arm almost brushed my sleeve. Even though I couldn't feel his skin, my whole body began to tingle. His green gaze made me nervous, so I looked away as I inhaled the clean scent of nature and—sandalwood, myrrh, crushed minerals. I knew that particular smell wafted from him.
Thrain spoke first. "You never told us why you accepted this so easily. I mean, every other woman would have called us crazy and run for a mile."
I moistened my lips as I considered my words. How much could I tell him? He was a pretty face, all right, but a pretty face didn't exactly equal trustworthy. "Let's just say I've heard a few stories about this world."
"Fair enough. You don't know me. Why would you tell me anything?" He bobbed his head, but I could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"I'm ready to fulfill my life's purpose, Thrain," I whispered.
"Aren't you a bit too young to have figured out your life's purpose already?"
"You're never too young, only too blind to see it." I stared at my jeans and the soda stains now faded from all the washing. My gaze searched his. "What are you? I mean all of you. The blonde girl, Clare, she said she had to rest because the sun was rising soon. Amber and Aidan can move to places in the blink of an eye. And you—" I stopped to catch my breath, wondering why I was blurting out all those questions to this guy. He mustn't think me naïve. I had knowledge but just needed to cast the characters into the right play.
A soft breeze rustled the leaves in the trees. The woods stretched as far as the eye could see, beyond the tall fence hidden behind rosebushes, up to the mountains in the distance. The grass stirred softly beneath our feet. Thrain hesitated for a long moment, as if unsure whether to answer my unspoken question. Eventually, his gaze connected with mine. A deep furrow had formed between his brows, but even with this imperfection, he didn't look human. His skin was too evenly tanned and too smooth, the shape of his jaw too perfect. I smiled and rubbed a hand over the stains on my jeans. What was I doing here with this guy in a world I didn't belong? And yet a voice inside my head told me my old life was over. As if to give credence to my belief, a black crow swooned past our heads and perched down on a nearby tree. I glanced at the bird just to see whether it was the same one as before, then turned back to Thrain. The soft breeze blew a stray stand of hair into my face. He leaned in and flicked it behind my ear. His fingers felt soft where he touched my skin, leaving behind a tingling sensation. It was almost the same burn as before when I had lost any sense of reality, but not as strong and far more pleasant.
"Someone I know made a huge mistake of not telling someone she loved the truth about her," Thrain whispered. "I don't see a reason why there should be secrets between us. Do you?" I shook my head. He took a deep breath, then continued, "Clare, Aidan and Amber are vampires, though Aidan and Amber don't feed on blood. Cass is a fallen angel turned reaper due to a curse. And I was created in Hell as a high-ranked demon. My abilities involve tracking and shape shifting."
I gulped, considering his words. My gaze searched his eyes for an sign that he was lying. There was none. He seemed as earnest as one could be. Russian folklore is full of demons and shape shifters. They're usually said to lure one into anything from temptation to death, from signing away one's soul to sacrificing one's first born. Babushka had taught me to be the superstitious kind. However, she also taught me not to fear every creature of the night. Even if I wanted to be scared of him I knew I had no reason to be. He didn't mean me any harm.
"You seem pretty cool about it." Thrain raised his brows.
"Where I come from meeting a demon isn't the worst thing that could happen to you." I smiled. His brows furrowed. "I'm originally from Siberia. A majestic yet scary place." I gestured around me as though that might send the picture inside my mind straight into his brain so he'd know what I meant.