Page 70 of Vampires of Eden

“There were vampires around me who discouraged the choices I made with her, but when you’re young and operating under the guise of ‘love,’ you don’t see things clearly.”

“True,” Alexander agrees. “You’re still young and I’m not judging you. I’m just like—what could he possibly have seen in her? What would bring them together?” He smirks, eyeing me with familiar mischief. “But then I remember that you’re both mean, so I guess it kind of makes sense? Like, evil attracts evil.”

I frown. I know that he’s joking, but I feel genuinely affronted. Without thinking, I take a page from Leoni’s book and my hand mechanically darts out and pinches him in the curve of his waist. He yelps in a squeaky, surprised sound like a mouse and tumbles over onto his ass.

“Enough. Stop calling me mean! I’m not evil and I’m tryingto do better, alright? You have no idea how hard this is for…” My breathing hitches as I watch something truly magnificent happen.

Alexander looks at me from his awkward and crumpled state. Slowly, his eyes spark and alight into a vivid golden hue. They glow like the blaze of a summer sun. Like a fire burning and smoldering everything inits path.

The air between us becomes charged with a frenetic energy and itpulls. It feels good, like nothing I’ve ever felt or experienced. It warms me all over and makes my weakened nature churn and flip inside my belly. I haven’t felt this stirred or alive in years. It leaves me breathless.

Swallowing hard, I need to say something, I have to… “Alexander?—”

“No.” He whips his head away from me. In a bustle of movement, he stands to his feet. He looks at me with his luminous eyes beneath his heavy lashes, then down to the chair, away and toward the door. It’s as if his mind is in chaos and he doesn’t know where to look or what to do with himself. He takes a step back. “No—I… I don’t… I have to go.”

I watch, dumbfounded as he turns, then stalks toward the kitchen door without another word. “Alexander!” He’s gone and I’m left sitting on the floor with my heart racing. My hands trembling.

To my surprise, I hear the front door to the cottage open, then shut. I scramble upright and to my feet, then rush out of the kitchen, following the sweet haze of his orange-blossom wake.

The moment I swing the front door open, I see his little black sports car traversing down the dirt driveway and away from the house, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. I blink with my mouth hanging open because I truly cannot believe it. Any of it.

“Where is Alexander going?” Roland walks up behind me, looking over my shoulder just as Alexander’s car disappears out of sight.

Winded and with my heart pounding in my ears, I stare out at the empty driveway. “He… he ran away.”

CHAPTER 17

Alexander

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me,” I say, flipping over onto my side.

Everything is wrong with me.

Fundamentally, something is very, very wrong.

“Liar.” Raphael stands over me, brooding. “You came home way too early yesterday from the safe house—and now you’re marathoningBuffy. If ever there was a red flag to tell me that something is wrong, it’s you lying on the couch and watching this silly TV show for four hours straight.”

“It’s my favorite show. I’m in the mood.”

“No. It’s your ‘comfort show’ and you only watch it when you’re upset and avoiding something. Don’t make me dig, Lexie. I’ll go through your phone.”

I glance up at him in disbelief. “Is that a threat?”

“It is.”

I shrug. “There’s nothing to find you nosey weasel. Help yourself.”

Huffing, Raphael storms off.

Perfect. Leave me alone.

How can I talk to him about what’s wrong with mewhen I don’t even understand it myself? Should I say, “I think I’m a disgusting predator of a vampire.” How would he respond to that?

Why thefuckwould my eyes alight? Out of nowhere—and at Daniel of all vampires? Unbelievable. Especially right after he had just finished telling me about Josefina. Did something inside of me take that as a perverted invitation? What the hell?

I definitely liked Daniel when I was younger… A lot. But that was a long time ago and I got over it. Why do my eyes alight for vampires who want nothing to do with me?