Dismayed, Sarah felt her heart grow heavy as Roland continued.

“He would’ve killed Marcus, too, if Marcus hadn’t fled, sought out Lord Robert, Earl of Fosterly—a man he knew his stepfather feared—and become his squire. Lord Robert was a good man and treated Marcus like a younger brother, giving him the friendship and affection he had been missing. So, naturally, Marcus loved him like a father or the older brother he had never had, respected him above all others, and would have gladly given his life to protect him.

“Then one day, when Marcus was around seventeen—he had been with Robert three or four years I think at that point—Robert brought home a woman unlike any Marcus had ever encountered.”

“Lady Bethany?”

“Yes. Robert and three of his men had found her in the forest, covered in blood and searching frantically for her brother, Josh. He told Marcus the two had been attacked by an enemy he was dealing with at the time. But Marcus found out later she was actually from the future.”

Sarah stared at him, doubting she had heard him correctly. “I’m sorry—what?”

“Lady Bethany was, in reality, Bethany Bennett, born in Houston, Texas, near the end of the twentieth century. Around the time you were, now that I think on it.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

Sarah sat up abruptly, the covers falling to her waist. “No way!”

His eyes darkened as they fell to her breasts. “I warned you it was hard to believe.”

“How did she go back in time?”

His hands went to her waist. “If I promise to explain it all later, will you let me finish my tale so I can make love to you again?”

Her pulse leapt. Beneath his faintly glowing gaze, her nipples tightened. “Deal.”

“Long story short: Bethany and Robert fell madly in love, married, and lived happily ever after.”

Her jaw dropped. “What about Marcus?”

“Marcus fell in love with her, adored her as much as Robert did, but never told either one of them. He loved them both too much to threaten the happiness they had found together. And, as I said, he was fiercely loyal to Robert. He would never have betrayed him by pursuing the woman Robert loved.”

Sarah stared at him in consternation. “Jeeze. That’s … that’s …”

“Fucked up. I know. What’s worse is Marcus never stopped loving her. After she died a very old woman, he spent the next eight centuries alternately mourning her and looking forward to seeing her again. When the twentieth century finally rolled around …” Roland shook his head. “He was like a child waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Bethany was born. And Marcus moved to Houston to watch over her while she grew up. He bought the house next door to her when she was sixteen or seventeen, befriended her, Josh, and their father, helped her through her father’s death a year later, became one of her and Josh’s closest friends, and treasured every moment he spent with her until she went back in time to Robert when she was twenty-two.”

Sarah bit her lip. “He never dated her or …”

Roland shook his head. “As far as he was concerned, she was Robert’s wife. Marcus’s relationship with her was always platonic. Even in the future, or present, when it could have been more.”

Sarah didn’t know what to say. “He never found anyone else?”

“No. Some immortals thought he was crazy to pine after her for so many years, then refrain from sleeping with her when he knew her again. But the rest of us are … a little awed by it, I suppose. His love for her never diminished in all those years. And when he met her again and could have seduced her, he chose the honorable path and didn’t because his loyalty to Robert never diminished either.”

“Wow. He could’ve even tried to keep her from going back in time.”

Roland shook his head. “He knew she would be happier with Robert, that they were meant to be together.”

“And she’s gone now? Is that why Étienne offered condolences?”

“Yes, Bethany went back to the Middle Ages seven years ago. So Marcus will never see her again.”

Sarah lay back down. “No wonder he looks so somber whenever he isn’t ragging on you.”

“He still grieves.” Rolling onto his side, Roland slid down until his face was even with hers on the pillow. “I admit that I was one of those who thought him foolish for not pursuing her when they met again.” He touched her face, gently drawing his fingers down her temple and over her cheek.

Sarah’s heart clenched. He was looking at her as though beholding something precious.

“But I understand now. He loved her enough to place her happiness above his own.” He brushed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. “It’s how I feel about you, Sarah. I want you to be happy. It’s why I’ve tried not to pressure you into staying with me after we apprehend Bastien.”

Sarah bit her lip. She had noticed that he hadn’t once asked her to stay with him. “I thought maybe you were feeling ambivalent about it.”

“Ambivalent?” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you. I would spend eternity with you if I could. But barring that, I would settle for every remaining minute of your mortal life, then pray you’ll be reincarnated so that I may find you again.”

“I want to have my blood tested.” She knew now she would leap at the chance to spend eternity with him and could not yet bring herself to abandon that hope.

He stared at her, his gaze penetrating. “And if it confirms you’re human?”

“Your scientists are working on a way to mutate the virus in vampires and turn them immortal. Maybe they’ll find something before I get too old.”

“If you were old when you were transformed, the virus would reverse the damage aging had done to your body and you would become young again.”

“Cool!”

“But those scientists have been trying to turn vampires into immortals since before the arrival of modern science, Sarah. The outlook is pretty bleak.”

He seemed determined to burst her bubble.

“Then I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you and laughing with you and will do my damnedest not to let it get to me when you stay hot and I wrinkle like a prune.”

Roland wrapped his arms around her and hugged her so tight, Sarah could barely breathe. “I promise I’ll try to be less antisocial in the future.”

Sarah hugged him back, throat tightening. “And I promise I’ll try not to refer to you as my boy toy when I look old enough to be your grandmother.”

Chuckling, he rolled her to her back. “Shall I also promise to give you at least one orgasm every day for the rest of your life?”

Sarah smiled as he settled his large, warm body between her thighs, his erection teasing her center. “Only if you start right now.”

He dipped his head, lips slanting over hers, tongue dipping inside to send fire burning through her.

She was breathless when he drew back slightly, eyes glowing, and gave her a wicked grin. “It would be my pleasure.”

In the next instant, he glided down her body, kissing, licking, and nipping, until he reached her core.

Sarah threw back her head and sank her fingers into his hair. “Oh, yesss.”

Chapter 16

Roland fastened the Velcro tabs on his bulletproof vest, then donned a shoulder holster that housed a Sig P226 9mm. The many pockets of his black cargo pants he filled with extra clips and numerous throwing stars. His favored sais were slid into sheaths attached to each thigh.

Pulling a leather strap over his head, he settled it on one shoulder so it draped across his chest like an ammunition belt, then filled the small slits in it with a dozen throwing knives.

His thoughts were chaotic. The cold deliberation that usually overtook him before a fight had completely deserted him.

Bending, he slipped more knives into his boots.

He could feel Sarah watching him and knew without looking up that she was sitting on the foot of the bed, worrying her lower lip as she had been the entire time he had been gearing up.

Once he had packed on as many weapons as he could without hampering his mobility, he straightened and glanced over at her. “Come here, love.”

Rising, she moved to stand before him.

Roland picked up the smaller Kevlar vest he had found and began strapping her into it. A shoulder holster with a Glock 9mm followed.

“Have you changed your mind?” she asked hopefully. “Am I coming with you?”

“Hell, no.” He didn’t want her anywhere near that place.

“You’ve been training me all week, Roland. And I’m an excellent shot.”

“We’ve already discussed this.” Several times.

She rolled her eyes, looking vaguely disgruntled. “We didn’t discuss it. I suggested I may be of some help to you and you gave me the finger.”

“I did not give you the finger.”

“You may as well have. You shot me down so quickly I didn’t even have a chance to list all the pros.”

He started filling her pockets, back and front, with extra clips and throwing knives. “I don’t care if you have a hundred pros. They won’t outweigh the con.”

“Which is …?”

“You getting killed,” he snapped, patience fraying. “Damn it, Sarah, you are not going with us, so would you just drop it?”

He saw her frown as he adjusted her holster and told himself to get a fucking grip. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he shouting at her? She was just trying to help.

“If I’m not going with you,” she broached softly, “then why are you arming me to the teeth?”

“I want to make certain you’re as safe as possible while I’m gone.” He knew the fight was going to go down at Bastien’s lair but still felt riddled with anxiety at the thought of leaving her.

She was so small.

So fragile.

So very mortal.

“Chris’s men arrived an hour ago,” she pointed out, “and are positioned every two yards around the exterior of the house. A dozen more are patrolling the grounds and there are three stationed at the gate.”