“Which is…?”
“The sun is harmful to us. Our bodies become like lead, paralyzed in the light of day. Those of us who have not chosen to lose our souls can move about in early morning and early evening while the undead are locked beneath the earth, but we are vulnerable during the afternoon. There are those who hunt us.”
Corinne lay back among the pillows, pale and small. She took his breath away with her slight angelic smile. “Don’t look so anxious, Dayan,” she advised softly. “I am having more trouble believing this than accepting it for myself. I have never been able to run like other children. Now I am stuck on this bed, so weak I can’t carry my own baby without help. You are the one keeping my heart beating.” Her long eyelashes fanned down, two thick crescents against her white skin. “I am locked to this bed as surely as you say you are locked to the earth. The idea of running with animals and soaring with birds is very appealing to me. And I am already hunted. Remember, someone killed John and made another attempt on me. Although the threat is frightening, I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
The relief sweeping through him left him feeling weak. Corinne laughed softly without opening her eyes. “Don’t get too sure of yourself, Dayan. I haven’t decided if you’re a certified nutcase and I should be screaming down the house for help. I’m too tired to figure it out right now, so you’re relatively safe at the moment.”
“At least you are giving me a chance, Corinne, and I cannot ask for more than that. If it becomes necessary, I can remove your memories permanently.”
“You can leave well enough alone, Dayan. I want to know you before I commit my life to your life. I met John when I was eleven years old. I thought I knew him well, but the truth is, I didn’t.”
He brushed his hand through the silk of her hair, a soothing caress meant to ease the tension in her. “You knew him. He did not know you.”
She felt tears welling up out of nowhere. John. She never should have married him, never should have promised what she knew she couldn’t give him. She had loved John, but not in the way she should have. Not in the way he deserved.
“Do not cry, baby, you are breaking my heart,” he whispered softly, bending to kiss away her tears. He pulled his guitar into his lap, cradling the familiar instrument to him. His fingers began to move, flashing over the strings as if a spell had been cast over him. His offering. His comfort to her. A pouring out of his deepest soul.
Dayan played softly, his voice filling her mind with love and happiness, with dreams of a life together, with fantasies of running through the woods in the form of a wild cat, of flying through the air like an eagle, free and content. Of silk sheets and candlelight. Of children playing in the moonlight, singing along to his music. Of life. He was offering her life.
* * *
Chapter 13
Lisa raised her head and looked carefully around the room. Her heart was pounding very loudly and her mouth was dry. She had no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there. Her last coherent thought was of getting something to drink from the hospital cafeteria. She was definitely not in a hospital now.
Cullen lay stretched out on a bed, a king-sized mahogany bed, his skin color much less gray. If anything, Lisa thought he looked even more handsome than before. She touched his face with gentle fingertips, an unnamed emotion rising sharp and fast out of nowhere. She barely knew him, yet he seemed to mean so much to her already. That frightened her, as everything frightened her. Life itself frightened her. Lisa knew there was no real stability; people you loved, people you thought you knew, could turn into monsters right before your eyes and plot to destroy you.
She had no right in getting involved in this man’s life. He was too good, a steady rock, someone capable of attempting to protect her against killers with guns. She was damaged, and she would never be all right. Where Corinne had grown strong and accepted life, had learned to find beauty and goodness in the world, Lisa thought in terms of shadows. She was so afraid all the time. No matter how hard she tried to overcome her failings, she knew she could never face the world on her own. Where was Corinne? Where was her brother? She couldn’t go on alone.