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His eyes shifted to the vampires all waiting for us now, four sleek and shiny black Range Rovers parked beside them. “We’ll speak more privately, but we can’t do anything more here.”
He led me to the car. Holding open the door for me, I slid into the back, noticing the black glass that divided the driver from those seated behind. Resting my head against the window, I couldn’t hear the outside world anymore or in the front passenger seat. It was like being in a soundproof box. The silence made me wish more than anything for sleep so that I could turn my brain off for a bit.
But instead, the events of the day kept repeating in my head as we drove. I could see it the way he had wanted me to, step by step, all the actions that led up to this very moment. From meeting him in the woods to just forfeiting my old life. No, I think I forfeited my life when I let him come home with me. And I put a nail in my own coffin without even understanding how when I somehow went back in time.
In books, when people time traveled, everyone talked about the butterfly effect, how you could possibly bring about the end of the world by simply stepping on a butterfly. Of course, I’d be the one not to think about it, to change everything to spill everything to him immediately. And in doing so, he didn’t kill Simone, and I lost my job… It will take Dr. Lovell months to do all of that art…
“You’re art.” I realized, whipping my head around to look at him, and of course, he was watching me carefully.
“Taelon said he would take care of it. He left one of his people to retrieve it tonight. Did you not hear us talking about it?”
I shook my head. “I was lost in thought.”
“I noticed.” He spoke. “Druella, I never meant for this…”
I reached over and took his hands, noticing that his right arm was finally healing. Not as fast as when Simone had pretended to work on it. “I’m not blaming you. I don’t think I can. I’m a bit sad, that’s all.”
“That is one of the problems with republics,” he muttered, looking down at my hands. “You are forced to make peace on other people’s terms.”
“You do remember that Greece was the pinnacle democracy that influenced the world,” I spoke up, watching his thumb rub circles on my hand.
“And remind me, what is the current state of humanities in Greece?” he questioned, a single eyebrow risen.
“I believe they are very happy people.”
“Greece used to be the influencer of the world, the center of math, knowledge, sciences, poetry, and arts. Now all that can be said of my homeland is that it has happy people,” he muttered, sighing unnecessarily and kind of dramatically, which made me giggle. He was cute when he sulked.
“I don’t know how you make me laugh so often. I rarely did before you.”
“At least that is one positive.” He smirked, though it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. He was feeling worse for my sake. Meanwhile, he’d endured snake bites, fires, witches, and Simone for me.
I glanced to his hands, glad to see it was healing quickly. “I told you before, I do not know about vampire society. Now that I’m being forced out of the human society, I’ve always known, you do realize I’m going to hammer you with questions? Like why didn’t you tell me you were a prince? Or that there are apparently two presidents of America, one for humans and vampires?”
“Easy, young one.” He laughed. “You cannot gain centuries worth of knowledge in two days.” He was right.
“Then you have to teach me.”
His eyebrow rose, and I knew he understood what I meant. I hoped he’d let it go, but he just couldn’t help but tease me.
“You are aware that you will have to spend centuries next to me, so I can impart such knowledge.”
“Yes.” I raised my chin in defiance. “And I will make a great student, professor Thorbørn.”
“Professor?” He mused over the word. “Has this become a term of endearment over the last century? Seems an odd thing to call a mate.”
“The meaning is still as you remember because you’re not my mate and need no terms of endearment,” I reminded him, though, at this point, I wasn’t certain why I was acting as if I didn’t want to be near him.
“I am closer to my goal than I was yesterday. At the rate we are going, I shall have you by the end of the weekend,” he said, staring at my wrist where he drank from me, to remind me all that was left of the mating ritual was for me to drink from him and for us to sleep together.
“Don’t you feel bad tricking me to get this far?”
“Do you not mean, are you not glad I am allowing you to believe you were tricked into coming this far?”
“Excuse me?”
“You still think and act as if you are mortal, Druella.” He frowned a bit at that, and so did I. “To you, our ways are strange as mortals rarely, if ever, bind themselves to one another after only knowing each other for a day. You feel warmth with me. Despite what your mind says, your body reacts as mates would. Instead of simply following your instinct, you wish to play this game with me, bicker, and you pretend like you have no other choice in the moment. Very well, I enjoy games and shall play with you. I will look for any reason that forces us to be together, for I have not had so much fun with another in centuries.”
He kissed the back of my hand; I didn’t say anything, so I just looked away from him. “Have I won this battle?”
