Page 62 of Vampire's Hearth

He leaned closer, his voice a low murmur, his fingers brushing my jaw. “Then what is it, starlight?”

My voice faltered. “Do I even know who you really are?”

Mac turned, his gaze slipping to the window. When he finally looked back at me, his hand rose, fingers warm against my cheek. He leaned in and kissed me—soft and hesitant but sure.

“That is who I am,” he whispered. “I know I haven’t told you a lot, but I need you to understand—I have nine hundred years of history. Nine hundred years to protect you from. All of them stories for another day.”

His whispered words lingered between us. Nine hundred years. Their weight settled in my chest, and though I smiled, uncertainty still gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. What was so horrible that he thought I needed protection?

We passed through the airport gates without stopping at security, much like we had in Kentucky. The red lights lined the tarmac, and again, the plane waited for us, but it looked different this time. My ring did not burn as I looked at the tail and saw the O’Cillian crest. Joshua and Dani hopped from the car to attend to their tasks.

“Is this a different plane?”

Mac tilted his head. “No. Why?”

“I couldn’t see that crest before on the tail. I couldn’t see that crest at all until I drew it for Isla.” I pointed at the emblem, suspicion curling in my chest. “You said it was your plane, but that’s the O’Cillian family crest. Why?”

“Because Dún Na Farraige Estates owns it,” he said with a small shrug and a smile.

I pressed him again, my voice quieter now, my stomach tightening. “But why?”

A chill crept over my skin, my breath catching in my throat. A stiff hand closed around my heart, and I refused to ask the question I should because I didn’t want the answer.

“It’ll make sense in time,” he said, his voice steady. “For now, trust your heart.”

Aunt Amara’s words haunted me, bouncing around in my mind.Trust your heart.I bit my lip, trying to suppress the frustration rising in me. My voice rose as my blood heated under my skin. “How can I trust my heart when you’re still holding back?”

“When you return to Savannah and eventually take your place as High Priestess,” he breathed, “will you tell me everything?”

His words cut through me, and my shoulders fell. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, and the realization made me pull back. I ran my thumb along the band of my ring.

“Aurora,”my mother’s voice whispered,“follow the path you know you must take.”I shook my head and gritted my teeth.

Mac stepped out of the car and glided to my side, opening the door with a familiar ease. I took his hand, but my mind was stuck on that crest. It felt like a knife twisting deeper with every step.

The narrow hallway closed in on me as we boarded. I slid into the seat, the same one from before, but everything felt different now. Mac’s gaze followed mine to the bed in the back—an unspoken invitation that sent a flutter through my chest. Ifhe thought for a minute he was getting me back there, he was so wrong.

His voice was soft, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. The tenderness in the gesture made my breath catch.

“If you don’t want to share a bed with me, I understand. I can have Dani set up a second bed.”

My heart pounded at the implication, and I shifted in my seat, avoiding his eyes for a moment before shaking my head.

His gaze was filled with emotions I never expected to see in a vampire: tenderness, love, vulnerability. I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I wasn’t used to seeing this side of him—so raw, so open. My throat tightened. I didn’t want to be separate from him, but questions burned in my mind.Will you tell me everything?I knew the answer to his question. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Just like now, our supernatural duties required us to follow our own paths yet somehow together. I took a deep breath.

“I trust you,” I murmured. I trusted him—at least, I wanted to. But something was still just out of reach, something dangerous. My stomach knotted at the thought.

He smiled, and my body pushed forward against the seat belt as the plane taxied. Within minutes, we were airborne. Dani appeared from the back of the plane, moving with her familiar grace.

“Sir, would you like your usual nightcap?”

Mac nodded. “Yes, please. Rory?”

“Bourbon, please. Not a lot.” My voice came out quieter than I intended.

She grinned. “Of course.”

She disappeared into the galley, glasses clinking. Mac turned his attention back to me. He leaned in slightly, his gaze neverleaving mine. “Rory, I learned something when Conall and I went out that I need to tell you.”

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