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“We need to find the way out of this place,” she muttered, but she didn’t make any effort to try to wriggle out of his arms.
Probably because she didn’t want to leave them.
“I have set alarms around the cave. If someone approaches, we’ll have plenty of time to flee,” he told her. “For now, you need to rest and recover your strength. Tell me why your powers hurt you.”
She glanced away, giving one more shot at ending the unwelcome conversation. “I don’t talk about my past. Not with anyone.”
His thumb traced her lower lip, the light caress sizzling through her like a lightning bolt.
“I’m not anyone.”
He was right. She tried to deny the truth. Even when her heart had already decided that if they survived—and that was yet to be determined—she wanted to have this male in her life.
He deserved to know what she’d done. Even if it meant revealing that she was a monster.
“As far as I know I’m the only vampire who possesses the talent,” she said, her gaze locked on the wall across the narrow space.
She felt him lean down to brush his lips over the scar in the middle of her forehead.
“Smart. Beautiful and utterly unique.” His lips brushed her skin as he spoke. “No wonder my jinn soul craves you.”
Sofie cherished the feel of his lips and the strength of his arms that surrounded her. It stirred her desire, of course. She wanted him with a desperation that was becoming impossible to resist. But more importantly, it offered her the courage to dredge up the memories she’d buried in the depths of her mountain.
“Being unique isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
“Why not?”
“Because we had no idea what my powers could ultimately do.”
His fingers stroked through her hair, offering her comfort. “We?”
“The clan who took me in after I wakened as a vampire.”
“They weren’t pleased with your gift?”
A wry smile twisted her lips. She’d still been trying to figure out what she was and how to survive when a clan had passed by the abandoned fortress where she was hiding. They hadn’t been eager to offer her a place in the clan, but when she revealed the trick she’d accidentally discovered to control her prey, they’d realized she could offer them an advantage.
“In the beginning,” she said, the words a low whisper. “It came in handy when we wished to capture an enemy. Or to control one of our own clansmen who the chief wanted to punish.”
“A little more than handy,” he said dryly.
It had been. And she’d been rewarded for her skills with riches and treasures beyond her wildest dreams.
“For centuries I was treated as a favorite of the chief.”
Ryshi stiffened, as if outraged by her words. “His mate?”
“No, he had a mate,” she swiftly assured him. “I was a secret weapon that allowed him to gather power.”
She felt his muscles ease. “Were you happy?”
“At the time. I was surrounded by my family and secure in the knowledge that my gift made me special. It felt as if nothing could destroy my future.”
“But something did?”
Sofie watched the ice crawl over the floor and up the sides of the cave. She couldn’t completely control her emotions. Not when she was ripping open a wound that had never fully healed.
“We were traveling through Siberia when we were attacked by a tribe of orcs.” She had to force the words past her stiff lips.
