Love Your Entity(40)

Instead she asked, “So what’s the plan? Do you intend to stay in this house forever looking for this mysterious key? You might have forever, but I sure don’t. I have a book deadline.”

“I have a deadline as well. Valentine’s Day, remember? I just told you that.”

“What happens if you can’t find this mysterious key?”

“If I fail, then I remain indentured to Voz,” Ronan said.

“For another hundred years?”

“Forever.”

He saw her gulp. “How am I supposed to help you?” she said.

“By communicating with the ghosts. Ask them what they know about the key and about my sister.”

“What if it’s the key to something bad like the key to hell?”

“Then I’m in deep shit.”

“I’m serious. Would you hand over the key to hell to save your sister’s soul?”

“No.”

“Even if it means that you’d be indentured to Voz for eternity?”

“Even then.” He couldn’t justify letting more evil into the world. He’d done enough evil things. Maybe that was meant to be his punishment. But it wasn’t Adele’s punishment. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She wouldn’t want him causing more malevolence, even if it was done to save her.

Sierra looked at him uncertainly. “How can I be sure?”

“I’m willing to swear on my sister’s soul.”

“If you even have a sister,” she muttered.

He could have pointed out that Sierra had already noticed that Adele had his smile, but didn’t. He knew she was grasping at straws, trying to find a way out. He couldn’t fault her for that. “I showed you her photograph.”

“That could have been anyone.”

Then it hit him. There was more to a vampire bond. During his years of being indentured to Voz, Ronan had tried to research various elements of vampirism, looking for an out from his original indenture, and in doing so he’d learned about other elements. Like a vampire bond. “You can tell when I’m lying.” He paused before saying, “I don’t want to touch you.”

His words said one thing but his message said the opposite. His desire for her was radiating toward her with intrinsic heat. She looked at him a moment. “You’re lying.” Her voice was husky.

“How can you be sure?”

She put her hand to her chest. “I could feel it.”

“Exactly. Everything I’ve told you out here is the truth.”

“Except for you not wanting to touch me.”

He nodded. “Except for that.” His voice was low and deep.

At that moment she felt exactly the way her heroine Nicki had when she wanted mindless sex. Not just with anyone. With Ronan. Sierra had wanted it before. She wanted it even more now.

She straightened her shoulders and tried to shake off the intimacy they’d just shared. “So you are a vampire turned on the battlefield in France during the First World War and you were then indentured to a Master Vampire for almost a hundred years. You do have a sister named Adele. You need my help to talk to the ghosts to get information about the key to save your sister.”

“Right. But you can’t share this information with anyone else. Anyone at all.”

“What are you two doing out here?” Zoe asked, a look of concern on her face as she joined them in front of their house.

“We’re talking.” The look Ronan gave Sierra was a reminder that he was trusting her with his secret.

“You can’t do that inside?” Zoe said.

“I didn’t want the ghosts to eavesdrop,” Ronan said.

Damon joined them a moment later. Ignoring Sierra and Ronan, he took Zoe in his arms and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. Their love and passion was obvious. Their embrace seemed to go on forever.

When it was over, Zoe had a huge grin on her face, as did Damon. But Damon’s faded as he looked at Ronan, indicating with a tilt of his head that he wanted to speak to Ronan privately. The two of them moved to the side of the house, leaving Sierra alone with Zoe who was still starry eyed.

“Wow,” Sierra said.

“I know.” Zoe sighed and touched her fingers to her lips. “I just can’t get enough of Damon. I love him so much.”

“He obviously feels the same way about you.”

“We’re lucky that way. But enough about me. What about you? How are you holding up?” Zoe asked.

“What do you know about a vampire bond?” Sierra said.

“A sire bond?”

“No, not a sire bond. A sex bond.”

Zoe’s eyes widened. “I don’t know anything.”