ago I wouldn’t have thought a shifter could impregnate me.”
“True.” He sensed there was more she wanted to tell him, only she couldn’t find the words.
Blazing past him, she spun and went in the other direction, her long hair flying behind her. “But in Brigid’s case, that would explain why she has such powerful magic. She got it from her elfin father.”
“Is she actually a vampire then, or elf?”
“Both, I guess.” She shrugged. “Like Dani.”
“But you said Dani is alive.”
“She is. Her heart beats, her lungs breathe. She’s not dead like me.”
“So it follows if Brigid was born of a vampire and is part elf, wouldn’t she, too, be alive?”
“She’s not.” She spoke with certainty. “Like I said, she’s over a thousand years old.”
“Aren’t elves immortal?”
An expression of surprise crossed her face. “I never thought of that.”
“Or maybe she was born an elf and then was turned.”
“Again, entirely possible. I know Brigid married another vampire, one even older than her. A vamp from ancient Egyptian times. Maybe he’s the one who turned her.”
He swore. “You guys have an even more messed-up history than we shifters do.”
“We’ve been around longer.” Abruptly reversing direction, she started for the door. “Are you ready?” she asked, her eyes blazing amber sparks at him.
Again, he felt a tug of attraction. Somehow, he kept his voice calm. “Are you saying you trust me now?”
“I’m going to do part of what Brigid asked. I’m ready to hit the road,” she said. “With you.”
Inhaling deeply, he managed a nonchalant nod. “Not enough of an answer. I need to know if you trust me.”
“Look, Beck—”
“Answer the question.”
“I barely know you anymore. It’s been three years.”
“You’re still trying to avoid answering. If Brigid hadn’t said a shifter would harm Dani, would you trust me?”
“I don’t know. Dani was conceived the night Juliet was murdered.”
Heart thumping steadily in his chest, he stared at her cold, exquisite face and waited for more.
She stared back, expression unreadable.
Finally, he nodded. “And?”
“Do you blame her for your sister’s death?”
He saw from her tortured expression how much the admission cost her. Still, that she could even ask such a thing felt like a slap in the face. “How could you think that? She had nothing to do with what happened to Jules.”
“No, but we did. She was waiting for us in the bar when the fight broke out. If we hadn’t been making love, conceiving Dani, we would have been there, kept her from getting hurt.”
How many times had he wondered the same thing himself? “You just said yourself, there are no guarantees. We could have been sitting right next to her and she might have still died.”
Her chin came up. “I heard you thought the silver bullet was meant for you.”
“Addie told you that?”
She nodded. “Yes. Yet earlier, when I mentioned the possibility that Jules was murdered, you didn’t say anything.”
“There didn’t seem to be a point.” He sighed. No mercy for the wicked. “Think about it. Those men had more reason to want me dead. I was a Protector. Or, alternatively, they could have killed her deliberately to hurt me. I might have eliminated one of their relatives. But I don’t know. I’ll never know now.”
“Life’s like that,” she said sadly. “Sometimes we don’t ever get answers.”
“Back to your question. If anyone was responsible for Juliet’s death, I was. And even then, I don’t know that for a fact. Sometimes I think that’s how I’m able to go on. Our daughter’s conception was a gift in the face of a horrible tragedy. I only wish I’d been there to share it.”
“From what I hear, you were in no condition to share anything.”
Swallowing, he nodded. “Brutally honest, aren’t you?”
“Yes. And if we’re going to do this together, I expect the same from you.”
Their gazes locked, held.
“True.” He sensed there was more she wanted to tell him, only she couldn’t find the words.
Blazing past him, she spun and went in the other direction, her long hair flying behind her. “But in Brigid’s case, that would explain why she has such powerful magic. She got it from her elfin father.”
“Is she actually a vampire then, or elf?”
“Both, I guess.” She shrugged. “Like Dani.”
“But you said Dani is alive.”
“She is. Her heart beats, her lungs breathe. She’s not dead like me.”
“So it follows if Brigid was born of a vampire and is part elf, wouldn’t she, too, be alive?”
“She’s not.” She spoke with certainty. “Like I said, she’s over a thousand years old.”
“Aren’t elves immortal?”
An expression of surprise crossed her face. “I never thought of that.”
“Or maybe she was born an elf and then was turned.”
“Again, entirely possible. I know Brigid married another vampire, one even older than her. A vamp from ancient Egyptian times. Maybe he’s the one who turned her.”
He swore. “You guys have an even more messed-up history than we shifters do.”
“We’ve been around longer.” Abruptly reversing direction, she started for the door. “Are you ready?” she asked, her eyes blazing amber sparks at him.
Again, he felt a tug of attraction. Somehow, he kept his voice calm. “Are you saying you trust me now?”
“I’m going to do part of what Brigid asked. I’m ready to hit the road,” she said. “With you.”
Inhaling deeply, he managed a nonchalant nod. “Not enough of an answer. I need to know if you trust me.”
“Look, Beck—”
“Answer the question.”
“I barely know you anymore. It’s been three years.”
“You’re still trying to avoid answering. If Brigid hadn’t said a shifter would harm Dani, would you trust me?”
“I don’t know. Dani was conceived the night Juliet was murdered.”
Heart thumping steadily in his chest, he stared at her cold, exquisite face and waited for more.
She stared back, expression unreadable.
Finally, he nodded. “And?”
“Do you blame her for your sister’s death?”
He saw from her tortured expression how much the admission cost her. Still, that she could even ask such a thing felt like a slap in the face. “How could you think that? She had nothing to do with what happened to Jules.”
“No, but we did. She was waiting for us in the bar when the fight broke out. If we hadn’t been making love, conceiving Dani, we would have been there, kept her from getting hurt.”
How many times had he wondered the same thing himself? “You just said yourself, there are no guarantees. We could have been sitting right next to her and she might have still died.”
Her chin came up. “I heard you thought the silver bullet was meant for you.”
“Addie told you that?”
She nodded. “Yes. Yet earlier, when I mentioned the possibility that Jules was murdered, you didn’t say anything.”
“There didn’t seem to be a point.” He sighed. No mercy for the wicked. “Think about it. Those men had more reason to want me dead. I was a Protector. Or, alternatively, they could have killed her deliberately to hurt me. I might have eliminated one of their relatives. But I don’t know. I’ll never know now.”
“Life’s like that,” she said sadly. “Sometimes we don’t ever get answers.”
“Back to your question. If anyone was responsible for Juliet’s death, I was. And even then, I don’t know that for a fact. Sometimes I think that’s how I’m able to go on. Our daughter’s conception was a gift in the face of a horrible tragedy. I only wish I’d been there to share it.”
“From what I hear, you were in no condition to share anything.”
Swallowing, he nodded. “Brutally honest, aren’t you?”
“Yes. And if we’re going to do this together, I expect the same from you.”
Their gazes locked, held.
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