Page 14 of Snowed in with the Vampire Prince

“Right,” I replied, feeling a little dumb for asking. “I’m curious about the vampire sitting across from me. Sue me.”

“Sue me,” he repeated, shaking his head. Another smile darted across his lips, even though I couldn’t imagine why. But before I could ask him what was so funny, he added, “I’m curious about you, too. So, James, I have a proposition for you. Let’s play a little game.”

Chapter 7

Pierce

James stared back at me, suddenly looking a little suspicious. “What kind of game?”

I shrugged. “Let’s make the best of being trapped in here together. I’ll make you a deal—you can ask me anything at all that you want to know, and I’ll be one hundred percent honest. And in return, you’ll answer all my questions honestly as well.”

James stared at me, looking utterly mystified by my suggestion. “Why?”

“Why not? I don’t spend a lot of time with humans.” Actually, outside of work, I didn’t spend a lot of time with anyone, but he didn’t need to know that. I added, “And you’re interesting to me. Besides, since you won’t be sensible and get some sleep, this would be as good a way as any to pass the time.”

I’m reasonably sure that neither of us believed that. There were far better and more enticing ways to pass the time. But doing anything of the sort would have been dangerous for me. Because there was an inner strength to James that I found more and more beguiling with every passing moment. I could almost believe that he was a warlock and had bewitched me. I hadn’t wanted to know anyone else the way I wanted to know James for a very long time. Only Nathaniel, and he was my maker so he didn’t really count.

“And I’m supposed to—what—spill my guts with you?”

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s not like we’re ever going to see each other again after this. It will keep the night from growing dull. Besides, there are some things you can only tell a stranger.”

The moment I said those words aloud, I wished I could take them back. But it was true, wasn’t it? We were strangers. And we were going to go our separate ways. In a few short hours, we would be gone from each other’s lives.

“And you’ll agree to be fully honest and tell me anything I want to know about you?” James asked, obviously starting to warm up to the idea.

“Only if you’ll agree to do the same.”

“Deal,” James said, agreeing to my proposal way too fast. He gave me a wicked smile that would have made my heart pound if it could still beat. “Ask away. I’m an open book.”

“You like camping by yourself in the mountains?” I asked, wanting to get some of the easy truths about him under my belt first before I moved to harder topics.

“That’s a lame opening question.” He didn’t literally roll his eyes, but it was most definitely implied by his tone. Then he sighed and added, “I used to go camping with my dad all the time. It feels good to connect with those memories when I can. And I don't have anyone else willing to come with me, so yeah, I come alone.”

“You were close with your father?” I asked. I couldn’t quite keep the wistful note out of my voice, though I hoped James wouldn’t hear it.

“Yeah. He was my best friend,” he replied, frowning at whatever he saw on my face. “Um. So, were you and your father close?”

“No,” I replied, though I suddenly felt a lot more hesitant about this game we were playing. I added, “I never met him.”

“He left your mom?” James guessed, a spark of anger flashing in his eyes. A peculiar reaction for him to have on my behalf, I noted.

I didn’t want to tell him, but I had created the rules for this game, hoping to understand him better. If I stopped now, he wouldn’t tell me a thing about himself that was real, which seemed perfectly unacceptable for reasons I didn’t even want to consider. So, I forced the words out, one at a time, “I didn’t know either of them. I was raised in an orphanage.”

“I’m sorry,” James replied, the sympathy flashing in his golden-brown eyes, chasing away some of his obvious irritation with me. “Did they…”

Then he trailed off and winced like he was admonishing himself internally.

“I still don’t know why they abandoned me,” I said. I blinked a few times, rapid-fire. My eyes were stinging unexpectedly. I added, mortified to show weakness in front of him, “I apologize. I wasn’t expecting to talk about this.”

“What, you expected me to pepper you with questions about being a vampire?”

“You’re very intuitive for a human.”

“You’re very human for a vampire,” he replied in the exact same tone. “But we can talk about something else if you want.”

Here he was, trying to let me off the hook. He was trying to protect me again. What a strange human. If anything, it made me even more determined to know him. I had to know why.

“I told you I’d be honest with you about everything you asked of me. It wouldn’t be fair play for me to break my own rules right out of the gate.” But I paused. Because I don’t talk about this, not ever. I hadn’t even spoken about it with Nathaniel. But that was entirely different because Nathaniel was my maker and would be for an eternity, and this young man was a stranger to me.

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