“Do not be so swift to dismiss your instincts, Simone. Any soldier will assure you that he has depended upon them more than once to avoid danger,” he said in low tones. “They might very well save you one day.”
“Save me from what?” she swiftly pounced.
His lips twitched with approval at her ready response. She possessed more courage and spirit than he had ever before encountered in a human.
“A savage fox,” he replied as he reached down to pull her to her feet. “It is time for us to return.”
She shot him a sour glance at his taunting but rather than pouting she readily helped to clear the blanket and basket so that Gideon could store them in the back of the carriage. Then allowing herself to be helped onto the leather seat she calmly waited for him to join her and set the horses into motion.
It was not until they were on the narrow path that led back to London that she deigned to break the silence.
“Tell me of China.”
“As I said, I was there long ago,” he replied, wishing he could share his delight of the exotic country. She would no doubt be dazzled by the beauty. “I fear that it has changed a great deal since I last visited.”
“It could not have been so terribly long ago,” she argued. “You cannot be more than thirty.”
He battled the urge to laugh. As an Immortal, age and time had no meaning to him.
“You would be surprised.”
She heaved an exasperated sigh. “More mystery?”
“But of course, it is part of my charm.”
“Charm?” With a sniff she turned to regard the passing scenery. “Is that what you choose to call it?”
He chuckled softly. “Sheathe your claws, my beauty. No gentleman is willing to admit his advanced years.”
“Your years are not advanced, sir. Besides which, it is not only your age you will not discuss. I have no knowledge of your past, or home or family. I have yet to even encounter your cousins.”
Gideon briefly considered the two vampires who had journeyed with him to London. They had agreed to meet only in dire emergency since they would all be fully occupied with guarding their particular piece of the Medallion. He wondered if they were having any better luck than he.
“They are rather occupied with their own troubles,” he said in dry tones. “Still, I am certain I could arrange a meeting if you wish.”
“Are they anything like you?” she demanded with a pointed glance.
“Not at all,” he assured her. “Lucien is an incurable rake who is no doubt fully indulging in all the pleasures London has to offer, while Sebastian is a scholar who has always preferred a book to people.”
“Do they possess your arrogance?”
He pretended to consider her question before allowing a smile to curve his lips.
“Now that you mention it, I believe that they do. It is rather a family trait.”
“Now that I believe,” she retorted in tart tones.
“Is all your family so stubborn and sharp tongued?” he demanded in return.
Without warning her features lost their vivid expression as her eyes dulled with remembered pain.
“I no longer have a family.”
Gideon frowned at the simple words. It seemed impossible. As a vampire, all those behind the Veil were his family, some closer than others, but all willing to stand together. He could not begin to imagine being completely abandoned.
“I am sorry,” he said with quiet sincerity. “It is no wonder you seem so lonely.”
She gave a shrug, as if discomforted at discussing her loss. “I miss my mother and father, but the others were not worth mourning. And I am hardly alone.”