A soft smile came over Adrian’s face as he looked at the woman in the picture. Her dark, wavy hair blew in the breeze as she stood on a sailboat on the brightest blue water I’d ever seen, against the backdrop of a white city.
“That’s Greece,” he explained. “She was going to become a biochemical engineer, according to her college transcripts. She was only twenty when I was born.” The smile on his face faded. Twenty when he was born—twenty when she died.
“From the information we’ve gathered about these women,” Dominic continued, “they were all noted in their communities as individuals of great intellect, skill, and drive. Women that most likely would have become religious martyrs, political revolutionaries, scientists, and mathematicians. And you can see for yourself their beauty.” He leaned back and swirled the wine in his glass as though this were all regular dinner conversation. “Genetics appear to be an important factor. One theory is that demons choose handsome, intelligent women in order to produce similarly handsome and intelligent children.”
I didn’t mean to, but I laughed. They looked at me sharply, and I felt bad for breaking the moment.
“If that’s the case, you’ve got the wrong girl,” I explained.
Mariana frowned at me, clearly disliking that I’d interrupted her husband. “And why is that?”
I blushed. “Look, I’m—I’m okay to look at, but I sure as shit don’t look anything like her,” I said, pointing at the picture of Adrian’s mother. “Pardon my French,” I added, in his direction. “I also happen to be failing every class but art. I mean, I’m decently smart, I could be getting As if I wanted, but I don’t really care about school. I’m not a savant. I’m not different. I know how to sew better than anyone I know, but if the formula for whipping up vampire babies is an unfair amount of beauty and an absurd amount of intelligence, I doubt I’m a candidate.”
“I am fascinated that you are so glib with your own life,” Mariana said, covering my interruption. “But we are not. Something will happen concerning you. Please do not disillusion yourself on this matter.”
I bristled, but bit my tongue. She folded her hands in her lap, posture perfect, movements careful and measured, more like a marionette than a human being.
“Since Adrian is the closest to you in age,” she continued, “and has a plausible excuse to be near you, the Council has assigned him as your primary guardian until the danger has passed. We will all, of course, be responsible for your safety, but any questions you have may be addressed to him. Please understand that, for the sake of your well-being, there may be subjects Adrian will not be permitted to discuss. If you try to acquire these answers in some other fashion, there will be consequences.”
She paused to take a sip of wine, eyeing me over the rim of her glass. I kept expecting Adrian to pipe up with some funny, tension-relieving vampire trivia—but he didn’t. Finally, she set the glass down on the table and settled back into her spot on the couch, never breaking eye contact with me.
“I must stress,” she began again, “that while your relationship with my younger brother must be convincing, it cannot be authentic. Our law forbids relationships—of any kind—between our race and yours. When the danger has passed, you and Adrian will”—she paused, looking at him—“how do they say it now? ‘Break up’? Publicly, of course. After which, you may return to your accustomed life—and we to ours.”
If the silence had been awkward before, it was ten times that now.
“Sure,” I said, the information stuttering through my brain. And then I blurted out, “Does he have a name? Your father?”
Mariana’s eyes narrowed marginally. “He does.”
But she didn’t elaborate—and neither did Adrian or Dominic. I’d definitely trespassed into restricted territory.
Mariana was a tiny woman, smaller than me, but I felt like she could burn me with her eyes from across the room, like an evil, petite Superman. Maybe she could.
The thought was not comforting.
“All right, so, you’ll just—keep me updated, on stuff?” I asked, eyes flickering back and forth between Dominic and Mariana.
They nodded in unison, which was just about the creepiest thing I’d ever seen.
“Okay then,” Adrian said, standing, “now that we’ve unnecessarily terrified Caitlin, I’m going to take her home.”
“It was very nice to meet you, Caitlin,” Mariana said with a smile that I’m not certain had ever reached her eyes.
I nodded awkwardly at them, mostly because I couldn’t bring myself to return the sentiment. I turned to where Lucian had been sitting to say good-bye, but he was gone. Adrian led me off through the library again, back through the elegant maze that was his house. We reached the front door and he helped me into my coat.
“That went all right,” he said finally.