“Well, you learn from him what you can and I'll keep praying for your soul. You call me and let me know how you are doing, okay?”

“Yes, Grandmama. I promise. Te amo.”

“Te amo, Amal,” her grandmother said, then hung up.

Amaliya clicked the button on the cellphone. “How many ways am I fucked?”

He laughed slightly and shook his head. “I'm not sure yet. I should kill you.”

“Didn't we already do this last night?” She rolled her eyes and slung her bare feet up onto the railing.

“True.” He rubbed the top of his head with one hand as if he could shake his brain into functioning. He needed to feed. “You're not supposed to let people know what you are.”

“Sam knows what you are,” she immediately pointed out. “So does the creepy Renfield guy.”

“Point,” Cian said with a little bit of a frown. “True.”

“Look, no one gave me a freaking instruction manual, as I keep telling you. Grandmama figured out I was dead and tested me by trying to feed me. When I couldn't even swallow a bean, she figured it out pretty damn quick. She wanted me to go into the light!” Amaliya stubbed out the rest of the cigarette and folded her arms under her breasts. She looked upset. “So, yeah. My grandmother knows.”

Cian gripped the cold metal of the armrest of the chair she was lounging in and said, “You're going to effectively fuck up my life, aren't you?”

“Look, you kidnapped me. You got me to drink your blood. You're screwing up your own life. If you don't want to teach me, then give me one of your books that tells me what to do and I'm outta here.” Amaliya looked at him angrily. “I have no issue bailing from a bad situation.”

“No,” Cian said in a terse voice. “No. I'll teach you so that you have a shot of surviving.”

Amaliya settled back into her chair, her body relaxing, and he realized she had been fully ready to jump up and walk out. He was not ready for her to do that yet.

“Get dressed. We're going out. You're going to feed.”

“What about you?”

“I live in this building for a reason. I own it. I can enter any apartment in this building and feed.”

Amaliya laughed. “You live in your own barn.”

“Something like that. I'll go feed and you get ready.” He stood up and moved to the door.

“So, we can't go where we are not invited, huh? That explains a lot. My Dad told me to get out and it was like I was shoved out by an invisible force. I couldn't go into my grandmother's house until she asked me in. So it's another stupid vampire myth that is true, huh?”

He could see the pain in her expression as her words poured out of her and he wanted to reach out and comfort her. But he refrained. He knew Samantha was watching them and he didn't want to upset her more than she already was. “Yes, that is true. But we can pass over water,” he said, and pointed toward Town Lake. “It's just that vampire boundaries are often cut up by waterways back in Europe.”

“I guess that makes sense,”

“Which is amazing when not much in this world does make sense.”

“Like you and the Barbie?”

Cian stared at her and fought back his anger. She was trying to bait him.

“She's cute,” Amaliya decided. “Kinda perky cute.”

Cian stared through the glass in the door at his obviously-pissed fiancée. Samantha and Roberto were giving each other the cold shoulder as Samantha fussed with a bouquet of flowers on the dining room table.

“Thanks,” Cian said finally, and went inside.

“Good evening, sir,” Roberto said from the kitchen. He was busy preparing a gourmet meal for himself and looked a little too smug.

“Roberto,” Cian said with a slight warning in his voice. “Is all well in our world?”

“Yes, sir.” Roberto responded, meaning there were no major troubles with any of the businesses. “How is our little one?”

“Annoying,” Cian answered.

This brought a smile to Samantha's face and she turned toward him, showing off her handiwork with the flowers. “What do you think?”

“Lovely. Like you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smelled too good to him and he knew he needed to feed very soon. His teeth were pulsing.

“I thought we could have a night in together.” She threw a dark look Roberto's way.

“I can't. I'm taking Amaliya out to hunt.” He touched one of the flowers lightly. The petal began to wilt and he immediately withdrew his hand.

Annoyed, Samantha plucked the petal off and threw it into a paper bag with the rest of the stems and leaves she had trimmed off. “Well, how long is this going to last?”

“Two nights and then she'll be on her own,” Cian said firmly.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“I don't like her.”

“I noticed.”

“You seem different with her here. Less like yourself. I can see it. I even felt it all day today. The sooner she is gone the better it will be,” Samantha said with great conviction.

Cian knew she was right. Amaliya was having an effect on him. Samantha's cheerfulness earlier and her desire to please him with the flowers were annoying him more than amusing him. Usually he loved to hear her chatter on and loved spending time with her. But ever since he had seen her tonight, he had been irritated with her presence.

Impulsively, he hugged her tight and tried to pull that wonderful human part of him out of the depths of his psyche. The part of him she made strong.

With a beautiful, wide smile, she held him close and kissed his cheek. “I love you, sweetie,” she whispered.

“I love you.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “But now I need to feed.”

“Roberto says he's going to fix me dinner, so I'll be here when you get back,” Samantha said with a big grin.

Cian smiled at her lightly and rubbed her cheek, then slipped away from her. When he turned away, his expression grew grim as he realized how disconnected he was beginning to feel.

The faster he got Amaliya out of his life, the better.

Chapter Fourteen

Amaliya was standing with one hip cocked to one side and staring out the window when Cian literally just appeared beside her. She gave a start and blinked at him. “Wow.”

He shrugged, looking a little satisfied with himself for startling her. He was dressed in black jeans, big black lace up boots, a shirt that looked like a funked up version of a black cowboy shirt, and a battered black straw cowboy hat. His slightly longer hair and scruffy jawline gave him a totally different look. He looked like he fit into her world a little bit better.

Dressed in tight black jeans, her Bettie Page heels, and a tank top with a sexy devil woman on it, she felt at ease. Her tattoos were visible and her black hair hung around her shoulders, silky smooth and shiny.

“Nice,” she said finally. She returned to looking out the window and pondering her lack of reflection.

Roberto and Samantha were talking softly in the kitchen as they ate the meal Roberto had prepared. Amaliya had deliberately avoided them.

He shrugged slightly. “I like switching up my look.”

“Part of living so long?”

“Yep. Tonight, you will learn how to feed off of several different people, but not take too much. You need to learn not to kill-”

She started to open her mouth to protest.

“-or drink so much they end up hospitalized.”

She shut her mouth and gave him an annoyed look.

“The trick of surviving is not to be discovered.” His smile grew condescending. “You know, having your entire family know what you are. That sort of thing.”

“Only my grandmother and-” She stopped herself.

He shook his head and took her arm. “C'mon. Let's get this over with before you put out a press release that you're here.”

“Shut up,” she said, and pulled her arm away.

“We'll be back,” Cian called out as they headed into the hall.

The patter of tiny flip flopped feet let her know that Samantha was coming. Crossing her arms over her breasts, she looked annoyed as Samantha flung herself onto Cian and kissed him. She wasn't jealous of Samantha, but she was the sort of girl who had always looked upon Amaliya as something odd to be avoided. It was obvious that Samantha felt threatened by her. Amaliya was determined to ignore and forget what had happened between her and Cian. It had to be a weird vampire thing. He was not her type. He was short. And he looked too normal.

She had woken up determined to learn what she could from him and then go off and find her own hot Rob Zombie lookalike. Or a young Ozzy Osbourne clone. That would be nice. Or maybe both.

“Let's go,” Cian said, taking her arm again and opening the door for her.

They entered a small foyer that had two sets of elevator doors. A long window showed a great view of South Austin and she looked at the reflection of the empty hallway with remorse. She hated not knowing what she looked like. She wondered if her makeup looked okay.