Page 66 of Fallen

I moved behind her and caressed her shoulders.“We’re alone up here.No cams. It’s my private place. The thralls are allowed up here during the day, but at night, everyone has orders to stay away.”

“I can see why you’d want to keep it to yourself.”She relaxed backagainstme. “Thanks for bringing me up here.”

I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist and kept talking so she wouldn’t remember who she was leaningagainstand stiffen again. “I used to beg tocome up here. Sometimes, if I gotmy homework done early”—and with zero mistakes—“Fergusonlet me come up here.”

“Who'sFerguson?”

“Mytutor. A human. He retired and went back to the mainland when I was in my teens. I had two other tutors—for physical education, martial arts, piano and dance, etiquette…that sort of stuff. But Ferguson was my main teacher fromthe time Iturnedfour until I was sixteen." I still visitedhim every few months, checking that he was well and had everything he needed.

She turned her head to look up at me. “What about your mother and father?"

“What about them?”

“Didn’t they care about your homework?”

“No. As long as I exceeded expectations, they left me alone.”

“My life was pretty scripted, too. Oh,thingswere okay up until Iturnedtwelve, although my halmoni trained me in martial arts for two hours a day from the time I was four. But after I was sent to the training camp,everyminute ofeveryday was accounted for, even our downtime—exactly thirty minutes after supper, no more, no less. But at least I had those firsttwelveyears with my family. I went to public school and hadfriends, sleepovers—normalkidthings, you know.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“What d’you mean?”

I looked over her head at the ocean.“I didn’t have anyfriendsuntil Talon and Cain were turned. I was fourteen then. Not akid.”

“Jesus.”She turnedin my arms. Soft palms framed my face. “You had it kind of rough, didn’t you?”

“I’m the crown prince. My parents had to toughen me up—otherwise, the other vampire spawn would've turned on me like a pack of wolves.”

“Oh, Brien.”Sliding her arms around my waist, she rested her cheek against my chest.“You want to know a secret? Iusedto wish I was avampire. You’re stronger, faster. Like real-life superheroes. Iwantedso badto be turned.”

“You?”

“Yeah.”A self-mocking chuckle.“When I was a little girl, Iused to playvampireandslayerwith my dolls. My mom and my halmoni thought it was cute how bad I wanted to be a slayer. But I was pretending to be thevampire, not theslayer. The vampires were rich, powerful. And they live for hundreds of years. Who wouldn't want to be a vampire?”

I had nopower.

Instead, I’d had fear.

Duty.

And the crawling sense that whatever I did, howeverhardI tried, I was still going to fail—and be punished for it.

Because the Maritime heir had to be perfect.

I gathered Twilight closer, craving her warmth. Herveryhuman,verybeautiful imperfections.“Moneyandpower isn’teverything.”

She nodded. “I know that now.”

“I guess you do. You’ve been a slayer long enough.”

“Yeah.”Her arms tightened on my waist.“We’re a pair, aren’t we? I knew I had to trainhardand learneverythingthey threw at me—mental and physical—or end updeador a blood slave as soon as I was sent on my first mission. And they don’tcare. Not really.”Aruefullaugh.“The Board doesn’t fuckingcare. If we can’t handle it out there, we might as well bedead, because we’re no use to them—and adeadoperative tells no tales.”

“To Hades with them. You’re never going back to that.” Slidingmy fingers into the silky hair at the baseof her braid, I drew back her head.“I’m keeping you.”

“Brien—”

“You’ll have anything you want. Money, diamonds, clothes…”

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