One and Only by Bianca D'Arc

a rare enough occurrence that I’m driven to try to understand why. It could be that she is the first mortal woman in centuries to know what I am. That is a novel experience.”
    “Marc.” Lissa sought his attention. “I think you should redirect your fascination.” She took a deep breath for courage, but this needed to be said. “Kelly is one of my closest friends. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
    “I don’t wish that either, ma petite .” Marc’s gaze measured her determination but she refused to back down.
    “She’s showing all the signs of being attracted to you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to tease her. You could hurt her badly with very little effort on your part. Kelly seems tough on the outside, but trust me, she’s got a gentle heart that bruises easily. I don’t expect you to understand, but I’m asking you to leave her alone. She’s had enough heartache for one lifetime already.”
    Marc’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, remaining silent until she was about ready to fidget. Only Atticus’s strong presence at her side kept her still and her gaze unwavering as it met Marc’s. At length, he stood from the chair, nodding once in an old-world gesture of formality before he turned to leave.
    “I’ll keep your words in mind, cherie , but I can promise nothing except that I will try to comply with your wishes.”
    Atticus stood, gesturing for Lissa to stay where she was while he saw Marc out. Opening her mind a little, she saw through Atticus’s gaze the sleek yellow car that sat in the darkened drive. It was a beauty, but much too extravagant for a simple school-teacher-turned-executive-assistant like Kelly.
    Marc drove off in the fantasy machine and Atticus returned to the living room. Lissa met him at the doorway and slipped under his arm to stand at his side. He hugged her close as she wrapped her arm around his waist.
    “Do you think he’ll leave her be?” Lissa worried a little as Atticus and she headed for the more private wing of the big house for a little alone time.
    “I think he’ll try, but I’m not certain he’ll succeed. To be honest, I’ve never seen him like this before and I’ve known him for centuries. Never has a woman gotten under his skin the way your friend Kelly appears to.”
    Lissa didn’t like the sound of that, but relegated it to think about later as Atticus guided her toward the more private parts of the house.
     
    He led her to the master bedroom, which was in fact, only a façade. Inside, a hidden panel guarded the entrance to the underground complex and the protected chamber in which he slept. He would go there for the day, but for tonight, he planned to take advantage of the plush master suite and the giant bed he rarely used.
    “Do you know how much I truly love you?” he asked, each of them undressing as they stood before the extravagant bed.
    “I can see it in your eyes and read it in your thoughts, Atticus. I’m more certain of that than of anything else in this world. And I know you can be just as certain of me. It’s probably the most amazing thing about this relationship we have. No uncertainty. No ability to hide our true feelings. I love knowing that the man I love, loves me in return just as much.”
    “If not more,” he agreed, sliding out of his own clothing while she removed the last of hers.
    When they were both naked, they came together in a blistering kiss that rocked their combined world off its axis and in a totally new direction. There was no play this time, no teasing, just desperate need on both their parts.
    Atticus had never known such pleasure. She nurtured something in his soul, shone her light on the seed of hope that had never taken root before he’d met her. Now it blossomed into a healthy, living, growing thing and his dark world was brighter for her influence.
    He drew her down onto the plush bed, settling her beneath him in the way he knew she liked. He could read in her thoughts how