At least he was being honest with her. And if she was being honest with herself, she had never, at any stage, truly feared him. Just the darkness within him, the darkness she now could name. A darkness he could never be free of.
He held out the glass again. Her hand shook as she brought it to her lips. The cool water did little to ease the fire in her throat.
"I would never hurt you, Nikki."
She met his dark gaze and tried to ignore the trembling deep in her soul. By not telling her the truth about himself, he'd only emphasized the fact that he didn't trust her. And that hurt more than anything Jasper could ever do to her.
Michael sat back on the chair, fingers entwined lightly in his lap. “There are things about me that you will never know. It's safer that way—for you, and for me. Just trust me, Nikki."
" Trust you? ” She couldn't help a slightly bitter laugh. “Dear God, Michael, I've trusted you more in the last few days than I've trusted anyone in my entire life!"
"And yet, deep down, you still fear me.” His gaze met hers, reached deep into her soul. “I have never lied to you, Nikki—"
"No.” Her voice was terse. “You just ask me to do what you cannot, or feed me half truths when it suits you."
He slapped his hands hard against the arms of the chair and thrust himself upright. “And would it have made any difference if I had?” he asked sharply. “Would the truth have stopped you from entering that tunnel after Monica?"
"No. But it sure as hell hurts that maniac has to tell me what you could not.” She watched him walk through the bedroom doorway into the small kitchen. “There's more you're not telling me, isn't there?
You're not in this alone, are you?'
He glanced around, one eyebrow raised. “No, I'm not. But they're not important, not at the moment." He lied, and it hurt. Why wouldn't he trust her? Did he fear Jasper's influence, or was there something more? “Yeah. Like you being a vampire wasn't important?"
"No, not like that.” He slammed a cupboard door closed. “Are you hungry?" Her stomach rolled at the thought of food. Considering how little she'd eaten during the last few days, she should have been famished. She wasn't. “As long as it's something easy."
"I have soup simmering."
She nodded and closed her eyes, suddenly confused. How much did her need to fight with Michael come from Jasper's games? Would she end up betraying Michael, no matter how hard she tried not to?