understand if I'm still distrustful of you."
"I do, but can we agree to be personable with each other? Genny loves you, and us being at odds with each other is upsetting her."
She pursed her lips. "I know I can't do much, but if you break her heart I will do everything in my power to make sure that you pay for it."
Her statement should have been laughable to him, instead he found himself admiring her. "I expect nothing less."
The fire was back in her eyes when she stepped closer to him. "She's been through a lot, more than I have, more than you have, but she's not like us, she still finds joy in the simplest things in this world. Don't ruin that for her."
"For that reason too," he murmured as he recalled Genny sitting upon the log in her chemise two weeks ago, smiling as she watched the fish in the water. He started to ask Camille what Genny had been through, she was still rather private about the details of her life, but he knew that Camille wouldn't give him any answers either. "I won't."
Camille turned away from him. He looked toward where he had last seen Genny but she was gone. He instantly forgot about his confrontation with Camille as he searched the crowd for her. "Where is she?" he demanded. He made his way hastily through the people gathered around the stalls and carts full of merchandise.
"She was right there," Camille said from behind him.
Atticus stopped in front of the ribbon cart; he turned his head back and forth as he scented the air. Picking up on her scent, he made a sharp right and moved rapidly past the sellers lining the road. A large crowd of people had gathered in a circle around something that he couldn't see. He pushed through the group, ignoring their muffled protests as he followed her scent to the front of the crowd.
Metal blades gleamed in the sunlight from the knives rapidly flipping through the air. The crowd released an awed, "Ah," when more knives were added to the mix. He found Genny at the front of the crowd, a smile on her face and her hands clasped before her as she watched the juggler dressed in vibrant blues, reds, and greens with an expression of delight. The bell on the juggler's hat jingled with his movements. A bony, enraptured boy with dirt-streaked cheeks stood at her side, munching on a loaf of bread that looked suspiciously like the one Genny had purchased.
Her smile grew when she turned and spotted him. "Have you ever seen anything as amazing as this?" she gushed.
He'd seen acts like this before, but it had always been in an aristocrat's home, and they hadn't involved knives. "No," he told her, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her radiant face and it wasn't the juggler he was talking about. She blinked at him in surprise and then, for the first time since he'd met her, she actually seemed shy as she ducked her head away. "I haven't."
"Where's Camille?" she inquired and glanced around.
The question had just left her mouth when her sister arrived at her side. "Oh," Camille said and took a step back when she spotted the man at the center of the circle spinning ten knives through the air at once. "Impressive."
The knives stopped spinning through the air when the man began to catch each of them. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the juggler caught the last one between his teeth and made a sweeping bow. Genny's skin practically glowed as she turned away from the sight and slid her hand into his. The boy clutched the bread against his chest when he spotted Atticus. Not willing to take the chance of losing his prize, the boy scurried away and disappeared amongst the masses.
"They know that it could kill them and that they will one day die but some humans do such ridiculously dangerous things," Genny said. "They amaze me with their dogged determination and ingenuity."
That was more than they ever did for him but he kept that thought to himself as they walked toward the main thoroughfare again. "Even as a vampire I wouldn't catch a knife between my
"I do, but can we agree to be personable with each other? Genny loves you, and us being at odds with each other is upsetting her."
She pursed her lips. "I know I can't do much, but if you break her heart I will do everything in my power to make sure that you pay for it."
Her statement should have been laughable to him, instead he found himself admiring her. "I expect nothing less."
The fire was back in her eyes when she stepped closer to him. "She's been through a lot, more than I have, more than you have, but she's not like us, she still finds joy in the simplest things in this world. Don't ruin that for her."
"For that reason too," he murmured as he recalled Genny sitting upon the log in her chemise two weeks ago, smiling as she watched the fish in the water. He started to ask Camille what Genny had been through, she was still rather private about the details of her life, but he knew that Camille wouldn't give him any answers either. "I won't."
Camille turned away from him. He looked toward where he had last seen Genny but she was gone. He instantly forgot about his confrontation with Camille as he searched the crowd for her. "Where is she?" he demanded. He made his way hastily through the people gathered around the stalls and carts full of merchandise.
"She was right there," Camille said from behind him.
Atticus stopped in front of the ribbon cart; he turned his head back and forth as he scented the air. Picking up on her scent, he made a sharp right and moved rapidly past the sellers lining the road. A large crowd of people had gathered in a circle around something that he couldn't see. He pushed through the group, ignoring their muffled protests as he followed her scent to the front of the crowd.
Metal blades gleamed in the sunlight from the knives rapidly flipping through the air. The crowd released an awed, "Ah," when more knives were added to the mix. He found Genny at the front of the crowd, a smile on her face and her hands clasped before her as she watched the juggler dressed in vibrant blues, reds, and greens with an expression of delight. The bell on the juggler's hat jingled with his movements. A bony, enraptured boy with dirt-streaked cheeks stood at her side, munching on a loaf of bread that looked suspiciously like the one Genny had purchased.
Her smile grew when she turned and spotted him. "Have you ever seen anything as amazing as this?" she gushed.
He'd seen acts like this before, but it had always been in an aristocrat's home, and they hadn't involved knives. "No," he told her, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her radiant face and it wasn't the juggler he was talking about. She blinked at him in surprise and then, for the first time since he'd met her, she actually seemed shy as she ducked her head away. "I haven't."
"Where's Camille?" she inquired and glanced around.
The question had just left her mouth when her sister arrived at her side. "Oh," Camille said and took a step back when she spotted the man at the center of the circle spinning ten knives through the air at once. "Impressive."
The knives stopped spinning through the air when the man began to catch each of them. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the juggler caught the last one between his teeth and made a sweeping bow. Genny's skin practically glowed as she turned away from the sight and slid her hand into his. The boy clutched the bread against his chest when he spotted Atticus. Not willing to take the chance of losing his prize, the boy scurried away and disappeared amongst the masses.
"They know that it could kill them and that they will one day die but some humans do such ridiculously dangerous things," Genny said. "They amaze me with their dogged determination and ingenuity."
That was more than they ever did for him but he kept that thought to himself as they walked toward the main thoroughfare again. "Even as a vampire I wouldn't catch a knife between my
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