Page 24 of Twilight Destiny

He hesitated before answering. Saintcrow wanted him to talk Rosa out of seeking the Dark Gift. But that was a decision only she could make. And she needed to know the good with the bad, fact from fiction.

“Jake?”

“There’s no easy answer to that question,” he said, after a moment’s thought. “I hated it at first. Hated everything about it. Hated it so much that one morning I didn’t seek shelter from the sun.” The pain of that foolish decision had been almost beyond bearing. “I never tried that stunt again. After a while … ” He shrugged. “Gradually, I embraced what I’d become.” He didn’t tell her how many lives he had ruined along the way.

“And now?”

“It’s what I am. Who I am. I can’t change it. I’m not sure I would if I could.”

“So, if someone offered you a cure, you wouldn’t take it?”

“I would have jumped at the chance when I was first turned, but not anymore.”

She mulled that over for a moment before asking, “Do you sleep in a coffin?” She’d never found the nerve to ask Micah or Sofia about that.

“No.”

“Does Saintcrow?”

“I don’t know, but I doubt it. Not many of us do that anymore.”

Well, that was a relief. “What’s the best part of being what you are?”

“The power, the strength. There’s nothing like it in all the world. It’s like being Iron Man and Superman and Thor all rolled into one.”

“Every boy’s dream,” Rosa muttered. “To be a super hero. “And then she smiled at him. “I love Thor.” Maybe that was why she was so attracted to Jake. He looked like Odin’s son only with dark hair.

“Yeah? Glad to hear it.”

“What’s the worst part?”

“Watching people you care for wither and die. After a while, you stop caring because it hurts too much.”

“You must have had a family before,” she said quietly. “I never thought about that.”

Kincaid shrugged. “They’ve been gone a long time.”

“Were you married back then?”

“No. Slaves weren’t allowed to marry.” But he’d had two half-brothers who hadn’t survived childhood. And a mother who had died far too young.

Rosa bit down on her lower lip. How could she have forgotten that he had been a slave? He’d had a rough life, she thought. Slavery, then a thief, then imprisoned by a vampire who fed on him for years before turning him into a vampire and finally letting him go.

Kincaid watched the gamut of emotions chase themselves across her face. Pity was the main one, mixed with surprise that he hadn’t turned into some kind of raving lunatic bent on revenge and destruction. It had been a close call. He’d had a few bad years when it seemed like he had nothing to live for, but his existence had been pretty good since then. And it was looking a hell of a lot better since the night Saintcrow introduced him to Rosa.

Rosa felt a sudden warmth spread through her when Jake’s gaze met hers. Ever so slowly, he leaned toward her, his hand curling around her nape to draw her closer. Anticipation danced in the pit of her stomach as he bent his head to hers and kissed her, lightly at first, then with growing intensity. The warmth turned to a flame when he drew her body against his and deepened the kiss. She clutched his shoulders, wanting to be closer, and as his tongue dueled with hers, the flame turning into a conflagration that threatened to consume her. She moaned softly as he caressed her, awakening sensations she had never known before.

Kincaid released her abruptly, leaving her momentarily confused, until Saintcrow cleared his throat.

“Maybe you two should book a room at the hotel,” the master vampire said dryly.

Rosa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Kincaid shrugged. “Been standing there long?”

“Long enough,” Saintcrow replied, amusement evident in his tone.

Rosa refused to meet his gaze. Another few minutes and he might have caught them doing a lot more than kissing, she thought, and felt her cheeks grow even hotter.