The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

the ground. She was a bit afraid at what would happen next, him being very anti-kissing and all. But for somebody who was repelled by Evan’s previous soulmate macking on him, he didn’t push her away and wipe away her lip cooties. Instead she felt his strong arms come around her waist to pull her closer to his very firm, very warm body. The kiss deepened and as his tongue swept across hers a strange and intense wave of desire nearly knocked her right off her feet.
    The crazy, warm-blooded vampire could kiss. And he didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. She could feel his sharp fangs and was certain that they were bigger than they’d been a minute ago. Then again, his fangs weren’t the only thing that had gotten bigger since their kiss began.
    Guess he isn’t gay after all. That was actually a relief.
    Why? She realized how insane she sounded. Why was that a relief?
    That was two crazy vampires she’d kissed this evening. And she hated to admit it, but she much preferred the one-eyed version.
    “Wait—” Henry breathed and finally moved back a little from her. His eye was fully black again. “What the hell was that?”
    Her mouth felt swollen and she bit her bottom lip. “Sorry, I must have slipped on something.”
    He was frowning so hard it had to be painful. “You disgust me.”
    “You have a funny way of showing disgust.”
    “Why did you kiss me?”
    “Why did you kiss me back?”
    He growled. “This isn’t funny.”
    “I’m not laughing.” She swallowed. “I was trying to prove to you that I’m not Evan’s soulmate. You said you didn’t like kissing Katerina.”
    “So you kissed me to prove I was wrong?” He shook his head, his good eye growing wider. “You are just as devious as you’ve always been.”
    His voice was harsh, but he wasn’t pulling away from her or trying to retrieve his fallen weapon. She reached up to gently touch his eyepatch. “I’d never do something like this to you.”
    He flinched but still didn’t pull away. “What the hell is happening to me?”
    “First of all, I’m hoping that you don’t want to kill me any more.”
    He sucked in a breath. “I don’t.”
    “That is very good to hear.”
    He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I don’t understand what’s going on. How can you not be her? You must be her. The witch is never wrong. Hasn’t been for 1,000 years. Not once.” He shook his head. “And yet, I feel that you are different from Katerina. When she kissed me, all I felt was coldness. Your kiss is pure heat.”
    She studied him for a moment. “Your eye is still black.”
    “Strong emotions will cause my hunger to increase. Like anger, or pain, or ... or desire.” His attention moved to her mouth. “I must never kiss you again. It’s too dangerous.”
    “Too dangerous?”
    He nodded. “Evan is your soulmate. Even if you have changed.” He drew in a ragged breath. “Perhaps one is not doomed to be the same from lifetime to lifetime. In that case I am happy for him. My brother is a lucky man.”
    He seemed so sure that she was Evan’s soulmate. Was it possible? If she pushed away her disbelief at the bizarre situation that had been thrust into her face that night, was she willing to consider believing it was true? After all, she didn’t know vampires were real. But they were. She’d seen it now and she couldn’t deny it even if she tried. Maybe the same was true of soulmates. Did the idea of having someone that you’re destined to love throughout eternity appeal to her? Yes, it did. She’d never been in love before. She thought it would never happen to her. But maybe she’d kept finding fault in men, not letting herself get close to them, because she’d been waiting for that night. For her soulmate to finally find her.
    If she was willing to believe that, then it meant that her soulmate was Evan.
    But she didn’t like Evan. He was attractive enough, but she hadn’t felt any real, deep connection with him.
    Like the connection you feel to Henry? she asked herself, knowing that she was making no sense.
    Yeah, like that, she answered.
    “So what do we do now?” she asked after a moment.
    Henry still studied her intensely. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier.”
    “What was that?”
    “That you weren’t attractive. It was a lie. You’re a very beautiful woman.”
    “Not compared to the original Katerina.”
    “Hers was a cold beauty. Untouchable. You—” he looked down to where he still held her