Page 5 (1/2)

She pushes the door half-open, peers around and takes a look at the stack of papers on the desk in front of me "You’re busy Should I come back later?"

"No It looks a lot worse than it really is Please, come in" I realize my mistake as soon as I ask her to enter my office I shouldn’t ask her to come into a room alone with ain There’s not a chance in hell she’ll feel safe unless soesture toward the door "Or I can join you in the living roo aard Truth be told I’ itthe fear she’ll have by being alone with ht to close it as I’ toward her "No What I have to say doesn’t concern the others so I’d rather stay here This is between you and me"

I almost think I hear the screech of my shoes when I stop dead inAvery has closed us off from the rest of the family And the world No one can hear a sound behind these walls

I take a step in retreat and the back of uess that it is sparked by my unusual display of clu alone with you" She steps away from the door and walks around to one of the chairs "I know you won’t hurt ht otherwise"

She sits in one of the black and white damask print chairs and places her hand on the arm of its mate "Will you sit with me? I’d like to talk about us" She wants me next to her–not on the other side of my desk And she wants to discuss us?

I proceed with caution toward the einning I’m always careful to make slow, deliberate hten her

Myonder about what she could possibly want to discuss "Is there so …" She stops and appears as though she’s choosing her words carefully "No Make that everything is finally right for once"

It’s painful when I understand what she’s referring to I feel a dreadful heaviness deep in ht for her translates into one thing: she’s thrilled that I’ And it breaks my heart but I can’t allow her to see that "It’ll certainly one You won’t have to look at me every day and remember what I did to you"

She shakes her head from side to side slowly "I’m not happy you’ve decided to leave the Savannah compound I’m happy because your decision has forced o"

Confusion iht of the blood jewel cereh the torture of living under the saht you’d be pleased to hear that I’"

"I’m not scared of you" She looks down at her hands in her lap "But I as I want you to do to me" She looks up and ss hard "I want you to stay With me"

Is it possible I’ve mistaken her body’s reaction as fear all this tiether? Like … love? No I won’t get ine she could possibly have feelings like that for me She is a blood jewel and I’m a vampire Ironically, our roles are reversed She is an unintentional predator and I am her prey There’s only one relationship that could possibly exist between us and it doesn’t involve love or romance It is sordid and exists solely for the purpose of addicting me to her blood

I look at the pained expression on her face and see that she truly believes the things she’s saying And that’s why et up from the chair and walk to theI can’t look at her anymore She makes me hope for more than what is possible between us "You’ll see that it was the right decision after I’et up from the chair and approach me from behind "Turn around and look atI’m certain of it "I can’t"

"Yes you can"

There’s an internal battle raging inside ive in and turn to her because it’s what she asks And because it’s what I want as well

She lifts her hands to touchher palms on each side She looks into ly beautiful one–appears "I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so long"

Being like this with her is exactly what I have been dreained but I can’t ignore horong it is And dangerous for both of us We shouldn’t be this close And we dao"

"I don’t want to go And I strongly suspect that although you’re telling me to, you don’t really want ht "And that’s all the more reason you should"

"Why?"

I shouldn’t need to explain this "Because this isn’t right for either of us"

She strokes her thuht to me"