arrived inside some kind of shop. There she was, sitting across the room, leaning on a table with her arms crossed and an amused expression, illustrated by her raised eyebrow and the glint in her eyes.
“I said hey.”
He didn’t dare move, not even to draw breath. She looked so alive. Those were Feri’s memories of her, given to him.
“What am I?”
Hanzi didn’t expect her to answer so when she did, it jolted his entire body as if he’d been struck by lightning.
“You’re in my tattoo parlor. Well, the place I worked in. I never saved enough to start my own place. I didn’t expect to live long enough for it to matter.”
“How are you talking to me?”
“I’m a memory. Your brain has taken the information Feri gave it and formed me. It’s kind of similar to you talking to yourself.” She walked toward him. “I don’t think you care. Do you? I seem pretty real to you.”
He reached out to touch the side of her face, letting his hand run her cheek and to her neck. Her pulse beat beneath his fingertips. He knew, in reality, she was dead in a coffin in the back of the plane. Still, he would take the moment.
Might he stay here? Remain with her forever?
“You’re warm and you’re Adrienne.”
“I am.” She nodded. “You have questions. Or at least I think you do. What else are we doing here?”
“I never got to know you. A single full day spent together wasn’t enough. I wanted to delve deep inside of you, know your soul, understand what made you Adrienne. I hoped a touch of you might give me a taste of what I missed, enough to take to eternity with me.”
She snorted. “Very dramatic. But okay. I think my purpose with you would have been to have lighten you the fuck up.”
“I don’t know if making me lighthearted would have been possible.” He loved the sound of her voice. It was music. Hanzi wished to listen to it all day.
“Sure it would. You couldn’t have always been such a lamenting vampire. After you were changed there must have been a time you weren’t so consumed with the dark night.”
He pulled her against him for the warmth. “I don’t want to talk about me. I want to know things about you. The ink on your arms. What does it all mean to you?”
She pushed back. “All my ink would take a week’s worth of explanation. I doubt we have that much time. I can certainly go through some of it.”
“Please.” He touched the angel design. “This is the design I want to know about it.”
Her gaze lowered to the tattoo. “I’m sorry. I don’t have your information. I’m not exactly Adrienne. I don’t have all of her memories. Only whatever Feri got from her during the exchange. I can tell you about the rose. It was my first tattoo. I did it to piss off my parents. Over the years, I’ve added to it.” She stopped talking and looked at him, her lips pursing. “It’s not enough, is it? The bits of Adrienne I have.”
He kissed her hand so he could smell the baby powder on her a last time. “Not nearly.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” More than she would ever know.
He jerked back to consciousness in his seat. He hadn’t really slept; he felt more as if he’d left the present to journey through his own mind for a little while. Sweat had broken out all over his body, and he gripped the side of his chair so hard his knuckles whited.
“Couldn’t the plane crash?” No one heard or paid attention to his shouts. The pilots and flight staff were trained well enough to know to leave their employers alone unless called for. “Death in the ocean would be preferable.”
Would he actually die if they crashed? Only if there was fire or the sun got to him.
He undid his seatbelt and walked to the side of the plane to look out the opposite side window. Nothing except clouds and blue sky as far as he saw. A beautiful day for other people. His living hell.
With little warning, his fangs elongated, catching him by surprise. Hanzi laughed throwing his head back. His
“I said hey.”
He didn’t dare move, not even to draw breath. She looked so alive. Those were Feri’s memories of her, given to him.
“What am I?”
Hanzi didn’t expect her to answer so when she did, it jolted his entire body as if he’d been struck by lightning.
“You’re in my tattoo parlor. Well, the place I worked in. I never saved enough to start my own place. I didn’t expect to live long enough for it to matter.”
“How are you talking to me?”
“I’m a memory. Your brain has taken the information Feri gave it and formed me. It’s kind of similar to you talking to yourself.” She walked toward him. “I don’t think you care. Do you? I seem pretty real to you.”
He reached out to touch the side of her face, letting his hand run her cheek and to her neck. Her pulse beat beneath his fingertips. He knew, in reality, she was dead in a coffin in the back of the plane. Still, he would take the moment.
Might he stay here? Remain with her forever?
“You’re warm and you’re Adrienne.”
“I am.” She nodded. “You have questions. Or at least I think you do. What else are we doing here?”
“I never got to know you. A single full day spent together wasn’t enough. I wanted to delve deep inside of you, know your soul, understand what made you Adrienne. I hoped a touch of you might give me a taste of what I missed, enough to take to eternity with me.”
She snorted. “Very dramatic. But okay. I think my purpose with you would have been to have lighten you the fuck up.”
“I don’t know if making me lighthearted would have been possible.” He loved the sound of her voice. It was music. Hanzi wished to listen to it all day.
“Sure it would. You couldn’t have always been such a lamenting vampire. After you were changed there must have been a time you weren’t so consumed with the dark night.”
He pulled her against him for the warmth. “I don’t want to talk about me. I want to know things about you. The ink on your arms. What does it all mean to you?”
She pushed back. “All my ink would take a week’s worth of explanation. I doubt we have that much time. I can certainly go through some of it.”
“Please.” He touched the angel design. “This is the design I want to know about it.”
Her gaze lowered to the tattoo. “I’m sorry. I don’t have your information. I’m not exactly Adrienne. I don’t have all of her memories. Only whatever Feri got from her during the exchange. I can tell you about the rose. It was my first tattoo. I did it to piss off my parents. Over the years, I’ve added to it.” She stopped talking and looked at him, her lips pursing. “It’s not enough, is it? The bits of Adrienne I have.”
He kissed her hand so he could smell the baby powder on her a last time. “Not nearly.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” More than she would ever know.
He jerked back to consciousness in his seat. He hadn’t really slept; he felt more as if he’d left the present to journey through his own mind for a little while. Sweat had broken out all over his body, and he gripped the side of his chair so hard his knuckles whited.
“Couldn’t the plane crash?” No one heard or paid attention to his shouts. The pilots and flight staff were trained well enough to know to leave their employers alone unless called for. “Death in the ocean would be preferable.”
Would he actually die if they crashed? Only if there was fire or the sun got to him.
He undid his seatbelt and walked to the side of the plane to look out the opposite side window. Nothing except clouds and blue sky as far as he saw. A beautiful day for other people. His living hell.
With little warning, his fangs elongated, catching him by surprise. Hanzi laughed throwing his head back. His
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