HerVampireLover by Anastasia Maltezos Page B

getting to know him and when I’m sure where this is leading I’ll…I’ll call you.”
    “Okay. Cat, if you need anything give me a call.”
    Cat braced herself. “Actually, there’s something I have to tell you.”
    “What is it?”
    “It’s the cabin. I…I came home after shopping for wood, and the front door was busted in and the Hummer’s windshield was smashed. I looked around your place, but couldn’t tell if they took anything of value.” She squeezed her eyes, hating that she lied.
    Mel gasped. “Oh, my God. Are you okay?”
    “Yes, but I was so scared the robbers would come back, I called Tobias, the guy I was telling you about, and he told me to pack and said he’d take me to his place here.”
    “Did you call the cops?”
    “No. I wasn’t thinking straight, but Tobias sealed the door as best he could before we left.”
    “No problem. I’ll call the cops right away. They may want to talk to you. Can I give them your cell number?”
    “Of course. I’m sorry, Mel.”
    “Nonsense. It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I have insurance, so don’t worry about anything. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
    As long as Mel was okay, Cat thought after they got off the phone, and that was all that mattered. It would take time to cut the ties with her, but Cat had to do it. She didn’t want to be the one responsible for putting her best friend’s life in danger.
    She leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes trying to get rid of the guilt burdening her. She had never lied to Mel. Ever.
    She didn’t have time to think more on the subject because the front door burst open. She gasped and vaulted off the couch staring at the handsome man strolling into the penthouse. He was tall, with blonde, longish hair, and wore a long black coat. He eyed her with distaste and Cat’s heart stopped.
    He looked too familiar.
    “It was easy going past security,” he said in a deep voice. “He’ll be out for a few hours. Plenty of time to kill you before Tobias returns.”
    “Who are you?” She already knew. Somehow, she knew deep in her heart the familiarity she felt with him ran deep.
    “Come now, Seraphina,” he drawled. “Don’t you recognize your own brother? I recognize you. You haven’t changed a bit in three hundred years.”
    “Quinn Granger,” she whispered.
    “At your service.”
    She didn’t understand why she wasn’t afraid. She felt other emotions whirling in her heart. Sadness, disappointment, regret, but no fear.
    “What do you want?”
    “I already told you—I’m going to kill you, and when I’m done, I’ll wait for your demon lover and kill him, too.”
    “I won’t let you.”
    He looked impressed. “You are much more confident today than you were three hundred years ago. Remember how you begged and pleaded with father to spare you and Tobias?”
    Now, Cat felt rage—white, hot rage that made her choke. “And you just stood there and let father drive that stake through my heart.” She froze. Where did that come from? Where did all the feelings of anger and betrayal come from? Was her past resurfacing? Was she remembering it all?
    “Yes, and if you hadn’t been resurrected from the dead, I would be home relaxing.”
    Her anger slowly melted away. “Father was disillusioned, Quinn. He was ill, and he mentally abused you since you were a child. Everything he believed in, he drilled into your head.” She paused, feeling sick. “He turned you into what you are today. A monster .”
    Quinn’s face darkened in anger. “I’m a monster because I was careless on my last raid three hundred years ago and allowed one of your kind to capture me. I begged him to kill me, but he thought turning me would be punishment enough. That bastard was right.”
    “So, when you disappeared all those centuries ago, you went into hiding because you turned into a vampire.”
    “Yes, and I’ve been returning every few decades and re-establishing myself at the helm of