“A correct one.”
“Is it?” he counters, glancing at me again before refocusing on the road. “What else do you know, little researcher?”
“I know you’re avoiding my questions,” I inform him flatly.
“Indeed,” he admits. “Because they’re not mine to answer.”
“Meaning he knows we’re coming.” Not a question, but a statement.
“Meaning I should stop talking,” he replies. “Just do me a favor, Ms. Dalca, and remain seated. I don’t want to have to chase you.”
I don’t understand his statement until we come to a crossroads that requires him to stop.
Rather than even consider the door, I fold my arms and stare him down. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“I believe you.” The car resumes speed before he adds, “Which has me questioning your mental state. Humans don’t believe in supernatural occurrences. Your kind is always rewriting what you see. So why are you different?”
“My kind?” I focus on that part of his statement instead of the rest of it. “If you’re not human, then what are you?”
He merely shrugs. “Maybe I’m a vampire, too.”
“Are you?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat in my chest.
“No,” he replies. “Not a vampire.”
And my heart sinks. “Oh.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“Because I am,” I admit, twisting forward again to stare out the window before us.
“You’re that eager to meet your doom?” he muses. I can feel his eyes on me, but I don’t bother looking at him again. Instead, I focus on the trees framing the street—a street that appears to be narrowing ahead. “You realize humans are food for vampires. Yes?”
I don’t reply.
Because yes, of course I realize that.
I just don’t care.
I can’t explain this obsession or why it seems to matter more than my own life, but it does.
If Count Negru wants to eat me… I don’t think I’ll be able to stop him. Heck, I might evenencouragehim.
“I never claimed to be sane,” I mutter, the words ones I’ve said to Gaby countless times.
“That’s fine,” Marius replies, drawing my attention back to him. “Sanity is boring.” His gaze meets mine briefly through his sunglasses before returning to the road. “At least I know why you’re so calm. If you were of sound mind, you would be screaming right now.”
There’s not a whole lot for me to say to that, so I remain quiet.
“I’m thankful, though,” he adds. “That you’re being quiet, I mean. Not because you’re saving my eardrums, but because screaming is an aphrodisiac. And you, my darling little researcher, are expressly off-limits.”
His nose scrunches with the words, then his expression smooths out once more.
“Anyway, you requested a real answer to a legitimate question, so I’ll oblige you with one. Yes, he knows we’re coming.” The car slows to a crawl as he approaches a gate.
The iron bars swing forward before we can come to a full stop, the grounds seeming to automatically open for us to enter.
“In fact, he’s expecting you for dinner,” Marius goes on. “I’m under strict instructions to take you on a brief tour before introducing you to your new quarters.”
