Compassion and tenderness didn’t come naturally to Mara. She had lived too long, seen too much, killed too many. You couldn’t live as long as she had lived and remain sane if you let the feelings of others affect you. She had learned to be strong, to put her needs above those of others. It was the only way to survive.
But she couldn’t ignore the pain in Sheree’s eyes, or the hurt in her voice. Sitting beside the girl, Mara slipped one arm around her shoulders. “Whatever happens, we are all in this hell together.”
Sheree glanced at her surroundings—the high ceilings, the leaded windows, the antique tapestries. “Sometimes it all seems like a dream, especially in this place. I never believed in magic, but I always believed in vampires. At least I thought I did, until I actually met one and he was nothing like I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I’m not sure. I know now that I was horribly naïve. I thought I could find one and that would be the end of it. But Derek . . . there was something between us from the moment we met. He’s so strong. So powerful. And yet he’s vulnerable.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I need him in ways I don’t understand. And he needs me.”
“Vampires can be complicated creatures. Like humans, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses. Those who are made generally don’t change too much. If they were decent people as mortals, they usually retain that decency, at least as much as possible. Those who are wicked tend to become even more wicked. I guess it’s inevitable, given all the power that comes with being a vampire.”
“But Derek wasn’t made.”
“No. He carries his father’s goodness, and his mother’s evil.”
Sheree blinked at Mara. “Evil?”
“I’ve done terrible things in my time.” Mara stared into the distance. “I killed people who didn’t deserve it and took pleasure in it. I forced the Dark Gift on those who didn’t want it and went blissfully on my way. Some, like Logan, survived. Others destroyed themselves.”
“You made Logan a vampire?”
Mara nodded. “He should have hated me for it.”
“But he doesn’t.”
“No. But others did. And they’re not all dead.”
“Did you want to be a vampire?”
“No. I was turned against my will.” She slid a glance at Sheree. “I know what you’re thinking. If I was turned against my will, why did I do it to others? I have no answer except that I was angry. My sire turned me and abandoned me, and I often did the same. I have no excuse for my callous behavior except that, mortal or vampire, I was selfish and thoughtless.”
“Did you turn Pearl and Edna?”
“No. I would have killed them. Back then, they were trying to find a serum to cure the vampires and the werewolves and the shape-shifters. . . .”
“Shape-shifters?”
“Yes. People who are two-natured—animal and human. Not like werewolves, who are compelled to change. Anyway, Rafe and his wife were caught up in Pearl and Edna’s experiments. I was all for killing the old bats, but Rafe was too softhearted. He turned them instead. And now, if Pearl’s serum works, I will be forever in her debt. And Edna’s, too.”
“Who’s Rafe? I think Derek mentioned him once.”
“I turned Rafe’s father, Vince Cordova, on a whim. Such a handsome young man. He married a mortal girl, Cara, and fathered twins, Rane and Rafe. To my knowledge, his twins and Derek are the only vampires ever born to our kind.”
“Does Vince hate you?”
“No. We’re family now. Rane and Rafe are both married. Rane has a daughter, Abbey. She’s in New York, studying to be an actress. Perhaps you’ll meet her one day.”
Nodding, Sheree squeezed Mara’s hand. “Thank you for taking my mind off our troubles for a little while.”
“I’m glad I could help. You’ve been good for Derek. If there’s ever anything you want, anything you need, you have only to ask.”
“I just want him to be happy.”
“No more than I,” Mara murmured. “No more than I.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Derek stood out of sight in the hallway, hands tightly clenched at his sides as he eavesdropped on the conversation between his mother and his wife. He hated being the cause of their concern, but dammit, it wasn’t his fault that his mother was a vampire or that she had married a werewolf! He didn’t know why the hell he felt guilty, but he did.
Guilty and hungry as hell.
A thought took him outside. The air was cool and crisp, the sky awash with stars. Standing there, he opened his senses, inhaling the fragrance of damp earth and trees. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he strolled around the perimeter of the castle before heading down the mountain.