Part 38 (1/2)
I was trying to open up to her. The Hymeneal battled with my instinctual need for privacy. ”It's not something I'm comfortable doing. My brother complains about that, too.”
”Can I tell you something?”
”You can tell me anything you want.”
She moved out from under me then lay on her side facing me. ”I think that's why he doesn't trust me. He reacts as if I'm taking you away from him.”
”I've known Alec for a year. ”
”Did he grow up alone?”
”He did.”
”Family may mean a lot to him.”
”d.a.m.n, you're good.”
”You look more Greek.”
”Is your father still alive?”
”More or less. He's in a coma.” It was easier than telling her Alec took our father's mind from him and now he's a vegetable.
She looked away for a moment contemplating my answer it seemed.
”You hate your father?”
She's perceptive.
She smiled sheepishly at him. ”I'm empathic as well.”
”You're full of surprises, Illy. My father hated all of his children. He gave me up when I was four-sold me to the devil of Santorini.”
”You're leaving something out. You don't want tell me.”
”Gauge is werewolf.”
”What? Werewolf?”
”The night is filled with us freaks.”
”I drove in a car with a werewolf?”
”You did.”
”Go ahead.”
”Radu found us, killed my stepfather in front of us all then he dragged me out by my ear to Santorini. There I was sold to the Vrykolakas Clan where I was a slave for some centuries.”
”Here I thought slavery was over.”
”How did you gain your freedom?”
”That's a topic for another day.”
She rushed not wanting me to derail her. I had a way of shutting her down. ”Did he give you those scars?”
I shook my head in disbelief. I had to keep my mouth shut. ”Not up for discussion.”
I couldn't believe I wanted to tell her. I'd never shared my story with anyone, not even Alec. Alec knew better than any one what kind of vampire Radu was, but I never wanted to tell him about Ma.n.u.s. It was too ugly to utter aloud. I wanted to reach out to Ilida and tell her. What was wrong with me? ”He...also gave me scars you can't see.”
That much I knew about myself. Self-a.n.a.lyzing was never my style, but I knew I was messed up in some way. While others walked around happy and fulfilled with someone they loved, I couldn't get to happily ever after.
”Kids deserve to be happy.”
I didn't think I could be more surprised by her sympathy. ”You think all children should live an undisturbed life?”
Her cool hands touched my cheek breaking my thoughts. ”Who wouldn't want that?”
Part of me wanted to run from her touch. The other part wanted to burrow inside her where it was safe. He placed his hand on her waist on top of the blankets. ”You're making me talk too much and you're freezing.”
”Your story was helping me forget the cold.”
”Come here,” I said as I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her. I could have wrapped my arms around her twice. She was pet.i.te. I frowned at her hat. It blocked my path to playing with her hair.
”I'm sorry you had to go through that.”
”I wish I knew you after that period in my life. I could have used someone to talk to about it.”
”I'm here now.”
”But not now.”
”How about your mother?”
”She died in the volcano blast of nineteen twenty-six. Tell me about you?”
”I'm not as interesting as you.”
”You're wrong there, Illy.”
She stared at the snow avoiding my questions.
”I can't believe your mother left you.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. ”Mothers leave their children often. She wanted to be a singer in Paris. Getting married and having kids wasn't her dream it was my father's.”