Mia stepped away from him. His presence mayhave been relaxing in some ways, but it also brought a sense ofcloseness that she didn’t want to share with another. Her heartclenched when hurt flashed through his eyes. Lifting her hand, sherubbed her breastbone over her heart in order to try to ease thesting. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want to hurt him. Shedidn’t try to get closer to him again.
“Everywhere and nowhere,” she replied.
“Was there someone you could go to for helpafter?”
“I’ve had no one for seven years now.”
“You’re twenty-five?”
“Yes.”
He hadn’t realized he didn’t know her ageuntil then, nor did he know her last name. “What is your lastname?”
The distrust in her eyes cut him. He triedto remind himself she’d been through a lot, but he’d thought she’dlearned to trust him at least enough to reveal this.
“What is yours?” she asked.
“Perin.”
He found himself lost in the soft blue ofher eyes while she stared at him from under the thick fringe of herblack lashes. Being close to someone was terrifying for her, butfor the first time he got the sense she wanted to trust again.
Let her trust me, he silentlypleaded.
CHAPTER 2
“Arden,” Mia finally answered. “My last nameis Arden.”
David smiled at her. “I like it.”
“Glad you approve,” she snorted, but she hadto admit that for some bizarre reason she felt happy aboutrevealing it to him. She believed it might have to do with the factsomeoneknewher last name again. She couldn’t remember thelast time she’d told anyone, nor the last time she’d spoken italoud. Even the coffee shop where she’d worked before beingkidnapped hadn’t known her last name, as she’d used a fake ID whenshe’d applied for the job.
“Mia Arden,” she said again and smiled.
It’s who I am. How many times had sheforgotten that over the years? How many times had she tried toforget it? More times than she could count, that was for sure.
“How old were you when you stopped aging?”David asked.
From being around Liam and Sera’s children,he knew that purebred vampires didn’t know when they would stopaging, but they recognized it instantly when that day arrived.Purebloods had some vampire abilities before then, but they camefully into their powers on the day they reached maturity. Thosepowers continued to grow over the years, but they never agedanother day.
She tilted her head back to look at him.“When I was twenty-two. How old are you?”
“Fifty-two.”
Mia turned her attention back to the tree inthe yard. “Not so old for a vampire, then.”
“No, I’m not,” he agreed. “But I intend tolive for many more years.”
She rested her fingers against the glassonce more. “Many do,” she murmured, “but many don’t end up livingfor as long as they want. Something always throws a wrench in theworks of our plans, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” he agreed, unable to tear his eyesaway from her profile. Her heart-shaped face, the gentle slope ofher nose, and the curve of her full lips all fascinated him. “Wereyour parents mated?”
“They were. In that way, it was a blessingthey both perished in the fire. If only one of them had survived,the other would have destroyed themselves after. I’d have ended upalone anyway.”
“You don’t have to be alone now.”
Didn’t she? It was all she’d been for years;she didn’t know how to be anything else. She certainly didn’t thinkshe had room in her heart, or the courage, to open herself up toanother. Not after the fire, and certainly not after herimprisonment.
Mia wrapped her arms around herself. “Idon’t want to talk about this anymore.”
