She sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. Saying yes meant she’d certainly lose Viktor. If she ran now, he’d never know how she felt about him. He’d think that she’d abandoned him. Ran scared in the middle of the night.
But even if she knew the truth, there was nothing he could do about their predicament, even if he wanted to. She’d broken the law and deceived everyone and for that, she would be punished. Not to mention, she wasn’t even sure if he cared. He’d been so adamant about returning to normal life. He didn’t want a wife. And he certainly didn’t want a mortal companion. Maybe this was all for nothing.
“I’ll leave in the morning,” Cate said with a determined nod of her head. “As soon as the airport opens. I’ll be gone before you can even pop out of your casket.”
Jezebel scoffed and waved a hand. “Vampires never slept in coffins. Too stuffy.”
“Whatever. Just leave me alone.” She felt tears burning in the corners of her eyes. It would kill her to cry in front of Jezebel. “I need time to collect my things and pack.”
“Wonderful.” She strutted toward the door, pausing as she pulled it open. In the first display of kindness, she glanced back at Cate with a sorrowful frown. “Not that it’s worth much, but I’m sorry it came to this.”
That was rich, coming from the woman who’d barged into her room and threatened her. Still, Cate managed to stand up straight and throw back her shoulders in a last display of bravery. “Goodnight, Jezebel. I’d tell you to sleep well, but I think we both know you will.”
A smirk crossed her lips and then she was gone, the door shut behind her. Every bit of strength fled from Cate’s body and she fell on the bed, trembling. Cradling her head in her hands, she let the tears fall, hot and heavy on her pajama pants, and whispered Viktor’s name.
She wouldn’t even get to say goodbye.
Chapter Nineteen
VIKTOR WALKED INTO the royal living room, his thoughts a million miles away. He wished he could turn back time an hour and be back in the garden with Cate. He would’ve kissed her, instead of holding back. He needed to feel her skin against his and inhale the sweet citrus scent of her chocolate brown hair. Taste her lips and listen to the soft inhale of her breath as she kissed him back. He wished he hadn’t let her go without telling her how he felt.
But the proper side of him knew that he’d done the right thing. In a few days, Cate would go home, alive and well. She’d eventually forget him, as she should, and maybe build a family of her own. He could picture her forty years from now, graying and beautiful, wisdom painted into the lines on her face. She would grow old and die, as mortals did. The proper circle of life. Not the twisted result of a parasitic curse that created a thirst for blood and granted immortality.
For the first time in a long time, he wished things were different.
“How’s lover-boy doing tonight?” Leo was sprawled across a couch, a glass of red liquid in his hand. He held a TV remote in his other hand and flicked casually through the channels.
/>
Victor growled and threw himself in a stiff backed chair. “Don’t call me that.”
“Yikes, someone’s in a mood.” Shutting the TV off, he fixed all his attention on his brother. “Want to vent?”
“Not particularly.”
“I thought a night snog with the alluring Cate would’ve left you in a better mood.” Leo laughed heartily and sipped at his drink. “What’s wrong? Did she turn you down?”
He looked away, the muscles in his jaw tensing.
His brother groaned. “Don’t tell me you turned her down. What is it going to take to get my big brother to loosen up? Live a little. Kiss the girl. Better yet, invite her to your bed for the night.”
Viktor stiffened in his chair. Rage coursed through him and he could feel his self-control slipping. “You have no idea of the things you speak of,” he snapped. “You go through life as if it’s one big party. But there are consequences for your actions. Life or death consequences. Love isn’t a game. Neither is intimacy. I would think after seven hundred years, you’d have learned one of these lessons.”
Leo blinked at him, his blue eyes wide. Carefully setting his drink on a nearby table, he pursed his lips and pinned his brother with a serious expression. “You’re in love with her.”
It wasn’t a question. Viktor chewed the inside of his cheek, unsure how to respond. He hadn’t considered love up until now. Still, the word lingered in the air like a truth whispered by a celestial being. Was that what he was feeling? A hope so bright it stung and a simultaneous anguish that crushed his vital organs. It felt like flying high and plunging to his death at the same time.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice quieting. “We aren’t meant to be together.”
“How can you say that, brother?” Leo leaned forward, grasping his own knees. “She’s perfect for you. And believe me, I’ve been watching you grapple with the opposite sex for centuries. No one has ever compared to Cate.”
He couldn’t argue with that. But Leo didn’t know about the one big thing separating them. It wasn’t that simple.
“What if it’s not meant to be?”
“Why don’t you leave that decision up to her?” Leo asked with an incredulous smile.
“How can you say that when you’ve witnessed our own parents’ heartache?” He sighed and shook his head. “How much it hurt them to put their hearts on the line? Do you truly wish for me to put my happiness in the hands of another person who could crush it fully?”