Page 4 of Beautiful Heart

“Superman, Thor, and Batman? Or werewolves, vampires, witches, and the like?”

She sounded so skeptical, Livingston could only chuckle. “The latter.”

“Yes.”

“Well, while the books and movies are inaccurate in their portrayal of the supernatural world, there is a whole sub-society that normal humans, or blands as we call them, don’t know about. Coming through that veil into the alley outside brought you into that world. Into my world.”

He watched as Gerri blinked and then blinked again. He could practically see her fitting his revelation into the world she knew.

“So, you’re not human?” She sounded hesitant and looked a little nervous.

At that moment, Mystic arrived with a tray full of goodies. She placed a platter containing numerous different pastries in the center of the table before placing a mug of hot chocolate piled high with mini-marshmallows in front of Gerri and then a cup of dark, dark coffee in front of him. Finally, she set another plate on the table. This one held a number of small bowls filled with a variety of spreads—butter, honey, cream cheese, as well as strawberry jam and grape jelly.

“Thank you,” Gerri said and smiled at the café owner.

“You’re very welcome,” Mystic patted her shoulder. “Just remember to listen to the man with your heart, not just your ears.”

“Uh, okay.”

Mystic drifted away as Gerri tasted her hot chocolate.

“Oh my God, this is delicious,” she moaned before she took another bigger sip.

Livingston smiled and lifted his mug. The dark roast coffee was hot and strong with a good dollop of blood mixed in for flavor and body, just the way he liked it. He took another sip before setting the mug down and turning his attention to the platter of goodies. He smiled when he saw that Mystic had already cut each pastry in half, so they could share them as they talked.

“Which would you like to try first?” he asked, motioning to the platter.

Instead of choosing from the platter, she laced her fingers together and rested her hands on the table. “First, I’d like the answer to my question. What, exactly, are you?”

Chapter Three

Gerri wasn’t sure why she was pushing so hard for answers. Sure, she felt pulled to Livingston in a way she’d never been drawn to another man—not even her husband—but that shouldn’t matter.

She knew nothing about this man and yet all she wanted to do was climb into his lap and cuddle against that broad chest and feel his arms wrap around her. In an hour or two, once her snuggle quotient had been filled, she would try to entice him to fuck her until neither of them could walk.

First, though, she needed to understand who he was and what kind of world he had pulled her into.

For a moment, Livingston looked unsettled, almost nervous. Instead of answering her immediately, he took a moment to choose two of the half-pastries and placed them on his own plate. Only after she did the same did he gaze into her eyes.

“I am vampire,” he said as easily as if he were reporting the time of day. “I am the leader of the city’s vampire coven. And you, sweet Gerri Markham, are my life mate. I have spent many, many years searching for you. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t plan on losing you to a couple of drunk, drugged-out street rats.”

Gerri blinked then dropped her gaze to the platter of pastries. He sounded so sure, so confident that the solid foundation of truth she had been raised to believe … that vampires, witches, werewolves, and other paranormal creatures were fiction, began to crumble. Her heart picked up speed as it agreed that Livingston spoke the truth.

When she looked up again, she found him watching her. Having always been able to tell if people lied by looking into their eyes, she looked deep, but saw no prevarication in his dark chocolate eyes.

“You’re a vampire,” she whispered, “and I am your mate. Does that mean you’re going to turn me into a vampire, too?”

“Not unless you wish me to. Once we are fully mated, your life will be tied to mine, and hopefully we will die together in each other’s arms many, many decades, even centuries, from now. Now, tell me about yourself, my princess.”

“What do you want to know?”

She watched as his smile, and the look in his eyes, turned hot and seductive. “Everything.”

Gerri took a deep breath and pushed down the simmering need that flared to life low in her belly. Telling him everything would probably scare him away as her life had become a screwed-up mess since the accident. She had spent the settlement on her recovery, and was up to her eyeballs in debt. While her job as a researcher at the library paid the day-to-day bills, it barely paid the interest earned on the bills leftover from the accident and her husband’s funeral, much less toward the principle owed.

She also wanted to know more about Livingston and his life as a vampire and the leader of his coven. “I’ll answer one question of yours if you’ll answer one of mine. Because I want to know everything about you, too. I think.”

Livingston looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “That’s sounds acceptable. How did you hurt your leg?”

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