Page 15 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

My apple.

The one used in the Garden.

The same one used in…

“Well, shit,” Tarek says out of nowhere. “Please, don’t tell me that’s the relic from the Garden of Eden, which means it’s the same one from the Trojan War.”

“Shit,” I repeat.

“An apple a day.” Danu winks and waves the fruit in front of me. “I’m sure by sucking him dry, you’ll regain all your fun little goddess powers.” She presses a finger to my forehead and then flicks it against my skin. “But you won’t have enough time to enjoy them. You caused the Fall. You caused a war. You will always be Discord, and I will always be the one to keep you under control. We all have our curses. And you, Eris, embodiment of Lilith, are mine.”

Chapter Seven

Cassius

Greece 79 A.D.

I followed her scent. If things got out of hand, I would stop her at all costs. She’d promised.

She’d lied.

Again.

I wanted to turn a blind eye, mainly because the world didn’t feel as dark or desperate when Eva was near.

The way she laughed and smiled throughout her immortal life was a thing of beauty, and I hated being the one responsible for dampening that light.

“Shh, I’ll return one day,” she whispered to the little child. His face was wet with tears. “Just be good for your mama, all right?”

He wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, then kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

The air filled with sadness; became drenched with such a hollow emptiness that I sucked in a breath.

Vampires weren’t supposed to be so emotional.

Leave it to a child to bring out the worst of the human weaknesses in all of us. God forbid I ever felt such a thing.

“I love you, too, John.” He was one of the children she’d saved. He kept to himself. I don’t believe he survived—not many did.

Eva set the boy on his feet. He reached up and captured one of her dark curls between his fingers, then he dropped it, turned on his heel, and walked off.

“He’s precious,” she said aloud, already sensing my presence. “It was his birthday. I couldn’t allow him to think I didn’t care anymore.”

I crossed my arms. “Eva, there will always be something. A birthday, a holiday… You must leave him for good.”

“I want children.” Eva hung her head as I approached her from behind. “I’ve always wanted children.”

I could taste her desperation in the air as tension swirled between us. I’d known for a while that Eva felt strongly for me—the way I felt for her.

But a union between a Dark One and a vampire would do nothing but present us with hurt feelings when a bond failed to form. We could not mate with each other.

And children were impossible.

“I can’t give you that,” I whispered, setting my hand on her shoulder. She gripped my fingertips, and I shuddered from her warm touch.

Eva turned, her green eyes beautiful as they gazed up into my cold depths. “We could adopt.”

I smiled at that. “Humans adopt. And you and I…will never be.”

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