Keepers of the Flame (Trilogy Bundle) - By Melissa F. Hart Page 0,32

was barely speaking to me.

“What do you think is going on between us, Luanne?”

I tensed when I heard his voice. “We are dating, aren't we?” Did I read things wrong? No, I was pretty sure he'd signed the note he'd left for me, was it last night? I was sure he'd signed it, your boyfriend.

“What are your feelings for me?”

My feelings for him were too new for me to share so I hedged instead. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“You don't know how I feel about you, do you?”

“You never said,” I told him quietly.

He was silent for a moment then I heard him sigh. “Look at me, Lu.”

I turned to face him.

“I'm crazy about you,” he stated simply, gazing into my eyes.

I looked into his eyes and my heart skipped a beat. “Then why have you been acting funny?” My voice sounded breathless to my ears.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, and then opened them again. “Because you drive me crazy, Lu. You opened up to me and I've never felt that level of connection with another person. For the first time in my life I felt like I wasn't alone. Then you slammed the door, it was like you'd rejected me. I'm so in love with you that something like that hits me hard.”

He loved me? I couldn't believe it. I gazed into his eyes and I knew he spoke the truth, but it was still hard to take in. Everyone who'd ever loved me had left me in some way or the other. I knew it was through no fault of theirs, but the damage had been done. Now here he was, telling me he loved me and worse, even meaning it. I was finding it difficult to take in.

“Lu, did you hear me?”

“I heard you.” I was still in a daze.

“Do you love me even a little?”

It was the vulnerability I heard in his voice which brought me out of the daze. I reached out and cupped his face in my palm. Gazing deep into his eyes, I deliberately lifted the invisible barrier I'd unknowingly created.

I love you so much, Dylan. You complete me. You are the other part of my soul.

I saw the shock go through him, then his eyes lit up with pure joy.

My darling Lu, you have no idea how much that means to me.

I gently stroked his face and smiled. My heart was so full I felt it would burst. I had no idea love could be like this. Or that letting another person in could be so filling.

Neither did I.

Well, we're in this together, right? I asked with slight apprehension.

All the way, babe.

Good. I really do love you, Dylan.

I know and it means the world to me.

We kissed then, holding onto each other like we'd never let go. And we probably didn't intend to ever let go of the other, at least I knew I didn't. I lay my head on his chest and he stroked my back. Even with the cloud of the kidnappers hanging over our heads, I felt safe and warm all over. I wasn't sure what was waiting for us in London, but I had hope. Hope that Katrina would be okay. Hope that we would both come through the ordeal unscathed. And hope that our love would grow. Hope is a very strong thing and riding on its wings, and I finally fell asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK THREE: The Flame Keepers - Book 3

The Flame Keepers

Chapter One

I was back in London and everything looked as strange as it did familiar. I had not been back in close to four years, since I was thirteen, actually. As we drive away from Heathrow International Airport, I gaze out of the window of the black Bentley, but I don't actually see anything. My thoughts are far away. Lost in a time and place, I've done everything in my power to bury it from my mind. But now that I've been forced back here by the kidnapping of my grandmother, it all comes flooding back.

It was a Friday night and the night club both my parents ran was busy as usual. It wasn't a very popular nightclub among most people, but that was for a reason. You see, I'm a vampire and so was my entire family. So the nightclub might not have been very popular among mortals, but it was a big deal for vampires. My sister and I were helping out as usual, but I