I had no idea how I was going to keep this secret, but then again, I had always been able to keep my thoughts hidden. My God, that was it! After learning about the effects of Meredith's blood on Terrance and how it kept his thoughts protected and fuzzy, it all made sense. No wonder I never had a problem hiding my thoughts from Evie...it was because of my demon blood.
"Rose? Are you going to be okay?" Christian's question startled me out of my inner turmoil. With everything racing around in my head, all I could do was nod in response.
"I know that what happened is something that is going to take some time to process. But you have to realize that you didn't have a choice. She killed your mom and could have hurt you or your dad. She infected Terrance and there was no way I could let her threaten anyone else in my family. Killing her was the right thing to do."
He shifted in his seat and took both of my hands in his. "We need to get you inside and tell Evie everything that happened, but first I need to ask you a question. You know that you can no longer go back to your old life, right? I'm sorry, but I won't let you be placed in a situation where you could be taken from me. I love you and I never want to live without you." He swallowed hard and cupped my cheek in his palm. "I will soon become the new Sire, and when I am I want you to be my consort. If you agree, I'm sure Evie will let you stay here with us from now on. We can start our new life together right away."
Oh my God. This was what I had been dreaming of for so long, but how was this going to work? I was a demon and Christian wanted me to become his consort. It was going to kill me to have to tell him that I couldn't become a vampire anymore. That I could never be his consort.
I was so scared and I knew that I would never be able to go home again. Staying with the clan seemed like the best way to stay protected. They could bite and use their sedative on anyone that came looking for me. It was the obvious choice, even if it wasn't for the same reasons as Christian thought. "Yes. I would love to stay with you and the clan. Thank you, Christian. You are truly saving my life."
"You are my life Rose, and I'll gladly spend an eternity proving that to you." He leaned over and kissed me. It was soft, tender, and filled with emotion.
The pain in my heart left me feeling like I was the one with a poker through my chest. How could I live with the man I loved while planning to lie to him every single day?
I guess I was about to learn exactly how to break a vampire's heart...
Coming Soon...
Look for the next novel in The Rose Trilogy
Blood of a Red Rose
by
Tish Thawer
Available in March 2012
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter One: Wide Awake
Chapter Two: White Rose
Chapter Three: Deviant
Chapter Four: Christian
Chapter Five: Daddy's Little Girl
Chapter Six: Second Chances
Chapter Seven: Business Unusual
Chapter Eight: Ruined
Chapter Nine: Damaged
Chapter Ten: Visitors
Chapter Eleven: Terrance
Chapter Twelve: Questions
Chapter Thirteen: Surprise
Chapter Fourteen: Dread
Chapter Fifteen: Hiding
Chapter Sixteen: Ancient History
Chapter Eighteen: Complications
Chapter Nineteen: Good News
Chapter Twenty: Old Friend
Chapter Twenty-One: Lunch with Barbie
Chapter Twenty-Two: History Lesson
Chapter Twenty-Three: Business Acquaintance
Chapter Twenty-Four: Dream Come True
Chapter Twenty-Five: Head East
Chapter Twenty-Six: Bad Night
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hanging Out with Justin
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Serious Problem
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Time for the Truth
Chapter Thirty: Next Step
Chapter Thirty-One: Demon Downlow
Chapter Thirty-Two: Regrets
Chapter Thirty-Three: Nowhere to Go
Chapter Thirty-Four: Revelation
Chapter Thirty-Five: True Love
Chapter Thirty-Six: Deal with the Bad Stuff
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Digging for Dirt
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Follow My Gut
Chapter Thirty-Nine: New Life
Chapter Forty: Fire in My Veins
Chapter Forty-One: Father-Daughter Moment
Chapter Forty-Two: Better Plan
Chapter Forty-Three: Clean Break
Chapter Forty-Four: Our New Life