She still didn’t get it. “I will destroy you.” As he’d destroyed others. He didn’t get out of the chopper. If he got out, he’d touch her. If he touched her, he’d be lost. She’d be lost. I’m mated to her. There will never be another for me. But she still has a chance. Why couldn’t she see that? “I’m good for one thing in this world.” He looked down at his hands and saw the claws that had sprung forth. “Killing. It was what I was born to do. It’s what I’ve spent years doing. That shouldn’t touch you. That blood and death—”
Her husky laughter cut him off. “Oh, Julian…I’m a vampire, blood and death are my life. They are the only things I know.”
Because of him.
His breath sighed out. “I stayed away from you…because I didn’t want to hurt you. I need you too much. I want you too much. When other men are near you…” He looked over at her. “I want to rip them apart.”
She stared back at him. “That’s called jealousy. It’s normal.”
It was normal for a human. “My control is razor thin when it comes to you. Others might want to rip apart another male who comes too close, but I can actually do it. It wouldn’t even take effort. One swipe of my claws, and death follows.”
“You wouldn’t do it.”
That was where she was wrong. He just stared back at her, willing her to see him for who he truly was.
“Why can’t you see?” Now her voice was sad. “You’re looking in a broken mirror. That’s not who you are.”
It was exactly who he was. “You should step away from the helicopter.”
A furrow appeared between her brows. “What?” Her eyes widened. “You’re leaving me?”
He was setting her free. There was a difference.
“You bastard! I love you, and you’re walking—flying—away from me?”
He didn’t speak.
She did. “I never thought you were a coward.” Her words were low, but he heard them clearly. “You’re afraid, aren’t you? So afraid of what could happen that you won’t let us have a chance together.”
It wasn’t a matter of could. The past spoke for itself. The past—their past. Her death. Because of him. And the whole tangled shit with the Collector? It went back to him. Julian had gotten her turned into a vampire. If he hadn’t done that, she never would have been on the Collector’s radar. She never would have been living with monsters.
“You blame yourself for everything, don’t you?”
“For all the pain you’ve felt…” And there had been so much since she’d ended her human life. “Yes,” he rasped. “It’s on me. It will always be on me. I can’t undo it, but I can stop it from happening again. I can make sure that I don’t cause you to suffer more. When you walk away from me, you’ll be safe.”
“And what will you be?”
Empty. Broken. Alone.
A killer. “What I was always meant to be.”
Her hair began to blow, tossing back against her face. Her clothes pressed to her body. He hadn’t yet made the helicopter blades spin, so that rush of wind wasn’t coming from him. If it wasn’t from him…oh, bugger. “Rose, get back in the chopper.” He lunged for her.
“Now you want me back?” she demanded and retreated a step. “I’ve had a really shitty day, so you need to make up your mind, panther.”
Leo landed at her side. “We had a deal.” His face was flushed and twisted in anger. “And no one breaks my deals.”
Rose spun toward him.
He locked her into his arms and shot into the sky.
“No!” Julian bellowed. No, that SOB wasn’t supposed to take her away. He slapped at the controls and the blades began to spin, faster and faster. The chopper lifted into the air and he raced after Leo.
Chapter Eighteen
Leo landed on a beach—a star-shrouded beach that was far too familiar to Rose. “Luke’s island?” She jerked away from him and her shoes sank into the wet sand. The waves rolled onto the beach. “What, do you seriously have a death wish or something?”
“Maybe.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I also don’t have much time. Your lover would have found a damn chopper to use so he’ll be here soon. Another problem to deal with.”
“You aren’t hurting him!”
He sighed. “You don’t want me to hurt him, he doesn’t want you hurt…this love thing is so annoying.”
Rose glared at him. “What do you want? Why did you take me?”
“He took you…because of me.”
Rose spun at that soft, sad voice, and she saw the angel step from the shadows. Luke was right by her side. Actually, he was penning Lila to his side.
“Good,” Leo snapped when he saw his twin. “At least someone knows how to hold up a deal.” He motioned to Luke. “I get the angel, you get the vamp, and we’re squared away.”
Lila shuddered.
“She doesn’t want to go back,” Rose said, whirling to glare at Leo. “You heard her before! You can’t make her go back.”
“You don’t understand what’s happening here.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Her mind…she’s confused. Angels can’t handle the load of emotions that humans—and other paranormals—have. She’s feeling, for the first time ever, and Lila doesn’t understand how dangerous that can be.”
“I understand plenty,” Lila responded. Her voice was lilting and warm. Exactly the voice that Rose imagined an angel would possess. “You’re the one who doesn’t get it. You think you can make things right, but it’s too late.”