CHAPTER TWELVE

H e hadn’t thought this through at all. Sage was an intelligent woman. Of course she’d have questions. Yes, he could wipe her memory and start shuffling shit around upstairs but that would complicate things if he wanted to spend time with her. And he did.

Why?

Honestly, Ari didn’t have an answer. He found Sage extremely beautiful and wanted to know more about her. He also had an irrational need to know if she was eating, sleeping okay, safe, and... single.

To clarify, Ari didn’t want another man to get his hands on her.

He had never before felt this possessive over a lover.

Ari took Sage’s hand and led her inside Canlis—Seattle’s finest dining restaurant overlooking Lake Union, with views of the Cascade Mountains. He wondered if she knew it was one of the top restaurants in the United States.

“Ari,” Sage whispered. He glanced down at the tug on his hand. “Everything okay?”

“This is...” She stared at her dress.

So, she did know and was uncomfortable.

“Don’t do that. You look fucking gorgeous,” he said, pulling her up against him, and cupping the back of her head. “Do I need to remind you how quickly I had your panties off earlier? Twice.”

He was treated to one of her beautiful blushes.

“Totally not the same thing. Everyone in there is—”

“Everyone in there is of no interest to me. Do you want to go somewhere else?” He’d paid five thousand dollars to secure the last-minute booking, but if it made her unhappy then he was willing to leave immediately.

“No,” she said quickly. “I just wish I’d worn something else. I had no idea you’d bring me to a place like this.”

Ari glanced across the water, thinking for a moment. If Sage was going to feel uncomfortable, she wouldn’t enjoy it. He ran his hand over her forehead and smiled.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more intuitive about this. I rarely take women out.” As Sage shook her head to dismiss his apology, he lowered his mouth to hers gently. Then, as his eyes met hers and their lips parted, he delved into her mind and whispered. “ You look beautiful. You feel beautiful in your designer dress and your every step is one of confidence as we step inside together .”

Sage blinked. A smile formed on her lips, and she took his arm, and they walked inside where they were seated by the window with views over the sparkling lake.

“Mr. Moretti, we have the wine you requested,” the server said. “The 1995 Bruno Giacoa Collina Rionda. An excellent classic red, sir.”

“ Grazie .” He slipped into his native dialogue.

“So you really are Italian?” Sage said.

“Why would I lie?” He grinned. “I told you, I’m from Rome.”

She’d surprised him at the museum with her question, but his response had been more shocking. Ari had wanted to tell Sage everything. About being born in the Roman era and his home back in 500AD, and his mother and twin brother, and all the things he’d seen along the way.

But he couldn’t.

Her questions were normal to ask on a date. Unless you were asking them of a fifteen-hundred-year-old vampire.

Ari wondered what the scientist in her would think of him being the oldest living being on the planet. A shiver went through him. While there were bad scientists in this world who would tear him apart to discover his secrets, Ari would enjoy surprising and delighting Sage and her clever beautiful mind.

Those other scientists could rot in hell. They would never get their hands on him. It was a stark reminder of what he should be fucking doing instead of wining and dining this beautiful human.

He let out a little groan.

If he could take Sage home and tie her to his bed post, he would. He’d love to come and go, pleasuring her at will, making her into his little sex slave. It was unlikely Sage would be submissive enough for that.

He smirked to himself as he lifted his wine glass and watched Sage peruse her menu.

None of them took females into The Institute. Not only was the place full of vampires, weapons, and top-secret information, but his identity had been hidden for centuries.

Now the Moretti’s knew he existed.

Still, the less people—or vampires—who knew about the location of the mansion, the better.

So, the rule remained.

It was for everyone’s safety.

“So how long has it been since you left Italy?” Sage asked.

“I have been in the United States a long time. I’ve recently returned from a visit to Rome,” he replied, bypassing her direct question.

Sage sipped her wine and stared at him over her glass. “Are you sure you’re not a lawyer?”

Ari smirked. “Tell me about yourself, Sage. You have a sister. What about your family?”

“All my grandparents have passed on and neither of my parents had siblings, so we’re a small family. Piper and I used to be close.” Her gaze drifted away, then she glanced back at him and quickly added, “My mother is smothering but bearable. My father does everything to keep busy outside the house, probably for the same reasons.”

“Tell me about Piper.”

She shook her head, and he sensed a strong embarrassment rolling off her.

“Sage,” Ari quietly demanded, and her eyes met his. “What did she do?”

She took a long sip of wine and swallowed. “She fucked my college boyfriend. The boy who took my virginity. I thought I was going to marry him.” Sage let out a dry laugh and shrugged. “So, fuck her, but apparently I’m supposed to forgive her and just get over it.”

Ari reached across the table and took her hand. “What a bitch.”

Sometimes it was the simple things in life people wanted the most, Ari had observed. Sage needed someone on her side. What her sister had done was terrible. A complete betrayal. It was clear by her last comment that her family was pressuring her to move on so they could sweep the entire thing under the table.

Sage grinned. “Thank you.” Then she sobered. “So your brother died?”

He nodded. “He...” Ari had to be careful what he said. “He was married and lived a good life.”

“Oh, his poor wife. Did they have children?”

At last count Giorgio had approximately ten million offspring so yes, he’d had a few children. To his mate, only Frances.

“Yes, I’m an uncle.” Ari nodded, thinking of Vincent and Brayden, and now little Lucas.

“That’s so sad.”

“The children are strong. They will be fine,” Ari replied, thinking about how poignant this conversation was. He would soon be leaving behind his nephews and a part of him was starting to feel pangs of sadness about that.

While he had walked away from them, Ari had always kept a close eye on the royal family, knowing if something happened, he’d be there. As he was now, with this human experimentation monstrosity.

When the rebellion had risen, he’d known both Frances and Vincent were capable of dealing with them. Stefano Russo—the head of the rebellion—was a fucking dick, but nothing the Moretti royals couldn’t handle. When they’d begun blowing up castles Ari had considered getting involved until suddenly the vampire race was exposed to humans.

Things had gone from bad to fucking ugly then, and now here they were.

“I’m sure you’re very involved with your nephews.”

You have no idea.

“I am now.”

Sage raised an eyebrow.

“They are in Italy. I was visiting them.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, without wanting to sound like Oliver, tell me about your job as a scientist,” Ari asked, and grinned when Sage blushed at the reminder of the night they’d all been together.

“It’s boring. I’m just a lab assistant.”

“Why do you continue working there if it’s boring?” Ari asked.

It had confused him watching society evolve into this system of educating people and spitting them out at the end with credentials to work in a job and pay tax for the next forty years or more. That was it. Humans got up, went to work, came home, and ate dinner with their family and repeated it for five days. They had two days if they were lucky to do things they loved in their life, once the chores and shopping was done.

Life might have been simpler and less convenient centuries ago, but people had time to just be. To sit in a field or roam the earth and see nature and all its spectacular beauty.

That wasn’t to say Ari didn’t appreciate the luxury he now had. He did.

But he had choice.

Everyone had choice.

He saw people completely unaware of these choices after generations of education in this tax system. If there was one thing over his long life he’d seen and knew for sure, it was change.

Change was coming soon. For all of them.

Watching Sage mulling over his question, Ari felt a twinge in his chest at leaving this life knowing she would be navigating that change without him.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Sage lowered her wineglass. “It’s hardly a glamourous job like some people have. I’ve been doing it for years, but I’m about to get a promotion. That’s exciting.”

“Congratulations.”

“Well, not yet, but hopefully next week I’ll hear back.” She leaned forward. “It’s top-secret, so I can’t tell you anything or I’d have to kill you.”

You could try, little minx.

Despite himself, Ari smirked. When was the last time a woman teased him? The more time he spent with this pretty human, the more he liked her. In truth, Ari didn’t like many people or vampires.

Life and conversation were so repetitive no matter what damn century you were in.

Aside from Matteo, Ben and a handful of others, Ari had few vampires he could call a genuine friend or confidant. Yet he found himself wanting more from Sage. And dangerously, wanting to tell her about himself. He couldn’t, but he wanted to.

Over the centuries, he’d come up with many fake job titles when out with women or in public. He’d pretended to be a stockbroker, artist, landscaper, and a poet. Yeah, that last one had tripped him up. The woman had asked him to write her a poem, so he’d had to wipe her memories.

Ari was as creative as a kitchen mop.

Except when it came to killing assholes. Then he got very creative.

“And how would you do that, my little stellina ?” he teased. Christ, Sage was turning him into a cheesy Italian.

“What does stellina mean?” she asked and, for the first time in his life, Ari felt a tinge of embarrassment.

“Nothing. We should order.” He picked up the menu while Sage pulled her phone out of her purse.

“Siri, what does stellina mean?” Sage asked the device. Ari frowned, lowered the menu and held her eyes as the digital device muttered away about the constellations and little stars.

She grinned back at him, clearly pleased with her new name.

“You’re killing me, cara .”

Fuck, there it was again.

“Siri, what—” Ari ripped the phone out of her hand, and she laughed. He placed it screen side down on the table between them. “You can search for them all tonight while you’re lying between your sheets, wishing my body was on yours.”

Sage frowned and he realized what he’d done.

“I have business to take care of tonight, but I will not leave you unsatisfied,” he promised, reaching for her hand and flipping it so he could run his thumb across her palm.

She shivered under his touch.

“I think I’m pretty satisfied already after our drive here,” she said as he released her hand.

No. Sage was wrong. She would want much more of him by the time he dropped her home. He’d make sure of it.

They ordered their meals and made their way through the wine, learning more about each other. Ari kept to the truth as much as he could.

“So, Oliver works for you,” Sage said, and his body tensed. He wondered when she would bring him up and he wasn’t prepared for the powerful feeling that arose within him.

“Yes,” he replied. “Him and dozens of others.”

He saw the heat in her cheeks. Sage had enjoyed Oliver. It wasn’t a surprise—the vampire was extremely good looking and an excellent lover. He had a playful spirit many young women were drawn to. Ari wondered if Sage was ready to stop playing out her fantasies or if she wanted more threesomes in her life.

Or was she after something different?

Did she want to experience pleasure from a woman? Or a group of men in an orgy?

He could give her whatever she wanted, except he was beginning to wonder if that was possible. His need to keep her to himself was growing by the minute.

“Where do you live?” she asked, and Ari knew he had reached his limit with her questions. This is where he had to stop her.

“Medina,” he answered, knowing she would never find The Institute mansion. The sweeping lakefront property was blocked from Google Maps and extremely difficult to find even if you drove past it.

And if Sage did become a stalker, which he knew she wouldn’t, getting past his security system and vampires would make her a walking miracle.

Or dead.

“Fancy area.” She was right. It was the most opulent area in the state and home to many well-known billionaires. The difference being, Ari was not known. But he was many times over a billionaire.

“Yes, I like nice things, Sage.” His dark eyes roamed over her, and she looked like she was going to purr. He leaned forward. “ Cara , do you wish to be discreet with the people living in your home?”

He was ready to take her home.

“My roommates?” she asked, eyebrows slightly rising. When he nodded, she shook her head. “No, they’re not discreet around me.”

He let out a small laugh. “Really?”

Sage shrugged. “Well, to be clear, we need to go into my bedroom rather than use the dining room table tonight and if you were bringing a friend, I might have to think on that.”

Ari’s eyes narrowed.

“So, you’d like to do that again?”

Sage let out a little cough and looked around.

“Yes or no, Sage?”

If she asked for Oliver, Ari wasn’t sure how he’d react.

Bullshit.

He’d fill with fury.

More so because, while Sage was asking him lots of questions, it was more from a place of curiosity. He could tell she didn’t see him as the type of man to be in a relationship with. To Sage, he was a man who had fulfilled her fantasy and could do so again.

“Maybe.”

Bingo. His instincts had been correct.

This was good, right? He had nothing to offer Sage. So why did he feel like punching a wall?

“But? There’s a but in there. Talk to me, Sage.” Ari pressed, wanting to understand exactly what she desired.

“It’s nothing. The experience was new to me and I’m still processing that it even happened.” Sage didn’t take her eyes off his. He could see she was telling him the truth, but also leaving something out.

Ari hadn’t trained thousands of soldiers and worked with the most dangerous, powerful people in the world without knowing how to read both vampires and humans. Lies were complex. They were small and large. They could be right in front of you or hidden deeply, and everything in between.

And the thing about lies and secrets... everyone had them.

Everyone.

Ninety-nine percent of them were harmless. The one percent though, were dangerous as fuck. Which is why he got paid serious money to do what he did.

“Did you like Oliver?” he pressed, knowing he was torturing himself.

“Ari, please.” She begged.

“Answer the question. Did he please you?”

She let out a little groan, which shot straight to his cock.

Fucking torture.

“I did like being with Oliver.” She replied quietly. “But I didn’t like how he left so abruptly. It felt cold.”

Feelings washed over Ari. Feelings he’d never experienced before. They sat staring at each other, and he found himself unable to respond.

There was a vulnerability in her eyes, and innocence about how things should go, but regardless, she had bravely voiced how she felt.

Guilt rushed through him, knowing he was responsible for asking Oliver to leave, and not giving either of them the opportunity to finish things properly.

Sage wasn’t the kind of woman to have sex without emotions. She wasn’t the first human woman they’d come across like this either, but then again, he’d never kicked any of his males out until the female had been completely satisfied.

Did she have feelings for Oliver?

Sage hadn’t shown any growing feeling for Ari tonight. There was certainly lust between them, but she’d not asked any of those chick questions about what he wanted in his life. Big red flag there.

Yet here she sat in front of him, filled with vulnerability as they spoke about Oli.

Ari gripped his glass with a tension he knew was about to—

Smash.

Glass exploded around them.

“Oh, shit.” Sage jumped up.

“Fuck. Are you okay?” Ari climbed to his feet and pulled her out of her chair with a strength he shouldn’t be exerting around humans. Right now, he couldn’t give a fuck.

He checked her body for glass.

“Yes. Shit. It just gave me a fright,” she replied as the server came running, apologizing as if it was his fault, and cleaning up around them.

Ten minutes later, they were in the back of the limo, heading to her house. This time, Sage was tucked under his arm while he stared out the window, wondering what the hell was going on inside of him.