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Cian quietly stepped onto the balcony and found Amaliya puffing on a cigarette and talking on the phone.

“Yeah, Grandmama, he's like the king of the city or something like that. He's going to show me the ropes, teach me and stuff,” Amaliya said in response to an older woman's voice that sounded small and muffled through the cellphone.

Realizing she wasn't alone, she looked up at him and exhaled a long plume of smoke. The action seemed incredibly sexy and he shifted on his feet feeling uncomfortable. By the widening of her

eyes, he could see that she realized she had revealed that her grandmother knew more than she had let on the night before.

Cian slowly sank down to a crouch in front of her. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her thoughtfully. She had hidden valuable information from him. She wasn't that stupid and he felt a surge of respect for her. He could hear the old woman's voice clearly on the other end and he tilted his head, obviously listening.

“Is he handsome? Does he look like Dracula?” her grandmother's voice queried.

“He looks nothing like Dracula. Kinda like a normal cute Austin guy. Kinda scruffy. ” Amaliya shrugged at him. She obviously did not realize how many vampire codes she was breaking, but knew she was in trouble.

“Can he fix you, nieta?”

“No, Grandmama, there is no cure. ” Tilting her head, she mouthed to Cian “Right,” then puffed on her cigarette.

He slowly nodded. “Right. ”

He should rip the phone from her and crush it and kill her for violating his security, but he couldn't bring himself to even move. She was very different from him. She had living family nearby that still cared for her. He had realized last night how unorthodox she was. This shouldn't even be surprising him, but it did. A vampire with a living family was rare. Usually, in the madness, a fledgling vampire killed their family.

“Well, you learn from him what you can and I'll keep praying for your soul. You call me and let me know how you are doing, okay?”

“Yes, Grandmama. I promise. Te amo. ”

“Te amo, Amal,” her grandmother said, then hung up.

Amaliya clicked the button on the cellphone. “How many ways am I fucked?”

He laughed slightly and shook his head. “I'm not sure yet. I should kill you. ”

“Didn't we already do this last night?” She rolled her eyes and slung her bare feet up onto the railing.

“True. ” He rubbed the top of his head with one hand as if he could shake his brain into functioning. He needed to feed. “You're not supposed to let people know what you are. ”

“Sam knows what you are,” she immediately pointed out. “So does the creepy Renfield guy. ”

“Point,” Cian said with a little bit of a frown. “True. ”

“Look, no one gave me a freaking instruction manual, as I keep telling you. Grandmama figured out I was dead and tested me by trying to feed me. When I couldn't even swallow a bean, she figured it out pretty damn quick. She wanted me to go into the light!” Amaliya stubbed out the rest of the cigarette and folded her arms under her breasts. She looked upset. “So, yeah. My grandmother knows. ”

Cian gripped the cold metal of the armrest of the chair she was lounging in and said, “You're going to effectively fuck up my life, aren't you?”

“Look, you kidnapped me. You got me to drink your blood. You're screwing up your own life. If you don't want to teach me, then give me one of your books that tells me what to do and I'm outta here. ” Amaliya looked at him angrily. “I have no issue bailing from a bad situation. ”

“No,” Cian said in a terse voice. “No. I'll teach you so that you have a shot of surviving. ”

Amaliya settled back into her chair, her body relaxing, and he realized she had been fully ready to jump up and walk out. He was not ready for her to do that yet.

“Get dressed. We're going out. You're going to feed. ”

“What about you?”

“I live in this building for a reason. I own it. I can enter any apartment in this building and feed. ”

Amaliya laughed. “You live in your own barn. ”

“Something like that. I'll go feed and you get ready. ” He stood up and moved to the door.