Page 5 of Eternally Bound

“Yeah, just tired, I guess.” I look around him, searching for my friends, but he shifts and blocks my view.

“Why don’t you come dance?” His hand starts to move down to my ass, and I suddenly feel violent.

I’m about to shove him away when the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my life appears at our side. The hand on my hip is ripped away and held out at a painful angle. The bartender yelps and grabs the bar so he doesn’t topple over.

He leans into me, and I hold my breath.

“Your name?” I turn my head to his voice and gasp at the look in his eyes.

“Why?” I’m not sure what I’m asking, really.

Why are you asking? Why are you hurting this man? Why me? Honestly, pick one because I’m so confused. The room around us gets bleary again, and I whimper. What is going on?

I can feel my face growing hot, and all I want to do is lean into this stranger.

“I would like to apologize to you formally for my actions.” His accent makes the words sound lyrical, and I nod slightly before I swallow the hot in my throat.

“Why?” It comes out in a whisper because that’s all I can manage.

The snap of the bartender’s wrist is loud, like a strike of thunder. The room morphs again, but this time, it doesn’t change back. I should be panicking, but I look back at the stranger. He’s the only thing in the room that feels real to me.

“For that. No man should be touching my wife.” What?

I glance around again, but I don’t see any other women in the room. When my eyes meet him again, I’m sure we’ve met before. The familiarity in his gaze can not be denied.

“Why do I know you?” I’m not sure if I spoke the words out loud or not.

His hand raises and hovers over my cheek.

“Kiss me and find out.” The moment I feel his touch, my world flips.

My vision fills with memories that are not mine, but yet they are. I feel them in my soul. It feels like I’m being tossed through time in a picture book full of our past lives. One seen places out, and then another replaces it. Over and over, we fall in love over the ages. My face changes, but his always stays the same.

All ending the same, no matter how much he loves me.

I die in his arms in everyone.

Three

ERIK

Icatch her in my arms when she collapses, and I curse.

“HEY!” A raven-haired beauty slaps my arm and tries to take my wife away.

My fangs descend, and I hiss.

“Oh my God.” She stumbles back from me and into the arms of the other three women.

“Lord Mathias, this is rather unusual.” I glare at the vampire that was trying to bar my entrance.

“You have lured the wrong woman into your den tonight. Leave. NOW.” The room empties in a nanosecond, leaving me alone with my wife and what appear to be her friends.

All of them yelling at me.

“What have you done to her?”

“Let her go, or all call the cops!”

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