“It’s my job.”
“Ah, you’re with the SOE,” he said. “You sound British.”
She’d been a special operations executive for four years. In other words, a spy for Britain. “We meant to blow up the bridge to sabotage the German railway line so they couldn’t receive additional supplies.”
“That’s what I figured.”
She knew for a fact that she didn’t look like a spy. A shiver of awareness filtered through her. He was handsome, much like a wild panther. Or a lion. She had to think of him as the enemy. “Are you with the Germans?”
“Not in the slightest. I found your skis about a mile down that way.” He pointed.
She blinked at the change in subject. “Yes. After this, we planned to ski to Poland. They need help there with the war effort.”
“From here in Hungary to Poland? That’s quite the jaunt.”
“Who are you?” she asked again. If he wanted her dead, he could have killed her while she lay unconscious.
“I’m called Jasper Maxwell.” He studied her and waited.
She’d never heard of him. “What a lovely name. I’m Leah Ferry. Why am I not dead?”
“I gave you some of my blood.”
She winced. “You what?” That made no sense. While she’d heard the Nazis conducted experiments that nobody understood, healing blood seemed too good to be true. Impossible, really.
“I’m a vampire, Leah, with a hint of demon thrown in.” He looked deadly serious.
“Ah,” she said. “Of course you are.” She had to get away from this man. While he had saved her life, he apparently had serious mental problems. She needed to get on those skis. “Peter and John…” she started.
Jasper shook his head. “They blew up with the bridge. There was no way to save either of them.”
It hurt. They’d been good friends and even better spies. Pain filled her chest. Yet another agonizing loss to add to her list. Soon, she’d have no one left. “I understand.”
His gaze narrowed. “You accept reality quickly, don’t you?”
“One has to as a spy.”
“Have you always been a spy?”
She tried not to cough because her chest felt tight. “I spent four years as a housewife wearing dresses and pearls while vacuuming.” She often missed the person she had once been. Even if the world centered itself, she’d never be that carefree girl again.
“Four whole years?” he asked. “Are you still married?”
The pain of the first of her many losses still echoed inside her. “My husband died two years ago, almost right after we joined the war effort.” She missed him; they’d been great pals. Never again would she allow herself to get that close to another person.
“So now you’re a spy by yourself?”
She looked toward where the bridge had been. “I had friends, but now I’m on my own.”
“I could get you to safety.”
“I don’t want safety.” For some reason, she’d been given a second chance, and she was going to fetch those skis and find her way into Poland to aid the resistance. “Do you want to help us?”She didn’t know him, and he seemed unhinged, but he had saved her life, and they needed all the help they could get.
A veil drew down over his eyes. “Sorry, I’m on my own path right now. There are wars you don’t know about.”
“I can only handle one,” she said. “A vampire war, huh?” She tried not to sound terrified.
In answer, fangs dropped in his mouth. His eyes swirled an unreal silver through the blue and green and then returned to normal.
