“It’s the only way to get there,” he said.
I followed his gaze. Up ahead, light poured into the cave, filling a narrow crevice. I walked toward it, occasionally having to turn my body sideways to fit through the tight gap between the rock walls. I stepped out of the cave and into the light.
At first, I couldn’t tell where I was as the sun was directly above me, but when my eyes adjusted, I discovered we were surrounded by rock again, almost as if we were in a wide lava tube, but with the top open. Grass covered the floor, and the same brilliant flowers that were by the river grew in colorful patches. Occasionally, the wall jutted out, giving enough room for more flowers and grass to grow.
“How far down are we?” I wondered aloud.
Boaz took no more than ten steps to the other side to sit in a small sliver of shade. “At least twenty meters,” he said and removed his jacket. A tattoo of a snake curled around his forearm.
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
“I accidentally fell in.”
“You fell? How did you survive?”
Boaz looked at me, raising one eyebrow.
“Right. Vampire. Sorry. It’s easy to forget when I’m with you. Why is that?”
“I want you to think of me as a man.”
“But I want to know the real you.”
He leaned against the rock wall and lowered into a sitting position. “What exactly would you like to know?”
I sat down opposite of him, remaining in the light. “First, where do you get your blood?”
“I take it from willing participants.”
“Willing?”
“Willing enough. What else?”
I hesitated briefly, wondering if I should press the issue but thought better of it. No matter how Boaz explained it, I would never understand how someone could willingly give blood to a vampire. Instead, I asked another question. “How often do you eat?”
“As often as I’d like, but I could go months without eating if necessary.”
“When do you sleep?”
“For the most part, my body no longer requires sleep. It did in the beginning, but for the last several hundred years, I’ve been able to go without it. Anything else?”
“Yes.” I chose my next words carefully. “What do you want with me?”
Boaz tilted his head. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Enlighten me.”
“We belong together.”
This was not the response I’d been expecting, and I grimaced. I thought only my parents wanted us paired together, and Boaz merely wanted to use me for…what? A temporary girlfriend? Clearly I hadn’t thought through his motives, but I would never have expected anything long term.
“Tell me you don’t feel it, love,” he said. “We were meant for each other. The power between us will not be denied.”
“I don’t deny there’s something between us, but that doesn’t make it right.”
“I’m not talking about right and wrong,” Boaz said coolly. “I’m talking about power.”
“Well, I’m talking about right and wrong. And it’s wrong.”
“Because I am a vampire?”
“Partly, but mostly because you’re evil.”
He scoffed. “Evil is an opinion. Have I done anything to make you think I’m this way?”
“You kissed me without permission.”
“Out of necessity to save your life. What else makes us wrong together?”
“Well, there’s the fact that you are a vampire, and I am human,” I said, not really answering his question.
“That can be fixed.”
“For you or for me?”
“For you, of course.”
“I have no desire to become a vampire.”
“Yet,” he added.
“Ever.”
Boaz smiled. “How about you just agree to let me show you the world and all it has to offer you. Your parents neglected this great teaching, and maybe if you understand how the world really works, you might come to appreciate the power between us.”
“And what would all this involve?” I asked, unable to deny him just yet. He had piqued my curiosity.
“It would involve adventures, traveling to other countries, socializing with humans of all cultures, and learning to do things you never thought possible.”
I held back a smile. I had never traveled anywhere in my whole life, had never done anything but attend political parties held at our home. All the pictures I’d seen on television and on the Internet. All the people. It would be years, if not decades, before I could afford to do this on my own.
“For how long?” I asked.
“For as long as you want.”
I inhaled deeply. “What if I only want to be gone for a week?”
“Then we will have as much fun as possible during that time, and then I will take you to wherever you want to go. I’ll even loan you money for your first apartment. Or I can get you a job through one of my many connections. Whatever you want.”
“I don’t want a relationship with you,” I said. “Friendship only.”
His lips tightened and then relaxed. “Like I said, whatever you want. Do we have an agreement?”
“Fine, but only because I have nothing better to do.” I grinned.