“Okay.” I relaxed my shoulders and in my darkness, let him lead me into the light.
Chapter 12
Lucian Elysium
One Year Ago
AssoonasIpulled Anna out from under the shadow of the gray, frowning orphanage, I released a long breath.
The evening sun, golden and flirting with the horizon, lent a glorious amber glow to the trees shading the sidewalk.
“Where shall I take you, Anna?”
She shrugged. “I-I’m not sure.” Her face lifted and she inhaled, closing her eyes. “I smell popcorn.” A grin tugged her lips upward. “Isn’t the amusement park nearby? I’ve always dreamed of trying out the rides.” Her smile faltered as she turned to me, her right hand automatically moving her cane from side-to-side, out of habit. “If…if you think they’d let me on, considering my condition.” She faced ahead and nibbled her lip.
“If they deny you, I will smite them on the spot.” And I realized it was true. If anyone so much as frowned at her, I would hunt them down afterwards and make them pay.
She giggled, the gesture softening the line between her eyebrows.
For a moment, I stumbled. The way the sun touched her face showed my little Anna wasn’t so small anymore. My gaze drifted to her throat, now long and slender. She walked with an easy grace, her full hips swinging gently.
Horror and fascination warred within me.
She grew up.
Catching my clumsy movement before I made an utter fool of myself, I whipped my head to stare ahead. Anna Sill, now on the verge of turning eighteen years old, created conflicting emotions in my heart. On one hand, I wanted to wrap her in my protection and show her the world, and on the other hand, a darker, hungrier, more sinister side of me wanted to know her as more than a friend.
No. She isn’t an adult in the eyes of this world.I immediately shut down any thoughts of knowing her in any way other than a friend. I would not ruin this tentative, precious bond we’d developed over the years with my lusty, deviant thoughts.
“To the amusement park we shall go, then. Hang onto my arm and I’ll blink us to the entrance.”
“Wait.” She stopped, squeezing my hand. “Can we walk? I don’t get a chance to enjoy outside very often, if that’s okay.”
I pulled her closer, searching her face. With full lips and rosy cheeks, she was the picture of vibrant health. “That’s fine with me.”
Her straight white teeth shone through a smile, and she strolled ahead, pulling me in her wake as she expertly navigated the walkway with her walking stick and senses.
A light breeze blew through the leaves, which were on the verge of changing due to the autumn season.
“Lucian, don’t you have more important things to do than babysit a stupid blind girl?”
I stopped, moving my hand to her shoulder so she’d also halt. “I never want to hear you degrade yourself like that again, do you understand?”
“It’s the truth.” We stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn red.
“The only truth in that statement is of your blindness. You are by no means stupid—you never have been.”
“Maybe so. At least I only have a few more months before I can finally get out of there and go to college. I officially turn legal tomorrow. I feel like I’ve been waiting for the moment my entire life.”
The crossing signal came on, and I cupped her elbow. “It’s safe to walk.”
She linked her arm with my elbow, and we headed across the intersection, only two blocks from the amusement park.
“So, your birthday is the first of October?” I’d known it was sometime around this time of the year, but I’d never tried to find out the exact day. Shame wedged its way into my thoughts that I’d never once went out of my way to discover when she’d been born.
“Well, I’m not really sure of theexactdate, but October 1 is the day my parents dumped me, so the Sisters decided it was as good a day as any.” There was no pity or sadness in her voice.
“Well, I suppose the actual date isn’t that important anyhow.”
