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can t see them, but I know they re there.
 Mm, she replied, leaning her head back. The
cool air felt nice on her skin, and his body felt even
nicer beneath hers. Comfort and security flowed
through her veins, dissolving her earlier hysteria at
flying through the air.
He bent his head and kissed her on her neck.
Cat sighed. She loved feeling this close to him. With
his arms around her, his breath on her neck, his
heart beating beneath her.
It would be dawn soon, and the star filled sky
would be filled with a rosy hue illuminating the
sun s imminent appearance, signaling their
departure. She didn t want this moment to end.
He gathered her closer to him.  A long time ago
I was obsessed with finding a cure for what I d
become.
75
Anastasia Maltezos
 Is there a cure?
 No and I m happy now there isn t. I would have
never found you if there was.
She nestled deeper onto his chest.  I m glad,
too.
 You are?
 Yes. I can t explain it, but I feel very close to
you. I can t imagine having never met you. She felt
him tense beneath her.
 Do you now believe you are the reincarnation of
Seraphina?
Cat stared at the dark, glistening water.  I m
not as opposed to the idea.
 Does that mean you will stay with me?
She sighed, struggling to make sense of her
emotions.  I m scared, Tobias. I m a vampire now
and you re the only person on earth who can help me
get accustomed to my new life.
 I see.
Her heart broke for him. She could tell she d
disappointed him. Hurt him. He had expected her to
tell him she wanted to stay with him because she
loved him, but she couldn t not yet. She was
petrified of opening her heart to him. She d opened
her heart before and had it shattered.
 I will never hurt you, Cat.
She stiffened in his arms.  Did you just read my
mind?
 I wanted to, but I didn t. I know you re afraid of
love. I know that other man hurt you, but you must
realize I m not that man. I m a man who s loved you
for three hundred years.
She felt the back of her eyes prick with unshed
tears.  I know.
A small speedboat sped by them, and the sound
of its engine jarred their moment. Cat wiggled on his
lap.  I m too heavy. Maybe we should leave.
 You weigh next to nothing. Besides, my body
heat is keeping you warm.
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When the Sun Sets
Cat stared at the city lights and thought about
all the lives going on around her, innocent of the fact
two vampires were sitting atop the Statue of Liberty.
How did Tobias do it? How had he managed to live
all these centuries?
 Tobias, how did you survive for four hundred
years? I mean, what did you do?
 For a living?
She turned her head slightly and nodded.
He sighed heavily.  Well, in my case it would be
livings. Plural. At first it was tough. I had to find
jobs where I could work evenings or make my own
schedule and work during days when it was overcast
or raining. I stayed very long in London and then I
moved to the States and settled in places like Seattle
where sunshine wasn t prone to long stretches. At
the beginning I worked as a carpenter and then a
black smith. With the turn of industrial revolution I
had more resources at my hands. I worked evening
shifts as a foreman of numerous plants and
eventually fell into managing them. By this time I
had accumulated enough wealth to go to school. I
went to night school so it took me quite a long time
to complete my studies. I have four degrees.
Engineering, a BA in Computer Science, a PHD in
History, and an MBA 
She snapped around and gaped at him.  You
went to University four times?
He shrugged casually.  When you realize you
will live forever, you view life very differently. Those
thirty years I spent in Universities is nothing
compared to the four hundred years I ve already
lived.
 I see your point.
 After I completed my studies I went back to
work. I invested in stocks and bonds, owned a
nightclub at the turn of the century and later, in the
fifties, I opened a drive-in. I took a break in the
eighties and nineties, and a couple of years ago I met
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Anastasia Maltezos
Lucas Wilde and we went into business together.
 He s the werewolf who owns Full Moon with
you.
 Precisely.
She whistled in awe.  Tobias, you re a
fascinating man.
 Thank you. You re a fascinating woman, he
replied with a glimmer of a smile on his mouth.
She laughed.  Hardly. What have I done
compared to your long list of accomplishments?
The wind wrestled with her hair, and he tucked
a loose tendril behind her ear.  Well, let s see. From
what I know of you, you made your dream of
becoming a writer come true. That s a pretty big
accomplishment, Cat. It s brought you security,
wealth, and freedom. And you entertain countless
readers with your work.
He was right. She had accomplished a lot. She
shrugged self-consciously.  My stories aren t for
everyone though. The erotic paranormal genre is not
exactly something you d find at the library. I& I gave
my grandmother a copy of my first book, thinking
she would be proud of me, but she returned it
without even reading it. She died a few months
later.
His face turned somber.  You never made
amends with her?
 No. She always hated me because I looked a lot [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]