weak men feared powerful women. If a revenant wanted Porcia’s territory, they’d kill her rather than try to run her off.
Louis was still lying on his back, drumming his fingers against his abs, playing an invisible piano.
“Are we spending our anniversary stalking our mutual love?” Louis inquired, a teasing note to his voice. I gave him a sidelong glance, raising my eyebrow. Of course we were, that question didn’t merit an answer. We had spent centuries together, he knew the depths of my obsession better than anyone.
“It’s growing harder, you know. I’m sure you feel it too,” Louis added quietly, all traces of humor gone from his voice.
“Staying away?”
“Don’t pretend it doesn’t bother you,” Louis replied harshly, glaring at me as if he was daring me to lie. As if I could, Louis knew me better than I knew myself, and I respected him too much to deceive him.
It had been nearly a month since we arrived back from New Orleans. Porcia had performed in a Halloween-themed burlesque show in a club she owned on Bourbon Street. Usually, we watched her from far enough away that there was no risk of her seeing us. She didn’t know we existed, and that’s how it was meant to stay.
But we’d never been to her New Orleans club, and it was more intimate than we realized. She saw us. Not just saw us, looked directly at us and danced for us.
Teased us.
My balls ached just thinking about it.
“It bothers me,” I admitted gruffly.
“The more I think about it, the stranger it is,” Louis said, seeming relieved we were both struggling. “She didn’t seem bothered in the least to have us in her territory.”
“She may not have viewed it as hers. She owns the club, but she doesn’t live there,” I pointed out, wondering where he was going with this.
“Have you ever considered she knew who we were?” Louis hedged.
No. Not once. “Impossible. We have always maintained enough distance for that not to be an issue.”
“Maybe.” Louis shrugged. “I just can’t see Porcia being completely fine with two powerful revenants — men, no less — showing up in her club unless she knew we weren’t a threat. I’m going to get dressed, I’ll meet you downstairs.”
I nodded silently as Louis let himself out, setting my phone aside. Could he be right?
My fascination with Porcia had only been mildly less potent when we were mere humans. She was a senator’s wife, beloved by the upper echelons of Roman society — young, quick-witted, exceptionally beautiful, and renowned for her devotion to her husband. Centuries after his death, and I still felt jealous every time I thought about him. Porcia gave up everything for him. Louis and I could never compete with that.
Porcia evidently agreed that no man could compete with her dead husband either. She bedded human men, but that was the extent of her relationships with them. Good thing, too. If she’d ever taken an immortal lover, I’d have killed him. I wouldn’t have been able to help myself. It was one thing for her to indulge in sex with humans — they were temporary, unimportant. Conveniently, Porcia rejected attachments, as my jealousy would never let me stand for seeing Porcia with a man who she could form a permanent connection with.
In my head, she was always mine. Now mine and Louis’. No one could love her the way we could.
That was why we had to keep our distance. We could never settle for just one night, and she would never offer any more than that. I’d have to remind Louis of that later, as painful as it was for both of us.
Shaking off my melancholy thoughts, I got out of bed and began getting ready for the night ahead. I had long since accepted that we could never have Porcia’s love, but I would never stop keeping her safe.
***
I loved this time of year in Britain. We could leave the house at five in the evening and be perfectly safe from the sun. The paths of the Olympic Park were well-lit and crawling with mortals making their way home from work, bundled up in coats and scarves against the late November chill. It was the only time of the year where we could almost pretend to be human again, drifting among the masses as they went about their day. The illusion never lasted long. We were creatures of the night, and there was no escaping that.
The police had investigated this area recently after the