Stakes & Stilettos - Michelle Rowen [102]
“Yeah, this isn’t news. He told me as much to my face.” I remembered a small red face, clenched fists, and a great deal of foot stomping.
“But you refused to leave. You refused to leave even when my husband attempted to end things between you for good—he even went so far as to sell Haven so he could leave the country entirely. Why is that?”
When had I lost control of this conversation? Had I even been in control to begin with? This was so annoying. I felt like I was on trial.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I can be a bit stubborn at times. I’ll admit it.”
Her gaze was steady on me. “You remind me a great deal of someone.”
I shifted in my seat. “Oh, yeah? Do I really want to know?”
Her lips curled. “You remind me of myself.”
“Really?”
Her gaze moved down and then back up as if she was appraising my value on the open market. “Some will see a stubborn woman and believe she is an inconvenience. But I see something different. I see someone who knows what she wants. A woman of decisiveness. With a strength of spirit. There are many vampires I have met over the years, Sarah. Many female vampires. There has only been one master vampire who happens to be female because the rest have succumbed to weakness at the hands of a hunter.”
I blinked. “You?”
She nodded. “It takes a great deal more than luck to have lived as long as I have. I had my doubts about you, Sarah. At first glance I had to agree with Barry’s assessment. You amused me, and I thought you were an interesting diversion for Thierry, but that was all. And though it has only been a very short time, all things considered, I feel that I must re-evaluate my opinion of you. I don’t believe you are interested in my husband only for self-serving reasons.”
“I’m not,” I said quickly.
“No, you’re not.” She tilted her beautiful face to the side. “You truly love him.”
I nodded. My throat felt tight. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. One should never be sorry for falling in love.” Her eyes got that faraway look. “Because of Marcellus, I know what true love feels like. It is all-encompassing. It is obsession. It can be utter pain and absolute bliss.”
I nodded. “That about sums it up.”
There was a slight crease between her eyebrows as she concentrated on me. “I have never felt that with Thierry. That deep love. He has never caused my heart to be elated at his presence. Nor has he ever caused my heart to break. After Marcellus’s death, my heart cooled to all others. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I have lived for so long. My head has not been turned by emotion. I have been able to make decisions based on survival, not because of a need for romance.”
I didn’t exactly know what to say to that so I said nothing at all and took another sip of my coffee.
Her gaze was still focused on me. “It is a mystery, is it not?”
“What?”
“Love. The world around us finds it so easy to hate each other. There is hate bleeding from every part of the earth. But love can heal all. Why is it so difficult to accept that?”
“You got me.”
She licked her lips and played absently with the rim of her untouched latte. “Barry told me something else. Something I found most interesting indeed.”
“What’s that?”
“He believes Thierry loves you in return.”
I swallowed a gulp of coffee so quickly that it burned my throat. “He actually said that? Barry?”
She nodded. “That gives me great pause. For as long as I’ve known my husband, I have never known him to show deep emotion for anything. In fact, I thought he was impervious to such a thing. I found that to be as great a strength as it was a disappointment. That I did not love him didn’t mean that I didn’t wish