She looks small and vulnerable now, and that reminds me that a couple of minutes ago, she was falling apart in my arms. Truth be told, I don’t really care that she’s Tatiana’s daughter. I already knew who her father was. I just don’t want to see her like that. She might not have had a boyfriend, but I know she was hurt by a guy.
“Permission to approach?”
She nods.
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since I met you. That was even before I knew you were a vampire like me.My instincts have always been to protect you. I followed you when I saw that asshole had spiked your drink. And after I knew who you were, my first instinct was to warn you that the Red Guard was coming for you. All of that tells me I need to get my head checked.”
“Because liking me is wrong?”
I cup her face. “Here’s the thing. I don’t think it’s wrong. I think we were meant to find each other. Maybe together we can end this damn war without more violence.”
“Isn’t that a little naive? How can we end a war that’s been fought for centuries?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. You’re a princess kept hidden, and I’m a vampire who shouldn’t exist. That’s gotta mean something.”
She angles her head to one side. “I didn’t realize you were such a romantic, Vaughn.”
My throat goes dry. I shift my weight, trying to focus on what she’s saying rather than how I want to kiss her again. “What? You didn’t glimpse that from my memories?”
Sophie blinks fast, her face draining of color, then she takes a step back.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“You drank my blood. You must have seen snippets of my memories too.”
“I… I’m not sure I did. At least nothing is coming to mind right this second.”
Her shoulders sag forward as she lets out a shaky exhale. “Oh, maybe because you were on the verge of going into hibernation.”
“I wouldn’t know. That was a first for me. Was there a memory you were afraid I had seen?”
She clasps her hands together, wriggling her fingers. “Yes. There are some things I’d rather not share with anyone.”
I bet it has to do with whatever triggered her to push me away. Something awful must have happened to her. I don’t want to pry, but I sure wish there was something I could do to help.
“Understandable. I’m glad you didn’t see a lot of my memories. I’ve had some pretty embarrassing moments in my life.” I grin to hide that I’d be truly mortified if she saw everything.
She stares at my mouth, and I wonder if she wants to kiss me again. I sure want to kiss her, but I don’t know if I should.
“So… what should we do now?” I ask.
Her gaze drops to my stomach, and to my surprise, she lifts my shirt. “Your cut is already healed. Feeding from me worked.”
“Yeah. Thank you for offering me your vein, and for kicking that biker’s ass. I didn’t realize you were such a powerful witch.”
She stares at her hands. “Truth be told, I don’t know where that power came from. I was never able to conjure up balls of energy like that, and after casting a few spells, I’m usually spent.”
“Maybe adrenaline gave you a boost.”
She looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Or maybe it was your blood. I still don’t know how Lucca was able to turn you into a vampire. What’s so special about him?”
She doesn’t know that Vivi is a Nightingale. Lucca had just fed from her, so the theory is that because he was full of Nightingale magic, he had the strength to change me. But I can’t tell Sophie about Vivi.
“I don’t know.”
Her lips become nothing but a thin, flat line, and her gaze hardens. Shit. I bet she can sniff the lie.
“Actually, I do know, but I can’t tell you,” I amend.
