One Immortal - Tia Louise Page 0,75
fucking way! I’m not killing you. God… No. We’re not fucking going there.”
“It’s the only solution.” My chest is heavy as I look down. “You know I’m right, and if you don’t know it now, you will.”
“Time out. You’re the one always saying how we don’t kill for sport. If we only kill for justice, what have you done to deserve death?”
He’s got me there. I don’t have an answer, and for a moment the only sound is the roar of rain on metal roof.
“Nothing yet, but I will. This nature is too powerful for me. I’ll fight it as long as I can, but ultimately, it will destroy me.”
He nods. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You and I both know what’s coming.”
Shifting on the stage floor, he sits forward. “I’m not ready to give up on you. Let’s go through that knowledge base of yours and see what we can find.”
“It’s no use. I’ve never found a vampire that doesn’t kill.” Resting my head against the wall again, I see the path before me. “I will never be like him.”
Stuart doesn’t answer right away. He looks at his fist a moment before cutting his eyes to mine. “You’re right. You will never be like him. You’re not like him. He wanted power. He craved the forbidden fruit. You were forced.” Anger simmers in his tone. “You’re going to stay close to Patrick and me.”
“And when it’s time for me to feed?”
We’re both stumped by that reality. I can’t control the blood lust, and when it takes over, I won’t be myself, no matter what my motivations are.
“I only act on instinct around your kind.” He turns up his forearm. “Still, I won’t let my brother go down alone. We took an oath.”
“I release you from the oath.”
“You don’t have the authority to do that.” He’s quiet again. “Patrick and I will protect you—from yourself and others. You study your records. Find another way.”
“It’s impossible. The blood lust is too powerful.”
Pushing off the floor, he stands. “Then you’ll be the dark knight, preying on the worst criminals. The child molesters.”
Right. Shaking my head, I exhale a defeated laugh. “Now I’m the scales of justice? I get to decide which criminals can’t be saved?”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. We’ve both done this long enough to know who can’t be saved. Your buddy Sloan, for starters.”
He’s right. Even if Sloan weren’t a vampire, chances are good I’d have killed him for what he did to Alison, what he did to Melissa. Although, if he weren’t a vamp, would he have done those things?
It’s too many questions. I’m overwhelmed by all of it. Squinting my eyes, I press my fingers against my lids. “I need time to think about all of this.”
He looks down, and for several moments we don’t say anything. It’s like the days when we were in the desert together, overnight watch, and after several moments our breathing is in time. The rain has slacked off. It’s now a peaceful hiss that will soon be gone.
Stuart shatters that peace. “She wants to see you.”
My brow lowers. “No.”
“Patrick’s already told her he’ll bring her here.”
“What the fuck?” Anger clenches my chest. “He had no right—”
“Look, she went to him in tears.” He pauses to clear his throat. “You know Patrick can’t handle that. She knows what happened. She blames herself.”
Those words have me on my feet. The image of Melissa crying rips me in two. I want to hold her, comfort her. I want to make love to her so badly my insides ache.
“As if she forced my mouth to his neck.” I pace the large stage. “As if she told me I had to go after him. She’s only ever said the opposite. I vowed to save her.” Pausing in my walk, I look at my hands. “It’s the only thing in this whole fucking mess I’m proud of. She’s free.”
“You’re a fool if you think that.” My eyes snap to his, and he continues. “She’s as tied to you as you are to her. We have to find another way if only for that. You’ll never be free of her.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I exhale a bitter laugh. “I never took you for a romantic.”
“I’m not blind.”
He waits while I process this new information. Melissa. Every fiber of my being longs for her. My need to hold her is stronger than the blood lust—at least for now. I can’t be sure of anything at this point.
“I need to control it,” I say.