A smile hovered on his lips, and he lowered his arm. “I can hardly disagree when the ladies are crying out for the Lord in my presence.”
I brushed an invisible piece of lint off his shirt. “You have to do whatever I say for the next seven days, and we start bright and early tomorrow morning. Be sure you get a good night’s sleep and eat your Wheaties. And why don’t you take a shower when you get home. You smell like bad sex.”
He took my hand and gently kissed my knuckles. “Have fun in your cardboard box this evening. I’ll be thinking of you while someone is savoring my hot dog with relish.”
Chapter 21
Early the next morning, I arrived at the mansion with my bag in hand. Viktor escorted me down to the gym and once again advised me against getting too comfortable. I wasn’t sure if he thought I was going to rope myself to a statue, but I knew where he was coming from.
I dropped my bag on the gym floor and glanced over at Niko, who was sitting Indian style in the center of the room. His hair was pulled back into a long, thin braid, and all he had on was a pair of black sweats.
“Come sit with me,” he said, his posture straight, his face serene. “And remove your shoes.”
After tossing my sneakers next to my bag and peeling off my socks, I crossed the room and sat down in front of him. I noticed a small hole in my charcoal leggings and wondered if it was possible for me to own an article of clothing that wasn’t stained or ripped.
He smiled. “You chose not to sit like me.”
“How did you know?” I glanced at my right leg extended out and the left tucked beneath me.
“I pay attention. There is no right or wrong in your actions; they only tell me things.”
“You should have seen my actions last night. A Mage was hitting on me until he got a good look at my fangs.”
Niko frowned. “His loss if he couldn’t see how beautiful your light is. You’re different than most, you know. I’m not sure if that’s because you’re a halfy or—”
“A halfy?” I leaned back on my left hand. “Did you just make that up?”
“Crossbreed sounds like an experiment.”
“How do you like Mampire? Or maybe a Vage?” I said with a snicker. “Crossbreed isn’t offensive; it’s what I am.”
He positioned his hands so that one was cupping the other, and I wondered if I’d interrupted his meditation. “Tell me why you embrace your Mage side more than the Vampire.”
I reached over my shoulder and scratched my back. “Um… I don’t know.”
“Yes you do.”
I waited for a beat before answering. “There’s not much to tell. My Vampire maker didn’t take me under his wing.”
There was more to the story than that. My maker deceived me—made me believe that I was special and he wanted a friend he could talk to as easily as he could with me. But he abandoned me when I needed him the most. I’d never talked about it with anyone, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready to. I had given up everything—the only life I’d known—and in the end, it was for nothing. Discarded, I ended up in the wrong hands, and that was the second half of my tragic tale.
“You feel betrayed,” he said. “Sorry, it’s in your color.”
“No offense, Niko, but I really don’t want this to become a therapy session. I’m taking advantage of an opportunity to improve my skills. Fighting, Mage gifts—all of it. I’ve never had anyone teach me the way they’re supposed to, so there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“Such as healing from sunlight. But that I can’t teach you without the sun.”
I grinned. “If you can’t see, why do you need sunlight to explain how the process works? Walk me through it as if we were sitting on the beach.”
“I’d rather do this together because if you inadvertently draw too much, I’ll be there to help. If you try it alone, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
I wrung my hands, crestfallen. If he didn’t at least explain the process, I might never find out how it’s done. “I’ve only got seven days. I don’t have time to wait for the weather to clear up.”
Niko inclined his head and then held out his hand, palm facing up. I placed my hand over his, watching apprehensively.
“Sunlight holds more power than anything you can imagine,” he began. “You can draw healing light from a Mage, and it requires concentration to filter it from regular light. But usually what happens is another Mage will be the one to offer it, so there is nothing you need to do on your part. See?”