Page 49 of Discovery of the Vampire
I stared at the male who'd brought me back to life, remembering. "I don't know if I ever properly thanked you for giving me that chance."
He gave a soft snort. "It was the smell of yer blood that saved ye. I couldn't resist it as I walked by on my way home."
"You could've just finished the job I'd started and left me there," I insisted. "But you didn't."
"No, I didn't." He sighed. "But that was for my own selfish reasons. Not because I have some kind of superhero complex."
"Even so, I'm glad I'm still here."
He turned his head to look at me. "Are ye?"
"Yeah, I am," I told him.
"That's funny. Because ye're not acting like it sitting in here, hatin' yerself."
"I can be grateful and still hate myself for something I've done."
"Ye're a vampire. Lusting after yer mate to the point you lose control is normal. Ye won't hurt her, yer instincts won't let ye. And if she's anything like my Lizzy, she'll probably like it more than she's willing to admit."
Wait.
Mate? "What the hell are you talking about?"
He slapped me on the thigh and rose from the bench, giving the pulpit one more uneasy glance before he said, "Don't try to fight it. Believe me, I tried. It's a waste of time." He wagged a finger in my face. "And I still don't trust her. But I guess I'm going to have to learn to live with her being around or loseye…and I wouldn't be able to live with that."
At my confusion, he shoved his hands into this front pockets and bent forward until his face was nearly at a level with mine. "Esme is yer mate. It's the only reason I didn't kill her the night ye brought her to our home. I suggest ye figure things out with her soon. Or ye'll be getting that death ye so wished for once upon a time. And I'd hate for all of my hard work with ye to have been for nothing." With that, he gave me a wink and strolled out of the church, whistling.
My mate?
Slowly, I turned in the pew until I face the front again, my eyes traveling to the cross hanging behind the pulpit and the man that hung from it.
My mate.
A rush of hunger flooded my veins and my throat burned as my fangs punched down.
My mate.
21
ESME
Ihad five days left.
After spending forty-eight tumultuous hours vacillating between denial and utter despair, desperately trying to drown myself in the intoxicating haze of alcohol and lose myself in the vibrant people and lively spirit of the French Quarter, seeing Brogan again last night had been like a slap in the face, abruptly yanking me back to the inescapable reality I so badly wanted to forget.
What the hell was I doing, running around the city like I didn't have a care in the world? Did I think Marcus was just going to forget me? Forget the deal he'd forced me to make?
Did I think he wouldn't carry out his threats?
No. I would be a fool to believe that. I'd seen firsthand what he could do, and I had no doubt he would gleefully burn down this entire city and everyone in it right in front of my eyes if I didn't do what he wanted.
Which was how I found myself breaking into a cemetery in the middle of the night.
The full moon cast an eerie glow over the old marble chambers as I stood in the heart of the graveyard. Shadows danced across the ground, and a chill crept down my spine despite the warm clothing I'd worn. I knew what I had to do, but I wasn’t looking forward to it.
All magic took its toll.
The kind of magic I practiced took a piece of your soul.
