Blood and Kisses - By Karin Shah Page 0,45

raised an eyebrow. “This has to be it.” A ribbon of hair fell forward, obscuring the page. Thalia tucked it behind her ear. “The notes say this prophecy came to my mother the night before my father died. She says, at first she thought that she was the marked one in the prophecy, but that now she believes I’m the marked one. That I’m the one who dies.”

The stark fear on Thalia’s face ate at his heart. Against his will, his hand came up and covered hers. “Prophecies don’t always come true.”

“Maybe not, but a lot of people are already dead because of this thing. What I don’t understand is why my mother didn’t tell me about the prophecy before she died. Why keep this from me?” She switched gears, uneasy with the intimacy of the conversation. “You could be both the ‘ancient dead but living’ and ‘the one who rose long ago from the grave.’”

“Or only one.”

“The other could be the rogue.”

“Or someone else entirely.” A face flashed into Gideon’s mind’s eye. Rounded cheekbones, accentuated by a straight nose and firm chin, night dark eyes and perfect skin, a stunning beauty by any standards. Was it possible the woman who had turned him was the being mentioned in the first part of the prophecy?

“God, this is frustrating. I hate prophecies.” Thalia had gone back to examining the notes around the prophecy, using one crescent-shaped nail to trace her mother’s words.

His hand fisted at his side. He’d already endangered her through his own loss of control. Now, this. “I think I know who the first vampire might be.”

Thalia’s head came up. “Who?”

He shook his head. He knew he should tell her everything, but could he take the chance she might run from him? Could he take the chance she might try and fight the rogue alone? She seemed to have forgiven him for trying to kill her, but he had no idea how she would react if she knew what he really was.

“Who?” Her voice was urgent and laced with magic. The corner of his mouth rose into a lopsided grin. It seemed she’d regained her full strength. He couldn’t lie to her, she’d see right through him. Perhaps part of the truth?

“I think it’s likely I am the second vampire in the prophecy, so it’s safe to assume that the first vampire is somehow connected to me, but the only other vampire I’ve ever been close to is dead. That leaves the vampire who turned me.”

Thalia nodded. “Seems logical. What was his name?”

“Her.”

Thalia froze for a second and then nodded. “Go on.”

That was the last thing he wanted to do. He rubbed a hand over his tense face. “Her name was Inanna.”

His face was as hard as marble and just as stiff. Thalia could tell the last thing he wanted to was share, and for some reason she was reluctant to push him.

Maybe because you’re afraid of what you might hear? She tried to smile, but her tight muscles twisted her lips into what probably looked like a smirk. “The rogue could be the vampire in the prophecy, but he or she doesn’t need to be linked to you. It’s possible whoever-it-is is merely following the prophecy.”

Gideon’s dark, level gaze told her he thought she was off-base, but he only stood and grabbed her plate, taking it over to the sink, his broad back a wall between them.

Thalia yearned to go to him, but his posture screamed keep out. She sighed and then got to her feet so quickly her chair squeaked, the noise grating on her sensitive nerves. She winced. “I think we need to split up, for a while. I’ll go talk to Mina. Here’s the address of the house Spirit led me to earlier.” Thalia pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of her white shorts, intending to toss it on the cherry wood table. Gideon turned around. Before she could let the paper fall, he was there, his large hand on her slim wrist, pulling her against his chest. “I destroyed your trust this afternoon, but the reason we’re working together still stands.”

Thalia could feel his heart pumping his stolen blood. His voice vibrated inside her chest. She met his gaze. His handsome face was pale, his eyes burning. She placed her free hand on his chest. “Gideon, what happened earlier,”—she shook her head, searching for the proper words—“your body was starving. You didn’t hurt me.”

Gideon closed his eyes and dropped her wrist. “I