Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“Downtown, usually. Where I first met you. I like to prowl the streets or hang out at Eclipse.”
She rises up to her elbow. “Eclipse? You have to be kidding me.”
“What?”
“I always knew there was something different about that place.”
My laugh barks out of me before I can stop it. “Because you’re magic.”
“Can you go anywhere in the world?”
“Anywhere I have already been.”
“Do you ever go back to England?”
“No.”
“What about France?”
“What about it?”
“Have you been there?”
“Yes.” My heart picks up pace, tripping in my chest. It’s as if she’s drawn to my secret, knowing all the questions to ask. But perhaps it’s important for her to know the details in order to reverse it. I inhale on a count of eight and release it. “I lived in Paris a long, long time ago. I had a lover there. Her name was Anka.”
Aurelia stills, as if knowing the story holds importance.
“Anka was a witch, magic like you, only a different, darker energy. She was my lover in the true sense of the word—I worshipped her. She had me wrapped around her finger, and I did anything and everything she asked of me.”
“You did evil things for her,” Aurelia murmurs.
My gaze jerks to her face. How does she know? Aurelia stares into space without focus, as if her gold flecked eyes are viewing the invisible.
“Yes,” I whisper. Images of the body I drained flood my vision. Clearing my throat, I speak in a normal voice. “I did anything and everything she asked of me. I killed her enemies, I changed people’s minds, I set the stage for her success. She used her gift of sight, and she had a powerful understanding of manipulating energy, like you. Anyone she cursed ended in ruin. She became the wealthiest and most famous madame in all of Paris. And it turned out, I was just a tool she used for her ambition. She lied to make me believe she loved me, that I was her only lover. But I had doubts. When I found out for certain—” I break off.
“What did you do?” Aurelia prompts.
“I took up residence with another madame. Just to hurt Anka, I suppose. To inflict the same sense of betrayal I experienced. When Anka found out, she threw the curse.”
“There’s a lot of darkness in that tale,” Aurelia says softly.
“Yeah. I never believed in the good witch vs. evil witch thing. To me, a witch is someone who harnesses nature’s power for her own intent, be it to heal or to curse. But now that I’ve met someone like you, whose magic is so different, I think perhaps she was just evil.”
“What about vampires?”
The corners of my mouth tug upwards in a bitter smile. “We’re all evil, love.”
“No,” Aurelia disagrees softly. “Not you. You might have loose morals, but you are not evil.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.” She thrusts her chin forward. “No, I think you were right the first time. No one is either good or evil. We are all capable of both.”
I kiss the top of her head, hardly believing how much things had changed between us. “I’m sorry I almost killed your friend today,” I offer in an attempt to redeem myself.
She giggles. “I’m sorry he showed up. That was embarrassing.”
“I can assure you he will remember nothing about seeing you like that.”
“Oh I know. I meant I was embarrassed about you seeing the kind of loser I used to date.” My Tinkerbell peers up at me from under her lashes. “Were you, um, jealous?”
I roll her to her back, covering her body with my own stronger one. “Of course I was. Why do you think I wanted to kill him?”
“Does that mean...you like me?”
I rain kisses on her temple, her jaw, her neck. “Yes, little mortal,” I admit. “I like you.”
“Are you going to erase my memory and disappear after I figure out how to lift the curse?” Her tone is light, but she’s still and wide-eyed, waiting for my answer.
I chuckle. “I wasn’t planning on it. To be honest, I haven’t thought that far with my agenda. All I have so far is: A) torment Aurelia and B) torment Aurelia naked and C) torment Aurelia into getting rid of curse. That is the end of my list.”
She glowers at me, so I know she knows I’m joking. Or at least, half joking.
So much for redeeming myself.
“I’m open to a change of agenda. What do you have in mind?”
She blinks without answering. A silence stretches between us. She’s really thinking things through. Could she be considering any kind of future with me?
“Where do you sleep normally?” she asks finally, changing the subject.
“I have a place,” I say. First rule of Vampire Survival: don’t tell people where you spend your days. The lethargy makes us helpless.
It’s been a long time since I’ve trusted anyone enough to sleep beside them. Aurelia is an exception in all things.