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But she blinked and the spell was broken. She pulled back and gave him a questioning look. He shrugged and sat straight, taking deep breaths to calm the aching he felt between his legs. Isabel studied him for a moment, then turned her back to him and held out the brush. “I can start with trust,” she replied.

Sebastian joyfully took the brush and began untangling her locks. It was so easy to pretend for a moment that no time at all had passed, and that the pair were still living happily with the coven. But they had too much to discuss to just remain in their quiet bubble of time. “Did something happen while I was away?” he asked, his voice tender.

Isabel pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. For a moment Sebastian thought she wasn’t going to tell him, but then she spoke in a tiny voice. “I saw the shadow again. It was in the bathwater.”

“Are you alright?!” Panic crashed in like an avalanche. He fought the urge to flip her around and examine her for any signs of injury.

“I’m fine. I slipped and fell into the water, but Josephine took care of me. Do you…really also lick people to get rid of your fang punctures?”

Of all the questions she could have asked, Sebastian never would have predicted that one. He began to chuckle and nodded. “Yes. We all do. Contrary to the tales about vampires, we really try to do as little harm as possible. We hunt to survive, and we rarely kill, if ever. Humans kill more humans than vampires do, and not just because there are so many fewer vampires. Did Josephine have to bite you after you fell?” He began running the brush through her hair again, settling himself in the rhythmic motion.

“Yeah. I smacked my forehead against the bottom of the bath. But I’m fine.”

Sebastian pursed his lips, frustrated that she’d gotten injured yet again, but at least she’d been with Josephine. “I see. I’m not sure if you’ve managed to lose all of your grace this life, or if that shadow has it out for you.”

“What did Victor say about it?” Isabel turned her head just enough to look up at Sebastian, and his heart froze. They had to talk about what he’d learned, but how much was he willing to share?

“My magic is definitely the cause of it, apparently. We’re working on a solution, but my type of magic is very rare. I might have to ask a much older and larger coven for more information. The only problem is that they aren’t very friendly.”

Isabel hugged her knees tighter. “Do you at least know what it is? Every time I see it, it looks more and more like…me. Do you know why it’s after me?” Her voice was timid and fearful, and Sebastian couldn’t take it anymore. He placed the hairbrush on the back of the couch and wrapped his arms around Isabel, holding her tightly.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, no, or why it keeps following you around. But I swear to you that I will make things right. I just need you to trust me a little longer.” Guilt flowed through his veins like white-hot lava, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit what he’d done. Not when there was enough reasonable doubt to deny he’d done anything wrong at all!

Her head dropped to her knees. She remained curled up in a tight ball for a long time, but Sebastian also kept his arms wrapped around her. “I’m going to make everything right, my heart. I need to ask you a favor, and I know it’s going to sound scary. If you say no, that’s okay. I’ll figure out another way.”

Another silence fell, but little by little he could feel her muscles begin to release. Her arms fell to her sides and her legs straightened, and she reclined into his chest. “Okay,” she said. “I guess it doesn’t hurt for you to ask.”

Sebastian took a deep breath, preparing for a negative reaction. “I need you to give me some of your blood.”

CHAPTER25

Venice, Italy. 9 June, 2007

Isabel stared at Sebastian for a long moment, trying to decide if he was joking. If he was, this was a terrible time and choice of joke. But every muscle of his face declared that he was telling the truth.

She scooted away from him, her mouth screwed up in disgust. “What? Why? I knew it! You were just dragging me here to your den of vampires to be a living blood bank, weren’t you?! And you lied to me, multiple times! Ugh, I was so stupid. So stupid to think you were telling the truth, and that everything I’ve been through the last few days was real. But I guess I don’t have a choice now, do I? I’m already stuck in this underground maze with no clue how to get out!”

Sebastian’s face filled with such hurt that for a moment, she wondered if she had her analysis of the situation all wrong. But what else could it be?

“You are not stupid,dolcezza.And you always have a choice. No one here is going to drink a drop of your blood, I swear it.”

“But you just asked-”

“Yes, I asked if you would give me some. But not to consume! For centuries, I have mixed drops of your blood into my paints because that allows me to paint scenes of your future. With regular paint I can paint and enter memories, but painting the future requires blood of the person whose future I wish to see.”

Isabel’s heart made no attempt to slow its beating. While the explanation sounded like utter nonsense, she had entered his paintings before. The magic was real. “But what if the painting is bad? Wouldn’t it be better to just wait for the future to get here, rather than knowing from the beginning that we’re going to fail?”

“I need…” he started, then paused as if clawing the words from his throat was physically painful. “I need to know if it’s too late.”

That did nothing to calm her fears. Yet as she stared at the miserable and trembling man before her, that strange pull she’d felt multiple times since meeting Sebastian returned. Emotions that had no place in her heart began to stir, replacing her fear with love. The kind of love she felt in the visions, of a pair who knew every surface of their partner’s soul.

“I choose to trust you,” she whispered.

Sebastian looked up, his face bright with hope. “Thank you, Isabel,” he croaked, and rose from the couch. She watched as he moved a pile of paintings to reveal a small cabinet behind them. From within the cabinet he produced a small knife and a silver bowl.

She shivered when she saw the glint of firelight on the metal blade, but forced herself to remain as calm as possible. This was a test. Had he been telling the truth? He returned to her side and extended the handle. “I swear I will not hurt you or take more than is absolutely necessary. Do you want to make the cut yourself so you don’t have to worry?”

Despite the sick feeling in her stomach when she thought of cutting herself, being in controldidfeel less scary. Her hands trembled as she took the knife. It was cold and heavy in her grip. She placed the sharp of the blade against the meaty part of her palm and swiftly pulled it backwards before she could lose her nerve.