He smiled. “My student may be a slow learner, but there might be hope yet.”
“Ouch, are you calling me stupid?”
“No, not stupid, just …” He waved out a hand, grappling for a word. “Misguided.” He stepped back, grabbed my hand and swung me around. My foot shot to the side, and he pulled me into him before I lost balance.
“I’m letting you take the lead, so if I’m misguided that’s on you.”
“If I didn’t direct your every move, the way you dance, I’m pretty sure you’d fall over, or take out my toes.”
I laughed. “Harsh. I haven’t had years of experience like you.”
“You don’t need years of experience. You just need balance and coordination.”
I had both of those things, when it came to fighting anyway. The dancefloor was a level of challenge I couldn’t grasp. He twirled me again, chuckling when my heel snagged on the floor and I wobbled. His hands shot out to catch me and he drew me against his body once more.
“It’s the floor, it’s uneven,” I protested.
“It’s not the floor.” He nestled his face back to my hair, his breath warming my ear. “I will teach you to dance one day.”
Chapter 59
Karson
Out of the corner of his eye, Karson watched them dance. Watched his hands on her back, watched the way he smiled at her. If it had been anyone other than Ethan, Karson would tear his hands off at the wrist. Ethan protected her like she was his and Karson appreciated him for it. They were good friends. But that didn’t stop a physical response from occurring as he watched them—his heart sinking, twisting, then rising again, a maddening churning in his chest. He wanted that, to be able to hold her in public, to whisper in her ear, to teach her to dance.
These tendrils of thoughts rose from the dark and rushed through him with lightning speed. It was a dangerous notion to love her openly. To allow himself to be loved openly. If the world knew of his love for her, she’d be in more danger than she was already. And he hated himself for it. The weight of Amelia’s immortality crushed the life from his lungs. While ever she wore his necklace with the protection symbol engraved around the stone, the vampires wouldn’t touch her. She didn’t know it had hidden meaning. Her eyes had sparkled so brightly when he’d given it to her, he didn’t want to tell her why he’d had it made, didn’t want to see the light dim in those emerald eyes. Besides, itwas the least of the secrets he kept from her. And it would keep her safe. Scarring her neck would keep her safer.
But there would be witches with grudges against him who didn’t adhere to the same rules and values vampires did.
Turning her would make her safer still.
“Karson?” Jacque said, and Karson realized he’d been speaking to him.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“I know you have history, but it is good to see witches and vampires willing to keep the peace.” They both scanned the room. There were barely any witches here, only the young, or those who didn’t have much magic or the knowledge of the long war between them. Most patrons were human and there was a good number of vampires. “The humans have been restless and I’m worried there might be trouble. There were a dozen men slaughtered these last few days. They think it’s the work of vampires,” he said gravely, shaking his head.
“It was,” Karson replied casually.
Jacque’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“Because it was me.”
Jacque stilled. “Why for the love of Paris would you do that? If the humans take revenge …”
His friend looked so distraught Karson smiled. “You really should start using technology, Jacque. The humans are cheering that the child abusers and pedophiles are dead.”
Jacque dabbed at sweat that wasn’t on his forehead with a white hanky. A habit from his human days he’d never let go of. “The police most definitely are not pleased, if the visit I had today was any indication.”
Karson patted his shoulder. “Publicly, they may not be. They must be seen doing the right thing. Privately is another matter. Besides, humans are not stupid. If they start a war on vampires, they will lose.”
Jacque tucked the hanky in his pocket. “Unless they team up with the witches?”
“You worry too much. Neither witch nor human can defeat us. We keep the peace to keep them safe, it is not the other way around.”
“And if vampire turns on vampire?” he said, a clip to his tone.
Like Gerald, as the owner of a night establishment, Jacque would be aware of the happenings in the town. He’d probably heard of the vampires Karson had slain and didn’t believe witches did it. Probably even knew he hunted for Sarah.
