Page 18 of Blood Secret

She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “Why? Why would she be that insane? I mean, did she tell you? Did my father piss somebody off? Are there hitmen after me?”

“Did the girl in the alley strike you as such?”

“No, but she didn’t strike me as a threat, either.”

“Be honest with yourself. Really think about it. Remember how you felt. The things she was saying to you. Did it seem like she was putting you in a trance? Saying things that sounded true, even if they weren’t necessarily true? Things which make no sense now that you’re looking back at them?”

She gasped softly, and her eyes drifted to the wall over my shoulder. “Yeah. She did, now that you mention it.”

“Did you know her?”

She shook her head. “If I had, don’t you think I would’ve reacted differently when you tore her throat out?”

“There is no predicting what a person will do when they’re in shock.”

She nodded. “Yes, I can understand that. But I didn’t. I only noticed her tonight at the club. First time I’ve ever seen her.”

“And she noticed you.”

Her cheeks went pink. “Yes. She did.”

I could just imagine. She had set her sights on Janna and would’ve stopped at nothing to have her. A new conquest. Fresh blood. Maybe a new playmate, someone to help on the hunt or serve as a minion to repeatedly feed on.

“She was going to enslave you, or worse. She must have sensed what was special about you and took a chance in following you outside. You were worth it to her. Don’t you see? It was my job to keep her from doing what she planned.”

She hesitated like she was thinking it over—then, shook her head. It wasn’t going to be easy to get through to her. Stubborn little half-blood.

“No. I don’t believe you. There’s nothing special about me. I’m just me. You need to leave now.”

“That’s not possible. At least not until you know the truth of who you are. And who your mother is.”

“I know who she is.”

“You don’t. Your mother is a witch.” I paused to let it sink in before added, “That means you have witch’s blood in your veins. You don’t have powers, obviously, but the blood is still there. And it makes you a very unique creature in our world.”

Her forehead creased just slightly as she thought this over.

I waited, watching, anticipating her breakdown. Or her violent denial.

I didn’t predict her raucous laughter.

“What?” She threw her head back and laughed helplessly, filling the room with the sound of her disbelief. “Yeah. Okay.”

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to believe it.”

Though she wasn’t laughing at me, it wasn’t easy to hold onto my temper.

“It has nothing to do with want,” she gasped, wiping away her tears of mirth. “It’s impossible to believe.”

“There are many things you’ll need to believe before this is over,” I predicted as I took one, then another step toward her.

I’d show her something that would turn her into a believer.

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