Karson gave me a faint smile. “You were looking for ways to escape.”
I stiffened. “Were you watching me?”
He nodded. “From the back room. I did not trust you not to hike your way up a tree and jump over the fence.”
No wonder I felt like I was being watched. The footsteps were his. The voice, and the feeling of being shoved, I couldn’t explain those, but a therapist could; delusional disorder. I dropped my gaze, focusing on the grass.
“I would break a leg,” I answered, resigned.
“I know, which is why I needed to keep an eye on you. You are safe here, Amelia. I will get you home soon, but in the meantime, please, make yourself at home. I do not have a television, butthere are books in the lounge room, and if you need anything else, ask, and I will arrange it for you. Do you have any more questions?” he asked with a gauging look.
I answered honestly, “Yes, a lot.”So many.“But not now, not here . . . at home, where I feel comfortable.”Home.If I even still had one, now I knew what Ethan was. Though I could never imagine him hurting me, could I honestly be sure? I didn’t know anything for certain, not anymore.
His brow flickered as if my words hurt him a little. The hurt dropped away as quick as it appeared. “I assume you hate me, what I am?”
He caught me off guard. His tone was blasé enough, as if he didn’t care. But if he didn’t care, why the need to ask? I searched his eyes. In the depths, beneath a sheath of bewitching hazel green, I could see a glimmer of sadness so faint I wasn’t entirely sure if it was a figment of my imagination. Without thought, as if my hand worked instinctually, I reached up to touch the side of his face. I caught myself in time and pulled it back.
“I don’t hate you,” I whispered.
He stared at me for a long moment. A passing of different emotions rolled across his face. Most of which I couldn’t read. But I caught a flicker of relief, maybe?
“Shall we head back to the house.” A statement, not a question, but I nodded anyway, feeling somewhat defeated.
We exited the thicket of trees back to the perfectly manicured lawn. By the right side of the house, I caught a glimpse of a pool, sparkling under the glint of sunlight like pale diamonds.
“I didn’t think vampires liked to swim?” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get your information about vampires from, Amelia?”
He had a point; movies, books—all fiction. I wanted to know so much about him, but there were so many answers I wasn’t quite ready to hear. So, I asked an easy, safe question. “Well,you can obviously go out in the sun without bursting into flames then?” I peered up at him from under my lashes.
“Safe to say we can.”
“You don’t turn into a bat or sleep in coffins, do you?”
He glanced down, his lips tilted in amusement. “I’m guessing you may have seen one too many vampire movies.”
“So pleased you find the few questions I’ve asked you amusing, Karson,” I growled.
The smile dissolved, now he was serious. “Ask whatever you desire to know, I will answer what I can for you.”
The questions tumbled through my head.Do you need to drink blood to survive? What else can you do? Can you die? How were you made? How many people have you killed? Was Lucy one of them?Unease gripped my chest. If he answered he might find cause to remove me to protect his secrets.
“What if I chopped off your thumb? Would it be painful for you and would it grow back?”
A slither of amusement filled his eyes. “Assuming you could actually get to my thumb and chop it off before I stopped you, yes, it would hurt, and yes, it would grow back.”
I was in awe. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have body parts to repair themselves instantly. I wondered how old he was.
“Must be handy.”
Karson reached over and pulled a bit of leaf out of my hair. The gentle touch of his fingers sent shivers through my body and small pin pricks soared up my arms. My heartbeat increased in nervous excitement.
He noticed. His eyes locked on the beat of the pulse of my throat. And there was a predatory hint to them.
I yanked my hair forward.“If you don’t mind,” I said brusquely.
“I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” he said, sounding apologetic. “It is a natural instinct, when I hear your heart rate increase I?—"
