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“It’s beautiful,” I muse. He clasps it around my wrist and I can’t help but stare. It’s vintage, with diamonds all the way around. I wonder whose bracelet this was, as it is definitely old. Beautiful, timeless, but ancient. I don’t ask, for fear I won’t like the answer. I’m determined to turn this night around and enjoy myself. It’s not every day I get to break loose.
I stand from the bed, pulling Julian with me. “Let’s go on our date.”
He smiles boyishly. “Date,” he grins. “I like that.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Julian
We’re driving through the countryside and it takes everything in me to keep my eyes on the road and off her. There’s something different about her. She looks younger.Alive.
There’s been something brewing between us since the auction, but it’s not simple attraction. She holds some power over me, and I’ve been trying to uncover its source ever since. I want to tell her all that I’ve learned about vampire lore and my suspicions concerning her, but I can’t. Not yet.
Even I don’t fully understand it.
Her head is resting back on the seat, eyes closed and carefree. I love seeing her like this. I wish I could always make her this happy. Tough times lie ahead for us. When Stacey leaves, it’ll break Marina. They’ve formed a bond through their experience that is unlike any friendship she’s ever had. If I could keep Stacey safe without bringing the Council down on us, I would.
Marc won’t budge. I never thought he would. He only agreed to a month because I agreed to hold two auctions next month. I only agreed because I’ve heard murmurings that they’ve abducted twice as many girls. They’re sitting in cells, God knows where. If there is a second auction, the Council will be too preoccupied with the planning to keep tabs on me. Money is more important than anything—with the exception of blood.
With them off my back, I can recruit twice as many new bites for my own army. Now that I know how to reach the small human part of them that remains, it’s taking half the time to train them. The more I train and the more who swear their allegiance to me, the better. I have to act fast, because I know it’s only a matter of time before Marc makes a move. He’s becoming desperate.
I have to keep humans safe.I have to keep Marina safe.
Chapter Twenty-Four
We’re in the heart of New Orleans in a restaurant that has an old-world charm. White linen tablecloths adorn the tables. Beautiful chandeliers hang overhead in various locations. Waiters scurry about the room wearing head-to-toe black. The room is dim, lit by the glow of candles. It’s romantic.
Julian has ordered a bottle of the best merlot they stock, and we’re sharing a side of gnocchi, waiting for our dinner plates to be served. I look up at Julian from under my lashes, and my breath catches. Every time I see him, he’s more impressive. Strong jaw, steely eyes, and that smile. God, that smile does things to my stomach. Nobody before him has ever come close to giving me butterflies, let alone whatever this is. For the first time in my life, I feel like a woman. A woman who is struggling to deny the feelings taking root for the man across from her.
It’s foolish. A childish dream. We live different lives and we come from different worlds, but I can’t help but yearn for a connection with him. I’m pulled from my reverie by Julian’s smooth, masculine voice.
“Tell me more about your life, Marina.”
And just like that, the spell is broken. Nothing is less sexy than my life pre-abduction.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to,” Julian amends, sounding unsure and concerned. He’s taken me into his home and kept me safe, so I feel it’s only fair I share a bit more of myself with him.
“I told you about one of us triplets dying at birth.” Julian nods, not saying anything, allowing me to continue. “After that, my mother became paranoid and delusional. She claimed our sister was taken from her.”
“Grief is different for every person. I’m sure your sister dying was traumatic for your mother. Especially with all the hormones coursing through her at the time,” Julian offers.
“It was more than that. She believed the hospital had faked Molly’s death and her baby was stolen from her. My entire life, my mother wavered between helicopter parenting and months of isolation and neglect.”
“Why did she think Molly was taken?” Julian’s brows are furrowed.
“No clue. Nothing she ever said made sense.”
“There are a lot of things in this world that do not make sense, Marina. You of all people should know that now.”
The words sting, but only because I have never considered that my mother might have actually had good reasons to believe what she believed. There was a body—I know that much. My father said many times through the years that they buried Molly. He held her dead body in his hands. But what if something did happen that led my mother to think otherwise?
“The truth?” I wince, because it isn’t favorable for me. “I never listened. Nor did I ask.” For so many years, I tried to make people trust that I was seeing monsters. Every one of them did exactly as I did to my mother. They pushed my words off as delusions. I’m here today knowing they were wrong. Could I be wrong about my mother and Molly?
“I need to speak to her, Julian. What if I can help my mom?”
He bites on the inside of his cheek, eyes hard and mouth in a straight line.
“It’s dangerous. You’d be putting her in danger too, Marina. For right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea. She safe and getting the help she needs in Arizona.”
