“It’s not exactly first-date conversation,”he said. “How long have you known about the existence ofvampires?”
“Since one murdered my mother.”
Kyle winced. “I’m sorry that happened toyou.”
“Are you?”
Her question was like a knife to his heart.“Yes, I’m not a monster.”
Her gaze darted over the other cages, andwhen he tore his gaze away from her, he saw the other vampiresraptly watching them. They were practically drooling over thisexchange. They sensed the melancholy of it, and these thingsthrived on misery.
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew aboutvampires?” he asked.
A small smile curved her mouth. “It’s notexactly first-date conversation. If you’d been human, you wouldhave run screaming from me.”
“If you’d been a normal human, you would havedone the same if I told you what I was.”
Melanie bit her bottom lip as her attentionshifted to the other cages again. They were all monsters; she sawit in their red eyes and the voracious way they watched her. Kyledidn’t look at her like that.
The yearning in his blue eyes burrowed intoher soul until she could barely breathe. It wasn’t normal. If hewas more like one of these monsters, she could handle this, but shehad no idea how to respond to the yearning in his gaze.
“What is this place?” he asked.
Melanie gulped as she met his eyes again.“It’s… Hell.”
When her father cleared his throat, Melanieknew she shouldn’t have said it, but she couldn’t lie to him. Hewas in Hell, and he would never break free.
“Did you mess with my mind?” she blurted. “DoI remember things that happened between us right, or did you makeme remember them a certain way?”
When he recoiled, she saw the unadulterateddismay in his gaze and knew it was real. He couldn’t take controlof her mind in here; everything she saw and heard today was real.Maybe he was a really good liar, but she didn’t think he could fakethis.
“Ineverfucked with your mind,Melanie.Everythingyou remember and everything we felt andshared isreal.Don’t ever doubt that.”
“I think that’s enough now,” her fatherdeclared.
Melanie gazed helplessly at Kyle as herfather’s steps clicked against the concrete while he approached.Her time with him was coming to an end, and she still had so manyquestions. She was determined to get a few more of them out.
“So, you really can go out in the sun?”Melanie asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“How is that possible?”
“That’s enough, Melanie,” her father said.“Whatever he says is going to be a lie.”
A sense of urgency descended over Kyle as heresponded. This may be his last chance to talk to her, and he wasnotgoing to let her walk away questioning everything thatpassed between them. Even if he never saw her again, she had toknow his love for her was real.
“Because I’m not like the other vampires inhere. I’ve never killed a human, and because of that, the sundoesn’t burn me. It’s only killers who can’t endure the sun’srays.”
Melanie’s head spun at this revelation, andher father’s steps faltered before coming faster.
“You have to believe me,” Kyle said. “Iunderstand you’ve always believed we’re all the same, but we arenot all monsters. I love you, Melanie.”
A sob caught in her throat, but shesuppressed it as her father arrived at her side.
“Let’s go,” he said and briefly touched herarm. “This monster has already spewed enough lies.”
“Yes, of course,” she muttered, but shedidn’t think Kyle was lying.
