Page 27 of Love, Rekindled

“Azrael.”

It was Azrael’s turn to glance away. He’d spent the majority of his existence as a ruthless mercenary. It was the only way to survive on his own. There’d never been any need to share his emotions.

“I mourned my clan for a thousand years,” he told her, grimacing as a dull throb spread through his chest as the image of a slender female vampire with silver-blond hair and blue eyes seared through his mind. She hadn’t been a mother. Vampires didn’t have traditional parents. But she’d cared for him and taught him how to survive, which was more than most vampires were offered. Her death had left a gaping hole in his life. “I still mourn them,” he admitted. “How could I survive if I lost a mate?”

She jerked as if she’d taken a physical blow. “Mate?”

Azrael shrugged. He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or terrified by his confession. Maybe both. “You did demand an explanation.”

She shook her head. “You couldn’t know for certain. We spent less than ten minutes together.” She sent him a wry glance. “And those minutes were spent with you trying to convince me that my master was a lying, manipulative bastard while I was trying to kill you.”

Azrael smiled. She had a point. “It might not have been the most romantic first meeting, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I recognized you as my mate the moment you entered my lair,” he insisted. “I wasn’t going to risk becoming more deeply connected to you.”

“Until your life depended on it,” she said, the soft words nearly lost on the fierce breeze.

“I’ll admit that it gave me the excuse I needed,” he told her. “But I’d already started to accept that I didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

She slowed her pace, sending him a curious glance. “Is that why you started your clan?”

Azrael released a wry chuckle. “Actually, I didn’t start it. At least, not in the beginning.”

“They just appeared?” she asked dryly.

“Sort of,” he agreed. “A local clan chief in Copenhagen paid me to deal with a vampire who’d made a deal with an ogre tribe to destroy him. After I dispatched the renegade vampire, I found a dozen vampires locked in his dungeons.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to leave them imprisoned, so I opened their cell doors and released them. The last thing I expected was for them to follow me when I left.”

Her lips twitched as if she were amused at the image of him returning to his lair with a dozen vampires trailing behind him like lost puppies. He hadn’t been nearly so amused. At least, not at the time. He’d tried to run them off, but they refused to go more than a few miles from his lair. They insisted they were in his debt for him releasing them from the dungeon. And no matter how many times he told them he didn’t need repayment, they refused to budge.

At last, he’d given in to the inevitable.

“I slowly allowed myself to accept my need for family,” he murmured. “I also accepted that being away from you caused more pain than I was avoiding. At some point, I knew I’d need to search for you. I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself.” He paused, waiting for her to respond. When she remained silent, he reached out to brush his finger down her cheek. “It’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“Why did I terrify you?”

She easily leaped over a large boulder blocking the path. “You made me question my devotion to my master,” she said. “I wasn’t prepared to accept the truth.”

“And that’s it?” he pressed. “Just a fear of realizing you were being manipulated?”

“There might have been more.” Each word sounded as if it were being wrenched from her lips.

Azrael stepped close to her side as the path narrowed. “Why do I sense you would prefer to confront the dragon than reveal your feelings?”

“It would certainly be less awkward,” she muttered.

“Why is it awkward?”

“I’m not a touchy-feely sort of vampire. I don’t discuss my…”

Azrael hid his smile as her words trailed away. He preferred not to endure another dagger strike to his heart. At least, not until he got his sword back.

“Emotions?”

“Exactly.”

“Why not?”

Her jaw tightened. “I have a talent for killing and business.”

---