Love Me to Death (Underveil, #1)(94)
No shit, Nikolai agreed. And as for that burning at the stake bit. No f*cking way was that going to happen. Fate was a bitch, but even she wouldn’t deal the world that bad a hand. She had to leave someone standing to screw over.
The vampire looked like a completely different person when he unlocked Elena’s door and gestured for her to follow him. Dressed all in black, he could have been a model or movie star playing the part of a special ops soldier, complete with weapons strapped to his chest, waist, and legs. His state of combat readiness should have been frightening, but it was anything but.
“Hum, Elena Arcos,” he warned as she followed him down the hallway. “Your thoughts, though flattering, are not helpful to anyone.”
“Finding you attractive doesn’t mean I want you.” She loved Nik, pure and simple. No one would ever appeal to her the way he did. “Looking and doing are two different activities.”
“Thank you for your insight.”
Jackass.
“Much better.”
She was seated at a long table to his right, and gobs of fantastic food were placed in front of them. An empty plate sat across from her. “Where’s Claude?” She hoped he hadn’t been hurt when the vamps went nuts.
“He will be here shortly.” He took a bite of fish from his plate and closed his eyes, savoring it.
“I thought vampires didn’t eat.”
“You thought wrong. We don’t have to eat. We like it, though.”
She placed her napkin in her lap. “Sun allergy?”
“Partially true. The younger the vampire, the more sun sensitive. We never fully overcome it, though, and can be in direct sunlight only for very brief periods. Our skin burns off easily. It won’t kill us, but it hurts like hell and takes a long time to grow back. Bright light also hurts our eyes.”
She looked around the room, and there were only two people. A man and a woman, and both appeared nervous.
“They are. It was a bad day here. I lost all but three pupils. Fortunately, none of the shifters had been killed when I arrived to put an end to it. I released all but these two and the cook for some time off.”
All because she had defied his orders and had lost her cool. Her stomach dropped to her feet. If only she could go back in time like Stefan and fix it.
“Your remorse is unwarranted. You know Stefan Darvaak?”
“Yes.”
His only reaction was to stare at her face for a moment, and then he went back to eating. “Friends in high places. Just like your father. That’s a good instinct.”
Yeah, only it hadn’t been her instinct. Nik had introduced them. Her whole body ached just thinking about what he was going through. She had to get him out of that cell.
“I know.”
She fiddled with the napkin in her lap. “I really hate that you can read my mind.”
“Then keep me out.”
She hummed an indistinct tune in her head, and he nodded. “You are still angry over what you perceive to be injustices distinct to our world under the Veil.”
“Real, not perceived.” She picked up her fork.
“Human reality.”
“My reality.”
“Fair enough. Were we at liberty to spend time exploring this, I would act as the Ghost of Christmas Past in that Dickens story and show you how wrong you are.”
She rolled her eyes, still humming, which was good because she was calling him names inside her head she wasn’t even aware she knew.
“I could hear your tirade from the forest. You are upset at the death of the shifter pup.” He cut off another bite of fish, his manners impeccable. “The killing of children is not unique to the Underveil. Human children are killed in wars all over the world and in gang battles in your own city.”
He was right there. Teens were caught in gang crossfire and the victims of horrible murders. She’d seen it on television way too often.
He took a sip of wine, never taking his eyes off her. “The loss of young life is tragic, despite species. Which is the real issue here: species. Humans have only one. We have many. Do you think your world would deal with this kind of diversity better? Is everyone in your society slated to be CEO, president, commander, or king, or do they need a skill set, education, connections, or a birthright, just as we do?”
Again. He had a point. She turned her attention to her food.
“We have shifters in our leadership and all jobs in the Underveil, though most pursue careers that best suit their skills or animal nature, sticking with their flock, pack, or herd by choice. They are not oppressed or excluded, unlike in your world where females of your species were not even allowed to vote until the current century. Recall how hard it is, even in your own country in modern times, for different races to accept one another. And that is only skin color or mild differences in features within a single species. Imagine how hard it is to integrate different species. We’ve done well.” He set his wineglass down. “Adjust your thinking, Elena Arcos.”
The delicious fish turned to tasteless mush in her mouth.
“As for the brutality that occurred here today. Empath vampires are dangerous, not only to the Underveil, but to humans in particular. They react off emotions rather than logic. This castle functions like a prison psychiatric unit in the human world. They are kept away from civilization and receive treatment in the hopes they can go out in the world and live normal, productive lives. Those who can’t are destroyed in order to save the innocent. You did not cause their destruction, Elena. They met the end they were destined for. It just wasn’t on today’s schedule, and it put the shifters at unnecessary risk. It turned out fine. Lesson learned.”