Page 50 of The Elementalist
Anyway, the instant I first saw Crystal, it had been completely different. Justine, I’d wanted to get in bed as fast as possible, but not Crystal. She set off all sorts of those scary ‘long term commitment’ thoughts right away. I hadn’t wanted to findthe fastest way into the sack with her, more like I wanted to be with her in every conceivable way. Just sitting here eating vegan burgers and talking made me happier than going all the way with Justine ever did.
Yet, as I sat there munching on my fake-a-burger, I couldn’t shake the nagging worry that everything I felt for her came from mental influence. It hit me like heartbreak and betrayal and terror all wrapped up into one petite little blonde package.
Crystal shifted her eyes up from her food to stare at me. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s kind of a silly question considering everything that’s happened.”
She almost smiled. “Obviously. No, I meant your mood changed so fast. Like, in the past few minutes. It’s as though you just found out someone close to you died.”
“You can read emotions off people?”
“Only after I’ve been around them for a little while, or start to think of them fondly.” She stuck a single French fry into her mouth, past an impish smile.
“Trying to sort out some things in my head.”
“You finally stopped to think about what I am.”
Unprepared for her directness, I tried to buy a second to think with a chuckle. “I…”
“That’s sweet. You thought I’ve charmed you and that’s where your sudden sadness came from.”
In all my twenty-eight years, I could recall only blushing twice. Once in eighth grade when my little friend decided to stand at attention randomly in the middle of class and got noticed by a girl in the next row. The second time? Right now. “Something like that.Didyou charm me? Up until you walked into my office, I never really believed in that love at first sight thing. I’m questioning if my feelings are genuine.”
“What sort of feelings do you have?”
I couldn’t look at her anymore. Except not making eye contact didn’t do anything to help. I wasn’t used to being the kind of guy who mentally shut down when encountering the pretty girl, but damned if my brain didn’t turn off. I felt like the babbling idiot who couldn’t string two words together when his crush finally noticed him. “Umm. This is going to sound incredibly lame, but from the minute you... um... first showed up at my office, I wanted more than anything for you to be part of... well, to be part of my life.”
She tilted her head in contemplation.
“I’m sure you get plenty of guys falling over themselves, but the feelings I had were nothing like with Justine.”
“How long were you with the sheriff?”
I winced. “Briefly. Things didn’t work out. She had this whole list of unreasonable demands.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”
“Oh, you know… wanting me to get a steady job instead of working for myself. Keep regular hours, do something with my life. You know, unreasonable.”
Crystal laughed. “I know her. And I’m beginning to know you better and better. The two of you are totally incompatible.”
“Yeah, found that out the hard way. With her, it was mostly just a physical thing. When I saw you, it wasn’t only your body… it felt like something went way deeper.”
“And, now you’re wondering if I somehow did that to you on purpose.” She looked down at her food, her eyes tinted with sorrow. I knew in that moment someone she’d trusted with her secret had hurt her… somehow. No, not me. Someone else.
“This is all new to me,” I said. “Dealing with vampires and other things that should be myths. If you felt my emotion change, that loss—like someone died—came from the fear that how I felt toward you might not have been real. I want it to be real.”
She looked up, trying to smile past whatever weight had settled on her heart. “I know. Your feelings are probably genuine, though I do give off a continuous weak charm that I can’t do anything about. But it wouldn’t have made you feel the way you feel. Usually, it just causes men—rather, anyone attracted to women—to trust me. It’s not the same as a full-blooded succubus. They can supposedly charm men to the point that memory fails. One look, and guys just stand there dumbfounded.”
I grinned. “You had that effect on me, but I remember every second of it.”
Crystal laughed, her voice bright and free of sadness. “This might be a little forward of me, but would you like to have sex?”
I leaned back, blinked, and rubbed my earlobe. “Did you just ask me if I wanted to have sex?”
She folded her arms on the table, smiling. “I did. And yes, before you ask, I’m hungry... for sexual energy. It’s how I feed, remember? No, it won’t hurt.”
“With any other woman I’d ever dated, even before I knew them well, I’d be halfway to the bed already, cheering. But... are you sure? We’ve only known each other for a few days. Feels almost like I’m taking advantage of you.”
