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“Look, I didn't know these rules you're talking about, okay! He put his hand down into my panties and was trying to make me suck him off! There was no way I was doing that! And he had no trouble hitting me or kicking me!” The thought of the short-lived battle made her skin flush and her eyes began to glow again. “He had it coming to him. ”

“I agree,” Cian answered calmly.

“Oh,” Amaliya felt her defensiveness fade away slowly. “Oh. Well, yeah; he did. ”

“And last night. Where did you feed?”

Fiddling with her skull ring this time, she answered softly, “I didn't. I went home and saw my Grandmama and my cousin Sergio. That's where I got the Lincoln to come here. ”

“And they didn't freak out because you're supposed to be dead?” Cian's voice was sounding dangerous again.

“They think I'm on the run from the Satanists. That I escaped. ” Somehow she knew that he could not know that her cousin and grandmother knew exactly what she was. It was dangerous for her and for them.

Cian rubbed his chin, then nodded. “That makes sense. Did they ask you why you hadn't gone to the police?”

“Yeah, but I told them I couldn't. I think. . . ” she hesitated. “I told them cops were in the cult. ”

“That was smart of you,” Cian said with a bemused smile.

“Hey, I'm not always stupid. Just sometimes. ” And she thought bitterly of Professor Sumner's offer for coffee. Why on earth would a man like him be interested in a tattooed girl who was into metalheads?

“So you have not fed since the trucker?”

She shook her head, then rubbed her stomach. “I am getting hungry though. I should go, right?”

“No,” he answered coolly. “You shouldn't. ”

Looking down at her hands, she felt tears swell up. She hadn't cried this much in years and it was pissing her off to no end. “Look, I know I fucked up, but I didn't mean to. Please, don't kill me. I want to learn how to be. . . this. ” She waved her hand distractedly at her tears and her mouth. Her fangs were still pressing down. She could feel them with her tongue now. She was growing hungrier.

“I'm not going to kill you. ” He rubbed one hand over his short hair, mussing it up. It only seemed spikier and sexier. “Who made you Amaliya?”

She let out a slow, wavering sigh. “His name is Professor Sumner. He was supposed to be this bigwig psychologist from England. It was a big deal that he was teaching a psychology class and I signed up for it immediately. He was so smart and so sexy and I had the stupidest, biggest crush on him. Then one night he asked me out for coffee and I went with him. ” Tears seeped down her face and dangled on her chin. “He killed me. ” She wiped at her face with her fingers, smearing it with her bloody tears.

“And woke up buried in the forest?”

“Yes. ”

“Did you see him at all? Did he speak to you?”

Blushing a little, she nodded. “He came to the room where the orgy was and I had already started to. . . eat. He blocked the door and wouldn't let anyone out as I killed them. Then he. . . ” She rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling. “He took blood from me again. When I woke up he was talking to me. Telling me that I was now a vampire and he was anxious to see if I would survive or something like that. He wouldn't be helping me, but watching me from a distance. He did give me his coat to cover up, though. But he said that was all the help he would give me. ” She slowly dropped her gaze back to Cian. “I think I feel him sometimes. And I get afraid. ”

Cian pressed his lips together, then slowly lowered his head, rubbing the top of it again. “I see. ”

“I don't know the rules. I don't know what I can or can't do. I don't even know what my powers are! You gotta understand that!”

“I do. I do. ” Cian stood up and walked to a nearby window to stare out at the city. “We have the same creator. He said nearly those exact same words to me. ”

“So you know who the asshole is?”

“Yes, I do. Or at least the legend about him,” Cian answered somberly.

Amaliya stood up and walked over to him. “You have to tell me. You can't leave me in the dark. He's stalking my ass. ”

Cian looked at her then sighed. “You're right. I will tell you. . . ”

***

Cian stared into the blue-gray eyes of the young vampire and felt a pang of sorrow for her. She was terribly innocent despite her sultry, bad girl look. The fact that she had survived thus far was truly amazing. He was shocked that she wasn't still mad with the hunger, but actually quite lucid. She also seemed to have a good sense of self. Despite himself, he was kind of liking her.