“Well, if you stopped working long enough to find a mate, you would understand.” Meg looked at Liam as if an ocean separated them instead of a few yards of floor.
Amaia understood that a part of Meg would always want to be with Liam, no matter how much fun they had together. She simply couldn’t imagine ever feeling the same way. “If finding a mate makes me look as silly as you, then I hope I never find one. Come on, let’s go reunite you with your ‘one true love’ and get playing.” It was easier to casually brush off the bond between her two friends than face her own jealousy. The foreign feeling made her uncomfortable. If she felt so inclined, she could have any man she wanted. The thought placated her for a moment, but deep down she knew it wasn’t true. She couldn’t have any man the way Meg had Liam.
“Gentlemen, this is my wife Eleanor and her sister Juliana. They’ve recently taken a liking to cards and have saved up some of their allowance. Shall we begin?” Liam took his seat, and Amaia recognized the wicked pleasure in his eyes as he locked onto the pompous merchant and picked up his cards.
The game went well. Liam let the merchant win just enough to make him overconfident. Meg and Amaia held back, winning a little and losing a little. It was clear that this was Liam’s game, and they weren’t about to rain on his fun.
Amaia was bored. It didn’t take much of her concentration to read each man’s tells and adjust her playing accordingly. Playing cards as a vampire was ridiculously easy. She scanned the room, inspecting the people. There was no doubt in her mind that her powers of observation yielded her more information than years of friendship could have. Humans were naturally egotistical and therefore, unobservant.
Her eyes darted to the door as it opened, drawn to something, a tug of energy she couldn’t explain. A stranger entered and shook the rain from his hair. Amaia’s hand instinctively flew to her mouth as she let out an audible gasp. It couldn’t be.
“What is it?” Meg asked, worry in her eyes.
Amaia noticed that the other faces around the table were trained on her. “Nothing. I just realized something about my hand.” Amaia gave a shy smile, letting the men believe she was a silly girl, and they resumed the game.
“What is it really?” Meg’s voice was too low to be heard by the humans.
“Nothing. I’m not sure. Just pay attention to the game.” It came out fast and low. Amaia continued with the hand, keeping one eye on the stranger. He cracked a crooked smile at the proprietor as he ordered. With ale in hand, he sat at an empty table, seemingly lost in thought.
Something was familiar. Amaia saw a flash of a tavern in a different country, a different time. A different man sitting alone, looking like he could use companionship. The stranger lifted his head and locked eyes with Amaia.
Her heart froze.
A pair of gray eyes that she knew better than any eyes in the world stared back at her.
The contact only lasted a second before the man turned away. Amaia’s heart thawed and beat furiously. She bolted to her feet, disturbing the table as she forgot to slow her movements. The exclamations around her were enough to remind her not to move too quickly as she fled the tavern, not even venturing a glance back at Meg.
Once out of the village, she ran. She ran faster than she ever had. Faster than that first night with Lawrence, faster than she knew it was possible for her body to move. For the first time, she experienced true fear.
Never in her existence as a vampire had she felt so human, so vulnerable. A ghost from her long-buried mortal life had just materialized in the flesh, and she was sure he sought vengeance.
Chapter 9
Outside Vienna, May 1646
Amaia knew she was being followed. The sound of someone running behind her urged her forward. She couldn’t let him catch her.
“Amaia! Stop!” Meg’s voice registered in her brain.
The force of Amaia’s body stopping from such a great speed threw her to the ground. Only when she felt the wet grass beneath her hands did she remember that it was pouring rain. Behind her, she heard the sloshing sound of two sets of feet squelching across the forest floor. A moment later, Meg and Liam were beside her.
“Are you trying to expose us?” Liam roared down at her.
“Liam, stop it. Something’s wrong.” Meg shot him a silencing glare. “Amaia, what is it? What’s going on?”
“It’s him. I can’t believe it. He’s dead, but there he is. How? He’s here to kill me, to destroy me. I know he is. I’ve got to get away.” Amaia’s mind raced in confused circles.
“Who? Who is it, Amaia?” Meg grabbed Amaia’s shoulders and forced her to look in her eyes.
“Michael.”
Meg sucked in a deep breath. “All right, let’s get you home.”