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“I did intend to return it.” She shot him a sideways glance. “Is he angry?”
“Worried.”
“About the truck?” She snorted. “Nothing could destroy that thing.”
“About you,” he corrected. “He knows it would trouble me if you were injured. Or worse.”
“I…”
“Speechless?”
She turned her head to gaze out the window as they soared toward the north. A clear indication she didn’t want to discuss whatever was growing between them.
“I assumed vampires never cared about anyone but themselves.”
“It’s a reputation we enjoy promoting.”
She released a soft breath, as if she’d been holding it. “The aloof lone wolf?”
“I’d rather not be compared to a dog.”
Turning back, she eyed him with an unreadable expression. “The Lone Ranger?”
“Can I at least be Batman?” he demanded. “The mysterious hero tragically forced to protect his people from the shadows.”
She stiffened, her eyes widening. “Oh my God. You have a sense of humor.”
“Why is that so shocking?”
“You’re…Valen.” She lifted her hands as if his name explained everything. “Prince of Darkness.”
“Just Valen,” he corrected.
She continued to stare at him, as if seeing him for the first time. And maybe she was. Not as a powerful member of the Cabal. Not as the ruthless leader of the Gyre. Not as an immortal.
But as a male who wasn’t so different from herself.
“Have you always been alone?”
“I’ve had companions, but during this resurrection I haven’t chosen a mate.”
She tilted her head to the side, her glossy hair spilling over her shoulder. “Is it rude to ask how old you are?”
“Two thousand years, give or take a few decades.”
“That’s a long time to be alone.”
Suddenly Valen felt the weight of those two millennia pressing against him as a yearning bloomed in the center of his soul.
“A very long time.”
Chapter 17
Peri walked onto Wisdom Ranch through the gate that hadn’t been locked. There was no sign that the police had been back to investigate the deaths, or even to protect the belongings that had been left behind. Not that there was much to steal, she wryly acknowledged. The witches had lived a simple life with few luxuries. Still, it was annoying to realize that their murders had been dismissed so easily.
Lost in her troubled thoughts, Peri was caught off guard when Valen grasped her arm to pull her to a halt. Lightning streaked through her at his touch, sparking that awareness she could no longer pretend was irritation. She clenched her teeth, reminding herself why they were there.
It was as good as a cold shower.
