his lips, his look. Everything. I had to tell him. He had to know. He had to accept me so he could be like me and I would never lose him. Those thoughts consumed me, as the battles were ever closer. I would die without him. I could not lose him.
I came ferociously around him, and he groaned into my mouth at the feel of me. “I love you, Emmie,” he whispered, and I said it back meaning it more than I ever had before.
T he night of the 20th December 1745, he came looking for me, wondering where I had disappeared to. He found me in the barn of the inn we were staying at, drinking deeply from the innkeeper. His astounded look turned murderous as he saw what I was doing. Retracting my fangs quickly, I pushed the innkeeper aside who was still alive, but unconscious, with apologies on my lips.
“What are you?” he asked with contempt.
I explained as quickly and thoroughly as possible given that he had drawn his sword and he was ready to cleave my head off at any second.
At the words “Vampire” and “drink blood,” he closed his eyes in disbelief. “No! No! It’s not possible. You are the sweetest person I know. So loving and generous, you would never hurt people like that,” he said, but it wasn’t true. At least that I knew of myself.
“Fraser. I love you. I loved you the second you blew into that tavern. We were meant to be together. Don’t you see? I honestly believe I was made immortal, so I could live long enough to meet you, to be with you, fall in love and marry you.”
His face was a mix of emotions. “Immortal? How old are you?” he asked in confusion.
“Seven hundred and thirty-three years old,” I said hesitantly. His mouth dropped open in shock.
“I don’t believe this. I don’t believe you. What kind of game are you playing?” he spat out.
“No game, my love. I have wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. I am still the same woman you fell in love with,” I said desperately.
“And yet, you kill people for food!” he exclaimed in disgust.
“No!” Well, yes, sometimes, but this wasn’t the time for full confessions. “I feed to survive. All this time we have been together, and I have never hurt you. Don’t you understand that I would never, could never hurt you?”
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. “I do know that you would never hurt me. But the others? You hurt them.”
“To survive, my love. I don’t have a choice,” I said.
He blinked, as in a flash of Vampire speed I was behind him, snapping the neck of the English scout ready to slit his throat, who had snuck up on us, me, in a moment of weakness. He spun around as the scout dropped to the floor and I sighed. “I’m sorry, my love. I should have told you sooner. It never seemed the right time.”
“You…you just saved me,” he said in amazement.
Slightly offended that he would think otherwise, I shrugged. “I love you. I will never let anything happen to you.”
“I love you too. I will accept what you are. To do so otherwise would be like ripping a limb from my body. I have been yours since the second you scowled at me in Inverness and I will be yours until the day I die.”
I pulled him towards me in earnest and kissed him deeply. “Be like me,” I whispered to him. “I can make you like me, and we can be together forever.”
He pulled away, horrified, and my heart sank.
“No!” he cried.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“He died a few months later as a human, at…” I sniffle softly. “You know, I’d rather not go into the specifics.” I turn to Devon, who is standing steadfast by my side and he embraces me.
“Battle of Culloden,” he says softly, having no doubt received a quizzical look from Cole at my omission.
“Oh, shit, Liv. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have pushed you to talk about it,” he says woefully.
“Well, now you know. It's better this way,” I say and sniffle again.
Cole crosses over to me to pull me to him. “I’m sorry,” he whispers again.
“I don’t want to talk or think about it again. Please. Can we just leave it alone now?” I plead.
“Of course. I love you.”