Her body relaxed as he finished his little speech, but her eyes remained unsettled.

"I just don't ever want to lose you."

"Then don't."

Rising from his chair, he leaned over the bed rail and kissed her. Her lips were warm beneath his, the flames simmering through his senses.

Pulling back, he looked at her face and watched her lips pull into the smile he had fallen for.

"Tu es ma stella del mattino. Tu es ma gioiello."

Her tired eyes lit with wonder.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you some time." He kissed her nose. "For now, you need to get some sleep."

The fact she put up no fight, gave away her sheer exhaustion. Tipping his head, he studied her fondly before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and lightly kissing her once more.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - 2011AD The early morning sand felt cool between her toes. Gemma buried her feet beneath the grains feeling a slow contentment build within her. Summer was coming. The searing heat, the hours in the ocean, the freedom of no school, the chance to spend that unallocated time with her boyfriend... she couldn't wait!

Peeking to her left, she bit her cheek then asked, "So we're good then?"

"Yeah." Ruby rocked to her side and nudged their shoulders together. "I guess I won't kick your a.s.s."

Gemma laughed.

The walk at dawn had been Ruby's idea. The beach was practically empty and the still air was soothing. Gemma had been out of hospital just over a week and had been restlessly waiting for Ruby to make the first move. When she'd shaken her awake, Gemma had been too surprised to kick her out of her room.

Ruby's apology had been simple and sweet, Gemma's forgiveness swift.

"You want to know the whole truth, Gem?"

"Always." She kept her eyes on the ocean, not sure if she actually did.

"It wasn't just the fact you shared our secret that made me mad. I was... jealous."

"Jealous? Of me?" Gemma's head spun to look at her sister. "Why?"

"Because you've got this boyfriend who treats you like a princess. It's so obvious you love each other."

Gemma blushed as she reached for a handful of sand.

"And then you told him what you are and he stayed. He doesn't think you're a freak. You get to be one hundred percent yourself around someone who isn't family... and I want that." Ruby's eyes were moist as she glanced at Gemma. "You're not the only one who gets tired of lying."

"Acting," Gemma corrected with a smile.

Ruby sniffed out a chuckle.

Gemma shuffled closer in the sand and wrapped an arm around her sister.

"Please don't give me the 'your time will come' speech. I don't think I could stomach it right now."

Gemma pinched her lips together, gulping back her words.

"I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks, Ruby."

Drawing in a shaky sigh, she pulled her shoulders straight and wiggled out of Gemma's embrace.

"We should head back. I want to drive down to Orlando today and get some serious shopping done."

"Still looking for the perfect prom dress, huh?"

"Of course," Ruby's smile was dazzling. "Thanks to you breaking the rules and kicking up a big stink, I don't have to hide the fact I'm going to prom. Of course I won't advertise that I'm going with the most gorgeous guy in school."

Gemma giggled.

"But since I am going with the most gorgeous guy in school, I don't want him to look better than me."

"Someone look better than you? I don't think that's possible, Rube."

Her sister giggled sweetly. "Wanna come?"

"No," Gemma shook her head. "You and Mom go ahead. I'm just gonna..."

"Make out with your boyfriend?" Ruby rolled her eyes while Gemma blushed up a storm.

"I was actually going to say, that I might stay and go for a run before the day heats up."

"Oh." Ruby looked disappointed as she stood and brushed the sand from her shorts. "Well, have fun."

"You too."

Gemma watched her sister glide over the sand as if it were flat gla.s.s. Rising from her spot, she headed to the water's edge, stretching her arms high and preparing her muscles for a work out.

"How far do you usually run?"

The voice behind her was rich like melted chocolate. She spun on her heel and found herself facing a tall man, his hands casually tucked into his fraying jeans. His black, wavy hair was lined with fine strips of grey and his face looked tanned and weathered. His eyes were so clear and serene she felt an easy peace trying to find a good perch within her. It was the magnetic pull he seemed to have on her that was keeping the peace at bay. He seemed familiar.

"Four to five miles," she tried to keep her voice casual as she pulled a tie from her wrist and began shoving her hair back into a ponytail.

"That's pretty good. Sand is great resistance training. You need that in your line of work."

The wary caution inside her jumped to full alert as she felt the particles in her blood start to run cold.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important right now, Gemma."

Her blood turned to ice.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you, putus unus."

Gemma felt a scoff pa.s.s through her lips before she could stop it. "I'm not a pure one."

Her body jolted with the realization that she had just given away the fact she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Yes you are. You're the only one left."

His intense gaze had her stepping back. She felt the salt water lick around her ankles, but couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Who was this man? And how did he know about the electus, the original pure ones? Fear coiled in her stomach as she waited for the sense of danger to swamp her, but she couldn't reach past a quiet caution. There was something so calm about him and she found it attractive.

She resisted his pull and stepped further into the water. Her mind ran with distant thoughts of stranger danger and she urged them to the forefront.

Her parents' horror stories of their kind being harmed by people just like this, fired through her brain.

"Leave me alone." She managed to say the line, feeling a small sense of relief as she built a wall between them. "Stay away from me."

The water swallowed her feet as she raised her hands and backed away.

A flash of deep sorrow lit across his face, but it was so fleeting Gemma wasn't sure if she had seen it or not.

"I haven't come here to hurt you." He raised his palms in a gesture of peace. "But it's time you knew the truth. Bad things are brewing and if you want to survive them, you're going to need to be prepared."

Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a small flip phone. Her heart was thumping like a boom box as she caught the phone with shaking fingers.

"Mine's the only number on there. Try not to use it in front of an audience."

His easy manner was calming enough to make her nod, but she could feel the slow pulse of shock beginning to thread into her system. The idea of a carefree summer crumbled to dust as she struggled to keep her legs from buckling.

"I'll be waiting for your call."

His eyes caressed her face before turning and walking up the beach, his feet negotiating the lumpy sand as if it were flat gla.s.s.

Acknowledgements.

I have so much support from family and friends that pursuing my dream is made easier. I want to specifically thank a few key people who have helped me get through this project.

Brenda - thanks for making me start writing in the first place and for all your technical support, you're a wiz. Pete - thanks for listening to all my doubts and constant dribbles as I worked and fretted. Mark - thanks for encouraging me and giving me the idea to self-publish. Amanda - thanks for the stunning book cover. Louise - thanks for the proofing, what would I do without you? You guys are all amazing.

About Melissa Pearl.

Melissa Pearl lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband and two sons. She trained as an elementary school teacher. She has always had a pa.s.sion for writing and finally completed her first ma.n.u.script in 2003. She has been writing ever since and the more she learns, the more she loves it. Keep an eye out for future projects.

Connect with Melissa Pearl.

You can contact Melissa Pearl online:.

Blog: melissapearl.blogspot.com.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Pearl/230335437021600.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaPearlG.

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/melissapearl.

Other Books by Melissa Pearl.

Black Blood (Book 2 of Time Spirit Trilogy).