He shakes his head. “Only you.”
“Is it because we have the same power?”
He stares at me like he doesn’t know how to break the bad news of something to me. “Tell me. I can handle it.”
He leans closer. “I don’t have powers.”
“What?” I ask, confused. “Yes, you do. I saw you jump from your balcony onto the ground below. That’s power. Will I be able to do that one day?”
“No.”
I pout a little, because well, that’s disappointing. “Why not?”
“Because you’re not the same as me.”
“That’s not fair. I want to be like you.”
He slams his fist on the table, and I jump. “You will never be like me. I’m a disgusting creature. A parasite of humanity.”
The chill in his voice causes me to shiver. “Draven, how could you say that about yourself?”
“Because it’s true.”
I reach out to touch his beautiful face. The face that’s so mesmerizing, I can’t stop staring at its beauty. “You’re none of those things.”
He scoffs. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”
“How are we different?” I ask, cradling his face in my palm.
He takes my hand, setting it on the table between us. “You’re the light to my darkness. The good to my evil.”
“I don’t understand.”
His gaze drifts over my mouth. “Someday you will.”
“I want to understand today.”
“You’re not ready.”
I stand. “Don’t treat me like a child. I’m ready now.”
He scrubs a hand along his jaw, his body tense. “Fine. I’m a different type of creature than you. A creature of the night. Where you have certain powers, I have others.”
I think about his words for a moment, trying my best to comprehend this whole situation. I’ve never been a believer in the paranormal, and I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into here. As I try to make sense of his words, Draven gets up and moves through the garden, leaving me behind.
I don’t follow him.
Not yet.
Instead, I watch his tall frame stalk through the night and the moonlight kiss his skin.
There are Gods and monsters, and I’m still trying to figure out which one I am. Is this real life?
Sometimes I’m not so sure anymore.
Eleven
Draven