“Then what exactly?” Damon demanded. “Why was she able to curse you and what exactly is this curse? Does it prevent you from hunting and killing demons? Because if so, I’ll have Zoe reverse the curse immediately.”
“No, the curse doesn’t affect those abilities.”
“Then why didn’t you come when I was dealing with the demon outbreak here in Vamptown earlier this year?” Damon demanded.
“Because it was Silas. I’d already helped you with that uber-demon before. I was not allowed to help you with him again. Besides, I knew you could defeat him.”
“So there is a limit on how many times you can assist me in defeating demons?” Damon asked.
“Not a limit per se. Silas was a special case because I helped you escape his fiendish torture when he wrongfully imprisoned you in hell.”
“What about since then?”
“Things have been relatively quiet in Vamptown since then, have they not? Demon-wise, I mean. Isn’t that correct?” Simon asked.
“Yes.”
“And I’ve been dealing with demons overseas,” Simon said.
“Let’s get back to this curse Pru supposedly placed on you.”
“There’s no ‘supposed’ about it. She definitely cursed me.”
“You said she’s not a normal witch. What makes her different?”
“Aside from the fact that she has the most gorgeous face and long blond hair and eyes like emeralds?” Simon drawled sarcastically.
Damon grimaced. “Like emeralds? Really? Yeah, aside from all those cliches.”
“It’s rather a long story.”
“I’ve got time,” Damon said.
“Don’t you have to return to Zoe?” Simon asked.
“She kicked me out.”
“Not permanently, surely.”
“No, she and her grandmother along with Pru are doing some sort of Winter Solstice dinner and celebration tonight.”
“And they didn’t invite you? How rude of them,” Simon said.
“I don’t eat. I consume blood, remember?”
“Of course. And I hear the blood here is of a particularly high quality.”
“Is that why you came to Vamptown? As part of a blood-tasting tour?”
“No. I came to see you.” Not entirely true, but Simon wasn’t ready to put all his cards on the table yet. “So all is well with you and Zoe? You kiss and ta-da, you get to live happily ever after like in a fairy tale?”
“Vampires don’t usually show up in fairy tales. I don’t know of any that feature a vampire living happily ever after,” Damon said. “But Zoe and I are good. Very good.”
“What about work? Are you enjoying being the Head of Security here in Vamptown?”
“I am.”
“Not bored?”
“Not yet.”
“And when you are?” Simon asked.
“I’ll deal with it then.”
Simon looked around. He much preferred asking questions to answering them. “So you work out of your loft here?”
“No. The security headquarters is located in the Vamp Cave.”
“Really? That’s the best name you could come up with?” Simon mocked.
“I didn’t name it.”
“Who did?” Simon asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Clearly it needs a new name. Who should I speak to about that?”
“No one. You’re avoiding my question about Pru and that curse,” Damon said impatiently.
Simon sighed. This entire matter was becoming more complicated by the minute. Perhaps he’d made a mistake in coming to see Damon. Yet he couldn’t ignore the tip he’d been given. Not that he planned on revealing everything until he had more information. Until then, he’d only share what he had to and keep the rest to himself.
“I don’t recall how much I told you about my past,” Simon said.
“Not much.”
“As I am your sire, the one who turned you into a vampire on that battlefield in Gettysburg, we share a special bond.”
Damon nodded. “Go on.”
“I, too, was a warrior once.”
“You’re still a warrior,” Damon said.
“I meant that I was a
“I read
“Yes, well … I was a vampire in King Arthur’s court.”
Damon blinked. “But that was--”
“A very long time ago,” Simon interrupted him. “I am aware.”
“No, I was going to say that’s
“The book was, yes. Not King Arthur or Camelot. I assure you it was not fiction.”
“Did you know Merlin?”
“He turned me,” Simon said curtly. He had no intention of going into the details of that story.
“No shit? Merlin was a vampire? I thought he was a wizard or something. Actually, I didn’t even think he was real.”
“Oh, he was real all right.”
“Is he still around?” Damon asked.
“I’m not at liberty to say. Getting back to Pru’s part in all this--”
“Wait,” Damon interrupted him. “She was alive back then? Or undead back then?”
“No. She was neither alive nor undead back then. But she comes from Morgan Le Fay’s bloodline.”
“No shit?” Damon said again. “What are the odds?”
“They are damn high when you go looking for her descendants,” Simon said.
“Morgan’s descendants? Why the hell would you do that?”
“For old time’s sake.”
“You had sex with Morgan and you wanted to have sex with--”
“I did not have sex with Morgan.”
“So you had sex with Pru instead?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Simon said curtly. He got up and started pacing before flinging himself back onto the couch. “I’m not a volatile vampire. I’m rock steady. Nothing throws me.” He’d seen it all and beat it all. He’d killed and destroyed without hesitation.
Despite all that, he didn’t know how to explain the fiery chemistry between Pru and him. He certainly hadn’t anticipated how strong their connection would be or how incredible the sex was.
Yes, he’d gone looking for her. Yes, he’d wanted to seduce her. And yes, once he had her in his bed the results had been unbelievably good. At least the sex had been. Off-the-charts good. Bloody spectacular. So damn spectacular that he’d been shaken to his core. He couldn’t risk getting attached to her. He couldn’t lose his focus, which had to remain on hunting and destroying demons.
He’d hoped that mating with her would change him for the better. Make him a better hunter. It hadn’t,
