She tilts her head and scrunches her face, unable to read my thoughts but well aware I'm holding back. "Protect us from what exactly? I mean, we're immortal, right? Which, if I'm not mistaken, pretty much means we'll live forever, and yet, you're telling me I need protection? To be kept safe?" She shakes her head. "Sorry, Ever, but that just doesn't make any sense.
Who or what could I possibly need to be protected from?"
I take a deep breath, assuring myself I'm doing the right thing, the only thing, despite what Damen may think. Hoping he'll forgive me as I say, "You need to be protected from Roman."
She shakes her head and crosses her arms, refusing to believe. "Roman? That's ridiculous. Roman would never hurt me."
I gape, hardly believing my ears, especially after everything I've just told her.
"Sorry, Ever, but Roman's my friend. And not like it's any of your business, but we're actually well on our way to becoming more than friends. And since it's no secret you've hated him from day one, it's really not all that surprising to hear you saying this now. Sad, but not surprising."
"I'm not making it up." I shrug, striving for a calm I can't even summon. Knowing that raising my voice, trying to force her to see things my way, will never work on someone as stubborn as her. "And yeah, maybe you're right, maybe I don't like him, but considering how he tried to kill you and all-well, call me crazy, but I think that's a good enough reason. I even have witnesses-I wasn't the only one there, you know!"
She squints, fingernails tapping against the door handle as she says, "Okay, so let me get this straight, Roman tries to poison me with some messed-up tea-" "Belladonna-also known as deadly nightshade-" "Whatever." She waves it away. "The point is, you claim he was trying to kill me, and yet instead of calling nine-one-one you just stroll on over to see for yourself? I mean, what's up with that? Obviously you didn't take it very seriously, so why should I?"
"I did try to call-but it was-complicated." I shake my head.
"It was a choice between-between something I really need-and you. And as you see, I chose you."
She looks at me, eyes wide, mind calculating, not saying a word.
"Roman promised to give me what I need if I just let you die.
But I couldn't do it-and so-" I gesture toward her. "Now you're immortal."
She shakes her head and gazes around, focusing on a group of neighborhood kids driving a jacked-up golf cart up and down the street. Keeping quiet for so long I'm just about to speak when she says, "Sorry you didn't get what you want, Ever, really I am. But you're wrong about Roman. There's no way he'd let me die. From what you said, he had the elixir standing by, ready to go in case you chose differently.
Besides, I think I know Roman just a little better than you, and the fact is, he knows how unhappy I've been, about the stuff going on with my family-" She shrugs. "He probably just wanted to make me immortal to spare me from that, but didn't want to sire me since there's a lot of responsibility that goes with it. I've no doubt that if you hadn't made me drink, he would've stepped in. Face it, Ever, you made the wrong choice. You should've just called his bluff."
"There's no sire," I mumble, inwardly rolling my eyes at myself. Out of that whole entire litany, that's what I choose to focus on? I shake my head and start over. "It's not like that-not even close-it's. ." Voice fading as she looks away, fully convinced of one thing-she's right and I'm wrong. And since I tried to warn her about all the dangers-about him-Damen can't possibly fault me for what I say next.
"Fine, believe what you want, just do me a favor. If you're going to insist on hanging with Roman, then all I ask is that you always wear your amulet. Seriously, don't ever take it off-not for anything-and-" She looks at me, brow raised, door half open, desperate to get out of this car and away from me.
"And if you're serious about repaying me for making you immortal-" Our eyes meet.
"Then Roman has something I really need you to get."
"How'd it go?"
Damen opens the door before I can knock. His gaze deep and intense as he follows me into the den where I drop onto his plush velour couch and kick off my flip-flops. Careful to avoid his eyes as he lands on the cushion beside me, usually all too eager to spend the rest of eternity just gazing at him-taking in the fine planes of his face-his high sculpted cheekbones, lush inviting lips, the slant of his brow, his dark wavy hair, and thick fringe of lashes-but not today.
Today I'd prefer to look just about anywhere else.
"So, you told her?" His fingers trail along the side of my cheek, the curve of my ear, his touch filling me with tingle and heat despite the ever-present energy veil that hovers between us. "Did the cupcake provide the distraction you hoped it would?" His lips nip at my lobe before working their way down my neck.
I lean back against the cushions, closing my eyes in a feigned bout of fatigue. But the truth is, I don't want him to see me, to observe me too closely. Don't want him to sense my thoughts, my essence, my energy-that strange, foreign pulse that's been stirring inside me for the last several days.
"Hardly." I sigh. "She pretty much ignored it-guess she's like us now-in more ways than one." Feeling the weight of his gaze as he studies me intensely.
"Care to elaborate?"
I scrunch down even lower and toss my leg over his, my breath slowing as I settle into the warmth of his energy. "She's just-so far advanced. I mean, she has the whole look, you know? That eerie, flawless, immortal look. She even heard my thoughts-until I blocked them." I frown and shake my head.
"Eerie? Is that how you see it-see us?" Clearly distressed by my words.
"Well-not really eerie." I pause, wondering why I phrased it like that. "More like-not normal. I mean, I doubt even supermodels look that perfect all the time. Not to mention, what are we gonna do if she grows four inches practically overnight like I did? How do we possibly explain that?"
"Same way we did with you," he says, eyes narrowed, cautious, more interested in the words I'm not saying than the ones that I am. "We'll call it a growth spurt. They're not that uncommon among mortals, you know." His voice lifts in a weak attempt at levity that doesn't quite work.
I avert my gaze, taking in the crowded bookshelves filled with leather-bound first editions, the abstract oil paintings, most of them priceless originals, knowing he's onto me. He knows something's up, but I'm hoping he can't sense just how far it goes. That I'm just saying the words, going through the motions, not really invested in any of this.
"And so-does she hate you like you feared?" he asks, voice steady, deep, the slightest bit probing.
I peer at him, this wonderful glorious creature who's loved me for the last four hundred years and continues to do so no matter how many blunders I make, no matter how many lives I mess up. Sighing as I close my eyes and manifest a single red tulip that I promptly hand over. Serving not just as the symbol of our undying love, but also the winning wager in the bet that we made.
"You were right-you win." I shake my head, remembering how she reacted just like he said. "She's thrilled beyond belief. Can't thank me enough. Feels just like a rock star. No-scratch that, better than a rock star. She feels like a vampire rock star. But you know, the new and improved kind-without all that nasty bloodsucking and coffin sleeping." I shake my head and smile in spite of myself.
"A member of the mythical undead?" Damen cringes, not liking the analogy one bit. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"Oh, I'm sure it's just a side effect of her recent goth phase.
The thrill will die down eventually. You know, once the reality sinks in."
"Is that how it is for you?" he asks, finger just under my chin, making me look at him again. "Is the thrill dying down-or perhaps even-gone?" His gaze deep, knowing, attuned to every shift of my mood. "Is that why you find it so hard to look at me now?"
"No!" I shake my head, fully aware that I've been caught and desperate to refute it. "I'm just-tired. I've been feeling a little-on edge lately, that's all." I nuzzle closer, burying my face in the hollow of his neck, right next to where the cord for his amulet rests. That edgy prickly feeling I've been carrying for days, tempering, melting, as I inhale his warm musky scent over and over again. "Why can't every moment be like this?" I murmur, knowing what I really mean is: Why can't I always be like this-feel like this?
Why is everything changing?
"It can." He shrugs. "There's really no reason why it can't."
I pull away and meet his gaze. "Oh, I can think of at least two very good reasons."
Nodding toward Romy and Rayne, the twin terrors we're now responsible for as they bound down the stairs. Identical in their straight dark hair with razor-slashed bangs, pale skin, and large dark eyes-but complete opposites in their dress.
Romy wearing a pink terry cloth sundress with matching flipflops, while Rayne's barefoot and dressed in all black, with Luna, their tiny black kitten, riding high on her shoulder. The two of them shooting Damen a happy, warm smile and glaring at me-business as usual, and pretty much the only thing that hasn't changed around here.
"They'll come around," he says, wanting to believe it and wishing I would too.
"No they won't." I sigh, fumbling for my flip-flops. "But then, it's not like they don't have their reasons." I slip on my shoes and look at him.
"Leaving so soon?"
I nod, avoiding his gaze. "Sabine's making dinner, Munoz is coming over-it's a whole bonding thing. She wants us to get to know each other better. You know, less student teacher, more future nonblood relations." I shrug, realizing the instant it's out that I should've invited him. It's incredibly rude not to include him. But Damen's presence will only mess with my other evening plans. The ones he may suspect but can't possibly witness. Especially after making his feelings on my foray into magick so abundantly clear. Tacking on an awkward, "So-you know. ." and leaving it to hang there, dangling between us, since I've no idea where to take it from there.
"And Roman?"