least one of them has to get a good shot at you, right? Is that enough to tip the scales? Vampires and Hunters come at you at once, are you sure you can you survive that?”
Inexplicably, she felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was for Jack and her father only, she told herself. It was fear for good men and the danger they were all in, herself included, none of it was for Lucas.
He saw the tear slide down her cheek and frowned. He tensed and for a second she thought he might lick the tear from her cheek. Instead he pushed away from her, leaving her cold again, her back to the wall and her breathing ragged.
Lucas walked to the window, looking down at the street, then turned back to her “Are you so skillful at deceit? I can see your sorrow on your face and feel it in my body.” She wondered if that was true. Could he sense it, feel her emotions? He said it like it made him feel dirty.
She took a deep breath, then another, refusing to look at him.
“They will be safe. Tell me the name.” His rich voice cut through her, caressed her, the weight of his promise almost tangible on her skin.
“You won't hurt Jack and Nate even if they attack you?”
A terse nod of agreement.
Gulping, Val said the name before she lost her nerve, “Rachel.”
Smiling, he put down the glass again. His hands went to his pockets and he casually walked back to her. Playing human again.
“Tomorrow night there is a party. I will come for you at six. I am sending a modiste at ten. Choose what you like.”
She went to the couch and sat down, looking at him from across the room. He stayed standing, walking to the window to stare at the traffic below and the lights of the city.
“Is Rachel likely to kill you?”
Lucas shook his head slowly. “Rachel is nothing. She is barely old enough to kill a human bare handed. She would not dream of attacking me outright. She works for another. But I am surprised that either of them are willing to try.”
“Why? You can't be that indestructible, can you?”
“My ability to recover from injuries is unparalleled. It is my strength, speed and age that have kept me unchallenged for centuries. I can go into the sunlight, dematerialize repeatedly and feed infrequently. For one as old as I am, the dangers are different.”
Val waited for him to continue and watched his broad back, her gaze dipping down to his ass, imagined sinking her nails into it as he—
What the fuck is wrong with me? Stupid, nonsensical reactions.
She looked at her nails instead. They were painted shiny red, the nails short. She wore a silver ring she'd bought in Covent Garden that had two semi-precious stones set in the middle.
He sighed. “Boredom and ennui are the true dangers for a vampire over 500 years old. What is left to live for when everyone we have loved is long dead? Relationships become repetitive and trite. We become exhausted. At my age, suicide is the most common form of demise.”
Oh. “Do you want to kill yourself?”
“Not just at the moment,” He said dryly. “I have goals, things to accomplish before I consider anything so permanent. I want change for my people. That is a goal worth living for.”
“Why wouldn't they just wait for you to kill yourself instead of challenging your directly?” Val asked, trying not to think of the ramifications of his dying, but keep the questions matter of fact.
“Either impatience or because those who would rule do not have the power to do so unless they steal it from me.”
“Vampires can steal power?”
He turned from the window, came back towards her and sat down in the chair opposite her. His hand covered his eyes for a moment as though he was tired. “Blood is power. My strength is contained in my being. I can will power into my blood and transfer it to those below me, if I choose. It means I can both feed and reward my people. It can also be a punishment. I can drain power from those below me if I feed from them.”
“Do you get extra powers, like turning into a bat, by being older?”
“Speed, strength all increase. Dematerializing is something that only comes with age. But most things are myth. Even capturing someone with a gaze is atypical. It is a neat trick, but very rare.
“But you