“It’s simple.” His head cocked as he read a label. “Life is filled with much heartache and many pleasures. But when you try to ignore the unavoidable—true love—well, the unavoidable means you can’t, nothing stops it. Not even fear. True love is too passionate. It always comes back in the end, deeper than lifelong loves, deeper than life’s involvements, and even deeper than mates. If your love is from the soul, it’s timeless.” He chose another bar of fudge, but I didn’t pay attention to which as he lowered it. “Even more tragic are individuals who think they’ve found it by harboring affection for another…while their true soulmate may be right in front of them.” Wicked, dark eyes landed on my guarded gaze; I was hiding every damn thing I could from this too intuitive Elder Vampire. “Life is short and fear is no obstacle for the soul.”
His words haunted me as he silently moved away.
I stood frozen in place, barely able to breathe. I fought for well-honed control of my emotions, staring blindly at nothing. Until I realized it wasn’t nothing I was staring at. I blinked slowly as Leric came into focus at the end of a dark row of treats on wooden shelves.
He was speaking with a water Elemental, one of the clerks of the store, who stared at him wide-eyed even as she—somewhat adorably—tried to hide it. More than likely, this was her first time meeting a spirit Elemental. My brows puckered and I wasn’t entirely sure what I felt as he touched her arm lightly, his tan fingers lingering a few moments too long and making the attractive woman blush and stumble over her words, before she led him to another aisle.
I jerked my attention back to the choices of fudge.
But my action ended with me grunting and eyeing a woman directly next to me.
I hadn’t even heard her sneak up.
She leaned with a shoulder against the shelf.
Merely staring at me.
She wore a black hooded robe, her gorgeous red curls spilling from underneath it.
She was a Com.
With no shoes on her bare feet.
I ogled the cracked woman—who appeared my age. “May I help you?”
“No.” She just…stared. “I’m Julia.”
I raised a white brow. I could tell she knew who I was. “Are you looking for an autograph, Julia? Or a selfie to plaster over social media?”
Her lips twitched. “No.”
All right. This was weird. “First spirit you’ve met?”
“No.”
Weirder yet. “Then why are you gawking?”
“I don’t gawk. I merely like to keep an eye on my property from time to time.”
I glanced behind me, evaluating the fudge. “I’m not going to steal any, if that’s what—”
“Who are you talking to?” Sin asked, interrupting me.
I jerked my attention around. Sin now stood where the Com had been. I glanced left then right, but the woman was nowhere in sight. “That was creepy.”
“What’s more frightening than you talking to yourself?”
I sighed deeply and trained my attention back to the fudge I had been staring at for fifteen minutes now. “Never mind. It was just a freaky-ass employee. Or the owner.”
“Are you going to get anything?” Sin asked, rolling with my explanation. He shifted his stance on the wood flooring that was scarred with age but still gleamed from loving care. He now stood so close his heat radiated to my left arm. Warmth that I knew and cherished.
With my emotions still a tumbling mess of shit—if I was honest with myself—I flicked a finger at the selection. “What do you want?” I was proud my voice was steady.
He hummed gently, his eyes darting over the variety. “Our normal?”
My breath left in a shaky exhale. “What if we tried something different?”
That fucking advice.
“Dark chocolate with nuts? Or really go all out and attempt black cherry?”
Air choked in my throat, years of fear hammering my heart.
I stalled.
And I couldn’t push past it, the thought of my heart shattering even more than it already would in the future. When he found his mate. “I’m not hungry.” I pushed away from him, quickly storming down the aisle, unable to pretend right now. “Get whatever you want.”
My chest heaved and my jaw clenched as I blinked back the old tears that wanted to escape. On my way to the exit, I muttered to King Collins, “I’m leaving.” The cute shop’s door banged open with a crash as I charged onto the sunlit sidewalk, getting the fuck out of there.
Chapter Four
Hearing footsteps halt, I barely lifted my head from the pillow. The movement was just enough so my voice wasn’t muffled when I stated quietly, “I didn’t knock.”
Leric’s deep voice rumbled, “I can see that.”
Oops. I had broken into his room.
After I had skipped lunch then dinner.
“I’m fully clothed under the blanket, so don’t freak out. I remember you kicking me to the curb. I’m not here with sexual intent.” I lowered my head to the pillow, my right arm snug over Tristan’s side, his body and fur comforting and warm. “I just wanted to rest.”
To get away from Sin’s hanging silence. I needed to think—not that I was exactly having any lightbulb moments. My thoughts were just as muddled as before. “I can leave if you want me to.” I wasn’t sure where I would go, but this was his room.
There was a silent pause, then I heard his footsteps again behind me as he moved to the bathroom, flicking on the light. “No, you’re fine. As long as you don’t mind me turning on the bedside light while I review documents.” I heard a rustling sound, then a body-warmed, white silk shirt landed directly on top of my head. “But you’ll change into that if you’re lying in my bed.” His tone turned to a quiet mutter. “I hate that black shit you wear.”
Lifting my hand from Tristan, I grabbed the shirt and whispered, “Thank you.”