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“Vampire? Like from a movie?” Marisol crossed her arms over her chest, sitting more completely on the bed. “That’s not real.”

“I assure you I’m very real.” Elena found she was amused, in spite of herself, at the nurse’s stubbornness. “If you come a little closer, I’ll show you just how real I am.”

Instead of recoiling, Marisol gave her an adorable glare. “Are you trying to use some kind of irresistible smolder power?” She raised a brow to show she wasn’t charmed, but Elena sensed the truth under her warming skin.

“I’ve always been this irresistible.” She let her gaze drop to those pretty lips again.

“Does it make you more attractive?” Marisol’s expression shone with something playful. “Being a…” She pointed at Elena’s mouth.

At the unexpected change, Elena ran her tongue over the point of one fang and watched Marisol track her movement. She hadn’t expected there to be so much flirting from the woman who’d bolted from her room the night before. As a test, she let the reins of her influence go slack.

“My appearance is exactly as it was in my first life,” Elena replied after a beat, voice low and intentionally sultry. “But if you had to look at someone for all eternity, you probably wouldn’t choose anyone who looks like a foot.”

“So how does that work?” Marisol scanned her like she regretted not being able to put Elena under a microscope. “Shouldn’t you be cold if you’re dead?”

“I’m very much alive.” Elena chuckled. “But you noticed my heart beats slowly. I essentially stopped aging.”

“That’s not possible,” she said, more to herself than Elena.

“Just because you’ve never seen something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” she replied, exerting her influence again when the nurse’s anxiety returned.

“And you think I’m awitch?” She whispered the last word like it was a curse.

“I don’t know,” Elena admitted begrudgingly. “You are not like any kind of healer I’ve ever seen. And I’ve never seen anything like the wings you projected behind you.”

Calm again, Marisol smirked. “Not seen in how long?”

“Rude to ask a lady’s age.” Elena retracted her fangs. “How about you get me the hell out of here instead? Turn on your built-in first aid kit and get things going.”

“Why do you think I can heal you?” Marisol’s voice was fragile glass.

She was deciding to believe that Elena hadn’t hit her head too hard. Deciding to believe her, Elena was sure. Dropping her influence again, she met Marisol’s conflicted gaze. How could she not know her power?

“You woke me up,” Elena said, skin prickling with unusual warmth. “Or did I misunderstand your colleagues’ conversations?”

Marisol tipped her head to one side, considering.

“And when you helped me into bed last night, you brought back some of my strength.” Elena watched her without blinking. “Not nearly as much as I hoped, but here we are.”

Looking down at her hands, Marisol seemed to run through a hundred possibilities. None of them appeared to suit her. “So you think it’s my touch?”

“I’m very happy to test that theory.” Fangs itching to unleash, Elena quirked a brow. “Where do you want to touch me?” She pushed down the blanket she didn’t need but kept to cover the hideous gown she couldn’t wait to burn.

Ignoring her charm in a way that was insultingly easy, Marisol stood. Her hips swayed with a rhythm that was pure torture while she moved to the foot of the bed.

Sure that Marisol wouldn’t do anything but fall to her knees if Elena weren’t in such a shitty state, she tried to focus on her more immediate concerns.

“I’m going to try, but I don’t think it’s going to work.” With a dramatic sigh, Marisol rested her palms on the sheet covering Elena’s lower legs.

Elena closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation of Marisol’s touch. It was warm and oddly comforting, but it didn’t spark the same energy as before.

“Nothing,” Elena said after a beat, opening her eyes to find Marisol staring down at her hands in confusion. No hint of a spectral display behind her.

“What did you feel when you touched me in the ER?” Elena asked, watching her closely.

“Fear,” she admitted after a moment’s hesitation. “I was afraid you were going to die.”

Elena’s chest ached at the unexpected confession. “And now?” she pressed, voice softer than she intended.