“I always do.”
I looked back as we walked away. “What about Ivory and Lauren?” My voice shook uncontrollably, and I realized how much my body was shaking. I felt cold and sick, as though I would never sleep again.
“Adonis can erase and change human memories. We’ll circle back and meet them at the car. Lauren’s memory of tonight’s events will not be the same. You’ll have to convince her to go to the diner instead of the cemetery.”
“But Ivory—”
“Adonis knows her. She’ll help.”
We walked in silence. Maybe if I waited long enough, my heart would slow and breathing would come easier. When no peace came, I turned to Charles.
“What were you doing here? Why didn’t Adonis want to erase my memory?”
He stopped walking. “We need to talk.”
“That thing…Thalia…knew you.”
“I stayed with them for a while,” he said, dropping his voice so low I barely heard. Even the Cruor, with their enhanced senses, wouldn’t be able to hear him now—not at this ever-growing distance Charles had placed between us and them. “I used to hunt with them.”
“Stayed with them?” I rubbed my palms against my thighs, wiping the cold sweat on my jeans. “Why would you do that?”
He stuck his hands deep in his pockets and his shoulders hunched forward. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“Such as…?” My heart sank, dreading the untold news.
“There’s more you need to know, things I hoped I wouldn’t have to tell you.”
I nodded for him to continue.
“Some of the Strigoi hunters didn’t only hunt the inhumane Cruor. They turned dark, hunting all Earth elementals, good and bad alike. The Universe tried dealing with this by creating air elementals—the Ankou.”
“There are others?” I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. Of course there were others. “I’m not sure I want to know any more.”
“You need to hear the rest to understand what I need to tell you.”
“Those were Earth elementals.”
Charles gently squeezed my hand, regret etching into the lines around his eyes. “The Ankou were sent as grim reapers of the evil Strigoi and also to collect the spirits of elemental who have met a final death. With their magic, however, came the ability for elementals to crossbreed. The blending of bloodlines caused discoveries to increase. Humans attacked the elementals out of fear. Many innocents died.
“As a result, the Maltorim banned the mixing of bloodlines to protect the elemental species as a whole, as well as many innocent humans. The Ankou were enslaved to perform purifying procedures, using their gift of advanced supernatural medicine to get rid of one or other of the bloodlines in each dual-breed. But the results were unreliable, and so the Maltorim decreed death to all of the dual-natured.”
“I still don’t see what that has to do with the Cruor back there or how you know them.”
“The Maltorim will kill all dual breeds and anyone who associates with them.” Charles gave me a long look. “To answer your question, Sophia, Adonis doesn’t want to erase your memories because he believes I will.”
“You? But—”
“Those Cruor…they think I’m a pure Cruor, too. If Thalia learns any different, she’ll have me and my family killed.”
I shook my head. “They can’t do that.”
“They can, Sophia. They do so all the time.”
“How do you pretend to be Cruor? Can’t they tell? I don’t understand.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Please don’t tell me—”
“I didn’t choose this.”
Shit. Charles was dual-natured? “But I’ve seen you, every day. I mean every day…in the sun.”
“Being Strigoi—being born instead of turned—changes things. I shift slower, but can tolerate sunlight. I’m not as strong as the Cruor, but I’m faster.”
“But the daffodil oil. You never had a problem coming into my house.”
“This is the very reason the Maltorim sees dual-breeds as a threat to the supernatural race. Despite our strengths being less potent, so are our weaknesses less severe. Our tolerances to such things—sunlight, silver, daffodil oil—are remarkable. It’s a bit draining and makes us feel…off…but we can still function.”
“Does Adrian know?” I asked quietly.
Charles’ Adam’s Apple bobbed. “Ivory and Adrian are the only ones who know I’m dual-natured. And obviously my parents. Now you, too.”
“You should have told me.”
He swept a lock of hair from my face, his hand warm against my chilled skin. “I didn’t want to scare you. Or put you in any further danger.”