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  The woman in his arms looked up, her eyes widening. She squirmed against his solid embrace, bringing his attention back to what he had been doing. Nicholai gave himself a mental shake and refocused his thoughts. His mind reached out again and merged with the two women, but it was difficult to regain control of both simultaneously, for Nicholai’s mind wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, it wanted to focus solely on his heartmate. He realized his only course would be to handle one at a time.

  Holding steady the woman in his arms, he kept her to him, and turned his attention to the woman beside them. You will go back out to the table. You will sit down and wait for your friend to join you. She is still in the bathroom. Eat and remember nothing of your time with me, he instructed, putting a mental compulsion behind the command.

  As if in a daze, the pregnant woman stood, silently crossed the room, and closed the door behind her when she left.

  Nicholai gazed back into his heartmate’s frightened eyes and loosened his grip. She braced her hand against his muscular chest and pushed.

  “Who are you?” she demanded. “How did I get here? Where is Penny going?”

  He easily slipped into her mind. Shhhh, he conveyed, sending her a wave of reassurance. It’s okay. You are fine. You are safe with me. I would never let anything happen to you. Calm yourself.

  She stilled in his arms. Combing his fingers through her hair, he brought a strand to his nose and inhaled her essence. She smelled of sweet lilacs. You’re safe, my sweet.

  Removing all evidence of his bite with the healing properties in his saliva, he carefully licked the blood trail from her neck. Nicholai leaned his forehead against his mate’s and held her a little tighter, allowing himself to revel again at the thought of finding his one true love, the woman meant to be his for eternity. The earth seemed to shift under them, and he knew his world had forever changed.

  His breath came in quick gasps, his heart thundered as if he’d finished a hundred-mile marathon. His physical reaction to the woman astounded him. He worked to calm his response, taking deep, soothing breaths in an attempt to center himself.

  Nicholai noted her features, memorizing them, locked them in the deep recesses of his mind. He ran his fingers through her brown hair and over the roundness of her face. Full-figured by today’s human standards, each of her curves pleased him. He lost himself in the beauty of her face. Her pink, rosy cheeks stood out against her pale complexion. Savoring the softness of her skin, he ran the back of his hand down one of those cheeks. He wanted to remain there forever, holding her in his arms but knew her friend would be suspicious if he did not allow her to return to their table soon.

  Unable to let her go just yet, his mind raced. A thousand questions pinged around his mind. What is your name? Where are you staying? What is your favorite food? Favorite color? Favorite flower?

  He’d settle for her name for now. “Tell me your name,” he commanded.

  “Julie.”

  Nicholai straightened. Julie, he thought. Now I have a name to go with that beautiful face. Julie. My heartmate’s name is Julie. It’s perfect, just like her.

  He struggled to come up with a plausible way to get to know her. A plan took shape, a little devious, but still. A mischievous grin tugged at his top lip.

  Reluctantly, he gave her a command to forget him. Go back to your friend and do not remember our time together. Go to your table, sit down, and enjoy the rest of your meal. But you are jet-lagged. You want to go to your hotel right after you finish your meal.

  She blinked several times and rose to oblige his command. When she walked through the door, his instincts roared at him, demanded he scoop her up in his arms and take her to his home. Reining in the urge, Nicholai eased back and laid his head on the couch.

  He needed to devise a way to win her love, make her want to be his forever. They belonged together. He knew it, the Fates ordained it, but she was human and had no concept of a heartmate, so he would have to woo her.

  Nicholai had other friends who’d recently found their human heartmates as well. He remembered their struggles to win their loves—it would not be an easy path.

  He needed a well-thought out plan, and luckily, one formed in his mind.

  Nicholai followed his heartmate silently into the hall and stood motionless in the shadows, observing the woman make her way across the restaurant. In a dazed state, she went to her table and sat across from the blonde.

  “Took you long enough, girl,” her friend quipped with a smile.

  “Sorry,” she muttered absentmindedly before wagging her head as if to shake out the fuzzies.

  “I am jet-lagged, Penny. Let’s pay our bill and go back to our hotel. I’d like to rest.”

  Her friend nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. I’m kinda tired, too.”

  Julie beckoned the waitress over with a wave of her hand. After paying their bill, the duo left under Nicholai’s watchful gaze. His lean, athletic body shimmered, dissolved, became a fine mist streaming through the restaurant and out into the night air behind the women.

  Chapter 2

  Nicholai learned centuries ago how to conceal himself from those around him. To the rest of the world, he did not exist unless he chose to reveal himself. The special talent set him apart from other vampires.

  Most learned to dematerialize, disappear from one place, and instantly materialize somewhere else, or manipulate the thoughts of those around them to conceal themselves, but Nicholai had discovered how to hold his particles together at the molecular level in an invisible mist. He used the power now to ghost along the street behind the women and follow them to their hotel.

  Arm in arm, they came to a quaint little inn, at the end of the street. The interior, dark with only a few sconces on the walls providing light, welcomed the women inside. They both waved to the portly woman behind the desk who greeted them with a wide smile and a wiggle of her fingers.

  Nicholai trailed behind them while they ascended the stairs. Penny stopped in front of one of the doors and fumbled through her purse. “I thought I had the keys.”

  Julie opened her handbag and dug inside. “Penelope Jones, what am I going to do with you? Here they are.”

  Julie pulled two room keys from her purse and handed the one with tag number 203 to her friend.

  Penny unlocked the door, but before she disappeared behind the wooden portal, she stopped and took one last look at Julie. “So, we’re in for the night, right? You don’t want to go do anything else?”

  “No.” Julie shook her head, tousling her brunette locks. “I’m too tired. I just want to take a long, hot bath and crash. We’ll get up first thing in the morning and do some sightseeing.”

  Penny’s face lit up. “And I know just the place.”

  “Oh, where?” Julie’s eyes widen with curiosity.

  “Not gonna tell ya. It’s a surprise. You’ll have to wait until morning.”

  “All right. Very well. Sleep tight, Penny.”

  “You too, Jules,” Penny called out, then stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her.

  Nicholai followed Julie into her room. She slid the chain into the lock, shucked off her shoes, and tossed the key onto the dresser. His heartmate turned and looked toward Nicholai, almost as if she knew he was there. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn she sensed his presence. This woman piqued his curiosity more each minute.

  Julie grabbed a flannel gown and headed into the bathroom. Honor kept him from following. Nicholai remained in the bedroom. The room, small but homey, contained a full-size bed with a red and gold quilt. Matching red drapes hung to the floor, framing a window covered by a white sheer.

  From the next room, Julie ran the water for her bath, and he heard the telltale splish-splash when she lowered herself into the tub.

  Physically exhausted from keeping himself insubstantial, his concern of not being able to cloak his presence again warred with the desire to see to her safety. He wanted…no, needed to care for his heartmat
e, see to her protection, but with a heavy sigh, he realized locking the deadbolt was the best he could do for now, for he didn’t dare stay the night.

  He materialized by the door to her room and turned the deadbolt. He cast one last wistful glance in the direction of the bath and, by mere thought, dematerialized to his office.

  Once in the chair behind his oak desk, Nicholai grabbed a stack of papers that required his perusal. Concentration eluded him. He read through the first paragraph and then the second, but the words blurred and Julie’s image flooded his mind. His hair flowed around his neck when he shook his head and tried once again to absorb the words on the page. The scribbles held no significance.

  Realizing the effort as futile, Nicholai gave up and placed his head in his hands.

  He’d found his heartmate at long last. When her blood fed his cells, her very essence stirred inside him. It wrapped around Nicholai’s heart in a gentle embrace which he knew would never let go. He sensed his Julie. She was a part of him now, forever his. He couldn’t lose her. His heart wouldn’t survive it.

  Nicholai’s body tingled. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood at attention. He sent his preternatural senses out taking in the sounds, smells, and sights of the night, seeking the trouble that put him on alert.

  Nothing. Panic gripped his heart until it struggled to beat. It must be Julie!

  His next thought took him to her side, leaving only a wisp of black smoke behind.

  Chapter 3

  Muscles tense, ready to pounce at the first hint of danger, Nicholai’s body solidified inside Julie’s room. His gaze flew to his beloved where she lay on the bed, unharmed. Her furrowed brows gave the only indication she suffered any distress as she slept. He forced a deep breath that filled his lungs with her delicious scent. He took in the rest of the tiny room with a sweeping glance, searching for anything out of the ordinary. He noted nothing but a small dresser from which clothes tumbled out onto the floor.

  As he glanced down on the beautiful face of his love, Nicholai’s heart clenched, threatened to stop altogether. Distress rolled from her in waves. Nicholai faded back into the shadows and watched his heartmate sleep, determined to be here should she need comfort from what was obviously a bad dream. Dawn approached. He should be in the safety of his home to avoid the deadly rays of the sun, but he could not tear himself away from his mate.

  Julie’s face twisted in pain. She thrashed wildly. Arms and legs flailed in a mock battle. Nicholai rushed to her side and pushed into her mind, determined to sooth her, but to his great shock, a mental wall blocked him. He concentrated harder, gave a vigorous push against the mental barrier. Determination fueled his effort, but success eluded him. Julie’s strong emotions held him helpless to do more than watch the nightmare take his heartmate, her mind and body. Julie continued to writhe. Her head whipped from side to side as little moans of “no” escaped her.

  When a scream pushed through her lips, his patience snapped. He could not just stand by and do nothing. Kneeling beside her, Nicholai pinned her arms above her head with one of his hands. Next, he gently cupped her chin in his free hand, stilling her head. He turned Julie’s face away from him and exposed her delicate neck. As her legs continued to kick, he lowered his mouth to her creamy flesh. Nicholai ran his tongue down until he found the place where her pulse beat the strongest. He sank his fangs into the soft skin and drank. The sweet nectar of life flowed over his tongue, created ecstasy so intense it curled his toes and spilled out into his Julie.

  Nicholai drew small sips from her vein until Julie’s legs gradually stilled. The passion curled in their bodies simultaneously as he suckled at the neck of his heartmate. It tightened, coiled like a cat ready to strike. Right before it overwhelmed his common sense, he stopped drinking, pulled away, and licked the small wounds closed.

  He intended to form a mindlink by drinking her blood, but the process was only half complete. Nicholai released his hold on Julie. She lay beside him calm, her body once again still, but the expression on her face indicated something still troubled her mind.

  He bit into his wrist, and tiny beads of his blood pooled on his skin. He placed his wrist over Julie’s open mouth, then rubbed her neck, triggering a reflexive swallowing action. When Julie’s mouth closed around his flesh and took what he offered, a moan pushed through Nicholai’s lips.

  He knew the exact moment the blood exchange created the link. With a mental snap, the private line of communication only the two of them shared fell into place. Julie stirred as her consciousness began clawing its way to the surface. Using the link, Nicholai again tried to slip into Julie’s mind. This time no barrier kept him out.

  He soothed her mind back into a state of deep sleep, allowing her subconscious to once again take control. But this time he was determined to keep the nightmare away. Keep her safe, happy.

  With the mental barrier gone, Nicholai easily saw into her dream.

  A brown pickup truck sideswiped a black SUV, sending it careening over the embankment. Julie ran to the side of the road, watched the car tumble down. Dirt and debris spewed like a bully kicking sand on the beach. She screamed and dropped to her knees with one arm outstretched as if to pluck the occupants from the vehicle.

  “Nooooooo!” she screamed.

  Julie’s grief and terror swamped his mind. Unwilling to allow her mental anguish, Nicholai helped her subconscious change the dreamscape.

  The crumpled SUV disappeared and a beautiful meadow replaced the highway. The sun beat down on Julie’s skin. It warmed her from the inside out.

  Nicholai knew his blood gave her the sensation, but he allowed her mind to work its magical interpretation.

  Julie found herself dressed in medieval garb with her ample cleavage spilling out from the tight bodice. Long sleeves draped from her wrists as she turned circles beside an inviting pond. The cloth, golden and heavy, shimmered in the sun.

  Veiled by the surrounding forest, Nicholai observed Julie spin with her arms outstretched. She reveled in the warmth of the sun until dizziness overtook her and she fell onto her bottom, giggling.

  The sound of Julie’s laughter raced down Nicholai’s spine, leaving tiny footprints of happiness in its wake. He smiled at his heartmate when she brushed a stray curl from her face and stared longingly at the pond. The cool water appeared inviting, and under the warmth of the sun, it only took her a second to make up her mind.

  “If ever there was a day to go skinny-dipping, this is it,” Julie said.

  A wide, sheepish grin took Nicholai’s face.

  Chapter 4

  Julie stripped her heavy clothing with haste and dove headlong into the welcoming pool of water. When she surfaced, she brushed the water from her eyes and glanced up to discover a man had joined her. Correction, a very beautiful man with shaggy, raven hair that hung loosely about his face. He wore a knight’s armor, complete with a coat-of-arms painted on the chest plate. As he looked down on her, his amber eyes appeared older than their years. They did not match the smooth, youthful face with a smile that melted her soul.

  The knight knelt on one knee beside the pond. “I see you are out taking a swim, milady.”

  “Yes. It is such a hot day. I thought I’d cool off.” Julie swam toward the middle of the pond so the dream knight would not be able to see her naked body.

  “May I join you? It’s been a long, hot journey, and I too could use a cool dip.” With the tip of one gloved finger in the water, the knight sent a sequence of ripples toward Julie.

  Julie desperately wished she’d dreamt a bathing suit. Even in her dream world, she was self-conscious about her less than perfect forty-year-old body. She knew she was overweight with too-straight hair and a nose a little too long for her face. Julie was about to say no when her dream knight rose and started taking off his armor. Apparently, he had no intention of waiting for her reply.

  “I- I don’t know your name,” Julie sputtered when her mind refused to work, too distracted by the sight before her.


  The man slowly removed each piece of armor, exposing a bit of flesh with each subtraction. His muscles shifted with each graceful movement, drawing her attention first to his arms, then his handsome chest, next to his thick thighs and finally to the codpiece. With the last piece of mail finally removed, he exposed himself fully to her appreciative view.

  “My name is Nicholai.” A sexy grin took his face, but it didn’t hold her attention for long.

  Julie’s eyes roamed his physique. He stood tall, his shoulders broad. A powerful, thick chest narrowed to slim hips. The muscles on his flat stomach divided into ridges, which led to the thick black curly hair that nestled his most impressive male part.

  Julie blushed and glanced away as he dove into the water. She’d never seen such a perfect male specimen. As if chiseled from stone by a great artist, his body was an absolute contrast to her own soft curves.

  Nicholai surfaced beside her and brushed his hair away from his face with one hand. His eyes sparkled as he looked upon her and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t resist.”

  “I know what you mean. The water is inviting.”

  “It is not the water I could not resist, my dear. I could not resist you.” With that he reached for her and pulled her against his hard body. Julie opened her mouth to protest his statement, not believing for a second a man like him found her irresistible, but before she said a word, his mouth covered hers.

  His skillful tongue slipped into her mouth when her lips parted with a gasp. His kiss, light but thorough, made a sinuous warmth spread through her. She gave herself over to the sensation. Her inhibitions took flight as she decided to go where this dream took her. Determined to shut off the self-critical part of her mind, she allowed him to support her full weight as he swam the two of them to the shore. He picked her up as if she weighed no more than a child and carried her to a blanket that suddenly appeared.

  When he laid her upon the soft blanket, the grass crushed beneath her body. She wished for darkness, so she could make love to him without worrying about her body. When the thought crossed her mind, clouds turned the sky to pitch.