Page 57 of Vampire's Hearth

I opened my mouth to speak, but Conall beat me to it. He put a hand on Mac’s arm. “Listen to me. Rory is right, but if you lose your temper, you jeopardize it all. I think perhaps you and Rory should go for a walk. Go show her the caves or something. Don’t let this ruin what you want.” I couldn’t quite decipher the look in Conall’s eye, a secret shared between them.

Mac closed his eyes, his friend’s words seeming to seep into his soul. I watched him intently as he glanced at me and then back at Conall. He drew in a breath and glanced at me again before shaking his head. What would Conall say that Mac didn’t want me to hear?

“Fine.” Mac turned to me. “Would you like to accompany me for a while?”

My skin tingled as I thought of walking with him, the anticipation of his lips finding mine coursing through me. I shoved the doubts from my mind, focusing on my aunt’s words to follow my heart, a place where my logic wasn’t allowed. Igazed at him intently. “I would love to.” I’d deal with Lyra when I returned and after I knew Mac was settled.

“Come,” he said, taking my hand. As we walked from the room, I could feel everyone’s eyes following us, but I ignored them. This was my moment, and it felt like I was in control of my fate for the first time as I twined my fingers with Mac’s.

He led me down the flight of stairs Isla and I had just climbed. We walked through the morning room with dark paneling, the leaded windows overlooking the harbor, an iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A comfortable conversation nook overlooked the water.

He led me down another set of stairs into the anteroom. Shelves lined the walls. He grabbed a blanket and smiled at me. “We may need this.”

He opened the door, and we exited the house at the top of a set of stairs that curved through the cliff-face down to the beach below us. The warm afternoon air wrapped around me as Mac guided me to the beach.

“This way,” he said, turning to the left. We wandered along the shoreline; the only sound I heard was the waves crashing with ease at our feet. The walk visibly relaxed Mac, and I felt my tension draining as well, allowing me to focus on the man at my side, as I felt his hand wrap around mine again.

“Is it always this quiet here?” I asked, glancing at the empty beach.

Mac nodded. “It’s open to the public, technically, but few people venture this far. Especially considering…”

I stopped walking, my eyes rising to his face so I could discern every detail of the truth in his answer. “Is it true the O’Cillians have an agreement with a vampire to kill anyone who gets too close to here?”

He shook his head. “You’ve been talking to Isla.”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

His shoulders rose and fell as he took a breath. “The agreement is to keep the O’Cillians out of the history books. Compulsion would work just as well, but some of my kind enjoy the kill.”

“What about you?” We started walking again, the sand crunching beneath our feet.

He looked down at the ground. “I’ve killed, but I don’t enjoy it. I prefer to leave my prey living with fond memories.”

His hand gently squeezed mine, but I couldn’t help the chill that swept over me with his words. It wasn’t as though he had ever hidden what he was from me. My voice was tight. “Is that your plan with me?”

He looked into my eyes, capturing that part of me that knew what he was going to say was true. “Not until you ask it of me.”

My breath caught in my throat as his words seeped into my soul. Did he think I would ever ask him to feed from me?

“Here.” He gestured to an opening behind him where a small stream from the high tide wove through the stone into a shadowy crevice, the entrance obscured by a gentle curve of the terrain. “Or would you like to go back?”

I shook my head, words escaping me. He turned into the void and guided me over the uneven ground, never letting go of my hand.

Inside, the cave was even more breathtaking than I imagined. Light streamed through a small opening above us, casting a soft glow on the water. The cool, damp air wrapped around me, reminding me of the night we had been trapped in another cave like this, smoke filtering through the roof.

Mac spread the blanket on the ground so close to the water’s edge it was nearly touching, motioning for me to join him. As I sat, my heart raced—his warmth beside me. In the dim light, I could make out a smile on his lips, the same lips I wanted to feel on mine.

“This became one of my favorite places. Quiet, serene, away from the turmoil of my life,” he said. “There was a time I would steal out here nearly daily and swim.”

“Really?” I tilted my head, a playful smile on my lips.

In a flash, Mac was no longer beside me but standing chest-deep in the water, his clothing lying where he had been. “Join me?”

“But...”

He walked to me, his body rising out of the water, his muscular chest looking as though it was sculpted from marble. I watched as the waterline fell below his chiseled abdominals, a warmth filling my lower belly. He reached the side of the blanket, nothing more exposed from the water. I sat on my heels with my legs curled under me. He reached up to my neck and wrapped his hand around the back of it. His touch was warm, soothing, and wet. Without another word, he pulled my lips to his. They were cool and moist, the salt from the brackish water biting at my tongue, forcing me to realize Mac’s tongue was chasing my own in a dance.

He devoured my mouth, holding me to his lips with the hand on my neck while his other hand found my chest. My breathing deepened as I returned his kiss, the feeling that I could never get enough of him consuming me. His hand trailed between my breasts, my shirt feeling like an insurmountable wall between us. He caressed the front of my stomach before moving around to my back. His chest pressed against mine, and I felt the dampness from his wet skin seeping into the material between us. I backed away, lightheaded from a lack of breath, gasping for air, as Mac held my gaze, refusing to look away from me. Without a word, I pulled my shirt over my head, my breasts bouncing free. My pendants fell onto my skin, feeling like they were on fire.

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