A World of New (A Shade of Vampire, #26)

“After you were introduced as my caregiver,” he clarified, “I didn’t think that you would remain with me all this time.”


I raised my brows. “Why would you presume that?”

He shrugged, wiping his face and looking away. “Well, you’re only seventeen, right?”

“Yes…”

“Is this really what seventeen-year-old girls want to do with their time?”

I paused, considering my response. I thought to reply that this was my work experience, but during the days we’d spent together, I had come to see this as a lot more than that. Plus, I didn’t want him to think that this was just an excuse for me to skip classes. Because it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. Heck, I’d become so invested in his wellbeing that I’d lost sleep on several nights.

“I can’t speak for others,” I said tersely. “But I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that I have been anything but bored since you arrived on the island.”

He fell silent, looking not quite satisfied with my answer.

“What about you?” I countered. “Aren’t you bored with me yet?”

His eyes shot up to meet mine. “You are joking, aren’t you?”

“No,” I replied, my face deadpan.

A smile curved his lips. He shook his head. “I imagine it would be quite hard to get bored with you.”

Now it was my turn to smile. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, you’re… an interesting person, Grace. Leaving aside the fact that you’re half fae, you’re full of stories. You have strong opinions about things. You’ve lived a colorful life.”

“Okay,” I said, my smile broadening. “I can take a compliment. I find you to be interesting, too.” Interesting enough for me to be a creeper and keep a constant diary about you. “And I’m sure that you’ll be even more interesting once we get back your memories.”

“Hm.” His smile faded. “If.”

“I prefer ‘once,’” I said.

His grin returned. “Okay, Grace. Once.”

His mood seemed significantly lighter as he continued washing himself. I wondered if even his stomach pains were subsiding, because he wasn’t wincing quite so much. Perhaps he was just distracted by our conversation.

“Why did you insist on doing this yourself today?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, I can’t fit my exercise in,” he replied, wiping his face with a washcloth. “The least I can do is try to shift my own weight… That, and I suppose… something of you has rubbed off on me.”

“What do you mean?”

He looked up. “I’m not sure if it’s been intentional on your part or not,” he replied, “but the message I’ve gleaned from you is to make the most of what I’ve got, while I’ve got it. When I feel beaten down, strive harder… or whatever.” He smirked self-deprecatingly. “Or maybe I’m just spewing crap.”

My eyes widened. It had not been a conscious decision on my part to try to impart any kind of message to Josh. But it was true that in setting up his gym and taking him there every day to work his upper body, I’d wanted him to make the best use of whatever he found himself with. Wasn’t that what we all ought to do in life, appreciate what we had and make the most of it, rather than hankering after what was out of reach? At least, that was what my parents had always told me.

“Well, that’s, uh… that’s good crap,” I said.

He chuckled. “It is.”

We both fell into silence for a while before he spoke again. “What do you plan to do with your life when you grow older?”

“Hm…” I fingered the edge of the tub. “More of the same, I suppose…” Not that there really was anything “of the same” here in The Shade. There was always something different or unexpected going on. “I’m a member of the island’s League and I intend to remain so for as long as I live… at least, that’s what I think.”

I wished that I could have returned his question and received his answer. Though if my speculation that he was once a hunter was correct, he would have already decided what he’d wanted to be.

Neither Shayla nor I had mentioned this to him yet—this wild guess. I didn’t see any reason not to mention it to him now.

“You know,” I began tentatively, “I have a theory about you.”

He laid down his sponge and cocked his head to one side. “What’s that?

“I have a feeling that you used to be a member of the IBSI.”

His brows practically touched his hairline. “Seriously? Why would you think that?”

I explained my reasoning, however shaky it might be. By the time I was done he didn’t have much to say to counter it.

“I suppose anything’s possible,” he said.

He fell silent for a while as he mulled over the idea.

Once it looked like he’d finished cleaning his body, I noticed that his hair looked a bit greasy. Although I was still hesitant to offer such personal help, I suggested casually, “Your hair looks like it might need a wash.”