CHAPTER THREE

"Beth, darling, please open your eyes," she heard her mate beg.

"No, don't wanna," she pouted. The bed under her was plush and she wanted to sink down and go back to sleep.

"I need to make sure you're okay. I promised Aiden that if you didn't wake after an hour, I would take you to the clinic." She felt a warm finger tap her cheek.

"Aiden? When was he here?" she asked struggling to open her eyes. When she managed to pry them open, she had to blink a few times before he came into focus.

"Umm, right at the end. You're a screamer, my mate." Gavriel tapped her lips.

"Oh. My. Gods. Please tell me he didn't see anything."

"No, I wouldn't let any other male see my mate's beautiful body. I covered you with a blanket and then answered the door. I almost killed that silly cub." Gavriel shook his head. "Though I am grateful at his concern for your wellbeing."

"Cub? I guess he would be a cub to you. Why do you take orders from him anyway? In fact, why aren't you an Elder?" she asked, pulling a blanket up around her chest as she sat up in bed. He propped his head up on his hand. Her eyes traveled down the long length of his body. He wasn't overly hairy, just enough in all the right places. His waist wasn't thin like the pubescent boys that were currently all the rage in advertising in the human world. He had a trim waist, but was solidly built. His well-defined abs made her want to drizzle honey on each crease and make a meal out of him. Even though she was slightly sore from his claiming, she felt herself tighten at the thought of licking every inch of her mate.

"Whatever you're thinking, I like it," Gavriel said, his voice sounding deeper.

"Can you see my thoughts?" she squeaked.

"No, but based on your reaction I'm sad that I cannot. We'll be able to feel some emotion and over the centuries certain projected thoughts, but that is all," he explained.

"Not all vampires can do that."

"You're right."

"How old are you?" she asked.

He sighed and rolled over onto his back, effectively putting his gorgeous cock on display.

"Stop teasing me." She popped him in the face with his pillow.

Smiling he pulled the blanket around his waist to cover up and used the pillow to lay next to her. She scooted down until they were eye to eye. He took her hand and simply held it.

"I will be honest with you. I don't know how old I am. I wasn't lying when I told you I use the stars to remember. Before the invention of the projector I have, I would memorize the position of each star and affix a memory to it. I have forgotten so much, my age is just one of the many things lost to time. To answer your question, I take orders from Aiden because he is our commander. He's strong, fair and good at being the Unit Commander. I swore an oath to him when he was barely a man, to serve him because I saw the potential in him. He hasn't let me down yet," he paused, then frowned before continuing. "As for being an Elder, I don't want that title. If the other elders realized how old I am they would come to me constantly for answers. The way we rule now works. No one family or person is in charge for very long and it keeps new ideas coming in and prevents any one faction from creating a dictatorship. I like my life how it is now. That's why I have been hiding my transition, if they discovered my age it could destroy the precarious balance we have finally attained in our world."

"What you must have seen and done," she said in wonder. "Did you get to see Elvis?" she asked suddenly.

His mouth dropped. "I watched entire empires emerge and fall. Gods rule and disappear. The undocumented miracles of magic and science, kings, queens, wars and you ask about Elvis?" he asked incredulously.

She smirked. "You totally saw him in concert." She tickled his calves with her toes.

He scowled at her. "Twice," he murmured.

"Ha! I knew it!" she giggled.

"The man was pure genius. His live performances had an element that was never captured by any recording device. I was truly sad when he passed on," he admitted.

"What else?" she prompted then yawned.

"The first time I heard a full orchestra I wept. There were so many beautiful sounds that it overwhelmed me," his eyes softened at the memory. "Tell me something about you," he prompted.

Elizabeth snuggled closer, her eyelids getting heavy. "Much to my family's delight I refused to date vampires growing up." She grinned at his expression.

"Why?"

"My father has been likened to the Greek legend Adonis and my uncle to an avenging angel. The bar was set kinda high."

"Oh really? And how did I measure up?" He poked her side making her laugh.

"There is no comparison. You became everything I didn't even know I wanted."

"I think Fate knew you were meant for just one vampire." He kissed her gently.

She pulled back and yawned in his face, then frowned at her own tiredness. He chuckled lowly and pulled her close. He reached up and tapped the light above them sending them out amongst the stars again.

"Goodnight, my mate," he whispered.

"Goodnight, my vampire," she quipped back.

My vampire, the one who has completely stolen my heart.

*****

She woke up alone, Gavriel's side of the bed cool to the touch. He had to have gotten up at least an hour ago. At the foot of the bed he had set up her suitcases so she would see them. She tumbled out of bed and landed on the floor staring up at the ceiling. It looked so plain in the daylight. She frowned at the open curtains and raised blinds. She wanted to lower them to block the sun so she could see his stars again, but contented herself to wait for Gavriel.