Page 112
“I know. It’s just . . .”
She didn’t finish. There was no need. Lawrence knew the stakes as well as anyone. Kenton didn’t want to turn her unless he was absolutely certain it was safe.
“Hundreds of Cheld around the world live in hiding. If I have to hunt down every single one myself, I’ll do it.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s practical.”
As Lawrence had explained to her and Kenton, his family actually maintained very little contact with the Cheld they helped. To do otherwise would attract undue attention.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find something. This can’t be the first time it’s happened.”
Itbeing a vampire and a Cheld falling in love and wanting to spend eternity together.
“If you don’t—”
“He will never do it.”
Alessandra loved Lawrence like a brother, but on this, they would never agree.
“He will. I can be mighty persuasive.”
“Hmm. I don’t doubt it. But you know as well as I, your fiancé is also quite stubborn.”
That she knew firsthand. But this was nonnegotiable. There was no reason to believe she couldn’t be turned like any other human.
“Looks like rain,” she said, not-so-subtly changing the topic.
“Turn around?”
They did so in silent agreement. The train came whistling past them as they headed back. Alessandra watched as car after car whizzed by, and when the caboose finally appeared, she couldn’t help but smile.
Every damn time she saw it.
“Do I want to know?”
Alessandra laughed. “No, definitely TMI.”
He darted a quizzical glance at the train, but it would have to remain a mystery for him. Silently remembering that night, the first night she’d seen a vampire bite a human, she blurted out, “How do you feed?”
And why had she never thought to ask before? With her permission, no, more than that, her vigorous encouragement, Kenton fed only on her.
“A man has to keep some secrets,” he said. “Not all of us have our own personal Cheld blood bank.”
“Have you ever changed anyone?” she asked, realizing the question was a personal one but finding it hard to care. Lawrence would either answer or not, as he chose. “Not a Cheld, but, you know . . .”
She knew the answer already, the look on his face making her regret asking the question.
“Never mind. Come on, let’s race before we get wet.”
“Alessandra—”
“No one is around. The train’s already gone by. Who would venture out here with the sky looking like that?”
Without waiting for his approval, Alessandra took off toward the entrance of the running path as fast as possible. Allowing the invisible force within her to completely take over, she let herself think, if only for a moment, that she might actually win. When Lawrence sped by her, Alessandra only became more determined. He was older, and much, much faster, but someday . . .
In the meantime, she’d have to endure Lawrence’s taunting fist waving through the air. Not a very gracious winner for someone who claimed to live by an ancient code of chivalric honor.
Someday . . .
