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"No"

"I never really wanted any, you know? But it was always an option, till now"

"I never should have brought you over You are so young"

"Don&039;t blaed you to do it"

"And now you&039;re sorry After a while, you&039;ll hate me for it"

"I could never hate you, Eddie Never!" She smiled up at him "I love you"

"Do you? I wonder"

"What does that mean?"

"Vampires have an allure, an attraction, that mortals don&039;t possess Maybe you just fell in love with the illusion"

"No, I don&039;t believe that"

"Well," Ramsey said heavily "We will never knoe?"

"It really bothers you, doesn&039;t it?"

He couldn&039;t deny it, so he said nothing For a tiht, he supposed He had done what seee the past, no way to restore the lives he had so callously taken

Thoughts of va could he avoid hunting with his old friend before Duncan got suspicious? How long before Duncan realized the truth? And when he did, which of theori felt her presence as soon as he left the house It swa but fatal He continued down the street, ignoring her in hopes she would tire of the game and leave him alone But it was not to be

A whisper of air, the scent of jasaze moved over her in frank ht be, she was blatantly beautiful Her dress, of ure

"Buona sera, il h the veil of her lashes, a seductive sht with ave up She was like a child as certain she could have her oay if she just asked often enough

His first instinct was to refuse, as always, but then it occurred to hiht be wiser, safer for all concerned, if he acquiesced to her wishes But he had one stipulation

"No killing"

She grinned up at hi with his "No killing," she agreed

They stalked the night like the shadows of death, creeping up on their prey, silent as ht She had always loved the hunt, loved to let her victims see her for what she was before she took them She fed on their terror, wanted it, needed it, asNo, not Khira She reveled in what she was, her excite in dark alleys, cruising high-class nightclubs, slinking around in cheap dives Her nearness and her laughter were as intoxicating as whiskey

He had all but forgotten the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the chase For toowhat he needed quickly, efficiently, painlessly But now He looked at the woman in his arms She stared up at hile drop of crimson stained the pale skin of her neck He looked at the pulse throbbing in her throat, and he wanted to drain her dry, wanted to take it all, every heartbeat, every memory, every drop of life

"Re"

He glanced up to find Khira watching hi look in her eyes

"Take her," Khira said, her voice filled with triuer? This is what you are, Grigori, what you were meant to be!"

The truth of her words seared his brain He had not killed in decades, but the urge to abandon all control, to unleash the ravening beast within hi With a wordless cry, he thrust the woht, then turned and fled

The sound of Khira&039;s laugher followed him down the street

Marisa looked up as he burst into room, her expression startled Usually, he entered the house so quietly she didn&039;t hear hi the haunted look on his face "What&039;s wrong?"

Crossing the floor, he dropped to his knees and buried his face in her lap, his arhtly around her waist, she could scarcely breathe

"Grigori, what is it? What&039;s wrong?"

"I went hunting with Khira"

"So? You&039;ve hunted with her before"

"But tonight tonight she reminded me of what it is like to truly be Vampyre"

"I don&039;t understand"

He shook his head, his whole body tre "I don&039;&039;t think I can explain It&039;s how can I tell you ?" He swore a vile oath "She ain as I have not been in over a century I held a wohtened around her even more He couldn&039;t say it, couldn&039;t tell Marisa how he&039;d longed to bury his fangs in the wo she was

He looked up at Marisa She was beautiful, happy, with a family that loved her How could he er that plagued him? What if, once the deed was done, she hated hih wide, troubled eyes "Talk toI want to help, but I need to understand"

He shook his head There was no way to explain, no way to h hi hiaze drawn to the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat Marisa&039;s blood How often had he tasted it and wanted ained his feet, and began to pace the floor Das he thought he had conquered over a century ago

Blood It was all he could think of The craving, worse than any addiction that plagued mankind Blood Hot Warm Sweet What had Khira done to him, that he should feel this way after so asp, knew she was seeing the hunger that writhed within him

"Go to bed," he said thickly "Now!"

She didn&039;t question hi, she walked out of the room and up the stairs She didn&039;t look back But she didn&039;t run He could have kissed her for that, but he didn&039;t dare go near her Not now

He paced the floor, too agitated to sit still He could hear Marisaabout upstairs, could hear the heartbeats of the city, each one calling to hi And over all, the sound of Khira&039;s taunting laughter, and the echo of her words in his ori, what you were meant to be!"