“Ara? Calm down.” David rose to his knees, his hand extended.

“He lied to me.” My teeth bit together. “My birth story. Telling me endlessly how much I look like my mother—lies.” I slammed my fist down. “All lies.”

“Ara, you’re scaring me. Please, just—”

A shot of adrenaline burst out through my shoulder as David touched me; he flew back, cracking the black rock with his spine, and I watched for a breathless second as he fell to the floor. “David?” The electricity receded, and my hands turned ice-cold—going stiff.

My vampire, unconscious on the picnic rug, lay motionless, pale.

“David.” I shook him. “David?”

“Now there’s something I haven’t felt for a while.” He rolled his face to one side, rubbing his head.

“What? What happened?” My hand hovered over him—afraid to touch.

“I think—I think my heart might have started beating for a second.” He sat up, clutching his chest.

“Are you serious?”

He nodded, staring at the ground.

“David, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I—”

“No, don’t be sorry. You are amazing.” He smiled and touched my shoulder, cautiously. “I’ve never seen a vampire with that kind of power before, Ara. That was phenomenal.”

“Really? And you’re not hurt?”

“Uh—” He rubbed the place where his heart would be. “I am, but I’ll be okay.”

I fell onto his chest, my face against his pain, my arms around his back. “I can’t believe it, David. My dad lied to me. All these years.”

“I’m sure—” David lifted my face. “I’m sure he had good reason to, sweetheart.”

“I have to know.” I jumped up. “I have to ask him.”

“Ara, wait.” David stood up slowly, as if he were human, and chased after me. “Ara. Don’t do this now.”

“I have to know,” I stated, walking faster.

“Ara?” He grabbed my hand. “He’s kept this from you for a reason.”

I stared into his eyes, trying to see his point.

“You can’t just go charging in there, demanding the truth, when you’re supposed to be in Paris—on your honeymoon.”

“Yes, I can. He’s my dad. I know he’s my dad, David. It can’t be true.”

“My love, we don’t know anything yet. These are all just theories. Just—” he embraced me; I went reluctantly. “We’ll figure this out together, but you’ve just got to let it go for now.”

“Why? Why are you so quick to keep me from this, David?”

He moistened his lips and looked away. “This is big, Ara. You need to be focusing on the Blood Warriors, right now. They’re coming to kill us, remember? And your dad may not even be aware he’s not your biological father. We just don’t know enough to go in there demanding facts.”

“You’re right.” I nodded. “I’ll wait.” Wait until you’re not with me, that is—then I’ll talk to Dad.

“Thank you, Ara. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Well, you always know what’s best for me.” I smiled. Doesn’t mean I have to listen.

“I promise you—” he looked into my eyes, “—I will not rest until I uncover the truth.”

Me either. I hugged him just a little tighter.

David flicked out the bathroom light and disappeared under fingers of darkness. “What you thinkin’?” he asked casually, suddenly leaning on his elbow beside my head.

“Nothin’.”

He pressed his lips together, but his eyes smiled. “I wish I could read your mind—it made things so much easier.”

“For one of us, maybe. I prefer it this way.”

“I thought you liked it when I could read your mind.”

“That was before I discovered how good life is without you invading my headspace all the time.”

He rolled over and laid on his back, linking his fingers behind his head. “That’s because it means you can keep things from me, now.”

“Hang on.” I rolled up on my elbow. “What would I possibly be keeping from you?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “All I do know is that you’re quiet—a lot, and you flinch if I come up suddenly, and—” He paused.

“And?”

“And we’ve had six arguments in the last forty-one-hours.” He looked at me.

“So, you’re saying I’m being hostile?”

“No, sweetheart, just that you’re…” he bit his lip.

“That I’m what? Maybe a little edgy still, since I was tortured to death, literally, then resurrected and rescued, only to kill my husband, burn him alive, then watch him struggle to recover. God!” I huffed and laid on my back, slamming onto the bed. “You’re so insensitive.”

“I’m not insensitive, Ara. You’re just antagonistic, lately. I can’t say anything without it turning into an argument.” He leaned up on his elbows. “What’s going on with you? Is there something you wanna talk about?”

Maybe—but I don’t want to talk about it. I let out a long, chest-sinking breath, and in my head, jumped up off the bed, towered over him with waving arms and screamed at him for everything nasty he did to his brother. All the torment, all the pain—it caused all of this. If Jason had never tortured me at the masquerade, none of this would’ve happened. And I’m so mad at you, my brain continued, pacing. You never told me any of that, never let me into your past. In fact, worse, you went a step further than just not telling me, and actually did everything you could think of to keep me from any truths about yourself. I love you, I wanted to say. I know you’re good, but I can’t help but feel like, maybe, I don’t really know you at all, and that makes me angry—at nearly everything you say. I just feel like it’s all crap!

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, suddenly right in front of my face, smiling down at me.

I smiled back. He makes it so hard to be mad at him. “I was thinking about Jason.”

“Jason?” David drew back a little and sat up.