pauses and cadences.
I will not harm you, he'd told her that night in the forest. Did he remember that now? Any chance it still applied?
Valerie looked around her. The waiters and waitresses were oblivious. Why wouldn't they look over here and see the beautiful and incredibly scary man sitting at her table? She sure as hell wouldn't be able to look away! Her gaze went back to his, then dropped to the hand that was still outstretched. Would he kill her? Could she run? She had to know ! Fear blossomed within her — not like a flower, but like blood welling from a gunshot wound, spreading throughout her entire body.
“I will not kill you, but I do wish we could get past the formality.” He nodded towards his outstretched hand.
Her voice was shocked and thready , “Can you read my mind?”
“No, but I understand your expression.”
Hesitantly, Valerie slid her hand across the table until it was clasped in his. A current of sensation ran up her arm and swirled over her body like water sizzling on a stove.
She shook her head, denying the feeling. She tried to pull away but he didn’t let go, gently keeping her hand in his. The almost painful sensation retreated like he'd turned the volume down.
Lucas still held her hand and there was something odd about the handshake but she couldn't figure out what it was. His hand looked normal…but it was perfectly conformed to hers, as if bones didn't matter or stop him from moving in any way he might choose.
It meant that his palm was slightly closer to hers, her hand encompassed by his. She pulled her hand away and he let her, leaning back, then idly picking up her iced chocolate milk.
He stared at it curiously for a moment, as though it were a small animal that had crawled into the palm of his hand. Almost hesitantly, he lifted it to his lips. He took a sip, his brows raising slightly.
What the hell did that mean? “Would you like some? I'd happily order you one. Even twenty if you let me out of here, you know, alive .”
Lucas stared at her in a disinterested way, not acknowledging her words, and the moment became painful, her heart thundering in her chest, as she wondered and dreaded what his silence meant, why he was here and what he wanted from her.
An eternity ticked by. “No.”
“No, what?” Her throat was parched.
“I will not kill you.”
Gulp. She was waiting for him to say ‘yet’.
“I am sixteen hundred years old, Valerie Dearborn. Your emotions shine from you, your expressions convey every thought in your head. I can chase you down in a moment. But I will not. Would you like me to promise you again? I promise I will not hurt you. I swear it on my very being.”
“Lucas, is that like Cher?”
He continued to watch her in his reptilian way, so she kept talking, nerves prompting her to speak, “Only one name, no last name or family name?” Shut up, Valerie!
“Would you like to know my full name? I do believe it’s hard knowledge to come by. Lucas Tiberius Junius .” Each word was like a stone, a rock thrown into a pool that rippled outwards and all around the world.
“Tiberius Junius ? Isnt ’ that Roman?” she asked, fascinated despite herself.
“Are you familiar with the Visigoths or the Goths?”
“Probably not as much as you are. I thought they were separate.”
“They are. But I was uncertain of your historical education.”
What, he wanted to know if she got a good grade or something? The chocolate drink was in front of her and Val knew she was going to finish it. If she was going to die she wanted to go out with chocolate in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. She hadn’t realized that she’d been quiet for a few moments until he spoke, breaking the silence and interrupting her deadly contemplations.
“My Hunter is dead.”
His words yanked her back to the present. “Excuse me?”
He didn’t
I will not harm you, he'd told her that night in the forest. Did he remember that now? Any chance it still applied?
Valerie looked around her. The waiters and waitresses were oblivious. Why wouldn't they look over here and see the beautiful and incredibly scary man sitting at her table? She sure as hell wouldn't be able to look away! Her gaze went back to his, then dropped to the hand that was still outstretched. Would he kill her? Could she run? She had to know ! Fear blossomed within her — not like a flower, but like blood welling from a gunshot wound, spreading throughout her entire body.
“I will not kill you, but I do wish we could get past the formality.” He nodded towards his outstretched hand.
Her voice was shocked and thready , “Can you read my mind?”
“No, but I understand your expression.”
Hesitantly, Valerie slid her hand across the table until it was clasped in his. A current of sensation ran up her arm and swirled over her body like water sizzling on a stove.
She shook her head, denying the feeling. She tried to pull away but he didn’t let go, gently keeping her hand in his. The almost painful sensation retreated like he'd turned the volume down.
Lucas still held her hand and there was something odd about the handshake but she couldn't figure out what it was. His hand looked normal…but it was perfectly conformed to hers, as if bones didn't matter or stop him from moving in any way he might choose.
It meant that his palm was slightly closer to hers, her hand encompassed by his. She pulled her hand away and he let her, leaning back, then idly picking up her iced chocolate milk.
He stared at it curiously for a moment, as though it were a small animal that had crawled into the palm of his hand. Almost hesitantly, he lifted it to his lips. He took a sip, his brows raising slightly.
What the hell did that mean? “Would you like some? I'd happily order you one. Even twenty if you let me out of here, you know, alive .”
Lucas stared at her in a disinterested way, not acknowledging her words, and the moment became painful, her heart thundering in her chest, as she wondered and dreaded what his silence meant, why he was here and what he wanted from her.
An eternity ticked by. “No.”
“No, what?” Her throat was parched.
“I will not kill you.”
Gulp. She was waiting for him to say ‘yet’.
“I am sixteen hundred years old, Valerie Dearborn. Your emotions shine from you, your expressions convey every thought in your head. I can chase you down in a moment. But I will not. Would you like me to promise you again? I promise I will not hurt you. I swear it on my very being.”
“Lucas, is that like Cher?”
He continued to watch her in his reptilian way, so she kept talking, nerves prompting her to speak, “Only one name, no last name or family name?” Shut up, Valerie!
“Would you like to know my full name? I do believe it’s hard knowledge to come by. Lucas Tiberius Junius .” Each word was like a stone, a rock thrown into a pool that rippled outwards and all around the world.
“Tiberius Junius ? Isnt ’ that Roman?” she asked, fascinated despite herself.
“Are you familiar with the Visigoths or the Goths?”
“Probably not as much as you are. I thought they were separate.”
“They are. But I was uncertain of your historical education.”
What, he wanted to know if she got a good grade or something? The chocolate drink was in front of her and Val knew she was going to finish it. If she was going to die she wanted to go out with chocolate in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. She hadn’t realized that she’d been quiet for a few moments until he spoke, breaking the silence and interrupting her deadly contemplations.
“My Hunter is dead.”
His words yanked her back to the present. “Excuse me?”
He didn’t
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