Page 32 of Vampire's Hearth

I looked into his blue eyes, searching for any hint of a lie. “I didn’t know it would heal me.”

Mac gestured to a chair in front of the desk, ignoring the conversation. “I have friends I could contact who might help us locate the Cure instead of using magic.”

“Who are they?” I asked as I sat down. Why would he not just talk to me about his ability to heal me? Was he worried about something else?

Mac opened and closed cabinets, searching. “A woman who studies anthropology. I’ve collaborated with her often. She might be able to assist us.”

“Just a woman?” I tilted my head and tried to play it off but could not ignore the pang of jealousy in my chest.

He swung around to look at me. “Yes, to me, just a woman. She is, however, the mate of one of my closest friends.” I noticed the strain in his voice as he mentioned she was his friend’s mate, as though something was missing, something he longed for.

“What do you mean by ‘mate’?” I asked. It couldn’t be the same as a soul mate. Vampires were not known for loving one another, but he had mentioned it with his mother as well.

“They are destined partners, bound for as long as she desires. He has offered to turn her, but she has not yet accepted.”

“And what about him? Does he truly care for her? Or is something else keeping them together?”

Mac’s eyes searched my face. “You mean, do they love each other as my parents do?”

I gave him a slight nod, my stomach in a knot, afraid to hear confirmation that his kind doesn’t love, only keeps arounda human whose blood can sate them daily. “You said that your mother is the oldest living vampire mate. What does that mean?”

He walked to the chair beside me and sat, leaning toward me. “When we find someone we wish to spend eternity with, we have the ability to remain by their side. My parents have been together for nearly a thousand years. Declan and Isla found each other last year.” His words were soft with a reverent quality.

“But I always thought vampires were self-serving and unconcerned with others’ feelings.” I cringed as I spoke after everything Mac had done to help me over the past few days. But he was half human. Maybe that changed things.

Mac’s chuckle drifted around me, calming my queasy stomach. “Not quite. While it is uncommon to find a vampire with a mate, it does not mean we are indifferent to the idea. Often, it is simply easier not to find one, as the pain of loss is something we endure for centuries.”

“But why not turn your mate?”

Mac shrugged. “Some choose not to turn. They prefer to die instead. Others remain human, vampire blood allowing them to stay with their intended. It is an intensely personal choice for each couple.”

“And you’ve never found a mate?” I asked, a titter escaping my lips after the question—a question I had no right to be asking.

Mac shook his head. “I have never desired one.”

“So, in over eight hundred years, you’ve never fallen in love?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I did not say that. But no, there has been no one I’ve loved to that extent.” His voice was soft and contemplative as he caught my gaze.

My heart fluttered, and I resisted the urge to turn from him. Could he tell why I asked?

His eyes lifted to a shelf over my shoulder, and they brightened. “Now, here are the plans for the house.” He rosefrom his chair and dashed to the shelves, returning with a large portfolio that he handed me.

I ran my fingers over the front cover, feeling the place where it appeared time had worn away a symbol. The bottom of it felt like a heart, but I couldn’t tell what the top would have been. Mac watched with an intensity I didn’t understand, and it was then I caught the slight burn around my ring.

I looked into Mac’s eyes, but his pupils remained still. If he were attempting to compel me, his pupils would be moving, trying to tap into my mind.

“What was here?” I asked, continuing to trace my fingers over it, concerned with the telltale sign in my hand that my ring worked against an unknown magic.

Mac’s frown was almost indetectable. “An old family crest.”

“For your family?”

“A story for another day. Right now, we need to focus on the Cure.” He guided the protective cover to the desk and opened it to reveal the drawing for the floor we sat on.

I clenched my jaw, about to argue, until I saw Mac’s determination to move on. “Okay.” I took a cleansing breath, clearing my thoughts. I held the pendulum above the blueprints. It swayed as though caught in a gentle breeze and then settled onto the drawing where the desk would be, pointing at a spot beside it.

I bit the inside of my lip, thinking, before taking a deep breath. The same thing had happened at first in the cave, the pendulum pointing at Mac instead of the lineage. I clenched my jaw. How was I supposed to say this and not sound ridiculous? “This is pointing at something in this house. And if I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s pointing directly at you.”

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