Willis pondered the question seriously. “Past behaviors and thought patterns become ingrained. But some catalyst could theoretically spur an abrupt realignment.” He eyed Cain curiously. “Why do you ask?”
Cain resumed his restless pacing. How to explain feelings he scarcely understood himself?
“Since claiming Alice, I’ve considered … re-evaluating certain priorities. Adjusting long-held assumptions.”
At Willis’s baffled look, Cain suppressed a growl of frustration. He was talking himself in circles. Time for blunt honesty.
“I find myself dissatisfied with who I have become.” Cain was shocked he hadn’t choked on the words. “I want things I believed myself no longer capable of wanting. But old habits die hard.”
Understanding brightened the scientist’s eyes. “This is about Alice.” A stupid, huge grin formed on Willis’s boyish face. “She’s definitely a woman worth changing for.”
Cain’s hands fisted at his sides, even as her name seemed to knock the breath from his lungs.
“She makes me question everything,” he grated out. “Makes me wish to be better for her.” As if such a thing was possible for a vampire—better, good, selfless. None of those words had ever been used to describe one of his kind, and he doubted it would start with him.
Willis nodded slowly, taking a seat. “Love can have that effect on a person. Makes you re-examine your life.”
“Love?” Cain spun on him. “What would a vampire know of love?” His gut twisted with something akin to disgust. Not because he loved Alice, but because he didn’t know if he was capable of such an emotion. Did he want her? Yes. Was the idea of her with another male enraging to him? Absolutely. But did that mean he loved her? Was he selfless in his desire? Of course not. Love was definitelynotwhat he felt. Possession. That was a far better word. Cain wanted to possess Alice.
“Maybe more than you realize,” Willis said carefully. “If she’s inspiring these changes in you.”
Could it be so simple? Cain resumed pacing, emotions warring within him. He wanted to deny it, reject this weakness. But the truth refused to be silenced.
Coming to an abrupt stop, he met Willis’s patient gaze. “I don’t know how to reconcile what I feel for her with who I am, what I want. She deserves more than a soulless monster.”
Willis’s expression turned sympathetic, which thoroughly annoyed him. “From what I’ve observed, your soul is still very much intact. Buried perhaps, but not destroyed. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved her after Claude’s attack.”
“I saved her because she’s the key to the hybrids.” A half-truth instead of a complete lie.
Leaning forward intently, Willis continued. “You stand at a crossroads, as you said. Will you continue down the path of destructive selfishness or open yourself to a new way forward?”
Cain stared at the man as those simple words struck like arrows. A new path. Could it be possible? Could he changefor her?
Turning back to the window, Cain watched dusk settle over the desert. For so long his course had seemed immutable, his destiny set. But perhaps fate had something different in mind for him now.
A light knock interrupted his reverie. Speak of the devil. Alice hovered hesitantly at his door.
“Do you have a moment?”
Cain moved swiftly to usher her inside. “Of course. Come in.”
If Willis was surprised by her appearance, he didn’t show it. Gathering his notes, he offered Alice a polite nod, considering Cain had threatened to pull out his eyeballs if he looked for a second too long. Then he slipped discreetly out and closed the door behind him.
They stood in awkward silence until Cain prompted gently, “What do you need?”
Alice bit her lip, worrying the tender flesh. Cain suppressed the urge to run his thumb over it, to take her in his arms. But since she’d awoken, she’d not let him touch her.Patience.
Finally, she met his eyes. “I want to know your intentions. For all this.” She gestured around vaguely. “For me.”
Cain weighed his words. “My intention is for us to find a way forward. Together.”
Her brows drew down. “As prisoner and captor?”
“No,” he said fiercely. Taking her hands, he compelled her to believe. “As equals. Partners.”
Wonder sparked in her eyes, but she still looked hesitant. “That’s quite a change of heart. How do I know it’s real?”
Stepping closer, Cain lifted a hand to cradle her cheek. “You make me want to be better. I cannot promise I will succeed, but I want to try for you.”
