Page 3 of Barely Breathing

The echo of his words doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s not even a real memory.

It’s not just the amulet protecting me. Costin hassaved me more times than I can count. He was there with Morvok. Together, we stopped the destruction of the paranormal hub beneath New York City. He pulled me from the wreckage of my mortal life and stood by me in the depths of supernatural conflict. But I worry there is a calculation behind his protection, something I can’t quite name.

Maybe that’s just how vampires are—always playing the long game. Or maybe I’m afraid to acknowledge the heat in his gaze when he looks at me, the possessive way his hands linger whenever he touches me. It would be easier if it were just supernatural manipulation instead of a dangerous connection between us.

But I faced Draakmar alone. I’m a freaking hero. Take that, supernatural elitists! A mortal saved your sorry asses from a lava apocalypse.

My smile is short-lived.

I push the thick blanket off my body and swing my legs over the side of the bed. My bare feet brush the cold floor, and I suppress a shiver as I remember how Costin’s touch feels against my skin. Even when angry at him, I can’t stop my thoughts from straying in more pleasurable directions.

This needs to stop. I need to regain myself. My head is still spinning with the residual haze of whatever is happening to me.

A flash of memories surfacesof Costin’s voice, low and soothing, as he tells me to rest. “I will take care of everything. You can forget all about him.”

His voice echoes inside me, that silky tone that makes my pulse race even in memory. I hate how I crave that sensation.

Why am I flittering between desire and rage? I know better than to fall into a supernatural fantasy. Why can’t I focus?

I remind myself exactly what is going on. My vampire boyfriend mesmerized me without my permission.Thatis why my thoughts are jumbled and skipping around.

Mother fucker.

How long have I been asleep? I struggle to remember the moments leading up to being mesmerized. Something important dances along the edge of my thoughts.

I need to concentrate.

A sharp pang of guilt twists in my stomach as I remember Paul.

Paul Cannon is a mortal I met before magic turned my life upside down. He helped me when I was just a stranger to him. We drove halfway across the country together, and I fell in love with him after only a week of knowing him. He represented everything I thought I wanted—a normal human life.

Every choice I make seems to come with a price. I chose trying to be normal, and the supernaturaltried to kill Paul and his daughter. I chose the supernatural world over a human life with Paul, and now he’s paying for that choice. I chose to trust Costin, and he took away my free will. Even fixing the amulet had consequences I couldn’t foresee. It brought back memories that should have stayed buried, drawing attention from powers that should remain dormant.

Paul.

The name comes with a flood of emotions—warmth, longing, regret. The memories of him sprinkle inside me in fragments. I remember the way he smiled, his voice when he was with his five-year-old daughter Diana, and the quiet strength that made me feel safe. He saved my life. Literally, and on several occasions. He and Diana helped me when I had no one. I owe them so much. We met at a cemetery, two lost souls looking for peace, and for a brief time, I thought we had found it in each other. Then the amulet broke, and the magic made him forget all about me. When it erased his memories, it was a mercy. Being with me was too dangerous for him and Diana.

I shouldn’t be thinking of Paul. Not here in Costin’s bed.

I am romantically involved with Costin, a powerful master vampire. Costin and Paul represent two very different paths—one is immortal anddangerous, the other mortal and safe. It was easy to choose between the two when Paul didn’t know who I was. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I have lingering feelings for Paul. I am torn between the two men, and the situation has become complicated because Paul’s memories of our time together have been restored.

I rub my forehead as if that will dislodge my thoughts. I need to remember something about Paul. He was there when the amulet broke. I was meeting my birth mother for the first time, and my adoptive brother, Conrad, had tried to kill us. I need to save Paul from Conrad.

Wait. No. That’s the wrong memory. Conrad is dead.

If Conrad is no longer a threat, then what?

I press my palms hard against my temples, forcing the memory of Paul to focus. There was a flash of fur in the streetlights outside the family penthouse. Wolf.

Dread fills me. The werewolves took Paul. I remember it now.

I was waiting outside the penthouse for Costin. Paul showed up to tell me the spell that had erased his memory of our time together was reversed when I fixed the amulet. He remembered me. Heremembered us.

But I had moved on. I was with Costin now. I chose the vampire.

Why didn’t Costin stop the werewolves? Why were the werewolves kidnapping people off the street in Manhattan? That makes no sense. The wolf didn’t act like a typical predator. He wasn’t defending the alleyway because wolf territory is limited to industrial neighborhoods. He purposefully came to grab Paul.

The tall mirror framed in gold on the far wall catches my reflection. The glass wavers slightly, as though the image might shift if I blink. For a moment, I think I see the edge of a shadow dart behind me, there and gone again. It sends a chill crawling up my spine, but beneath the fear is that familiar thrill of anticipation. I’ve sensed Costin’s presence in shadows, and my body has learned to recognize the electric charge he brings to the air.

---