Andrei’s hands curled into claws as an unexpected surge of jealousy uncoiled inside him—along with a sudden urge to rip the man’s head from his shoulders.
Hissing an oath, he forced himself to turn away, to move to the bar, to order a glass of wine.
After finding a seat, Andrei scanned the crowd. After so many years a vampire, he had learned to control his hunger. Since then, he had become rather particular about his prey. In centuries past, he had not been so choosy. Any prey, anytime—that had been his motto. But with age came a certain fastidiousness. Given a choice, he eschewed blood that was tainted by drugs or disease or tobacco. He preferred women, of course. They tended to be cleaner, prettier, and sweeter-smelling.
It took only moments to make his choice—a slightly plump redhead with freckles across her nose and a crooked smile. It took little effort to compel her to his side. He introduced himself, bought her a gin and tonic, invited her to dance. Holding her close, he mesmerized her with a look, then bent his head to her neck. She smelled faintly of lavender soap. To anyone watching, it looked like he was kissing her, or perhaps whispering in her ear. When he finished, he walked her back to the bar, released her from his compulsion, and left the club.
A thought took him to Tessa’s apartment.
She was in bed, asleep.
And dreaming.
Of him.
The knowledge pleased him beyond measure.
He would seek her out tomorrow.
The thought filled him with excitement and a sense of anticipation he hadn’t felt since he was a young man in love for the first time, with his whole life—his whole mortal life—ahead of him.
He grunted softly. His future certainly hadn’t turned out as planned. He had been born to a wealthy family, had expected to marry well and eventually take over the running of his family estates in Baia Mare. His father had chosen his future bride and while he didn’t love Cosmina, she had been a comely wench, well endowed, with a sweet smile and a pleasant demeanor. His father had assured him that love might come, in time.
And then Andrei had met Katerina. He had been smitten with her from the moment he first saw her standing on the balcony of his cousin’s country home. He had pestered his cousin for an introduction. Once made, Andrei had spent the rest of the evening at her side.
Katerina had been lovely but aloof, a woman secure in her own beauty. He had been charmed by her loveliness, seduced by her innocence—a purity that was at odds with the mystery in her slanted gray eyes.
By the end of the night, he had been hopelessly in love, ready to throw away his inheritance and his future for one night in her arms.
But she wanted more than a flirtation. She wanted marriage. And much, much more. It had taken almost a year to obtain his father’s blessing, not to mention a sizable amount of money to appease Cosmina’s irate family. But, in the end, Andrei had taken Katerina to be his wife.
And to his bed.
It was there that he learned the secret behind those mysterious eyes. His bride was neither as young nor as innocent as she appeared.
The love of his life was a vampire.
One night of heaven had quickly turned into a life of hell.
Katerina’s driving ambition was to be queen of the castle and for that to happen, Andrei had to be king. Over time, she killed his parents and then she killed his three older brothers, cleverly making each death look like an illness or an accident.
Only when every other possible heir to the estate had been dispatched did he discover her treachery. Enraged, he had sought to destroy her. But he was no match for her preternatural powers. She mesmerized him, drained him of blood to the point of death, and turned him into a monster fit to rule at her side.
She had stolen his will, forced him to do despicable things that even now, hundreds of years later, filled him with revulsion.
It had taken him over a century to gain enough power to withstand her compulsion and be his own man again. Another century had passed before he felt strong enough to fight for his freedom. And another hundred years before he achieved it. Like wild beasts, they had fought tooth and nail. Her preternatural powers were stronger, but, in the end, it had been his greater physical strength that had made the difference. With Katerina momentarily defeated, he had fled her presence and never looked back.
He had not seen her since, though their blood exchange still bound them together.
And would until one of them no longer existed.
He shook the disquieting thought aside. Better to think of the morrow and the chance to see Tessa again.
Chapter Seven
Tessa shifted in her chair, wiggled her toes inside her shoes, shook her head, all in an effort to ward off the desire to lay her head on her desk and take a nap. She’d gone to bed early last night, only to toss and turn, her dreams quickly turning into nightmares filled with images of blood and death. Of vampires stalking her. Of bats and wolves attacking her.