Page 62 of Undying
Tobias slowly rises to his feet, his eyes locked on Jolie as he stalks across the room. He doesn’t stop until he stands in front of her. He lifts a hand, then runs the back of his fingers along her face, looking down at her with such awe, like she is a goddess come to life.
Though I can admit she is something special, I don’t like how totally captivated the wolves are by her presence. It can only lead to trouble when we need to stay focused on keeping her alive.
I clear my throat, hating that I’m annoyed that her attention is not on me anymore. Tobias jerks his head up to look at me, and he’s the one to answer. “She was standing in the sun when I found her.”
My mind goes blank at the impossibility.
I’ve been alive for over two millennia and never heard of a vampire who has that ability.
I must have heard him wrong. “Say that again?”
Tobias glares at me, flashing his fangs, looking like he wants to pound me into dust. Only to halt abruptly when Jolie places a hand on his upper arm. His beast immediately calms and turns toward her like an eager pup, completely forgetting me.
My annoyance spikes. “Jolie—what does he mean?”
She heaves a sigh of pure exasperation, speaking to me without moving her eyes away from Tobias. “I kind of have my hands full keeping him from going wolf and ripping off your face.”
“He can try.” I drop my arms to my side and lift my chin in challenge. “He won’t succeed.”
When Tobias growls and moves to do just that, she grabs his arm with both of hers and gives me a huff of annoyance. “For fuck’s sake. You’re not helping.”
Castle walks past me, his axe lowered to his side, and he cups the side of her face until she’s looking up at him. “What happened?”
Jolie hesitates for a moment, then shrugs. “I needed to know how much the sun would affect me. If vampires are going to be coming for me, I need to know my weaknesses.”
His jaw flexes, and I swear I can hear him grinding his teeth. He slips his hand to the back of her neck, his grip tight. “So you stepped into the sun?”
“Of course not.” Jolie swats at his chest, and he reluctantly releases her, his shoulders sagging in relief. “I stuck my hand in first.”
Everyone in the room goes tense, and my gaze drops to her hand.
To see nothing but smooth skin. I involuntarily take a step forward. “What…”
With another huff of annoyance, she steps back, then slowly lifts an arm out toward the sun. All three of us tense, ready to yank her to safety. Even as her fingertips pass through the light, we all have our hands on her—Castle has a hand around her waist, Tobias has his hand wrapped around her arm, and I grab the back of her sweater.
All three of us are practically vibrating as we watch her hand, ready to move at the smallest sign of pain.
Yet nothing happens.
“What the fuck?!” Castle drops his axe with a dull clank and drags her to his chest, his cheek pressed down on the top of her head. Tobias doesn’t even hesitate to step up to her back, sandwiching her between them. They stay like that for ten minutes, and I watch as the sun slowly travels over them.
And still, nothing.
Finally, Jolie squirms and wiggles between them, then huffs when neither releases their hold. She lifts a hand out to me, then wiggles her fingers impatiently. I press my lips together to repress a smile that tugs at my lips before I finally pull her free amidst a lot of growling.
I peer down at her, a furrow carving between my brows when another thought occurs to me. “How are you even awake during the daylight hours? I’m old, and even I feel the pull of the sun. I can only last a few hours before I need rest.”
Jolie just shrugs, her own little scowl darkening her face. “How should I know? The darkness in me hides during the day. I’m slower when the sun is out, weaker than normal, but I can still function, as long as I have enough blood.”
The darkness?
Then it clicks.
That’s what she must call her vampire abilities. She’s somehow able to suppress her vampire nature enough to function as a human.
“You’re able to control the darkness?” I ask in a strangled voice.
“Of course.” She blinks up at me in confusion. “I wasn’t very good at it at first, it took time to learn, but I had plenty of that while hunting the Dafoe clan. I didn’t venture outside during the daylight—no sense when I was hunting vampires—so I wasn’t sure if sunlight would affect me or not.”
