The walls silently shattered.
“It’s genetic,” I choked out, my voice barely audible. I stayed near the dresser.
I wanted to touch her so badly, but I never wanted to frighten her.
“When my father was young, there were warriors who fought bare-skinned.”
She frowned.
“Naked,” I clarified, as if she didn’t already know what I meant.
I was fumbling it.
“Okay,” she murmured slowly.
“They were called berserkers,” I blurted.
Rosemary’s mouth went slack with surprise.
“Most were Vampires,” I continued. “Some weren’t. They were terrifying on the battlefield. In a time when chain mail and armor were the norm, someone fighting bare was a bit of a mindfuck to their enemies.”
“No shit,” she breathed.
“Like I said, some were Vampires, some weren’t. But they all had one thing in common—they fell into a sort of trance whenthey fought. Nothing mattered but the battle. Hyperfocus. They didn’t get tired. They didn’t flag. Not ever. Not even when they were wounded.”
I leaned against the dresser and smoothed a hand over my beard, clearing my throat.
“Your dad was aberserker?” she sputtered. Her eyes lost a little focus. “I mean, Erik the Butcher is a pretty bloodthirsty name. So I figured that he probably did some shit, you know? I’ve seen him fight, and the guy canmove, but?—”
“The ability is genetic,” I said, cutting her off before she said something offhand that tore my heart out.
Her eyes met mine, and it took a moment before realization set in.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Oh, that’s what—can your brothers do it, too?”
“No,” I replied flatly. I’d been the only one with that particular trait.
“So it’s just you then.”
“Yes.”
She sat there silently for what felt like forever, her eyes pointed toward the floor between us.
“So the red eyes?—”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Does it happen often?” she asked, raising her head.
“No. No, it hasn’t happened since I was a child, not until last night.”
“But I’ve seen your eyes. They flicker.”
“I’ve always been able to control it,” I explained uncomfortably. “It doesn’t go further than that.”
“Then why couldn’t you last night?” she asked quietly.
I huffed in disbelief.
