Page 30 of Shadows of Eternity

Silence stretched between them, as deep and wide as eternity.

“You don’t seem like a blood-thirsty killer,” she remarked after a long moment. “If you hadn’t told me what you are, I never would have guessed.”

He shrugged.

“How old were you when it happened?”

“Almost thirty.”

“How long have you been what you are?”

“A little more than three hundred years.”

Three. Hundred. Years. Merciful heavens. “I know you aren’t married now, but have youeverbeen married?”

“Once, centuries ago.”

The tone of his voice told her he didn’t want to talk about it. What had his wife been like, she wondered. Did they have children? But she couldn’t ask those questions. Instead, she asked, “Do you like being a vampire?”

“I don’t have any other choice.”

“Is there no cure?”

“No. Only death.”

Leia stared into the fireplace, her mind replaying everything he had told her. She knew it was true, yet it was difficult to comprehend. She knew that in the old days people had believed in witches and vampires and evil spirits. It was much easier to blame the unexplainable on the supernatural than believe your neighbor might be a monster. And yet, she had seen the truth with own eyes, felt his supernatural power wash over her. He could read her mind. He’d bitten her.

“Do you sleep in a coffin?”

“Not for centuries.”

She grimaced. “Are you dead during the day?”

“Not exactly, though I generally rest until the sun goes down if the troupe isn’t booked.”

“Do you feel pain?”

“Oh, yeah. Sunlight on new vampire flesh is especially agonizing.”

“How did you ever become a Native dancer?”

“I was in South Dakota when I went to a pow wow. There was a Native dance group performing that night. I bought a ticket, curious to see if things had changed much since I lived among the Lakota. The dances were much the same, though the costumes were a lot more elaborate. I went backstage when it was over and talked to the manager. When he found out I was a full-blood Lakota, he asked if I wanted to dance with his troupe. I’d been hunting the vampire who turned me for centuries without much success. I was bored, so I said yes.”

“What do you do when they have matinees?”

“His troupe doesn’t do many afternoon shows. The sun doesn’t bother me much these days, and most of the performances are inside.”

Leia folded her arms over her chest. What a strange life he had lived. If he wrote a book, no one would believe it.

“So,” he said, “where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m going to need a couple of days to process everything you’ve told me.” Everything had happened so fast—meeting him, falling for him so quickly, and now learning that he wasn’t quite human. It was a lot to take in.

He nodded. “Understandable. I’m leaving for Bisbee late tomorrow afternoon. The show opens on Friday night.” He had intended to quit the troupe after the last show in L.A., but now, having something to occupy his time seemed like a hell of a good idea.

“Oh.” She had known he was going, but she couldn’t hide her disappointment. Or her relief.

There was really nothing to say after that.

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