Reborn Yesterday - Tessa Bailey Page 0,47
whip.
“Once again, a vampire’s hatred for your sire and his cut-throat policies puts you—and this time, her—in the crossfire,” Elias said finally. “How long are you going to pretend your connection to him is inconsequential?”
Jonas’s jaw popped in response. “There are far more vampires that support me than want me dead over some perceived connection to him that no longer exists.” He paused. “The threat has been handled. That’s what’s important now.” He frowned out the car window. “Clarence told me stories of Elders developing foresight. Seymour must have been one of them. How else would he have known about Ginny before I met her?”
The question lingered in the air, until Tucker smacked Elias in the shoulder. “Are we just going to pretend he doesn’t have dope-ass abilities now, or…” When he got no response from the passenger, he turned in his seat. “You just staked a billion-year-old vampire like you were spreading mayo on a slice of Wonder Bread. You don’t want to chat about it?”
“She was in danger,” Elias said. “His mat—”
“That’s impossible and you know it,” Jonas cut in, securing Ginny’s seatbelt like she was a three-year-old child. “Drive us to the funeral home.”
With a squeal of tires, Tucker accelerated the car and whipped onto the street, turning the stereo on and drumming the steering wheel along with the thumping bass. Jonas found the blindfold on the seat, but before he could tie it over Ginny’s eyes, she closed them and turned her face into his chest instead.
His arms came around her slowly, the pressure increasing until he was squeezing her tight.
“Someone tried to kill you, love. Because of who I am. Who I was. And yet you trust me, take risks for me…you cling to me anyway.” He mapped her forehead with kisses. “I should be shaking sense into you. Instead I want to kneel and thank fate.”
Ginny’s heart twisted so forcefully, she had to gasp for breath. “It sounds like you want to give me more time with you. And my memories.”
He shook his head at her ruefully. “The threat has been eliminated, love. My protection is no longer required,” he said unevenly, before casting a morose look out the window. “Besides, do you think we could ever fool ourselves into thinking any amount of time together is enough?”
No. Of course the answer to that question was a vehement no.
Shivers took her over. They’d reached the end of the road.
Tomorrow morning, when she woke up, she would no longer remember Jonas Cantrell or the last few days. The wildfire of feeling inside of her would be doused and there was an extremely good chance she’d never experience a fraction of it again.
Unless she could be very persuasive tonight.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ginny sat on the edge of her bed, watching Jonas pace.
If she squinted, she could envision him storming back and forth on a stone floor in front of a roaring castle fireplace, a robe billowing out behind him. Servants would hover in the shadows, awaiting orders.
Everything about him was so undeniably in charge and confident, even if now he appeared to be in mental turmoil, muttering to himself under his breath, as he’d been doing for the last fifteen minutes.
He’d brought her home intending to erase her memories, but so far he’d been unable to do it—and that gave her hope. I’m in the fight of my life. That’s how it felt. The battle to wake up tomorrow and still know what it was like to live with this depth of feeling for another person. How could she live without it?
Get him talking. Isn’t that what the experts suggested hostages do in a hostage situation? Establish a rapport. Personalize oneself for a better chance of survival. And that’s what she was fighting for, wasn’t it? Survival?
“So.” she licked her lips. “You’re as powerful now as the vampire who’s been leaving me in oceans and on highways. How do you do it? What does it feel like?”
He stopped pacing and looked down at his hands. “Normally, my eyesight can pick out the smallest things. Dust motes, an insect several yards away. But this…” He huffed a sound. “Tonight when you climbed out of the car, it was like my fear crystalized everything. I could see molecules in the air, pick them out and manipulate them. Objects were no longer objects. They were just masses of atoms to be broken apart or moved. It’s…hard to describe.”
“I’d say you did a pretty good job,” she said. Keep him talking. Cause