He winced. “Abby, we’re totally vulnerable in our death-sleep. And I have thousands of Vamps depending on me to keep them safe. There was no way I could let the government know how easy we are to kill during the day.”
“I’m not the government.”
“You work for them.”
She flinched. “You don’t trust me.”
He paused.
Anger flared inside her. “You don’t trust me!”
Someone cleared his throat, and she glanced to the side. J.L. was standing on the beach with the other three guys.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we’re moving out.” J.L. motioned to the west. “When we spot the village, we’ll give you a call, so you can teleport over.”
Gregori nodded. “All right.”
J.L. and Russell each grabbed hold of a shifter, then they teleported away.
She sat back down on the boulder. “How can you claim to love me if you don’t trust me?”
Gregori stiffened. “It’s not a claim, dammit. It’s the truth. And maybe I didn’t trust you very much at the nightclub. That was a few days ago before we . . . got closer. I do trust you now.”
He stepped toward her. “I was lying there completely helpless. I would have never fallen into my death-sleep with you next to me if I didn’t know I could trust you.”
Tears misted her eyes. “I hate to think of you dying every day at sunrise.”
“I don’t enjoy it much, either.” He drank more blood. “I’m sorry it upset you.”
She blinked away the tears. “I was terrified. I thought I’d lost you.”
He moved close to her. “Sweetheart, you can’t lose me.”
She swatted at his arm. “I even tried to revive you with CPR.”
“You did mouth-to-mouth on me?” His white teeth flashed in the dark. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“It’s not funny.”
“I’m not laughing. I’m just deliriously happy that you care so much about me.”
She sighed. “I don’t see how it can work.”
His smile vanished. “What do you mean? We’re doing just fine.”
“I couldn’t do anything this afternoon. I had to wait for you to wake up.” She motioned toward the karsts that she could no longer see in the dark. “I couldn’t even go look at the rocks.”
“I’ll take you there.”
“That’s not the point. I wanted to go, but I wasn’t allowed to. It’s like I traded one set of prison guards for another.”
“Only while we’re here in China. Abby, it’ll be different once we’re home. I would never imprison you. I know how much you value your freedom.”
“Because it’s always been so scarce.”
“You’ll have more freedom with me than you would with a mortal guy. You can do anything during the day, and I can’t stop you. Hell, you could even have an affair during the day, and I wouldn’t know.”
“I wouldn’t do that!”
“Well, that’s good news.” He set his bottle on the boulder next to her and grasped her hands. “Abby, I’ll give you all the freedom and love that I can. We can make this work. Trust me.”
Tears crowded her eyes once more. “I love you, Gregori.”
He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “I love you, too.”
She held on to him in the moonlight for a long time. He stroked her hair.
“Is there anything else I should know about you?” she asked. “You don’t turn into a fruit bat or something?”
“Well, there is something.”
She leaned back. “What?”
“I love disco.”
She grimaced. “You’re kidding.”
“Is it a deal breaker?”
She smiled. “It’s close.” She nestled her head against his chest. She loved him, and he loved her. Somehow, it would all work out. She needed to trust in their love.
J.L. called to let them know they’d sighted the village. She grabbed a flashlight and a bottle of water, then Gregori teleported her there.
They landed on the crest of a hill overlooking a valley where the village was situated.
J.L. hung up his phone. “No flashlights, please. We don’t want to announce our presence to the villagers.”
“What villagers?” Russell muttered as he scanned the valley. “I see chickens. Cows. No people.”
“Maybe they at church,” Rajiv suggested. “Or party.”
“We would see lights,” Howard grumbled.
“Strange,” J.L. murmured. “Where did all the people go?”
An uneasy feeling crept along Abigail’s skin. She squinted but could barely see the village in the dark. “Is there any smoke coming from chimneys? Any signs of life at all?”