CHAPTER THIRTY

“ I ’m sorry, what?” Sage asked, her mouth dropping open.

Vampires.

She had nearly canceled the date with Ari tonight after being shocked by the news that vampires existed. This time it wasn’t a bunch of fake news on the internet—it was true. Highly respected scientists had presented images and facts to her this afternoon that shocked her.

They looked just like humans.

The rest of the afternoon had been a blur.

In the end, she hadn’t canceled because her desire to see Ari again had been stronger. The moment her eyes had locked on his outside her office building, she’d felt calmer. He had taken the nervous edge off her and made her smile, but now she needed space to process all the thoughts forcing their way into her consciousness.

Sage couldn’t talk to anyone about this. She was now a member of a high-level security team working to understand the inner functioning’s of a vampire. Apparently, they had volunteer subjects, and she was going to meet an actual vampire.

But Ari had just said he wanted to speak to her about... vampires. Sage stared at him blankly.

What was going on?

“Sage.” Ari repeated, and her eyes flew to his. “Sage, stop thinking,” Ari said quietly, placing a large hand on her arm.

Vampire.

“I need you to stay calm and hear what I have to say,” Ari said.

“You want to talk about vampires?” Sage asked, staring at him. She tried to keep her expression blank.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Can we do that another night? Friday maybe? I am really tired.”

The intense way Ari was looking at her sent shivers through her. He shook his head. “No, mia stellina , this can’t wait.” He shifted his large body on the sofa away from her. She frowned. She’d never seen him distance himself from her.

She began to shake.

Something was wrong.

“Calm, Sage.” A feeling of relaxation flowed through her, but it felt forced.

“What is going on?” she asked, panic fighting for dominance. “Why do you want to talk about them tonight?”

Her eyes darted around the room.

“Today you learned vampires exist,” Ari said, and she recoiled.

“What?” How the hell did Ari Moretti know that?

“You were also told there are vampires at BioZen to undertake... experiments on.” He ground out the words and his eyes darkened.

Sage froze.

This was dangerous territory.

“Ari,” Sage said, standing. “I can’t talk to you about this. How do you know? Who are you?”

He nodded calmly, staying seated.

“Where did you get this information?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t, but it was clear Ari knew something and was here for that very reason.

Ari shifted on the sofa and leaned back into the cushions.

“I overheard your conversation,” he replied. “I’m not going to lie to you about anything, Sage, but I need you to know a few facts before I leave here tonight. Facts that are going to shock you more than you already are.”

Sage wrapped her arms around herself.

“I doubt it,” she replied. “But I’m not comfortable with this conversation. Maybe you should go, Ari. I need to speak to my manager.”

Ari let out a sigh and shook his head. “No. I’m not leaving. Once I’ve shared this information with you, the decision on how you proceed is up to you.”

Sage blinked. Her brain was in do-not-compute mode. What did Ari have to do with any of this and how could what he knew surprise her more? Sage couldn’t fathom how a gym owner had knowledge on the existence of vampires.

Unless they really were circulating in society. She narrowed her eyes and took a step toward him.

“Do you know any vampires?” She shouldn’t be asking, but it might come in handy for their research, and he clearly knew something.

“Yes.”

“Holy shit.”

“Sage—”

“Can you tell me about them? Can I meet them?” she asked. “Wait. Are they dangerous?”

Ari stared at her as if deciding on his answer and she felt a chill run up the back of her neck.

“Are they?”

“Not all of them, but they can be.” He nodded.

“Do they go to your gym?” she asked, and when he let out a little laugh, she frowned.

“Sage, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” Ari shook his head. “You are the most gorgeous female I could ever have hoped for.”

Sage lowered her brows at him. “Ari, what the hell is going on?”

“First, I need you to know I’ll never hurt you. Remember what you told Talia today?”

What the hell?

Sage gasped. “You heard my conversations? Oh fuck, I’m going to get fired,” she said, throwing her arms up in the air. “Jesus, Ari, do you have any idea what you have done? These people are... they’re... you don’t fuck with them.”

Ari stood, and he seemed to suck all the air out of the room.

“Sage. I am a vampire.”

She froze.

Then she burst out laughing.

ARI WAITED FOR SAGE to move through her feelings of disbelief, then shock and arrive at panic. It was the usual process and didn’t take long.

Her expression showed him everything. He could have dived inside her mind, but it was unnecessary. And this wasn’t his first rodeo.

“Are you here to kill me?” she asked.

He frowned.

“What? No. Jesus, Sage.” Even though he’d heard it from humans many times, coming from Sage, the question struck him in the chest.

“Is that why you had sex with me?” she asked, shaking.

Fuck . There was no way he was letting her believe that.

“I had sex with you because I like you.” He answered honestly. “A lot, Sage.”

“You’re a vampire.”

He nodded.

Sage’s eyes scanned his body, and he watched her scientific mind working overtime as she fought against her fear.

“You’ve seen every inch of my body, and touched me everywhere, Sage,” Ari said as her mouth dropped open. He hated the way she was looking at him right now.

“Oh, God.” Sage’s trembling increased, and he clenched his fists against the dominating urge to go to her.

“Stop, Sage,” he demanded, and her eyes flew to his in surprise. “Stop your mind going to the worst-case scenario. I’m still me. I have never hurt you and I never will.”

God, he hoped that was true. He would do everything in his power to honor that promise.

“Oliver?”

He nodded.

“Oh, my God,” Sage said, and dropped to the floor. Ari flew across the room and scooped her up. She gasped and thrashed at him.

“Punch away, but I am not going to stand there and watch you collapse in front of me. Not when I fucking l—”

He stopped himself. He couldn’t say it. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Sage screamed into his chest.

“It’s you I’m terrified of.” Sage cried as she continued to punch his arms.

“Okay,” Ari said, wrapping his arms around her and letting her tire herself out. His heart warmed as Sage found comfort in his arms. She may not be aware, but her body was calming as he wrapped around her.

It was a true sign she could be his mate—her soul letting her know he was trustworthy, even though her mind struggled with the reasoning.

Loud sobbing continued as her thumping began to subside.

“I have to... have to...” Sage tried to move off him, but Ari held her firm.

He had no idea what he was doing. He was just following his instincts, hoping it worked. Despite everything, even the risk to his race, the most important thing to him right now was Sage.

Watching her collapse had struck him in the heart like a fucking arrow.

“Let the panic pass,” Ari said quietly, rubbing her back.

Hiccup.

“What if you kill me?”

“Then I couldn’t fuck you anymore, so that would be stupid of me,” he replied with a smile.

She glanced up at him, her eyes bloodshot and wet. “Are you mad?”

“Furious,”

“I don’t mean that.”

“I know, but when you’re ready, I want to tell you why I’m so angry,” Ari said.

“At me?”

“I hope not.” Sadness spread across his chest as his eyes lowered.

“Promise I’m safe?”

“From me, yes. I will protect you with my life,” Ari answered. “From those you work for, trying to harm my race? That is up to you, mia stellina .”

Sage blinked at him and wiped her eyes with her forearm. He’d never wanted to kidnap anyone before, but my God, he wanted to just steal her away from this entire mess.

But he couldn’t.

Sage was an asset. She was an earpiece and front door key for them into their number one enemy’s home.

Ari cupped Sage’s cheek. “I wish I could tell you what you mean to me.” Even though he was waiting for confirmation of the mating bond, Ari already knew. Never had he felt so excited and terrified at the same time.

His heart was ready to shatter if Sage chose BioZen and science tonight. Or she might be the female for whom he’d been waiting fifteen hundred and twenty-two years.

If he had to wait a few more fucking hours, he would.

No, he wouldn’t kidnap her, but if someone harmed her while this played out, he would take their life and then his own.