Page 31 of Kissed the Mark
Are we not indulgingyourdarkagenda? I wondered. “Bickering with me is your idea offun?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, it is.”
“What happens to your relationship to thevampire society in Mayfair when you become immortal?”
“I become immune from having to participate.I can go live in some suburb elsewhere. Maybe I’ll open a coffeeshop. I always thought that would be quaint.”
“You’re going to become immortal…to open acoffee shop?”
She frowned. “Well, you don’t have to makefun of me for it. You’re the one who asked.”
“Do you even drink coffee?”
Leandra’s frown deepened. “I don’t like mydreams being put up to this level of scrutiny.”
Who seeks eternal life just to run a coffeeshop? “I’m just having trouble understanding, to be honest.” I setthe smartphone between us. “I don’t think I can accept these gifts,either.”
“God, Olympia, how obtuse are you?” sheasked. I jolted, surprised at the change in her tone. “Why do youthink I’m showering you in gifts?”
“Because you feel guilty for using me?” Itried in a small voice.
She rolled her eyes. “Please. I don’t feelguiltythateasily.”
“Yeesh.”
Leandra got up from her chair and stood overme. “Wouldn’t you say we have…good chemistry?”
“What?” I blurted.
“I mean, you wanted to kiss mesobadlythat one time. So I already know you think I’m hot.”
I cleared my throat. “It sounds like this isactuallynotabout you wanting to bond with fairykind.”
She set her hands on her hips, giving me anincredulous look. “I’ve never had to try this hard to—to woosomeone!”
“This is your idea of wooing?” I asked,gesturing to the room around us. “You lied to me, and then you letme play house with someone who wasn’t even the Leandra I knew, andnow you’re ‘letting’ me help you in exchange for the newestiPhone?!”
“Oh, give me a break. I’m not takingadvantage of you. You’re the one who keeps coming back to me!” shesaid.
“That’s not true!” But was it? Shit. “I’m…I… Ugh! I’m going home.”
“After I confessed all my feelings for you?That’s fucking rude,” Leandra said, stomping her foot like an angryhorse.
“You didwhatnow? I didn’t hear anyconfession. What are you—why would you try to become immortal andthen try to—to date me? I’ll be wrinkly way too soon once you’retruly immortal. I look a little older than you even now.”
She laughed then, a deep laugh that had herbunched over on her knees. “Dateyou? You think I’m tryingto spend eternity with you over an iPhone and a jacket?”
I didn’t have to check a mirror to tell thatmy face was red as a beet. “You know what, Leandra? Figure this allout yourself. I’m done being pushed around. I don’t want to entersome fling with you when you’re trying to live forever. You alreadycan’t be killed unless you’re, like, beheaded or whatever.” Istood, easing the new jacket off my arms. Without it, I feltcompletely bare.
“So you admit that me being deathlessdoesn’t change anything,” she said. I blinked. She had been acrossthe room just a minute ago, and now she was blocking my path to theexit.
“I’ll have a longer lifespan than humans,but I’m not going to live nearly as long as you,” I said. “So let’sstop, if all you want out of me is—” Ugh, when did I become such aprude? I couldn’t even say it. It was unfathomable.
“You can become eternal, too. I could makeyou a vampire if you wanted,” she said, running her tongue over herfangs like she was ready to bite me now.
“Yeah, no thanks. I haven’t even—you’veheard, like, don’t buy the cow if you haven’t tasted the milk? I’mnot jumping into eternity with you. I barely know you.”
Leandra held her arms out, gesturing downtoward her body. “Then come taste the milk.”
