Page 135 of The Last Vampire
The query jolts William. He is not doing this for Lorena but for himself.
“Can’t you just kill her and get it over with?” asks Nate.
“Or we can do it for you!” says an enthused Cisco, like he is being helpful.
William will not repeat himself a third time. Whatever his expression, it must make quite an impression on Nate because the latter’s eyes take on a furious intensity. “We can’t just give you permission for this,” he growls. “It’s Lenny’s call.”
“Then I would remind him that I just woke up. Unlike the rest of you, I do not require sleep yet. I will be ready at all hours, and I will feel you coming.”
“A threat like that would be a lot scarier if you had ever killed anyone.” Nate’s head tilts to the side, like he is examining William from a new angle. “I could tell from the way you playCall of Duty,how you don’t initiate and only return fire. For a vampire, you don’t seem to care for violence.”
“You are welcome to test me,” says William, looking between them, hands curled into fists at his sides.
Nate’s brow is a hardV,yet he does not move. Apparently, he only attacks on Lenny’s command.
“I will be home for winter break,” says William, turning his back to them. “See you then.”
WILLIAM SKIPSdinner.
He cannot bear to think of all the questions he will have to answer, nor does he feel like forcing food down just to regurgitate it.
He only has room in his mind forher. It feels like he has been gone years, not weeks. For some irrational reason, he is eager to tell Lorena about his travels and the vampires he met and the world he encountered. Even though that is the last thing he should do—the more he shares with her, the more danger she is in and the greater threat she becomes.
“You stayed!”
She is out of breath when she finds him seated on the windowsill, the door to his room open. She stares at the space heater he carried in a moment ago and all the lit candles, and something in her face softens. “Guess you knew I was coming.”
She removes her coat, and rather than her usual stretchy pants with an oversized shirt and hoodie, tonight she wears tight jeans with a sapphire-blue sweater that grows snug around her chest. In her hands is the green book that bears the Legion of Fire logo.
“When you didn’t show up to dinner, I thought you’d gone.”
“I came to get my things, but I see you have already claimed them.” He gestures with his chin at the text she carries.
“This is the only thing I took,” she says in her own defense.
“And our photograph from the dance,” he corrects her.
She smiles, like she is pleased he brought that up. “It wasn’t yours in the first place. It belongs to both of us.”
“Fair enough.” He pulls away from the window and meets her in the middle of the room. Her breath catches and her pulse picks up, only rather than savoring her fear, he now wonders if he should keep his distance.
“I stayed to say a proper goodbye,” he says, expecting the news will put her at ease. Nate and Cisco’s visit must have been a stark reminder of what she was not missing these past few weeks.
Yet her expression falls, and her heart rate quickens.
“You must be relieved to stop feeding me,” he prods, trying to fathom how she is feeling.
“You’re leaving with Nate and Cisco again.” As usual, he cannot tell if she is asking or telling him.
“With mykind.”
She blinks, her golden gaze brightening with awe. “Does that mean you met others?”
He nods in assent, and even though he wants to say more, he fears the consequences. “It is a lot to explain, and I do not want to endanger you more than I already have.”
“Okay then,” she says with a shrug. “Since we’re not sharing, then I guess I won’t tell you the discovery I made with this book.”
William stares at the green text. She found out how it works when he could not? How is that possible?
