Dahlia turned in his arms to face him. "Don't you realize I could kill you?"
"Everything I know is a lie, remember? Vampires suck us dry, but I'm pretty sure that blow jobs aren't a threat to my health." He played with a tiny curl at her temple. "Are you full, babe?"
"That doesn't bother you?" She couldn't quite wrap her mind around it.
He shook his head. "It's not the first century, or whenever you're from. Casual sex is a pretty good thing. I'm ok with hooking up."
She pressed her head into his chest to hide the giggle. "We weren't uptight about that sort of thing when I came from. I meant, you know..."
"That you're different?" He lifted her chin, making her look at him. "I'm different. Most people don't have this thing inside them, raging in their minds. Just the inquisitors."
"You still call yourself that?"
"That's what they call anyone with the power. God's inquisitors. The rest of the congregation are 'the flock.' The church elders say it's a divine tool to find the evil in the world or some bullshit. Feels a lot more like emotionally charged energy. I figure God's power wouldn't flare up when I think the priests are assholes, but it does."
"So you're ok with this?"
He laughed. "You ask me that now? After we've gone at it a few times? Shit, girl. I'm starting to think I should be calling you my girlfriend or something, with as much as we've been seeing of each other."
"No." She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her.
"Wait. I was joking." He held her tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't think before I said that. I'm sorry about Mei."
The sound of her name stopped Dahlia hard. The grief came back without all her other problems to distract her, and it hurt. It still hurt so bad.
"And you're ok with this?" This time her voice was choked with the tears trying to get out.
Thane tucked her head under his neck. "It's ok, Dahlia. You can cry. Look, I'm only thirty-one, but in all those years, I've never seen anyone willing to run into dozens of the enemy for someone. I've never seen that kind of love, and I would be a fool not to understand." He kissed her hair, his arm cradling her head. "But I think everyone dreams of it."
"But I feed off you," she mumbled. The tears had won, and nothing would stop them now. "I'm using you!"
He just rocked her gently. "I know. From the moment you touched the cross on my arm, I knew you weren't human, and I still couldn't let you run off without one last kiss."
"Why?"
Beneath her, he shrugged. "I dunno, I just couldn't. The same reason I couldn't put that spike in you when I had the chance. I knew what I was supposed to do, but when you walked past the column, I shoved instead. When I pulled you back in that lot? I was hoping you'd knock the thing away." He sighed and rolled onto his back, pulling her along with him. "I'm so sorry about Mei. They say the clavum is the only way for your kind to be released into Heaven. I'm so sorry. I'll call her back if you tell me how."
A sob wracked her body. Dahlia shook her head, struggling to find a voice that worked. "You can't."
"I'll try. Just tell me her name, or whatever."
"Xiu. She was born Li Xiu."
His hand smoothed back her hair. "What do I need to do? Just like with you? Think of her and say it?"
"Yeah." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, then heaved out another sob. "The name and the image. It pulls us like a magnet."
"Until you're here?"
"No." Another strangled sob cut off her ability to speak. "Always. Like a magnet. It just takes us some time to travel."
"Li Xiu," Thane said softly, pressing Dahlia against him again. "Five foot four or so, long black hair, with beautiful almond eyes and pouty little lips. Li Xiu, the soul of the woman my friend loved. Li Xiu..." He took a deep breath. "The eidolon I helped kill. Please work. Please come back, Li Xiu."
"Please," Dahlia begged into his chest, her eyes looking at the darkness across the room.
And nothing at all happened. This time, the sobs were a wail, and Thane held her close for as long as she needed.
Chapter Thirty-Six