Jason levered himself uncomfortably off the floor and stood beside her. “Merry, why did he call you ‘Allison’?”
“I—um… need to ask him some stuff.”
“It’s a long story,” Sly said. Then he focused his gaze on Merry. “I understand you wanted to see me?”
“Yeah. I guess Konrad finally gave you the message.”
“No, he told me right away, but I had to wait until your evening off.”
“Oh—yeah. I guess you would, if what I was told is true.”
Jason scratched the back of his neck. “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on here?”
Sly lowered his voice and breathed heavily a couple of times. “Luke, I am her father.”
“Funny.”
“No, really,” Merry said, wide-eyed. “It might be true.”
Jason raised his eyebrows and glanced at one, then the other, then back again. “Damn. I can see the resemblance, but…”
Merry cast a hopeful gaze at Sly. “So how…? Um, why…? Oh my, I have so many questions!”
Jason kissed the top of Merry’s head. “Why don’t you two talk?” He pulled a key card from his pocket and handed it to her “I had an extra one made for you.”
Merry’s mouth dropped open. “My own key?”
“I’ll be upstairs when you’re um… ready.”
“I bet you will,” Sly said.
“Thanks, Jason. And you…” Merry pointed an accusing finger at Sly. “You don’t get to have an opinion on the matter. I have an overprotective father already, and one’s enough.”
Sly lifted his hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture and took a step back.
“Iwillsee you later,” Merry said and kissed Jason on the lips—hard.
“Mmm hmmmph”
When she broke the kiss, Jason retreated into the elevator and Sly let go of the doors so they could slide shut.
“So, you’re telling me it’s true? You’re a… a vampire?”
Sly pulled his long, dark hair off his neck and fastened it behind his head with a silver elastic. Then he leaned against the back of Merry’s leather sofa and crossed his ankle over his knee. “If I weren’t, you wouldn’t be alive.”
“Oh, you mean that super-human strength thing? That’s true too? I guess it must be. I wasn’t sure how you managed to toss that assailant off of me like he was a sock monkey.”
“Strength, speed, heightened senses. All of it. But that’s not the first time I rescued you. I was turned right before you were born. It was the only way I could get your mother to the hospital fast enough.”
“Wait a minute, are you telling me that because you couldn’t hail a cab you had yourself turned into a vampire?”
Sly smirked. “Not exactly. Your mother was attacked by a vampire. She fought, but by the time he let go of her, she had lost so much blood… I was afraid she’d die and take you with her. I begged the vampire to help me, and he said there was only one thing he could do.”
“But that’s a lie. He could have rushed her to the hospital…”
Sly gave her a sidelong glance and lowered his head. “He was a vampire, Allison. He didn’t care about your mother or me or you. He selfishly offered to turn me, probably for his own amusement. He acted like a cat playing with a mouse. But I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Oh.”
