Page 152 of Prodigal Son

A startled sound fell out of her mouth. “But… you’re Amish.” One hurdle at a time, she thought, purposely ignoring the fact that she had a real Edward Cullen situation on her hands. “Oh my God. The thing in the woods… Vito was right.”

“We are nothing like what’s in the woods. That’s why we choose an Amish lifestyle.”

Her head shook, too overwhelmed to process everything at once. “But your sister said you can only be with others like you.”

“There are exceptions to the rule. I’m one of them. My life on the farm is all I’ve ever known, Destiny, but I’d give it all up if that’s what it took to be with you.”

“What about your family?”

His brow creased. “I will have time with them later.”

“But you just said you would give up your Amish life.”

“You understand what I am, don’t you?”

“A…” She glanced around the bar and leaned closer, but struggled to get the word out. Feeling foolish, she whispered, “Vampire?”

“No.”

Relief tunneled through her and she sank into the seat. She must be confusing the lost memories with dreams or something she saw on television. “Oh thank God. Here I was thinking you drank blood.”

“I do.”

She stiffened. “But you said you’re not a vampire.”

“A vampire is a soulless creature. I have a soul.”

Her tension was back. This was getting a little too strange Hollywood. She had an open mind about kink, but this was next level weird. “Then what are you?”

“I’m immortal.”

Immortal. Eternal. Timeless. Sort of like the Amish. It made sense until the entire food chain went out the window. “Do you eat people?”

“God, no. Think back. I’ve explained this to you. We feed from animals, but preserve their life.”

Her heart raced. “You drank from me.” She remembered him telling her, but the actual experience eluded her.

“Only for survival. It was our only chance of getting out of the woods alive.”

“Why don’t I remember that?”

“You were injured and very weak. You had a blood infection and the fever made you delirious. I healed you.”

Her stomach swooshed. “With blood?”

He shook his head and she felt instant relief. “Our saliva carries a natural antiseptic that causes rapid healing. Without it, you might have died.”

“I’m a walking biohazard.”

“You would have died.” His hand tightened around hers. “What I did, I only did it to protect you.”

Her gaze lowered as vague memories of her fear in the cave returned. She could recall the pain and how sick she felt. “You saved me.” Bits and pieces of memories fell back into place. She hadn’t had a nasty fall. She’d been attacked. And he saved her. “That thing in the woods, it’s what’s been killing all the women, isn’t it?”

Cain nodded. “That is what a vampire does when there is no humanity left in the soul.”

“We keep reporting it as an animal attack.” She massaged her temples. “Vito was right.”

He sat back, releasing her hand and she immediately felt the loss of connection. “You can’t tell him.”

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