That voice was still echoing in my mind as I arrived at the botanical gardens the next evening. Perfect neutral ground. I got there early, nerves crackling beneath my skin.

Three days without Alexander. Three days of replaying our kiss in my mind. Three days of wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my immortal life.


I spotted him before he saw me. Tall. Powerful. The blood connection between us hummed to life, sending shivers down my spine. His emotions reached me—determination, anxiety, and something warmer that made my own pulse quicken.

"Isabella." His voice was controlled, professional.

"Alexander."


We sat on a secluded bench, careful not to touch. The air between us felt electric.

"I"ve found something," I said, grateful to focus on work instead of the memory of his lips on mine. "Victor"s embedding ancient code in global financial systems. Like digital DNA that replicates itself."


"To what end?"

"Economic collapse. Chaos. Power." I hesitated. "There"s more. Lillian believes someone"s deliberately killing marked vampires."

"We found evidence of poison in recent victims," he nodded. "A toxin targeting the marking bond specifically."

"What do you actually know about marking?" I asked. "Not legends. Truth."

"Less than I should," he admitted. "Jackson challenged my understanding recently."

"Lillian did the same to me. She said marking wasn"t originally about control. It was connection. Protection."

"That matches what Jackson said." His amber eyes searched mine. "Three centuries avoiding something based on Victor"s lies…"

"And five years shutting yourself off after losing your mate," I finished softly.

My phone buzzed. A text: "Behind you. Don"t react."

I casually glanced over my shoulder. A man in dark clothes watched us from behind a palm.

"We"re being followed," I murmured.

"Victor"s man. I caught his scent."

"We need somewhere private to talk."

"My penthouse. It"s secure."

I hesitated. His territory. His rules.

"Isabella," he said softly, reading my thoughts. "I would never force a marking on you. You have my word."

As we left the gardens, I felt the watcher"s eyes on my back. But something else troubled me more—the way Alexander"s hand had almost reached for mine, then pulled back. The way our blood connection pulsed with unspoken questions.

What would happen when we were truly alone?