“Probably because you did that creepy shit with your vampire power to knock me out.”

“I didn’t actually use very much.” He opened his eyes and strolled over to her. “You shouldn’t have been unconscious. Have you had any extra stress in your life lately? Suffered from exhaustion?”

“Are you asking about my health?”

“Yes. I promised to keep you safe. If you have any health issues, I should be made aware of them so I can tend to you properly.”

“Tend to me?” Now she was just blinking. “I… I’m healthy as a horse. Can we please—?”

“That’s such an odd expression. You look far healthier than any horse I’ve ever seen.” He couldn’t stop his eyes skimming over her figure.

“Oh… wow.” She shook her head. “You actually just did that. You kind of made a pass at me after you kept me prisoner for a whole night, you ass!”

He shrugged and lifted a hand, flicking a finger so that the water bottle on the bench flew to his hand. Natalie’s mouth dropped open.

“It was an observation, not a proposition. And I kept Luis prisoner, too. I didn’t want you to feel singled out.”

“How…” She sounded out of breath. “How did you…”

“Didn’t Luis explain that part?” He let the smug smile peek out. “He said you interrogated him very thoroughly. Something about bright lights and metal chairs.”

“Nothing…” She took a step back. He followed. She took another. “Nothing about… floating stuff. That was—”

“It’s the water.” He opened the bottle and freed it, feeling his element’s excitement at his presence. The water in the bottle flowed out and swirled around his neck, circling him like a snake. Natalie watched, not with horror, but with awe. She reached a hand out before drawing back. “Don’t be afraid to touch it if you want. There’s nothing special about this water. It’s the same stuff you drink.” He glanced at the blue bottle. “Direct from the spring, in fact.”

“But how—”

“Immortals, vampires—whatever you choose to call us—all have a connection with one of the elements. For me, that connection is water. I control it, and it gives me strength.” He called more water from the fountain that ran toward him in a floating river. He sent the water to circle her legs before he created a shimmering waterfall before her. It danced and shone between them, a living wall that reflected the lights of the harbor. Her anger fled and he saw the wonder take over. Natalie reached her hand through the waterfall and he saw her face break into a smile.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Magic.”

Her hand hung in the air, covered with the water he had called. Baojia reached out and touched her spread hand, fitting her fingers with his. Her smile dropped, but she did not pull away.

“It o [

She stepped to the right and so did he, the water still rippling between them and her hand still linked with his. “But you’re a vampire. You drink blood?”

“Yes. I eat some food, but I have to drink blood to survive. Human or animal. Either one will suffice, but I don’t kill unless someone threatens me.”

“What does blood have to do with the elements?”

They continued to circle each other, the water still hanging between them, and he didn’t let go of her hand. “What is the body but the sum of the elements? Water, Earth, Air. The fire of human energy and heat. We were all once human. We are the same as you. Only more… durable.”

“Immortal?”

“Oh, we can be killed.” He had to smile. “But you might think of us as death-resistant.”

There was a long pause as they continued to slowly turn through the room. “You lied to me.”

“Not about everything.”

“Why can’t I remember the night we met? The first night?”

Slowly, he let his amnis creep up her arm, being careful not to use too much. “Do you feel that?”

“Yes. Please don’t—”

“I won’t take your memories away again. I already told you that. I was trying to protect you. I told your friend I would do my best to keep you safe, and I don’t break my promises. I was hoping you would stay out of this completely. I planted the suggestion for you to forget about Ivan, but you must have found his name anyway.”

“It was in my notes. I almost got sick. The first time I read his name. There was something about it.”

“It was my suggestion. But you’re very bright and very stubborn.”

“I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“What is it?” She glanced at their linked hands and he let his amnis dance along her skin. The tiny hairs along her arm reached toward him. “How do you do that?”

“What you’re feeling is called amnis by some of us. It’s an electrical current—energy, just like what fires in your brain and animates your nervous system. It runs under our skin.” He carefully pulled it back and used it to push the water away from their hands so a circle opened between them and he could see her face clearly. “It’s what connects me to my element. It’s what animates me. Amnis is what lets me alter human thought by affecting your cerebral cortex.”

“Short-term memory.” Her forehead was wrinkled in thought, and he knew he had tempted her curious nature.