His teasing made me want to throw my arms around him. “You’re lucky they aren’t gold.”
Aric curled his upper lip in disgust. “Yeah, just another way the vampires screwed us.”
“What do you mean? Gold is their kryptonite, too.”
“You don’t know the legend?”
“There’s a lot I still don’t know about the supernatural world.” I smiled softly. “Will you teach me?”
Aric’s eyes zeroed in on my lips. “Ah…yeah. Sure.”
He paused. At first I didn’t think he was going to say anything. But then he cleared his throat. “When the world was still new and magic was at its strongest, a witch fell in love with a vampire. The vamp didn’t love her in return. He loved his gold and the power it granted him. So the witch cursed the gold, believing if she couldn’t have her love, he couldn’t have his.”
Aric was so tall I had to wrench my neck in order to see his face. That face of his, though, was worth the effort.
“The curse, fueled by the witch’s anger and bitterness, was powerful enough to extend to all preternaturals. None of us can hold gold without it making us sick. If we’re shot in the heart with a gold-tipped bullet, it’s like an atom bomb going off in our chests.”
I winced. “Have you ever been shot with gold bullets?”
“Yeah, it burns like a mother.” He regarded me once more. “Does gold affect you?”
“No. But bullets in general do.” I kicked at the sand. “I wouldn’t need one dipped in gold to kill me.”
Aric’s tone grew hard. “Well, then, let’s make sure that never happens.”
I smiled a little. “Yes. To either one of us.”
As we veered away from the water’s edge, Aric spoke again. “Is most of your family out here?”
Aric asked a simple question—had I lived an average life. “The family I know and love is here.” I elaborated when he frowned. “It’s just been my sisters and me for a long time. We’re estranged from our family.”
Aric tensed. “Even your parents?”
I concentrated on how little my human feet disturbed the sand. It was easier than the emotions the deaths of my parents riled. Aric didn’t push me to speak. Perhaps that’s why I chose to. “My parents were murdered during a home invasion. We went into foster care when both sides of the family refused to take us.”
Aric’s body blocked my path. “My God, Celia. Were you…safe?”
I averted my gaze from his, unable to keep the shame from invading my voice as it shook. “No. Not at first. But eventually we found a foster mother who loved and cared for us. Ana Lisa…made everything okay…for a while.”
Aric’s compassion permeated his aura, warm enough to heat my skin through my sweater. “I want to help you. Tell me who hurt you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that…they’re all gone now.”
The absoluteness of my tone made it clear I’d played a strong part in their departure. That in itself should have sent him bolting. It didn’t. His compassion continued to sizzle against me. So did something else….
“Good,” he murmured.
We walked in silence for a long while. He, like me, didn’t seem the type to fill the quiet with worthless ramblings. I liked that. I liked him. And the soft smiles he flashed me made me think that perhaps he liked me, too.
When we reached the rockier part of the beach something stirred behind a large boulder. I prowled along the sand to investigate, but Aric stepped in front of me. When he snarled, a guy jumped out. I could tell by his scent he was a wereweasel. He smelled…sleazy. I didn’t know what he was doing until he took a picture of us and ran.
Aric watched him disappear into the night. “What the hell was that about?”
Resentment burned deep in my stomach. “Since vamp court, every kind of supernatural beastie has shown up to get a look at us.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
I shook my head. “It’s really annoying. That was the first photo, though. I’ll kick his ass if I ever see him again.”
“No. If you see him again, you tell me. I don’t want anyone bothering you or your family.”
I hid my shock and continued walking. I couldn’t understand why Aric had taken on the role as my savior, especially after I survived the predator showdown at Zhahara’s without him. “Don’t you know by now I can take care of myself?”
Aric’s face hardened. “I don’t deny you’re tough or that you can fight. You have to be to endure the shit you have. But stop feeling like you have to rely on yourself all the time. I’m around now, Celia. You’re no longer alone.”