“Who drinks blood.”
“Yes.”
She doesn’t answer right away. Then: “Have you ever wanted to drink mine?”
The question hits hard. “Poppy—”
“Have you?”
I close my eyes. “Yes.”
“When?”
“Every night we’ve spent together. When I—” I stop. Force myself to continue. “When I look at you, I want to—to taste you.” I open my eyes. “I never have. I never will. But I won’t lie to you. The want is there.”
“You could have,” she says quietly. “I’m sure you have superhuman vampire powers. You could have done anything to me, and I wouldn’t be able to stop you.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I love you.” The words tumble out. “Because you’re not food to me, Poppy. You’re not prey. You’re the first person in a long time who’s made me feel like I might still be human somewhere underneath all of this.”
Her breath catches.
“I should have told you sooner,” I continue. “Before you started falling for someone who doesn’t deserve you. I let this go too far because I wanted it too much—wanted you too much—and that was selfish. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you telling me now?”
“Because I should have given you the choice a while ago.” I lean forward, close enough to touch her if she’ll let me. “You get to decide what happens next.”
“What are my options?”
“I can leave. Walk away. I’ll handle the rest of the wedding from a distance—make excuses, disappear. You can tell your family whatever you want. I won’t contradict it.”
“And the other option?”
“I stay.” My voice drops. “And you stay, knowing what I am. Knowing the risks. Knowing that I’ve lived for two and a half centuries and I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you.”
She’s quiet for so long that I start to prepare myself for the leaving. For the look of horror that eventually comes. For the moment when she realizes that the fairy tale she thought she was living is actually a nightmare.
But when she speaks, her voice is calm.
“The man at the cocktail party. The one who made you tense up. He’s like you.”
Not a question. A statement.
“His name is Damien. We have... history.”
“Bad history?”
“The worst kind.” I hesitate. “He’s here because of me. Because he wants to hurt me. And the easiest way to hurt me right now is through you.”
“So I’m in danger.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me that either.”
