The program asked members to be rigorously honest with themselves and implied that they should be honest with other human beings too, and yet there was that little loophole…“except when to do so would injure them or others.”
She’d fess up later.
She signed off with a polite “Good ’ight” and told herself that when she found out what was bothering Anthony, she could tell Gaye.
She had just decided to make two cups of hot cocoa when a knock sounded at the door. She thought it was too early for Anthony, so she looked through the peephole. Anthony stood there, gazing at the floor with a pensive expression on his face.
She opened it and stood aside. “Why didn’t you use your key?”
“I figured I’d give you the option of letting me in or not. It’s your place, after all.”
She chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I let you in?”
He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You might not after you hear what I have to say.”
A ripple of uneasiness made her nerves tingle. “Why don’t you have a seat? I was going to make some cocoa. Do you want some?”
“No. My stomach is too upset.” He sat on the sofa. “Go ahead and make some for yourself, though.”
She decided to skip the beverage and sat next to him. “Babe, what is it? You’re making me nervous.”
He stared straight ahead and his spine stiffened as if facing a firing squad. “I lied to you.”
She leaned away and studied his face. He seemed perfectly serious. What on earth could he have lied about? His feelings for her? Did he want her to go back to Maynard? Did he want to go back to Ruxandra? She told herself that was ridiculous, but the longer she waited, the crazier her ideas became.
“Well, don’t stop there. What did you lie about?”
“I don’t have Xeroderma pigmentosum.” He dropped his gaze to the floor and his posture slumped.
“Oh. Isn’t that good news? Why do you still look so sad?”
Uh-oh. Maybe he really was spending his days with Ruxandra. Any minute now he’s going to tell me he’s in love with her, and adios, Claudia.
“You may not believe me, but I swear what I’m about to tell you is the gods’ honest truth.”
She waited for what seemed like days. The anticipation was killing her. Suddenly she wanted a chocolate martini, not a hot cocoa. Stop that right now, she told herself. Whatever it is can’t be that bad.
“You and I have been through a lot together,” he began.
She nodded.
“You’ve always been the bright spot in my…life.”
She cocked her head, still not sure where he was going.
“But even though…” He stopped and raked his hands through his hair. “I’m afraid there’s no way to sugarcoat it.”
“Anthony, honey, whatever it is, I want you to tell me.”
He took a deep breath, turned, and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m a vampire.” His eyes searched hers as if waiting for some kind of condemnation.
Of all the things he could have said, that was not what she was expecting. “Um… You’re a what?”
“A vampire. Creature of the night. One of the undead.”
She bit her lip. Any minute now he’s going to crack a smile, and the joke will be on me. But why would he do that? Then she remembered a documentary she’d seen once. Apparently there are people who think they’re vampires. They sleep in coffins during the day, cut themselves or each other, and drink blood…ewww. But on some level, they know they’re not really undead.
“Are you saying you belong to some cult where people act like vampires?”
He sighed. “No.”
“Okay, maybe ‘cult’ is the wrong word. I know there are people who sleep in coffins and drink blood. Usually they wear goth makeup to make their skin white.” She swiped his cheek and checked her finger. No makeup. Not that she thought he wore any. His skin was naturally pale and she blamed that on his “condition,” which she now knew he didn’t have. Apparently he just reversed his sleep patterns.
She shrugged. “I’m okay with it, Anthony. I mean, you gotta be who you gotta be. Right?”
His posture straightened. “Are you serious?”
She cupped his cheek in a loving gesture. He turned into it and kissed her palm.
“I can’t believe how well you’re taking this. I mean, I expected the very worst. I thought you’d scream. Run from me. Never want to see me again.”
She chuckled. “Of course not, silly. I…” She stopped herself half a second before she said, I love you. For one thing, she wanted him to say it first, and for another…
He swept her into a tight embrace, and as his lips crushed hers, she forgot what she was thinking. All she could do was feel.
Chapter 11
Gods, I love this woman, and it’s time to tell her so.
As soon as he broke the kiss, he cupped her face and said, “I love you. Truly. So much.”
She smiled and her expression grew into a grin. “I love you too. I have for years.”
“Really?” He scrutinized her and saw nothing but complete sincerity. “Is that why you didn’t date anyone seriously?” He caught himself. That was assuming a lot. “Well, not that it was any of my business. I wasn’t keeping track of what you did every minute of every day.”
Her gaze dropped. “I tried to. I told myself it was useless waiting for you to notice me. You had Ruxandra.”
He snorted. “Since the day I met you, I’ve wanted no one but you. I held off as long as I did because of her. I didn’t know if I could keep you safe, and I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you because of my former relationship with her.”
“Are you saying you and she haven’t been together since we met?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. Furthermore, I moved to Boston to get away from her, but somehow she tracked me here.”
“Tracked you?”
“Yes. Vampires have superior senses of smell, vision, and hearing. I thought taking a train from New Orleans would mask my scent. Perhaps it did. Maybe Boston was just a lucky guess on her part. After all, she knew I lived here in the seventeenth century.”
Claudia leaned away, and confusion wrinkled her pretty brow. “You mean it was so long ago that it felt like the seventeenth century. Right?”
After a long pause, her eyes widened. “Right?” she repeated a little louder.
“Uh, no. I actually lived in the seventeenth century. I was born in Avon, England. I sailed to America as an indentured servant in sixteen-seventy-two. You should have seen the seventies, back then. Waaaay different.” He attempted a smile, but she didn’t move a muscle. Her jaw hung slack, and he had to snap his fingers to be sure he hadn’t accidentally mesmerized her. She blinked.
“I, um…” She never finished her sentence. She just turned away and appeared to be pondering deeply.
“I suppose I should have mentioned that vampires are immortal. Did you not know that?”
She bit her lip and stared at him.
“Claudia, say something.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Say that you believe me. I’m telling you the gods’ honest truth. Say you don’t hate me just because I revealed what I am. Say you know I’d never hurt you.”
“I…”
Apparently she couldn’t say any of those things. Or anything else. Anthony took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I shouldn’t have told you so much and expected you to accept everything all at once.”