Page 19 of Caution

“How?”

“Just say it.”

Shit.

“I… uh… Lea…Leave me alone,” I stammered, to no avail.

They all just kept creeping toward me as I backed toward the wall.

“You’ve gottamean it,” Cassius said, shaking his head and looking clearly amused at my plight as he stepped aside.

It was too late.

They were already upon me, grabbing my limbs, pulling me in all directions.

Fear and something else coiled in me, as tears sprang to my eyes.

“Leave me alone!” I screamed and the room went still in the wake of another wave of…power.

But only for a moment.

Then they let me go.

And… just turned and left.

I planted my back against the wall behind me, clutching my chest as I watched everyone back out of the room.

The music started again.

The chatter started again.

I turned to where Cassius was standing, looking rather pleased with himself.

“What was that?What am I?” I asked.

Cassius smiled, fangs glittering. “You asked me if you were human or vampire already, love. And I answered the question.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “You said I was neither and both, so what does thatmean?”

“Was that not clear enough for you?” he asked, gesturing first to the alley, then the destroyed door.

When I didn’t answer, he met my gaze, eyes glowing silver.

“Ambrosia… you are something so much more.”

Six

The drive home was… quiet.

Cassius wasn’t saying anything, which allowed me to get lost in my own ruminations, trying to make sense of…

Anything.

A vampire?

Seriously?

Aside from that being purely imaginative fiction—which was nosmallthing to put aside—wouldn’t Iknowsomething like that?

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