His words ended on an oomph as Jeanne Louise suddenly launched herself from her seat and at him. His arms closed around her at once, holding her tightly as he kissed her, but she pulled back mid-kiss to ask, “Who turned you? How? Why?”
Paul smiled at her frantic questions, but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he scooped her up in his arms and turned to stride for the exit before saying, “Your uncle did the honors. He apparently ripped his wrist open, though I didn’t see it, then slapped it against my mouth. Most unpleasant,” he added with a remembered shudder as he pushed through the doors and started up the hall toward security.
Frowning, he said, “I’m glad you don’t have to taste the blood normally. Bagged is definitely better than having to drink and taste it.” Scowling at her, he said, “You should have told me that when I offered you my jarred blood. I could have found some straws or something.”
“You get used to it,” she mumbled, staring up into his beautiful green and silver eyes. He was turned. Immortal. She wasn’t going to lose him. Her mind kept singing that song to her over and over, and still she wasn’t quite grasping it.
“Anyway,” he continued, nodding to Arthur as the mortal security guard rushed to open the door to the parking garage for them. “The next thing I knew I was being strapped to my kitchen table and your entire family was there. Well, except Lucian and his wife. They took Livy to Wonderland and then to their place so she wouldn’t have to ‘hear her father scream.’ ” He grimaced as he carried her along the row of parked cars. “Your uncle’s a bit . . .” He hesitated, but then shook his head and said, “They still have Livy. He said they were keeping her for a while so that we could get reacquainted.” Worry crossed his face as he said that.
“She’ll be fine. I know he seems gruff and kind of scary, but Uncle Lucian has a good heart. Children and dogs love him,” Jeanne Louise said quietly. “That’s always a good sign.”
“Hmmm.” He paused next to his car and then peered down at her. “It nearly killed me when you left.”
“It nearly killed me to do it,” she said solemnly. “But it was a matter of self-preservation, Paul. I loved you after just days. I couldn’t imagine how strong my feelings would be after decades. And to watch you age and die and know I would carry on for centuries, even millennia alone without you?” She shook her head. “I couldn’t do it.”
“You still might have to, Jeanne Louise,” he said solemnly.
“No, you’re immortal now,” she said with a smile.
“And even immortals can die,” he quietly pointed out. “I could be beheaded in a car accident tomorrow.”
She stared at him silently, fear gripping her heart and he set her on her feet and then cupped her face in his hands. “I didn’t expect to lose Jerri like I did or as soon as I did. I did love her, Jeanne Louise, as much as one mortal can love another. And when I lost her I thought my life was pretty much over, that all there was left to do was to see Livy raised and happy. But I was wrong. There was you.”
He bent to press a kiss to her lips and then straightened to say, “I love you. I want to live forever with you, but you have to promise me that if I should die in an accident or something, that you won’t give up like I did. Like you did when you realized you’d used up your turn and couldn’t turn me. There may be a second love waiting for you, and even a third. As long as there is life there is hope. Don’t be the living dead like I was until you woke me up.”
Jeanne Louise frowned and glanced away, finding it hard to make any promise like that. Instead, she asked, “Why did Uncle Lucian turn you?”
Paul stared at her for a moment, but then sighed and let her change the subject. “Livy gave up her turn to turn me. He did the honors, but it was counted as her turn.”
“Oh no,” Jeanne Louise breathed, true horror sliding through her to know that her happiness came at the expense of the child’s.
“But once he turned me, I gave up my turn to Livy. It’s hers now. So it’s all good,” he assured her.
Jeanne Louise sighed and melted against him. “Thank God.”
“Or your uncle,” Paul said wryly.
Jeanne Louise lifted her head and grinned at him. “Admit it, you like him.”
“He has his good points,” Paul admitted reluctantly and then grimaced and added, “The guy really needs to work on his people skills though.”
Jeanne Louise chuckled softly and then leaned up to kiss him. It started as a soft brushing of lips, but as always happened soon became more heated and passionate.
Growling, Paul turned to press her back against his car, his body pinning her to it as his hands began to roam. When Jeanne Louise slid one hand down to cup him through his jeans though, he broke their kiss and glanced to the car to open the door.
Jeanne Louise sighed with disappointment, but slid inside when he opened the door and urged her in. It wasn’t until she was sitting and realized he was following her in that she noticed that he’d ushered her into the backseat.
“What are we doing?” she asked with confusion, sliding sideways to make room for him to enter.
“What do you think?” he asked on a growl, slamming the door closed and pulling her back into his arms.
His mouth was on hers at once, and Jeanne Louise didn’t hesitate to kiss back, but when his mouth began to travel to her ear, she mumbled, “There are cameras in the garage.”
“The backseat windows are black. They can’t see anything.”
She glanced to the windows to see that the side windows were indeed black, but laughed on a groan as his hands found her breasts, and gasped, “But they’ll know what we’re doing.”
Paul broke off to pull back and look at her solemnly. “Honey, anyone who knows we are new life mates knows exactly what we’ll be doing for the next year. But if it bothers you, we can go back to my place. Or yours if it’s closer.”