He stood and surveyed the cart. Candy bars, Red Bull, peanuts. The only thing with distinctly Chinese lettering was some kind of drink in a ceramic jug.

Rune pointed to it, raising his brows at the vendor. The mortal male mimed drinking, then stumbled in a circle. Josephine laughed.

Ah, alcohol. Rune took one. The vendor was happy to accept U.S. currency.

Returning to her side, Rune asked, “Do you want to try this?”

“You drink it, you poor thing. After the stressful day you had?”

He grinned. “Have your fun.” He uncorked the jug, eyes watering at the smell. “Good gods, this will be strong.” He tried a taste.

“What’s it like?”

Unusual. “It doesn’t burn going down, and yet I can tell the alcohol content is high.” Perfect. When she fed later, she’d grow intoxicated. He took a healthy swallow, drinking for two.

He’d already planned to loosen her inhibitions to get information from her, but now he had even more reason. Though today had answered a lot of questions, it’d raised so many more.

Why had she been separated from a brother she loved? And why hadn’t she known her own species? Where were her parents?

Why hadn’t she been taught to read?

Earlier, when he’d suggested they stay near the summit, she’d said, “Where will we sleep? Maybe in one of the hermit caves we passed? You probably didn’t see them, with your eyes squeezed shut and all.”

Smart ass. “We’ll get a guest room on the mountain.”

“How do you know they have them?”

“There was a notice in English on the bulletin board.” She’d stood beside him, appearing to read it.

“Oh, yeah.” She’d shifted her gaze away. “I remember reading that.”

With that statement, Rune had realized two things.

Unlike natural-born vampires, Josephine was physically able to lie.

And she probably couldn’t read.

In Tortua, he’d tossed the Book of Lore at her. Thinking back, he could see how frustrated she’d been. And the fact that she hadn’t harmed a single page in his library was telling; he believed she wanted to learn.

Teaching her English wouldn’t be hard, but it would take time and commitment. For once in his life, he didn’t know where the future lay with a particular female. He took another long draw from the jug.

The final light of the day hit the peaks, rays streaking the stone. When was the last time he’d watched a sunset?

As night fell over the mountain, the temperature quickly dropped. He wrapped his arm around Josephine, pulling her close. An unfamiliar wave of . . . something washed over him.

Relaxation? Satisfaction?

She drew back to gaze up at him with those luminous eyes.

Death and death rolled into one? Then why did she look so alive? “What?”

After a hesitation, she leaned her head against him and sighed.

“Right now, I bet you think I’m the greatest thing since bagged blood.”

“Right now, you’re not so bad, sport.”

For a male who’d never hoped to have a fated female, he was settling in with Josephine at an alarming rate.

Only known her for a blink of an eye. . . .

Then why was he picturing his emotions as an expanding flame?

FORTY-ONE

Jo and Rune sat next to each other in a mountainside restaurant. Outside, the temperature kept dropping and the wind picked up, making the structure quiver, but their spot in the corner was warm and cozy. Paper lanterns cast a muted glow. Soft strains of exotic music sounded.

Even to a blood-drinker, the food scents were appealing. She needed to steal something from this place to remind her of her first dinner date.

Rune had arranged for them to get a room in a guesthouse and a meal. Dinner and a bed. She wondered how often he’d done that with a female.

Just three nights a year meant twenty-one thousand times.

Let that one alone, Jo. She wouldn’t overthink this, not when she’d shared such an incredible day with him. He’d bought her a souvenir—her first real one—and then he’d held her on a bench, like that couple in New Orleans.

This was really happening!

After sunset, they’d taken a few minutes to return to Tortua and her motel for warmer clothes. She’d placed that emptied jug on her table beside the groom’s cufflinks.

With her new memento, she would remember the day she’d spent exploring a mountain in China with her dream guy.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked now.

“This entire day.”

“What was your favorite part?”

“Teasing you on the plankway was fun. And I loved watching the sunset with you.” When he’d put his arm around her, Jo had concluded that the more he got to know her, the more he liked her. So she’d decided to open up to him tonight.

Of course he’d been holding back—because she was. Once he realized she was awesome, he’d fall into line.

The restaurant host, an elderly man with a shaved head and a bounce in his step, brought them menus, indicating they should read one side.

One side, Chinese. The other, English. Shit. She’d have to get food to look human!

“Shall I order for you?” Rune asked.

Relieved, she handed her menu back. “Sounds good.”

He ordered something that sounded like bee-yang, along with some bie-jo.

“What’d you get?” she asked when the host bustled away.

“A noodle dish and more of that drink from earlier. Now that I think of it, I should have asked you. Certain foods might spice my blood and skin. You probably have preferences.”