Intertwined

go.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. As long as she didn’t see him as a nothing, he would try not to, as well. “I’ll stay.”

Slowly she grinned, and it lit her entire face. “Good. Now. What were you saying about me? About the way I make you feel?”

“Just that I feel normal when I’m with you.” And I think you’re the best thing to have ever happened to me. He cleared his throat. “So what else happened when your dad became a vampire?” he asked, pretending they had never veered off course. Pretending, for them both, that they really were normal. Despite the topic of conversation.

She must have realized what he was doing, because her smile brightened. “He ceased aging, his body strengthened exponentially. His skin lost all remnants of color, becoming an impenetrable shield.”

Aden recalled the way she’d laughed when he’d mentioned cutting her with his daggers. I can’t be cut, she’d said. “Your skin can’t be broken?”

She shook her head. “Not with a sharp object, no.”

That would be both a blessing and a curse. A knife couldn’t hurt her, but no doctor could operate on her if needed. Was it ever needed? “Do you ever get sick?”

“Once,” she hedged, then sighed and released his hand to pluck at the fingers. Some contact was better than none. “Aden.”

Clearly, the newest question made her uncomfortable. “If your father ceased aging, does that mean you’re almost as old as he is?” he asked, and she relaxed. “No, wait. You can’t be. You told me older vampires can’t tolerate the sun and you can tolerate it.”

“Yes, I’m younger than he is. I’m only eighty-one years old.” She tangled a hand through his hair, clearly liked the feel, and did it again. “But don’t think I have looked as I do now all that time. My siblings and I age slowly, very slowly. Our mothers despaired of ever getting us out of the terrible toddler stage.”

He remembered the few toddlers he’d encountered at various foster homes. The tantrums, the “all mine” mentality, and the way they drew on everything, even his walls. “Where’s your mom now?”

“In Romania. She was not allowed to travel with us.”

He wanted to ask why, but didn’t want to have to answer anything about his own parents. So instead he said, “Eighty-one. Wow. You’re like my grandma. If I had one.”

“What a terrible thing to say,” she said, but was smiling again.

“In all your eighty-one years, you must have had a lot of boyfriends, huh?”

For some reason, that wiped away her amusement. She looked away guiltily. “Only one.”

Just one? And why the guilt? “Why so few?”

“He’s the only boy my father has ever approved of.”

Which meant her father’s approval mattered to her. Sadly, approval was not something Aden was likely to get. So how long did he have before Victoria gave up on him? How long before she left him, never to return? How long until she started dating someone her father did like?

As the questions hammered through him, a sense of urgency overwhelmed him. He had to show her how good it could be between them. Had to bring a vision to life—before it was too late.

“I told you I see the future, yes?”

She nodded reluctantly, probably confused by his sudden subject change.

A tide of nervousness swept through him. Just say it, tell her. “I’ve seen us together.” Good. Now for the rest. “I knew you’d come to me before you arrived.”

She stilled, frowned. “Wh-what did we do? When we were together?”

He didn’t mention that he’d seen her drink from his neck. He didn’t want to scare her away. She was skittish enough about being with him. “We…kissed.”

“You and me, kis…sing.” The last was uttered on a wispy catch of breath. “I want to, oh, God, do I want to. But I can’t. I’ll end up feeding from you, and I refuse to let you see me that way.”

Was that the only thing holding her back? “You’ve already tasted my blood, and you were able to walk away.”

“I almost didn’t,” she admitted.

“So what if you can’t this time? I can take it.”

“You can, perhaps, but I can’t stand knowing that you will have seen me behaving like such an animal.”

Victoria? An animal? “I would never think that of you.”

Her arms circled his neck, her elbows resting on his shoulders. Sharp white fangs peeked over her bottom lip. “Aden,” she said, then sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to kiss me.”

Still she resisted—but the determination she’d exhibited earlier was fading. “I could scare you. I could horrify and disgust you.” Before he could reply, she pushed away from him. She spun around, refusing even to face him. “We should go.”

Waves lapped at his chin, and he fought his disappointment. Soon, he told himself, they would kiss. She would bite him, and he would prove to her that such an act didn’t disgust him.

“You can’t leave yet. It’s my turn to ask you to stay and your turn to relent.” He didn’t want them to part unhappily. When she thought back over this night, he wanted her craving another like it. “Besides, I have one more question for you and you owe me an answer.” Truth or not, he didn’t care.

She didn’t look back, but she did nod stiffly. “Ask.”

Slowly he inched toward her. “What do you think of…this.” He scooped a handful of water and chucked it at her, drenching her hair.

She was sputtering as she whirled around. Droplets fell into her eyes, catching in her eyelashes. “Why did you—”

Laughing, he tossed another handful. This one hit her dead center in the face.

“Why, you little…human!”

Before he could blink, she had him dunked under the water. When he surfaced, she was laughing, and the sound warmed him body and soul. Like children, happy, carefree children, they played until the sun began to rise. Splashing each other, dunking each other. She won, of course, because she was infinitely stronger than he was, but he’d never had so much fun.

Aden, honey, Eve said, speaking up for the first time in hours. Her voice actually surprised him. The souls had behaved and he hadn’t even realized it until now. You have to go back. We’ll be lucky if Dan is still sleeping and doesn’t catch you climbing through your window.

She was right.

But day’um, I wish I could feel what you feel, Caleb said. I didn’t even mind the forced silence. You were pressed against boobs. Several times!

He barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “If I don’t return, I’ll be caught.” He reached out and smoothed the wet hair from Victoria’s temple. “I want to see you again, though. More than just once a week. I want to see you every day.”

Her smile faded, but she nodded. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to sneak away tomorrow, and as I’ve told you before, you’d be wise to stay away from me. But…I’ll try. Either way, we will see each other again.”

CHAPTER 11

Inside his bedroom, Aden couldn’t stop yawning. He glanced at his bed with longing. He had to sleep soon or he was likely to pass out somewhere in public. But there was no time to rest. He’d stayed out so long he only had a little time before he had to leave for school. His gaze swung to his mirror. His eyes were red and burning, his eyelids heavy. Didn’t help that one was blackened from his fight with Ozzie.

At least his lip was healed. Victoria’s touch had worked wonders.