Page 13 of Vampire's Hearth

I shook my head. “You keep them. I’ll be fine if I even sleep at all. Do you have food for yourself?”

She reached into the bag and produced a small container. “Would you like some?”

“I had a huge lunch,” I lied. Unlike her, I didn’t need it to survive. She opened the container, showing a salad topped with tofu and fruit. She dug in her bag again and produced a fork.

The corners of her lips half curled. “I have everything except a way to get us out of here.” She picked up her phone. “Especially with no service.”

I smiled. It would be nothing for me to climb out of here, but it would need to wait until after she fell asleep. I would come back with a way for her to get out. “I’ll figure out how to get us out before the tours start in the morning, provided we have found whatever you’re looking for.”

She took a bite of her food and squinted her eyes before she swallowed. “How are you going to scale that wall?”

I shrugged. “Let me worry about it.”

“And I’m going to be healed enough to walk out?” She smirked.

“I’ll carry you if I need to.” I sat down across the fire from her, watching her eat. She sipped at her water, conserving it. I could spike her food with my blood to heal her, but that seemed wrong. “Why were you asking me if I believe David’s stories?”

“Why were you telling me about vampires?”

I took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to do nothing more than tell her everything, reveal who I was, and take my chances. I had never felt so compelled before.

She leaned forward, her necklaces reaching toward her food, including the one carefully tucked between her breasts.It can’t be!My mouth went dry. It had been almost a hundred and fifty years since I last saw the lynx—the Coven of the Blood symbol. The coven my aunts had formed when my father turned, whose descendants we visited in 1855 before we ran from them several years later in terror. The coven I feared the Charleston witches had gone to for help.

I tried to swallow. Why were we here together? Perhaps it was a fluke, simply a coincidence that she wore it—a thrift store purchase she didn’t understand. I needed to know for sure.

“That’s quite a unique necklace you have there.” I pointed at the silver disc now lying on her chest.

She looked down at it and slid it into her sweater. “Family heirloom,” she said, not raising her eyes to meet mine.

I was so drawn to her—so attracted. Aurora concentrated on her food while I stared at the top of her head. It made even less sense and became even more concerning. She was a member of the Coven of the Blood, and not just any member. One day, she would be the High Priestess. There was no way she knew about the Cure, so why was she here?

“Do you want to tell me about it?” I struggled to keep my voice even and soothing.

“You really believe in the paranormal?”

I nodded. “More than I could ever tell you.”

Aurora

Ireached into my bag and retrieved the map Aunt Amara had given me.I can’t believe I’m going to trust this guy.

Mac tilted his head. “What’s that?”

“A very, very old map,” I answered flatly.

“Why didn’t you just get a modern map?” He shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

I looked into his blue eyes, feeling again that I could get lost in their depths. How did he pull me in and make me trust him? I tried to shake the feeling without success. My voice softened. “This map was supposed to help lead me to something special.”

“Your treasure map, then?” He chuckled. I smiled back at him.

I closed my eyes and pulled the warm air into my lungs. The flame's heat danced across my face as I searched my heart foranswers. Did I have a choice but to trust him?I was stuck in this room with him until we found a way out. So far, he had been nothing but a gentleman. Without him, I wasn’t getting far, and the nagging doubt in the pit of my stomach confirmed that.

“Do you believe in vampires?” I asked, my eyes snapping open. “Not the cute and shiny kind. The kind that feeds on humans and kills without thinking about it.” My mother’s warning about the evils of the O’Cillian family hung in my chest.

Mac’s eyes darkened, yet he looked like he struggled not to laugh. “I absolutely believe in vampires,” he said with such conviction that I wondered.

“Have you ever seen one?” I asked, reaching for the most practical cause of his statement.

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