“What do you mean, ‘seen’ him?”
“Not him, obviously. He is dead. But a manifestation of him and whatever it is, is causing me to have unnatural reactions.”
“What do you mean?” he asks again.
“I wanted to feed before, enough to kill. That isn’t something that I want but I needed it. We were being watched and I just felt all of these insane urges.”
“Watched how?” he asks.
“We were outside, walking, and I saw a figure watching us from the terrace.” I leave out the sex bits, he doesn’t need to hear that.
“And you wanted to kill someone?”
“Yes. As soon as he disappeared the feeling did as well. Cole I…I am worried,” I admit.
“Oh, baby. You are the strongest person I know. You will figure out what it is and kick its ass.”
“I hope you are right.”
“I love you, Liv. But you look exhausted. Get some sleep. I will talk to you again in the morning. Well, your morning.”
I glance at the clock and see it is 1 AM here, which means it is 7 PM there. “Okay, baby. I love you too. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.” I drop my phone onto the table at the bedside. This room still has no electricity, so I conjure up some candles and light them. I start as I remember how this whole candle thing got started but try to just push it aside as I crawl under the ancient bed covers, free from dust, I am glad to say. He really does look after this place. I smooth down the dark green velvet coverlet and, staring into the flames, I drop back off to sleep. Alone in my old room with my sire down the hall, as I did for so many nights, so many years ago.
“I love you, Emily. Don’t ever leave me,” Fraser says to me.
I turn to him and kiss him. We are in bed, all three of us.
“I’ll put her back in her crib,” he says.
“No, I like her here, next to me,” I whisper in case I wake her.
“I know, my love, but I want you. I need you. It has been too long.”
“It has only been a few weeks.” I giggle. “Are you that frustrated, my love?”
“It feels like months,” he complains but brightens as I stand to take our daughter to her crib.
“Just hold me,” I say as I climb back in bed with him. “I’m cold.”
“Christ, woman, your feet are freezing,” he says with a laugh as I snuggle up close to him. He puts his huge arms around me, enveloping me in his embrace and I relax. Yes, this is where I want to be. Exactly where I want to be. For the rest of our lives.
“Don’t leave me, Emmie,” he says again. “Don’t ever leave me.”
“Oh, Fraser, I love you. I wo…”
“Aefre! Godammit, wake up! Cade, get some water to throw on her.”
I awake to my sire straddling me, shaking me, not so gently, I might add. “Get off me,” I snap at him. “What the fuck?”
“Oh, thank the gods,” he says as he crushes me to him. “You wouldn’t wake up. I have been trying for ages to wake you up.”
“Get off me.” I push him away, thoroughly annoyed that he woke me from such a wonderful dream. More than a dream, it was real. I felt it. And now I feel the loss of it.
He looks hurt but moves away from me. “Aefre. What is going on?”
“I want to go back to sleep. I want Fraser,” I mutter, turning away from him.