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He practically pulls me down the stairs with him. When we reach the bottom, we emerge out of the building and are met by a concerned Vasily, who opens the door to the black SUV while the man who grabbed me shoves me inside. The men speak in Russian, exchanging angry words, Vasily shaking his head.
I sit staring out the windshield, completely numb.
Vasily escorts me up the elevator, and enters the code to the lock before pushing me into the apartment. When I emerge into the main area, I see Julien standing there, his hands on his hips, a scowl on his face.
"Vasily," I say to him. "You said he was gone."
"I lied."
Vasily enters a code on the lock and leaves the apartment. I turn and face the door, covering my mouth.
"You know, Eve," Julien says from behind me, his voice hard. "I was right in the middle of something important, interviewing someone from South Carolina, someone involved in research on vampirism, when I get this panicked call from Vasily telling me that you'd gone missing. Right away, I think that Luke has taken you, or worse, that Soren's gone back on our bargain, and I'msick. Then Vasily calls me back and tells me you're hiding out on top of a building, threatening to jump? Here I was, thinking someone came to harm you and I find out you're pouting over sick little junkieKate?"
He grabs me by the arm and spins me around to face him. I close my eyes.
"You look at me when I'm talking to you."
I open my eyes.
"What have you got to say for yourself?"
I shake my head.
"I can't do this," I say, my voice breaking. "All of this." I wave at the apartment. "I'm not yours. I don't want you."
"I hate to break it to you, but youaremine. You have no choice about it. Once Soren learned you were alive, your fate was determined. You’re just lucky I’m giving you time to adjust."
"I'm leaving. You have no right to force me and I'm not staying with you."
"You're staying, Eve," he says and squeezes my hand - hard. "You're worth too much to our enemies to let you leave. I paid too high a price –Michelpaid too high a price – to have you be taken by someone else."
"I'm not cooperating any longer."
"You never did."
I pull my hand away and clench my fists, dig my nails into my palms.
"All this over Kate?" He squeezes my arm. "Running away, climbing on a roof, threatening to jump?"
I try to wrestle free, but it's futile.
"No, she just made it all crystal clear."
"OK, bright girl," he says. "You tell me what's so crystal clear now that you've met Kate." He drags me over to the couch and pushes me down onto it. He stands in front of me and waits, hands on hips.
"I'll help you," I say, breathing slowly, in control now. "I'll do research. I'll work as a blood witness. But the rest – I can't do it anymore. I won't be your Adept or your little pet."
"Eve, why are you doing this? Kate's a junkie from Michel's past when he was looking after street people. He found her on the street and tried to save her life. He supports her financially. Nothing more. You saw her. For God's sake – even with good dope and medical care, she's dead."
"You're trying to tell me that he's supporting her out of compassion? I saw bites all over her and she said he liked it when she walked around naked."
"Eve," he says, bending down, grabbing my arms. "Did you see her? She's sick, dying. Michel … Ah, screw it," he says and closes his eyes. "He bit her so he wouldn't bite you.Dieu." He shakes his head. "There. I said it. Michel's a morally-fucked-up former priest who didn't want to feed on you to keep you pure. So he fed on sick little Kate who's donated her blood to him so he'll give her a good death." He shakes his head slowly, and he looks truly pained. "Being with you made him need it from someone. She wants him to kill her when she's ready to die. Now, I have to do it, just like I have to take you. There. He didn't have sex with her. He gave her nice sex dreams like I gave you. He made her feel good about herself in her last days. That's all." He lets go of my arms. "It's the one thing we vampires do that has any value."
I sit in silence, not knowing what to believe but I didn't feel deceit when he touched me. He rubs his forehead as if exasperated.
"You have to understand about vampires," he says, looking at me. "We don't survive on blood alone. We can, but we become dead to the world of humans, seeing them only as prey. We need the physical contact, the connection, to prevent that. We need to feed on a warm body and feel some kind of human connection or else we lose our humanity. Michel was so intent on keeping you pure that he bit her, so he wouldn't bite you. Saint and sinner," he says, shrugging. "That's my totally fucked-up brother."
I look away from him because he's being so honest, it's hard to meet his eye.
