pulled her into his arms.
Her face buried against his chest. “I heard what she said.”
Oh . “She’s just a crazy bitch.”
“But she’s right.”
“How?”
“I always deny how I feel.”
“We all do. It’s part of life.”
“I have to be this way. Everyone else can stop, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m Khalil’s daughter . I’m expected to be this way, but then everyone thinks I’m cold.”
She leaned back, diluted mascara streaked down her face. “I can’t even find a compagno of my own. Do you know when the last time I had sex was? Other than you?”
He didn’t guess. “Why do you think that is?”
“I can feel it. I know how uncomfortable I make them when all the other women turn them on. I just don’t know why.”
“It’s only because you’re the leader’s progeny. You’re sort of off limits.” That wasn’t exactly true. She was also too much of a challenge.
92
“But you slept with me.”
“I know. I’m a glutton for punishment.”
She leaned into his chest again, sobbing. “And you regret it.” She let out a bark of a laugh. “You thought I was gay.”
“It’s okay if you are.”
“I’m not!”
“You like Isabella.”
“No.” She groaned in frustration. “She used her influence on me, and I can’t make myself stop falling for it. You don’t fall for it. She’s tried every time to control you, and you don’t even notice.”
Interesting . Blane took her face in his hands and wiped the mascara away with his thumbs. She looked so vulnerable that his heart ached. Her face was almost childlike again and her eyes were filled with confusion. It was almost as if she had no idea how to be an adult or how to live without so many rules, despite her centuries of life. Maybe she’d never given herself permission. “Christiana, how old were you when you met Khalil?”
“Eight.”
He blinked in horror. “How?”
“I was a gift to him.” She closed her eyes, but he held her face steady. “My mother was a proud woman, an illegitimate daughter of Henry the Eighth. Of course, she was never officially acknowledged, but we were well kept. Spoiled, even. Nothing stopped her from what she wanted. She gave me to him to persuade him to change her.”
“Did he?”
Her eyes popped open. “No. He just took my hand and walked me out of the house. I
93
heard her scream, but I didn’t know she died until I heard Khamar talking about it the next night.”
The limo stopped, and Blane didn’t wait for the chauffer. He opened the door, then put an arm around her, helping her up to the room without speaking another word. There were too many to speak. His mind was too full of questions, all about how she’d been a child growing up in a cosca of vampires. And Khamar—Khalil’s brother must have loved frightening her as he did everyone else.
Inside the room, he closed the door and helped her to the bed. As she slid onto the mattress, he said, “You were actually raised by vampires?”
“Yes.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. What had she seen as a child? The knowledge of their existence and nature was enough to break many human adults mentally. “I’m amazed they didn’t kill you. Did they…uh…” He couldn’t bear to ask if they’d raped her or drank from her on a regular basis. The truth would be too horrible.
“Khalil was my father from the start. He punished anyone who so much as made me cry.”
“But he still changed you.”
“I had to work for it. He refused for years. He tried to make me marry a human, but I begged. I had nothing in common with them, and he didn’t have the heart to force me.” She sniffed and curled up on the bed. “It took tuberculosis to finally convince him.”
Khalil was a much better person than Blane had ever given him credit for. “And he didn’t want to take you for himself?”
She shook her head. “I tried for a time, when I thought I was in love with him. He just
Her face buried against his chest. “I heard what she said.”
Oh . “She’s just a crazy bitch.”
“But she’s right.”
“How?”
“I always deny how I feel.”
“We all do. It’s part of life.”
“I have to be this way. Everyone else can stop, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m Khalil’s daughter . I’m expected to be this way, but then everyone thinks I’m cold.”
She leaned back, diluted mascara streaked down her face. “I can’t even find a compagno of my own. Do you know when the last time I had sex was? Other than you?”
He didn’t guess. “Why do you think that is?”
“I can feel it. I know how uncomfortable I make them when all the other women turn them on. I just don’t know why.”
“It’s only because you’re the leader’s progeny. You’re sort of off limits.” That wasn’t exactly true. She was also too much of a challenge.
92
“But you slept with me.”
“I know. I’m a glutton for punishment.”
She leaned into his chest again, sobbing. “And you regret it.” She let out a bark of a laugh. “You thought I was gay.”
“It’s okay if you are.”
“I’m not!”
“You like Isabella.”
“No.” She groaned in frustration. “She used her influence on me, and I can’t make myself stop falling for it. You don’t fall for it. She’s tried every time to control you, and you don’t even notice.”
Interesting . Blane took her face in his hands and wiped the mascara away with his thumbs. She looked so vulnerable that his heart ached. Her face was almost childlike again and her eyes were filled with confusion. It was almost as if she had no idea how to be an adult or how to live without so many rules, despite her centuries of life. Maybe she’d never given herself permission. “Christiana, how old were you when you met Khalil?”
“Eight.”
He blinked in horror. “How?”
“I was a gift to him.” She closed her eyes, but he held her face steady. “My mother was a proud woman, an illegitimate daughter of Henry the Eighth. Of course, she was never officially acknowledged, but we were well kept. Spoiled, even. Nothing stopped her from what she wanted. She gave me to him to persuade him to change her.”
“Did he?”
Her eyes popped open. “No. He just took my hand and walked me out of the house. I
93
heard her scream, but I didn’t know she died until I heard Khamar talking about it the next night.”
The limo stopped, and Blane didn’t wait for the chauffer. He opened the door, then put an arm around her, helping her up to the room without speaking another word. There were too many to speak. His mind was too full of questions, all about how she’d been a child growing up in a cosca of vampires. And Khamar—Khalil’s brother must have loved frightening her as he did everyone else.
Inside the room, he closed the door and helped her to the bed. As she slid onto the mattress, he said, “You were actually raised by vampires?”
“Yes.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. What had she seen as a child? The knowledge of their existence and nature was enough to break many human adults mentally. “I’m amazed they didn’t kill you. Did they…uh…” He couldn’t bear to ask if they’d raped her or drank from her on a regular basis. The truth would be too horrible.
“Khalil was my father from the start. He punished anyone who so much as made me cry.”
“But he still changed you.”
“I had to work for it. He refused for years. He tried to make me marry a human, but I begged. I had nothing in common with them, and he didn’t have the heart to force me.” She sniffed and curled up on the bed. “It took tuberculosis to finally convince him.”
Khalil was a much better person than Blane had ever given him credit for. “And he didn’t want to take you for himself?”
She shook her head. “I tried for a time, when I thought I was in love with him. He just
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