CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“ L ay down with me.” Craig tugged Bri down onto his arm and pointed up to the sky.

“Oh my.”

He smiled. Millions of stars sparkled above them in the inky sky. The moon was half full, hanging in the distance. Her hand landed on his chest, and his heart stirred. Craig placed his own on hers and turned his head to whisper into her ear.

“See that big star? That’s Mars,” he said, pointing. “Now we’ve landed on the big red planet, but when I was a boy, it was a star known for bringing war and destruction.”

“It was?” She turned, her lips inches from his.

Tempting though it was to suck on her plump red mouth, he was determined to show her he wanted her for more than just sex. “Yes, and it still is today, if you read up on astrology.”

She looked back at the sky.

“The other bright star, that’s Saturn. And over there is Venus.”

“Love! I know that one,” she exclaimed.

“Chicks,” he mumbled, teasing, and then laughed when she poked him in the side without looking away.

“Yes, love, but also creativity, children, art, and so on. The morning star is known for more than just romantic interludes.”

Bri rolled over onto his body and tugged his face to hers. “Tell me about your life back then. Not her, just something of another time.”

A feeling completely unfamiliar ran through his veins. This woman wanted to know him. About him. His heart soared into the heavens, had a little dance, and shot back into his chest. He wanted to both wrap her in his arms for eternity and run from her in the same breath.

He stared into her eyes, the ones currently eating him up with her eagerness and affection.

“Please.”

“Alright. Close your eyes,” he said, and she did.

He tucked her in closer and then closed his own eyes.

“I was born in 1500 in a town about two hundred miles from here. My parents were not rich, but we weren’t dirt poor either. In those days, we attempted to blend into the human world, but it wasn’t as easy as it is today with twenty-four seven trading and technology. We had a small farm and drank blood from our larger beasts and ate their meat.

“Humans had just come out of the Middle Ages and were evolving into the age of the Renaissance in Italy. It was a time rich in art and culture. Still, life was quite simple compared to now, and as vampires, we stayed close to the edges of society mostly. Except for the Moretti’s and families such as the Russo’s.”

“The rebels?”

He nodded. “They weren’t always as they are now, though the families have always disagreed. They were a very influential family at a time when social structure was a major determiner.”

“So you know them?”

“Yes. I was there when their father challenged King Moretti’s throne. Frances won, of course, and took Roberto’s head. In front of his sons. And the two princes.”

Brianna gasped.

He ran a hand over her hip and smiled. “Different times, Bri.”

“Are they, though?”

“Yes.” He let out a dry laugh. “Now they’re blowing up our damn castles with bombs.”

She shook her head. “What do they want?”

“What do any of these tyrants want? Politicians, dictators, bullies, or corrupt chief executives—they all want power.”

“And then what?”

“Then, they want more, and more. They all believe they are powerless, ironically. Yet true power, my little human, comes from within.”

She laid a hand on his face and gazed into his eyes with more adoration than he deserved.

“And here you are, full of power, working for leaders.”

It took all his self-control to stop his mouth from falling open. How did this little human see so much without him noticing?

“I am just a servant.”

Brianna shook her head and rolled back to stare up at the sky, sighing.

“No. You are more than that, Craig. Much more. And Brayden knows it, and I daresay, so does the king.”

Shit.

She thought he was friggen’ Romeo. He didn’t want her thinking he was someone he wasn’t. Sure, a big part of him wanted her to want him, but him, not some dream guy. He wanted her to know the real him.

Craig sat up and leaned over her. “Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop romanticizing me. I’m dangerous, Bri. Dangerous and powerful, yes, but this—all of this—it’s not real. I don’t do picnics with females and have long showers making love.”

“Okay.”

Okay? That was all she was going to say? He lay back down with a childish huff, and she surprised him by climbing atop him.

“Bri,” he growled.

“I didn’t ask for any of this. I don’t need your picnics and long showers. You do all of that yourself, you bossy vampire.”

He grabbed her hips. “Keep still, siren.”

“And listen to you with all your nicknames. You want me.”

He snorted. “That’s no secret.”

“I think you’re scared I may be your mate. I wish you’d just admit it.” She thumped his chest.

Thumped. His. Chest.

He gripped her wrists and lifted his head closer.

“Careful, little human. You play with fire,” he growled darkly.

And. Then. She. Kissed. Him.