There's Always Tomorrow (Immortal Series) (15 page)

“Please forgive
me, Abner.
 
Poor little guy,” she
clucked.

Tony curled his
lip and looked utterly appalled at the beady-eyed little reptile.
 
“You keep a turtle for a pet?
 
Where’s the cat in the photograph?”

Sophie grabbed
a head of lettuce from the refrigerator, and some packaged turtle food from the
pantry, and quickly stuffed them into the red bag.
 

“Prince?” she
asked.
 
He belonged to my
neighbor.
 
She died and left him to
me.
 
Then, he died.”
 
Her mouth turned down at the
edges.
 
“Abner was my little
brother’s pet.
 
I’ve had him for
years.”
 
A note of sadness could be
heard in her voice.
 
Abner was a
link to her past.

Wanting to
lighten the mood, Tony grabbed Abner, traveling securely inside his box, and
threw Sophie—dressed only in a robe—over his shoulder.
 
“You grab the pillowcase,” he grunted,
as he kicked the door closed behind them.
 
“We’re on our way, sugar.
 
This promises to be an unbelievable adventure, for you and me.
 
I love you, Miss Sophie Drew.”

* * *

The velvet
drapes were pulled; the candlelight glowed softly, casting dark shadows along
the silk covered walls, and lighting the corners of the vast bedroom.
 
It was Victorian in design, and very
elegant, Sophie thought.
 
The
Persian rugs felt soft beneath her bare feet, and the fragrance of fresh-cut
flowers in tall, crystal vases, filled her nostrils.

“It’s like a
dream,” she murmured.
 
“I feel as
if I’ve stepped back in time to a more romantic era.
 
I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

“What?
 
You mean to say you’re speechless?”
 
Tony laughed.
 
“I didn’t think that was possible, darling.”
 
He took in the beauty of the young
woman standing in front of him in nothing more than her thin robe, tied very
securely around her tiny waist.
 
“Do you like it?”

Sophie
nodded.
 
“It’s magical.
 
I feel like a princess and you’re my
handsome knight.”
 
She lowered her
eyelashes, obviously embarrassed by her imagination.

Tony reached
for her and wound her in his embrace.
 
He buried his face in her fragrant curls.
 
She always smelled like lilacs.
 
It was an old-fashioned fragrance, for an old-fashioned
girl, he thought, and he smiled.
 
After all, he was a very
old
-fashioned kind of guy.

Grasping her
chin, he tilted her face up, and slowly lowered his lips to hers.
 
“Oh, Sophie,” he growled.
 
“You’re indescribable.”
 
He feasted on her luscious mouth,
coaxing his tongue into her sweet mouth, tasting the wine he had poured for
her.
 
He felt her body melt against
his.
 
What exquisite torture this
was.
 
He wanted nothing more than
to possess her innocent body, but first, he needed to tell her all his secrets.

Tony tried to
take a step back, to put some space between her plump, firm breasts and his
chest, but it was impossible.
 
She
was a perfect fit for his body, the missing piece of the puzzle.
 
He groaned in ecstasy, at the touch of
her silky, white flesh, beneath his fingers.

“Darling, we
must stop for a moment,” he pleaded, breathlessly.

“No, Tony.
 
I like this too much.”
 
Sophie pressed her face against his
neck and nibbled and sucked like a small child.
 
She was driving him crazy.

“Stop it,
Sophie.
 
I have to tell you
something very important, and I can’t think clearly when you’re so close.”
 
Tony put his hands on her shoulders and
stepped back one small step.

Sophie didn’t
look pleased.
 
In fact, worry lines
crossed her brow.
 
“What is this,
Tony?
 
Don’t tell me you’re having
second thoughts.
 
I swear, if you
say you don’t want me, I’ll buy a gun and shoot you dead!
 
I’ll have to apply for a license, and
register it first, of course.
 
How
long does it take to learn how to load a gun?
 
Never mind!
 
I’ll make you pay, Tony.
 
I
love you too much to put up with this kind of nonsense.”
 
She placed her hands on her hips and
stomped her foot for emphasis.
 
“Oh, my God.
 
You’re
married,” she groaned.

“No.”

“Gay?”

“No.
 
Sit down on the bed, darling.”
 
Tony grinned wickedly.
 
“I like seeing you on my bed.
 
I hope you’ll be spending a lot of time
there.
 
What I have to tell you is
hard to believe, and for many years I didn’t believe it myself.
 
But the proof is in the pudding, so
they say.”
 
He crawled up in the
big bed beside her, and pulled her back against his shoulder.

“Who says?”
Sophie asked.

“What?

“Who says the
proof can be found in a pudding?
 
I
don’t get it.”

“That is just
the first of many things, I have to tell you, that you probably won’t
‘get’
.”
 
Tony knew this was going to be very
difficult, but necessary, if he wanted a long-term relationship with her.

“I’m going to
tell you a story, sweetheart.
 
It’s
about wolves, gypsies, and a terrible curse.
 
And the most frightening thing of all…it’s absolutely
true.
 
Please don’t be frightened
of the things you learn.
 
Remember
that I love you more than anything in this world, and I will do anything for
you…even let you walk away, if you choose.”

“Tony, you’re
scaring me.”
 
Sophie was clearly
afraid.
 
Her eyes were huge and her
complexion was as pale as parchment.
 
She gripped his arm tightly.

“I’m not like
other men, Sophie.
 
I’m cursed.”

“Cursed?”
 
She couldn’t imagine how the rich and
handsome man could possibly be cursed.
 
“You’re not serious.”

Tony kissed the
back of Sophie’s head and sighed.
 
“I couldn’t be more serious, darling.
 
Promise to listen to the whole story, before you decide to
walk away.”

Sophie turned
around and faced him.
 
“Walk
away?
 
I don’t walk away,
Tony.
 
I believe in sticking it
out, if you want something badly enough.
 
I’m a one-man woman, remember?
 
Tell me your story.”

Tony gathered
his thoughts.
 
He needed to be
precise and matter of fact about everything.
 
Clearing his throat, he began.

“On a dark
night, long ago, two best friends were exploring Prague.
 
They’d been drinking for hours and were
definitely deep in their cups.”

“Where?
 
In their what?” Sophie asked,
innocently, trying her best to understand.

“Shhh,
darling.
 
Let me continue.
 
They were very drunk.”

“Oh,” she
murmured, softly.

“They got lost
taking a shortcut.
 
Upon
discovering a young girl, being threatened by a pack of savage wolves, they
decided to rush to her aid, unarmed with nothing more than sticks and stones.
 
Needless to say, they got the shit
kicked out of them.
 
Both men were
near death, but the girl had escaped unharmed.”

“That’s
good.
 
This is a really good story,
Tony.
 
Go on,” she coaxed.

“I’m trying,
dear.

“Nadia—that’s
the girl’s name, in case you were going to ask—returned from her camp,
along with her wise old grandfather.
 
You see, they were gypsies.
 
I believe he might have been the king or the ruler of his clan.
 
Anyway, he prepared the two gadjos for
their imminent death, and promised them a good funeral.”

“Gadjos?”

“Yes,
sweetie.
 
They were white men...not
gypsy...not Rom.”

“Oh, I
see.
 
Continue,” Sophie instructed.

“As I was about
to say, the girl would not allow that to happen, as the two Englishmen had
saved her life.
 
During the night,
she slipped into the wagon and did some hocus-pocus with some healing powders
belonging to her grandfather.
 
Both
gadjos survived.”

“But that’s
good, Tony...isn’t it?”

“The story goes
on.
 
Her grandfather was furious
with her.
 
She didn’t know exactly
what she had done that was so terrible.
 
He said the men would live, though they’d be cursed for all eternity.

“The two gadjos
left the camp as soon as they were well enough to travel, and their lives
seemed to go on pretty much as before.
 
Unaware of the curse, they felt amazingly healthy and almost never
tired.
 
After touring the
continent, they returned to England.”

Sophie grew
excited.
 
“I took a tour of San
Francisco, once.
 
Which tour did
they take?”

“A very long
one, dear.
 
It’s something young
men did, back then.”

“Back
then?
 
When was that?”

“1810.”

“That was a
long time ago, Tony.
 
How do you
know this story?”

“I was
around.
 
I knew Thomas very well.”

There was
silence.
 
Tony wasn’t sure if
Sophie had connected the dots or had even found the date preposterous.
 
“Did you hear me, Sophie?”

She turned huge
eyes toward him.
 
She had heard
him, and she had calculated the dates correctly.
 
“I don’t get it, Tony.
 
You must be mistaken,” she challenged, feeling slightly faint.
 
“You’d be ancient!”

Tony held her
tightly, and kissed the side of her face.
 
He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute; so unsure, was he, of
her response.
 
“I have an
unbelievable past, Sophie.
 
The
secret is…I am far older than I appear.”

“So, you’re
part gypsy?
 
Is that it?”
 
That would explain his mysterious and
exotic good looks.
 
Tony was so
dangerously sexy.
 
“That makes no
difference to me.
 
I love your
black hair and dark complexion.”

“No, you
impossibly adorable woman,” he laughed.
 
“That’s not it.
 
I’m telling
you that I’m too old for you.”

“Huh?”

Running his
hands through his thick hair, he almost shouted, “I was one of those two men,
Sophie.
 
My best friend, Thomas,
and
I
were attacked by the wolves that night, and it is
we
that
should have died!”

Sophie caught
her breath.
 
Nothing was making
sense.
 
“Wow!
 
You’re a werewolf!”
 
This was not a question, but she was
clearly thrilled with the revelation.
 
“That’s way cool.”

Tony growled,
just for effect, causing Sophie to scream.
 
Then he laughed wryly.
 

“Not hardly,
darling.
 
I was saved by the gypsy
girl, but condemned by her actions, as well.
 
You see, Sophie…I am…
immortal
.”
 
He whispered the last word.
 
It sounded very creepy, but managed to
keep her attention.

Once again,
there was silence in the room.
 
Tony waited for Sophie’s reaction.
 
She hadn’t yet flinched or pulled away from his arms.
 
That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

“Oh, my God,”
she uttered.
 
“You’re a Vampire?”

“No, damn it. I
am
not
a Hollywood vampire,” he scolded.
 
“There are no such creatures as werewolves and vampires—at
least not to my knowledge.
 
But
there are a few immortals, such as myself.”

“You mean you
don’t suck blood to survive?
 
You
can’t fly or turn yourself into a bat?
 
Are you at least super strong?”
 
Sophie looked as if she was actually disappointed in his revelation.

Totally
exasperated, Tony knew he shouldn’t have said anything.
 
He should have just walked away from
her and away from the happiness she provided him.
 
“No, to all those ridiculous things,” he spat.
 
If he lived to be a million years old—and
who knows, he just might—he’d never understand women.