“Holy crap.” She breathed deeply. “How in the world do they figure it out so fast whether you are worthy or not? I assume they don’t have warning you’re going to die?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Out of all the stuff I told you, you question timing, and only timing?”
“Well, it seems a bit of a rushed decision,” she argued as she blushed. “But I see your point. If all this other crap is possible, why question the how, huh?”
“Right.” He chuckled. “Anyway, my job is to kill all the monsters walking alongside humans like you. Monsters like Elijah,” he emphasized.
“Oh, my God. So if you see him, you have to kill him? That’s horrible.” He was duty-bound to kill his brother? This didn’t seem fair at all. No matter what he had done, Elijah was still his brother. He couldn’t desire his twin’s death that much.
Right?
“Yes, if ever I see him, I’d be duty-bound to kill him. Or to try, at least. He’s very fast and strong. Even with my powers, it’s not
an easy fight. And even worse, if Elijah knows you’re here, inevitably Louisa will know as well. I’ve been hunting her throughout this life and have yet to catch her. She’s cunning. Dangerous. She’d think nothing of killing you again. Trust me.”
Stillness came over her as his words clicked in her head. A beautiful woman who would want to kill her….
Her horror must have been written on her face, for he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently to get her attention.
“What? What is it, Sabrina? Have you seen her?”
“Yeah, in my dream,” she whispered. “She had long red hair, and brown eyes. Elijah fought her off by throwing a tree at her. It was the dream I had the night you were here. She kept trying to get to me, but Elijah wouldn’t let her. Now I know why.” She shuddered as she remembered the woman—Louisa—trying to get to her, desperate to kill her again. Great, so now she had a jealous vampire who wanted her dead, too?
So to sum it up, she was dating an Enforcer, who was required to kill his brother—who happened to want her—and had a jealous fiancée who wanted nothing more than to see her dead?
How had this become her life?
“Shit. I’d worried this would happen. I’ve been watching, but haven’t seen her. At least Elijah protected you.”
This time.
“So you believe, both of you, I’m Amelia”—she put a hand to her chest “—reincarnated or something? Or I bear a striking resemblance to her? Is it even possible, to be the same person, reborn?” The condescension in her tone rang clear even to her ears, but she couldn’t help it.
“I believe anything to be possible. I’ve seen it all. And yes, I think you are she. I’m sure Elijah feels the same.”
Her mind reeled, but she had too many questions to linger. Shock would have to wait until later. Way later.
“Can you be hurt by these creatures? What do you eat? Are you immortal?”
He stopped her by pressing a finger to her lips. “Slow down, honey.” He laughed. “Yes, I can be killed. When I change into one of them, whichever I’m fighting, I’m as susceptible to death as they are. But it’s not an easy task to kill my kind. There are different ways to kill different species. Vampires, for example, need to be decapitated and thrown into salt water. It eats away their skin. If you don’t do both those steps, they come back to life. Werewolves go down when shot by silver bullets and burned in fire. But, when I’m in front of you, like this, as a human, I’m one in every way.
“The only way I differ from you is you can’t kill me. In human form, if I got hit by a train, I’d get up and walk away after a short break to recover. Run over? I’d heal almost immediately. Shot? My body absorbs it. The only way to kill me is if I am one of them. Then, I’m vulnerable.
“As far as food—well, you already know I eat normal food. When I phase, however, I take on the tendencies of the creature I become. If I’m a vampire, I thirst for blood. As a werewolf, I hunger for meat. I become that creature, and act as such.” He paused to await any questions she might have about his last statements.
“All those things are real?” she asked incredulously. It made sense that if Elijah and Isaac were real, the rest would be, too. But come on, man. All the things kids were terrified of, the things that went bump in the night, really did exist?
“Yes, everything you’ve heard of, and some you haven’t.”
“What do you mean ‘some I haven’t’?”
“Shines, mongrels, fourwers—”
“Okay, enough. Way too much information. I don’t even know what the heck those are.” She held a hand up when his mouth opened. “And don’t need to know right now. Maybe I’ll never need to know.” She shuddered. “Let’s get back on track. Why not stay an Enforcer to battle these…creatures? If you are, as you say, immortal as an Enforcer?”
“When I’ve changed into one of them, I’m faster, stronger. My reflexes are improved greatly. It makes it possible for me to beat them. As an Enforcer, while unable to die, I’m not as strong, nor as quick. I’m also susceptible to human weaknesses, such as being knocked unconscious. Not a good thing in a battle.”
Okay, that, at least, made sense. “Have you ever, as a vampire—?” She stuttered to a halt, scared of his answer.