AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Master Alcántara?” he asked, incredulous. “His deal?”
My mind went back to that night. The vampire’s strange words; the even stranger feel of his touch on my face. “Yeah, by the stones—” I stopped myself.
Ronan stared hard. “By the stones, what?”
I bent to pull off my swim booties, hoping he didn’t notice how my face was flushing. I improvised to cover up the blunder. “By the stones . . . on that first day . . . I’d wondered what other islands there are around here. ”
I stood up, tossing my booties in the back of the van. Ronan was looking at me skeptically.
I shrugged. “I just think it’d be cool to travel off the island with someone like him. Did you know he met Descartes?”
He slung his towel over his shoulder, then crossed his arms over his chest. It made his upper body look even more cut than usual. “Beware Hugo De Rosas Alcántara. ”
“Are you saying I should bow out of the challenge?”
“I’m saying no such thing. The girls who don’t enter the competition are fools who won’t survive the year. ” He stared hard at me, weighing his words. When he spoke again, it was slower, gentler. “Don’t for a moment think the choices you make aren’t a part of your trials on this island. You must participate in the challenge. But you must also maintain distance, Annelise. Alcántara is Vampire, centuries old and lacking in the human mores to which you’re accustomed. Imagine yourself a professional. Because that’s precisely what you aspire to be. Not a special pet or project or plaything for Master Alcántara. Don’t let him lay claim to you. ”
His mini speech stunned me. “But he’s one of them. One of the main vampire dudes, right? I can’t just stay away from him. ”
“No, you cannot. ” Ronan reached behind his back to undo the Velcro on the neck of his wet suit. I kept my eyes strictly above chin level. “But you can keep a polite distance. Speak when you’re spoken to. Don’t stare him in the eye. ” He paused to glare at me. “As you seem to feel free to do with me. ”
I laughed, taken aback, and Ronan gave me a grudging smile. “I’m serious, Annelise. This is life or death. ”
I wasn’t ready to die. Which meant I had to be ready to kill. I suspected the Directorate challenge wasn’t so much about competing with the other girls as it was about eliminating them.
Ronan reached around his back, and with a tug on the long toggle attached to his zipper, he began to peel the wet suit from his arms. It revealed his tattoo, stark on his pale, chilled skin. Le seul paradis c’est le paradis perdu.
The sight of it, its possible meaning, held me transfixed. “What is it you’ve lost?” I asked quietly.
We stared at each other a moment. “Turn around, Annelise. A little privacy, please. ” He didn’t sound angry, just tired.
I walked around to the front of the van, peeling off my own wet suit and pulling my sweats over the damp Speedo I’d worn underneath. I clambered into the front seat.
Ronan slammed the rear doors shut, then walked around and climbed in. He put the key in the ignition, but just sat there, staring at the steering wheel.
Finally, he said, “There are many things I’ve lost. Many people. Perhaps you’ll one day discover life here is not what it seems. ”
I studied his profile, desperate to understand his meaning. “Then why do you stay?”
“It is where I belong. ”
His reply had been simple, but it was no answer. Something held him on the island. Something more than just habit or home. I could see it in his eyes, green and sad. But clearly he wasn’t going to tell me.
I changed tack. I felt a connection with Ronan—I always had, despite his powers of persuasion that’d gotten me into this mess. “Why do you do this? It’s more than just someone asking you to look out for me. Why have you been kind to me?”
He glanced at me. He looked so bleak in that moment, I wished I could touch him. Just a simple hand on his shoulder.
“I told you once before. You remind me of someone,” he said. “A girl who’d been smart, like you. ”
I had been right. We did have a connection. But who did I remind him of? An old lover? High school sweetheart? Electricity pulsed through me, but I managed to keep my voice calm. “Who?”
“Acari Charlotte. ” He leaned back to stare out the windshield, his hands extended in front of him, resting on the wheel. “My sister. ”
My heart fell. Not a lover. I reminded him of his sister. I supposed it beat football teammate or pub buddy. But still. The sentiment was lovely. Heartwarming. Nauseating.
“She trained to be a Watcher. She didn
’t last a month. ”
