Friday night, I can’t take it anymore. We’re watching a movie on his massive flat-screen television. Drawing in a deep breath, I lean over and blurt out, “Are you married?”
Shock flashes in his dark brown eyes as he rears back to stare at me. “Excuse me?” He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. And maybe I have.
“I only see you at night. When I dropped by a few days ago, this place was closed up tight and no one was around.” I begin to spell out my fears. “You never eat much, almost like you’ve already had dinner.” Standing, I stare into his eyes. “I can tell you’re keeping something big from me, and it’s making me crazy.”
Silas swallows nervously and my heart drops. Guilt is written all over his gorgeous face. He is freaking married. Just my luck to fall for a married man. My Mr. Nice Guy just became the jerk of the century.
Needing to escape before I break down in front of him, I rush to the door.
“Wait,” he begs behind me.
Turning, I wrap my arms around my waist and breathe deeply. My poor, fragile heart is about to be smashed into a million pieces.
His strong arms wrap around me from behind, and I fight my instincts to melt against his masculine body. “Please, let me explain.” His warm breath brushes my ear and a shiver runs down my spine.
Pulling away, I face him. I’m unable to control the tears seeping from my eyes. “Are you married?” I wait for him to answer.
“No.” He shakes his head. “But I have been keeping a secret from you.” I knew it. “Please, sit down and I’ll explain everything.” I walk over and drop into one of the overstuffed chairs. There's no way I can sit close to him while he breaks my heart. “God, this is so hard.” He runs his hand across the back of his neck, and I glare at him. “I’m not married, but...” Silas pauses and glances down to stare at his hands. “I’m a three hundred and twenty-three-year-old vampire.”
I blink rapidly as my mouth falls open. I don’t even know where to begin. I’m about to blast him for making up silly stories to cover up his lies when I look over and see fangs. Oh my God. Those are pearly white fangs protruding from his lips. And his eyes. They’re glowing now. Holy shit. I’m in trouble here. “What is happening?” Is this some prank he’s pulling? Maybe hysteria? All the different explanations run rampant through my mind while I try to come to grips with the man I’m falling in love with being crazy.
Shock holds me immobile as Silas steps close and kneels at my feet. “Please, don’t be afraid.” He picks up my limp hand and brings it to his lips. I cringe, expecting a bite of pain, but he places soft kisses across my knuckles. “You’re my soulmate. I’d never hurt you.”
CHAPTER 7
Silas
As I stare into her shocked eyes, I realize she still doesn’t fully comprehend the situation. She’s not sure if I’m telling the truth or fucking with her.
After placing her limp hand in her lap, I push a strand of silky, blonde hair behind her ear and sigh. “Let me explain.” I end up sounding like a crazed moron as I blurt out my entire story from start to finish. It’s obvious she doesn’t believe me. My life depends on convincing her. Without my soulmate, I’ll wither away and die. An idea suddenly pops into my mind.
I open the mental link between us and blink as her chaotic thoughts filter through my mind. She believes I’m nuts. Taking a chance, I picture the day I turned and release the image into her mind. Ruby sits back and stares at me silently for a few seconds before I hear, “How are you doing that?”
“Soulmates can communicate telepathically,” I answer out loud. She isn’t running out of the door in horror, so I calmly explain everything in her mind.
“You’re a three hundred plus years old vampire?” she asks, and I nod my head. “This is a lot to take in.”
“I know it is. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you.”
“I need some time to think about everything.” She stands and I see sadness reflected in her beautiful eyes. “Would you take me home?” The thought of letting her leave sends anguish shooting through my soul, but I know forcing her to stay is the wrong way to handle this.
On the short, silent ride to her house, I turn off the mental link and debate my options. Since spending eternity without her isn’t possible, I need to figure out a way to prove how I feel. Or I can kidnap my mate and keep her prisoner until she sees things my way.
My plan is to show her how I feel. If she doesn’t believe me, I might be forced to resort to desperate measures. Hopefully, my mate realizes how much she means to me.
When I pull up in front of her house, she reaches for the door handle. “You don’t need to walk me in.”
I lay my hand on her shoulder and insist, “I will walk you to the door like I do every time I drop you off.”
The furball is waiting to run out when she opens the door. I ignore his incessant barking and lean over to kiss my girl’s soft lips. “I can’t live without you.” Laying my forehead against hers, I stare into Ruby’s sad eyes. “Please, give me a chance to prove we can make this work.”
“I need time,” she whispers. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk.” At least she isn’t outright telling me to stay away.
Walking away from her is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I spend the rest of the night pacing the floor. An hour before the sun rises, Edward steps into the drawing room and takes in my disheveled appearance. “Are you okay?”
“She knows what I am.”
He whistles under his breath. “I guess that didn’t go so well.”
Sitting back in the tall leather chair, I drop my head onto the headrest and stare at the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do.”
My friend sits across from me and runs his hand down his face. “Tell me about it.”
After I explain the situation, Edward sits back and shrugs. “She didn’t break things off with you,” he reminds me. “Give her time to think about everything.” I know he means well, but his advice doesn’t help soothe the ice-cold pain tearing through my chest. “She’ll come back to you.”
I don’t hold out a ton of faith that my friend is right.
A sudden knocking on the front door startles us both. “I’ll get it.” Edward hops up and rushes from the room while I attempt to pull myself together. I refuse to believe the universe brought my perfect mate to me only to take her away.
“Look who I found at the front door.” Glancing up, I see her, and my heart stalls in my chest. Hope hits me as I wonder if she’s come back to me.
“Can we talk?” she whispers, and Edward slips out the door and closes it softly behind him.
“Have a seat.” I point at the chair across from me. “Would you like something to drink?” I ask, not knowing what else to say.
“No.” My mate gives me a soft, timid smile. “I want you to explain everything to me, and don’t leave anything out.”
“That could take hours.” I raise an eyebrow and warn her.
“I don’t have any other plans for today.” She shrugs.