Longing for You, стр. 31
“Okay, stop.” Katie couldn’t listen to any more weirdness. “Why areyou doing this?”
Alexis furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Katie indicated her plate. “Cooking me breakfast, looking afterme, when last week you wouldn’t come near me.”
Alexis cleared her throat. There it was. The question she knewKatie would ask eventually. Katie had clearly been annoyed by her behaviour.What could she say? That she couldn’t face Katie’s parents knowing that she hadtried to forcibly turn their daughter, that guilt was eating away at her verysoul?
“Your parents were here.” Alexis hoped that would be enough tostop Katie’s enquiries.
“And that stops you visiting how? I mean, I’m used to beingignored by you. You’ve ignored me since I came home from university and startedworking for Byron, but after the attack…” Katie hesitated, then looked down atthe table sadly. “I thought we had a better understanding. You came to visit meevery night, and I thought we could be friends at least.”
Friends? If only Katie could see inside her heart. She had tocover for her actions somehow.
“I didn’t want to get in the way. Your mum was there every night,and she probably wouldn’t approve of me being your friend,” Alexis said.
“Why? You worked alongside them for years when they were theDebrek butler and head housekeeper.”
“Yes, and they only knew me as the Duca. A single-minded, workfocused, dismissive, cold vampire. They’d probably think I’d upset you, and Idoubt they’d believe the other side of me you’d seen.”
“I’ve seen another side?” Katie questioned.
In her mind Alexis could see the hot kiss they had shared beforeshe ran, and the bloody finger Katie had pushed into her mouth.
“Yes, you have. Listen, I’m sorry I stayed away last week. Maybe Iwas wrong, but it wasn’t my intention to upset you.”
“Fair enough.” Katie picked up her fork and continued to eat.
Alexis had gotten away with it for now, but the bigger thing, whatshe had nearly done to Katie, was not going to stay hidden forever.
* * *
Byron walked into the living room, and Amelia frowned when shelooked up from the book she was reading.
“I left your clothes hanging up for you, and it wasn’t a tweedsuit.”
Byron had agreed back in London to wear something more appropriatefor walking in the forest, jeans and walking boots. Amelia bought a fewdifferent kinds of jeans to bring with them, and had left an outfit hanging upfor Byron while she had a shower, but when it came to it, Byron couldn’t wearit.
“I just couldn’t do it. I’ve never worn a pair of jeans in mylife. I wouldn’t feel appropriately dressed, and besides”—Byron straightenedher knitted red tie—“a gentleman always wears a tweed suit in the countryside.”
Amelia laughed and shook her head. “I despair of you, vampire.”
“What are you reading?” Byron asked.
“A history of witchcraft in the area. It’s strange—I come from avillage just thirty minutes from here, and I didn’t know anything about thewitches here, besides what my mum and dad told me.”
Byron sat on the arm of the armchair. “That they were devilworshippers?”
“Yeah, it used to scare me, but now that I realize I have witchancestry, I can’t wait to find out more.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll take you to all the places I can remember,”Byron said.
Amelia stood and put her book in her shoulder bag. “What ifnothing happens?”
“It will. Magda said you would get some insight, and I believeher. There’s no love lost between vampires and witches, but I don’t think theywere lying to us. Let’s go and see what happens, mia cara.”
* * *
Alexis finished speaking to Byron and walked back to the cabin,where Katie was sitting on the porch.
“Everything all right?” Katie asked.
“Yes, Byron and the Principessa are going to visit some of thewitch sites.”
“And you’re not going with them?” Katie asked.
“No, the Principe wants to be alone with the Principessa.”
“You normally don’t give in so easily, Duca. Normally you fighttooth and nail to make sure Byron takes security with her.”
“I trust that she is safe enough walking around the forest paths.Besides, Byron isn’t my only focus on this trip. I’ll go and get you ablanket.”
“Wait a minute,” Katie said. “What is your focus?”
Alexis was going to be truthful. She didn’t need any more secrets.“You.”
She didn’t wait to see Katie’s reaction and just walked inside thecabin.
* * *
Amelia and Byron had been walking in the forest for about twentyminutes, and Amelia was loving it. They hadn’t found anything yet, but it wassuch a luxury to be alone with Byron.
“What are you smiling about?” Byron asked.
“It’s just nice to have you all to myself, without an entouragearound following us.”
Byron smiled. “Yes, quite right. It is beautiful here.”
“Where are you taking me first?” Amelia asked.
“The place I visited during the War. Where the witches cast theirspell to try to repel Hitler. I presume that such strong magic would leave atrace of energy that maybe you could tune in to.”
Amelia sighed. “It sounds like a good plan. Only thing is that Ihaven’t a clue how to tune in.”
“Follow your instincts.” Byron pulled back some branches. “Itshould be right through here.”
Amelia walked into a small clearing and saw a circle marked out bysmall rocks and, in the centre, one worn-down rectangular stone. Amelia’sbody—all of her nerve endings—began to buzz.
“I can feel something, Byron.”
“What?”
“An energy, electricity in the air,” Amelia said.
Byron slipped her arm around Amelia’s waist as they approached theperimeter of the circle.
“I’m right by your side,” Byron said.
Amelia gripped Byron’s hand tightly. “Will you come in with me?”
“I can’t. A vampire can’t step inside a witch’s casting circle,but I’ll be right here,” Byron said.
Amelia’s heart started to thud. So much had changed for her insuch a short time—meeting Byron, learning she was a vampire and about all theparanormal world, discovering that her mother and father were not her realparents, and taking her place as the immortal matriarch of the Debrek clan. Notto mention the fact that she had witch blood in her. But through it all she hadthe