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“What, you can read my mind now?” I snap.
He laughs, but I don’t find anything about this conversation funny. My arms cross over my chest and I laser him with my bestget the hell on with itlook.
“I know Julian has filled you in a bit on the legends of familiars, but I don’t know exactly what you have been told.”
My shoulders relax a bit with the direction the conversation is taking. Or maybe it’s the mention of Julian that has the tension releasing slightly. Either way, a very small portion of my anger disappears, and my curiosity is now piqued.
What did Maggie know and how long had she known it?
“I had found a journal that my father kept. One that alluded to the fact that it was believed his three sons—Julian, Marcellus and me—had triplet familiars. I went searching and stumbled upon you.”
“Your eyes glowed like all of the evil vampires out there,” I said, needing to understand why he allowed us to be so scared of him if he didn’t mean us any harm.
We were kids, and having an unknown creature with glowing eyes at the end of our beds was frightening.
“I didn’t know any better,” he says, making excuses. “If I could change the way I went about things at the beginning, I would. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel, Marina. I just felt the pull to her.”
I made a face and he sighed.
“It wasn’t like that.” He explains again. “It was just an intense need to keep her safe. At first...” he says, dropping his eyes to the ground.
“So... like Jacob and Renesmee?”
“Who?” he asks, bringing his narrowed eyes to meet mine again.
“Never mind,” I said, throwing my hands up. “I’m just trying to understand the dynamics. I don’t want to start looking at you as a predatory pedophile,” I admit, and he tightens his lips. He clearly doesn’t find my accusations funny.
“We were friends, Marina.”
“When did she realize you weren’t trying to hurt us?” I ask, trying to get us back on track. I still have unanswered questions and I need to stick to what’s currently important.
“About two years ago. I was walking the trails behind Johnson Park and Maggie was being mugged.”
I gasped. “What? She never told me that!”
“It’s a really long story, Marina, but what you have to know is that I was there and she was safe. However, I might’ve used some of my powers, giving myself away. After that I had to come clean and introduced her to this entire other world.”
“Why didn’t you just compel her? You have that ability, don’t you?”
He scoffs. “Of course. All Borns do,” he says as though I’ve offended his royal highness.
Too damn bad.
I haven’t yet decided if I like him again.
“I couldn’t use it on her.”
I narrow my eyes. “Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?”
“Both,” he says, averting his eyes.
“Both? It can’t be both, Law. You wouldn’t know it didn’t work if you didn’t try.” I raise a brow, challenging his story.
“All right. Fine. I tried,” he admits. “And it didn’t work.”
“Ha! Aren’t so good after all.”
“I was trying to protect her, Marina. I didn’t want her to have to live with the knowledge that vampires exist.”
