did I forget to mention that?”
“Uh. Yeah. When did you find this out?”
“Earlier today.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” she asked, feeling thoroughly peeved.
“Well, I…”
“What? You what?” she prodded.
“I saw you in that dress and thought it could wait.”
“You’re telling me you forgot because you were too busy thinking about getting into my pants?”
“No. Absolutely not—all right. Perhaps, yes.”
“Andrus, how could you?”
“Well, I didn’t think you cared about him. So what harm would there be in waiting to tell you?”
“The harm is that you knew my creepy ex-boyfriend is dead—poor guy—and that there’s something else out there attacking me.”
“Which is why you must stay here until the person is found. I will ask Cimil to call in one of her Uchben.”
“What the hell is an Uchben?” she asked.
“They are badass immortal soldiers who actually listen to what they are told, unlike some other people I know!” Cimil screamed from the other room. “And Brutus is already on his way. He’ll be here in five minutes.”
Andrus nodded his head with a stoic expression. “Ah. It seems everything is already settled, then.” He dipped his head. “Goodbye, Sadie. It has been a pleasure.”
He turned and walked from the room, his bare ass now looking like a target for kicking. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or scream.
In the space of ten minutes, he’d made her experience every emotion under the sun, including anger because he’d withheld some pretty serious news. But all of that paled in comparison to the fact that he’d just said goodbye.
~~~
Andrus had never experienced such a roller coaster of emotions in his entire life. In the space of a few minutes, Sadie had made his heart soar, while the situation managed to crush it. She’d actually wanted him. Wanted him. Not just for sex, but because she thought he was the sort of man she could love and have a life with. It was the first time in his three hundred years any woman had felt that way about him.
During his human years, they wanted him for his money or title. His mate had loved him, but loved herself more and betrayed him. Helena had never thought of him as more than just extended family. But Sadie had real feelings for him all on her own without any cosmic intervention. And the thought of hurting her made him realize that he shared those feelings.
However, the moment she pointed out that she’d hoped he might choose her over his mate, he knew what he had to do: cut ties. It would be cruel of him to allow her to hope for the impossible. He knew damned well how painful it felt to wish for things to be different when they couldn’t be. Loving Helena had taught him that lesson.
Yes, Sadie’s words had been like a hard slap across his face in a moment when he’d felt blinded by his emotions and desire for Sadie. If he truly cared, he would let her go and hope that Cimil was right: Sadie was destined to love another. He wanted that for her. He wanted her to be happy.
As he packed up his duffle bag, he took a look at Matty’s photo. That fangy little grin on her face always warmed his cold heart. It was also yet another reminder of why he could not be with Sadie.
“It seems our destinies have already been decided for us all.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It had been three entire days since Andrus left, and Sadie felt worse with every passing minute. She didn’t want to stay in the house, she wanted to move on with her life and try to put it all behind her.
Unfortunately, Cimil had called and told her that there were no leads on this creature, which made her think: What if they never found this monster? She wasn’t going to stay in this big house forever or give up the right to live her life—no matter how short that might be.
On the other hand, she wasn’t so stupid that she’d ignore the threat. Time to retreat and regroup. She would head home to Cleveland for a few weeks and figure out what to do from there.
As for her apartment, she’d learned that Andrus had taken the liberty of paying her back rent so she wouldn’t owe the landlord, but that he’d also arranged to have her things moved into storage in a few days. Yeah, he’d planned to move her out of her apartment without her permission. She didn’t know whether to be pissed or grateful. It was such an Andrus sort of thing to do. That man’s heart was in the right spot, but his way of forcing his charity on her was so…archaic. And sweet. In the end, she’d decided to laugh. What else could she do? Her apartment issue was the least of her concerns. There was some weird creature feeding off her, and the man she’d fallen in love with—completely by surprise—was going to meet his soul mate tonight. Another reason to leave L.A. Ironic, because she finally had the money to stay.
That was the other thing Cimil had explained. She’d chosen Sadie because she’d foreseen in some weird vision about her helping Andrus get back in touch with his human side, which she’d done successfully. Of course, Sadie refused the one hundred thousand dollars that Cimil (Bob) had promised since the beginning because it didn’t feel right taking it—she was happy to have been able to help Andrus—but Cimil didn’t “take orders from pesky humans.”
Sadie still didn’t know what to think about all that—the gods, demigods,
vampires and these Uchben, this Brutus guy in particular. The man was just as big as Andrus, but his vibe was scary as hell, like he ate bullets for breakfast and perhaps enjoyed dining on small animals he strangled with his own two hands.
He also didn’t speak much. Except to the dog Niccolo, who he seemed to have bonded with because the arthritic little fur ball followed him everywhere.
Anyway, she didn’t know what she’d do next, but it was time to go home to see her family and try not to focus on the fact that every passing minute brought Andrus closer to meeting his special someone.
I need to get the hell away from here.
She’d swing by her place, grab a few personal things—some photos of her family and the materials from all of her acting classes—and then head out to the airport.
She looked at her watch. Seven o’clock. Less than an hour to party time.
She dug her cell from her purse and dialed Andrus, who answered almost immediately.
“Sadie, are you okay?” His deep voice sent a wave of hollowness through her heart.
“Yeah.” She swallowed back her tears. “I’m fine. I just…” wanted to hear your voice one last time before your heart gets stolen by that woman. “I wanted to wish you luck tonight. Just remember to make her feel special.” Like you did for me.
There was a long moment of silence. “Thank you, Sadie. I wish you the same. Whoever this man is in your future, he will be very lucky.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “Take care.” Biting back her tears, she ended the call, grabbed her purse, and snuck out of the house before Brutus returned from walking Niccolo.
~~~
Andrus had endlessly debated with himself about whether or not to forget the stupid party. However, each time he thought it through, he landed on the same spot: He had to meet Charlotte. Hell, if he was lucky, meeting this woman might actually make him forget his feelings for Sadie, which were currently eating away at him like battery acid in his heart.
He took one final look at himself in the mirror and gave his messy hair a little fluff with his fingers. Yeah, you look like the badass that you are. Spiky hair, his leather pants—the ones with his lucky bloodstains—a plain black tee shirt, and his long leather duster to conceal his sword behind his back.
If this woman was going to be his mate, he wanted her to see the real him. He was tough, deadly, and enjoyed protecting people. There was nothing to be ashamed of because that was who he was now. His human side, the side he’d felt coming alive with Sadie, had been put down almost three hundred years ago for a reason, and trying to resurrect it was stupid. And pointless. Never again.
An hour later—godsdamned traffic!—Andrus pulled up to the Beverly Hills Hotel. It was a bit cruel that Cimil had booked the party at the same place where he had begun his journey. To meeting a sexy little she-devil.
Sitting in his car, he smiled, remembering the look on Sadie’s face when he’d opened the hotel suite’s door with his pants unzipped. He remembered thinking how sweet she smelled and how beautiful her eyes were—a golden brown that could warm even the coldest of hearts. They had certainly warmed his. Every godsdamned time she looked at him. And that little curvy body… It aroused him just thinking of how she’d looked writhing against the bed, moaning his name. He could still taste her on his tongue. Regrettably, he’d never gotten the chance to sample the rest of her body—those pink little nipples, the base of her back, that little spot behind her knees. Why hadn’t he brought a condom? Not that one time would’ve been enough.
Okay, a box of condoms.
Stop torturing yourself. Be a man, go in there, and meet Charlotte.
He blew out a breath and, with a heavy heart, exited his SUV, handing the keys over to the valet. He made his way through the lobby to the ballroom, where a petite blonde woman with big blue eyes, wearing a flowery dress, sat just out front. Her name tag read “Tula.”
“Well, good evening there, sir. May I get your name?” she asked.
“Andrus.”
Her eyes widened, and then she grabbed a walkie-talkie sitting on the table. “The eagle has landed. I repeat, the eagle has landed.”
He shot her a look, and she shrugged. “Cimil asked me to say that when you arrived.”
“Can you tell me where I might find Charlotte?”
“Cimil said she’d come and personally introduce—”
“I will introduce myself. If you’d please simply point her out.”
“Yes, sir,” Tula said nervously, standing from her chair and pointing to the bar inside. “She’s the woman in the green dress with the brown bob.”
“Thank you.” He dipped his head and made his way into the crowd, who buzzed with laughter and loud conversation over the techno music. As his eyes swept the room, he spotted many familiar faces—a few gods, some vampires who reported to Niccolo DiConti, and several Uchben he’d met over the years. On the far side of the room, the Goddess of—damn, I can’t remember what she’s the goddess of—DJed with her long blonde hair wrapped up in Princess Leia spirals. Belch, the God of Wine and Intoxication, stood behind the bar in his tightie whities, slinging drinks. That deity really needs some wardrobe help.
As he walked toward the brunette, who had her back to him and was speaking with Zac, the God of Temptation, he felt his feet stick to the floor. She was right there, less than ten feet away, but his heart didn’t want to take another step. He felt it clawing and scratching inside his chest, trying to escape a terrible fate.
How fucked up is this? Finding a mate was the one thing most immortals dreamed of—their special someone who’d love them unconditionally for eternity, who’d be their ideal in bed, who’d place their lives on the line merely to make them happy. Each and every immortal in the ballroom was looking for that kind of love. Yet, here he was dreading it. Hell, he should feel lucky. No one ever got a second mate. Of course, the Universe had considerably fucked him over with the first one, so he supposed the do-over made sense.
Zac looked at him, over the woman’s head. “Andrus! There you are!”
The woman turned around and Andrus felt like he’d been kicked in the balls.
Holy fuck. She looks like…Sadie. The auburn hair, the golden-brown eyes, the pouty little lips. They could be sisters.
He could barely breathe, but he managed to shuffle his feet to her.
“Charlotte, may I introduce Andrus,” Zac said. “Andrus, Charlotte.”
“But you look like…you…” His brain tried to make sense of it.
Charlotte flashed a little smile. “Like Sadie? Yeah, Cimil mentioned that. Sadie’s my cousin.”
“She never mentioned you,” he said.
Charlotte shrugged. “Well, we haven’t seen each other since we were little.”
Andrus simply stared, his mind whirling a million miles per second. What the fuck? Is this some sick joke?
“I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” Zac said.
She went on, “Sadie’s mom and my mom haven’t spoken in over twenty years. She probably doesn’t even remember me.”
“How did you end up here at this party?” he asked.
“A couple of weeks ago that crazy redhead found me. Said I needed to meet you. Hey, you look a little…pale. You okay?”
He bobbed his head. “No. Not really.”
“It’s not a heart attack, is it? Because that weird lady told me you’re way older than you look.”
“No. Not a heart attack.”
“Good.” She sipped her fruity-looking cocktail. “Because I don’t know CPR.”
Andrus tried to breathe, but his chest continued constricting as if a snake had wrapped around his heart. Was his interest in Sadie purely some sort of misdirected affection intended for this woman?
No. I feel…I feel. His head snapped up as he stared into her warm brown eyes. “I feel a connection with you, Charlotte. Like I’ve known you my entire existence.”
“Yeah.” She sipped away. “I feel it, too. Like a love at first sigh
t kind of thing. Yanno?”
He shook his head from side to side. “That’s the problem. I feel connected with you, but my heart still wants Sadie.”
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “But I came here because that crazy redhead promised I’d find my Prince Charming.”
He shrugged. “I am sure you and I could make a life together, but you’d never own my heart.”
“What? You’re rejecting me?”
“I am very sorry to be so blunt and rude, but yes. I am.”
“And who the hell are you to reject me? You’re nothing but some guy who looks like a hot model in leather pants, but is just some washed-up unemployed foreigner—uh-huh, the redhead told me that you lost your job, but I came anyway. Super mistake.” Her hand waved over the front of his body. “You’re a big loser.”
“Andrus?” he heard a familiar feminine voice behind him. “Please slap that woman.”
When he turned, he found a set of big blue eyes staring up at him.
“Who’s the bitch?” said Charlotte.
Andrus cleared his throat. “Charlotte, this is Helena, the official leader of the vampire army. Helena, Charlotte.”
Helena’s blue eyes turned to charcoal black. “Did you just call me a bitch?” she growled.
“Well,” Charlotte said, “I didn’t…didn’t know that—did you say ‘vampire’?”
“Helena,” Andrus interrupted, “what are you doing here?”
Helena parked her fists on her hips. “I brought Matty to see you, and Niccolo wanted to speak with you. He feels really bad about the way things ended.”
Andrus blinked at her. “Matty is here? And Niccolo wants to apologize?”
“Yeah, they’re back at the beach house,” Helena replied, keeping a death grip on Charlotte with her eyes. “I also came because I wanted to make sure you didn’t fuck things up with your mate.” She flashed a glance at Andrus. “Is this really her?”
He bobbed his head. “According to Cimil.”
“I think I want to rip out her throat,” Helena growled.
Charlotte stepped back. “I didn’t mean any disrespect. I had no idea you were a crazy person.”