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I stood to meet him and tilted my chin for respect. “You don’t approve of what I’ve done.”
“This isn’t you, Davy. This is the Immortal. You’re not…” He gestured to my body. “This isn’t you. I want you back.”
I could’ve told him that this was the new me, but instead I stepped around him. I stared at Kates and breathed out in awe, “Look at her.”
The candle now shone brightly behind her. The blinding yellow flame encompassed her body. She was a mere black shadow in front of it.
“Do you see it?” I wanted him to see it.
Roane frowned, but looked. “It’s the slayer. She’s trying to save Lucan.”
She wasn’t. She wasn’t doing that at all. My hand rose of its own volition, but it dropped now, saddened. “You don’t see it.”
“She doesn’t want me to hurt him. She’s in love with him, what do you expect?”
“She’s not saving him. She thinks she’s saving me. It’s so bright around her. It’s her hope.” The candle burned even brighter now. It looked like it was going to explode. “She’s saving herself.”
“She’s not, Davy.” Roane was firm. “Kates is smart. She knows that I wouldn’t let him touch you. She’s making her move against me, not for you.”
He was wrong. Roane didn’t realize what had happened. He didn’t really understand who I was anymore. Everything he knew was limited. All the vampires thought wrong.
It didn’t matter, not right then, but I turned and gazed at my lover. He looked fierce with murder in his eyes. Every part of him screamed that he was an animal, but I remembered what he’d said before.
“There’s a soul inside of you.”
Roane frowned, jerked off balance for a moment.
I moved forward and lifted a palm to his chest. His muscles jerked in response from my touch, but he held still.
I continued, “You told me before that you don’t have a soul, but your body remembers what it did with the soul. That’s why you breathe sometimes. The soul is imbedded in every part of a person. You’re still a person. You still have a soul. And you honor it, even now when you want to kill your brother.”
‘He cannot divide them.’
I understood them now. I glanced over my shoulder at Lucan. “He’s not put together right. I saw that before, but I didn’t understand it. I knew you’d win today. I felt your strength. What you said was right. You have the strength of all the Hunters inside of you. You’d overpower your brother too easily, but that’s where it’d rip away your humanity. You’d become the animal that you loathe inside of you.”
Roane stiffened at my words. He started to pull away, but I clasped the back of his arm. I wouldn’t let him move and his eyes widened at my strength. “If you had killed your brother today, that would’ve destroyed you. He’s still a part of you. You love him and you’d be the end of him. It would’ve been the end of you as well. I can’t have that. I need you.”
His eyes clung to mine.
I touched his lips. They were perfect, cool to the touch, and I leaned forward to nip at them.
Roane grasped the back of my head and deepened the kiss. I felt his love with that kiss, but I pulled away. Haunted. “Do you love me or do you love who is inside of me?”
His eyes shuddered closed and he withdrew. “I loved her, yes.”
“That’s why you’re drawn to me.”
“That’s why you’re drawn to me too!” Roane whipped back to me. I was taken aback by the loathing in his eyes. “You don’t think I’ve thought of this? Something takes control of you when you’re around me. It’s not you, either, Davy. You might think you feel something for me, but you don’t. A part of Talia is inside of you. It’s always her reaching out for me, taking control of you.”
Oh god. I didn’t… I couldn’t understand… I started to slip inside of him, but he shoved me out. “I don’t want you to know the mess inside of me.”
I respected his wish. I couldn’t solve the problem between us, but I knew a problem that I could resolve for him. So I looked back at Lucan. “You can’t help your brother, but I can.”
“Wha—”
I rushed forward and stepped in front of Kates. My back was to Lucan. And then I unlocked time.
“No!” Roane shouted, but I snapped my fingers. Every glass, every diamond, every champagne flute exploded in the air. They all ducked from the exploding shards of glass.
