“I know,” he said with a sprinkle of pride.
“Are you really on my side?”
“No.” He nodded yes.
I gave him a look.
“Sorry. Sorry. I mean yes,” he said.
Sure…“How can I believe anything you’re saying when I know for a fact that you love power. This bill sounds right up your alley.”
“I am a vampire. Obviously, I enjoy power. But I love you more, Masie Kicklighter, and living in a world riddled with ruthless, hungry vampires is not what you want. Therefore, it is not what I want.”
“But itwouldbenefit you.” He had to admit that much.
He got up and looked out the window, his eyes intensely scanning the trees outside.
Was someone coming? Or was he ensuring his goons were inplace, just in case I ran?
He closed my curtains and stared across the room at me for a long moment, no doubt preparing to lie again.
“I never wanted to live side by side with humans,” he said calmly. “I liked things as they were. Us in our world, you in yours. We, the night, and you, the day. It was exactly as I told my Anna all those years ago when she became queen, hell-bent on creating a world where we vampires would live openly with humans. I argued, rightly, that my way gave you a safer world, while we took what we needed to feed, rarely killing. We were content, living in the quiet spaces of your lives where no one bothered us. Simply put, we are not compatible, and this mess is proof.”
Wow, was he right. Vampires coming out of their caves, mansions, or whatever hidey-holes they lived in to join the world had been the stupidest idea ever. And the way I saw it, we humans had no one to blame but ourselves. We’d allowed them in, applying our illogical, modern-day ideal to treat everyone as equals.
So dumb.
I mean, was a serial killer equal to a nun who dedicated her life to prayer and feeding the poor? Or a rapist equal to a working mom who feared for her safety when she took the train home after dark?
Not all people were equal. Some created fear and forced others to live in it, while others risked everything for our safety. Some took from theworld, while others gave. We all knew this, yet we’d ignored the truth about who vampires were. We’d blindly let them in, and I was just as much to blame as anyone.
Stark is super-hot and says he loves me, so he must be good, right?What a dumbass I’d been. I mean, I’d seen their true evil colors firsthand when Lazlo took me, yet I’d refused to acknowledge the truth once I grew feelings for Stark.
Vampires were not human anymore.
They were predators.
And the only thing keeping them at bay for centuries had been our instincts to fend off danger. But now our need for survival had been replaced with blind kindness. Not regular kindness—that went hand in hand with compassion and respect for others—but ignorant kindness.You like sucking blood from human bodies until they stop breathing? Welcome! Come on in. Yes, yes. We totally believe you when you say you mean us no harm.
And in the absence of the vampires’ age-old fear of being discovered by a mob of torch-wielding humans, they finally felt free. Free to pursue absolute power like any tyrant would, from any time, country, or culture.
All this begged one question: “If you really loved a life in the shadows, why out your people?” It had been Stark who went public over a year ago and showed the world that vampires were real. One hellof a press conference.
“I had no choice. You were in prison for murdering me, and I clearly was not dead.”
“You could’ve just broken me out.” Or bribed someone to get me released or…something.
He shrugged. “And have you live as a fugitive? Or with a criminal record? I hardly think it would’ve been the proper gesture to win you back.”
Maybe he had a point. I’d had to share a cell with a woman named Chainsaw who’d diced up her husband. Stark had owed me big time.
“Well,” I said, “I’m sorry, because it was all for nothing since you’re never getting me back.” He’d broken my trust one too many times, and, frankly, he frightened me—the way he could look me in the eyes, say he loved me, and then dish up a heaping helping of bullcrap if he felt it was justified. “You will always see me as weak and inferior—yours to protect and control no matter the cost—when what you should do is trust me completely and let the chips fall.” I shook my head with disgust. “At least that way, we could’ve watched the chips together.”But nooo…
“Masie, that is not how vampires do things.”
Don’t I know it.While we humans walked around feeling pious for our accepting ways, they saw it as stupidity and further proof of their supremacy. Soon, humankind would be handing them the keys to end us, and it probably made them giddy with delight.Foolish humans! They deserve to become our snacks.
I cleared my throat. “It’s like you said; our worlds aren’t compatible. Just took me a while to figure out how much I agree.” I pointed to the window. “Time to go. Sun’s coming up, and us humans have work to do.”
