“It’s you,” I managed, pointing out the obvious.
“Yes,” he said, and stepped up closer. “It’s always been me.”
Of course. The sensations came tumbling. The instinctive recognition when I’d first seen him step up to the bar in Regency. The pounding of my heart as though I knew him, even though I’d never seen him before in my life. I’d blocked it out as nothing, and it had worked. I’d busied myself in my working life, just like I should have.
I kept looking up and down the street, contemplating whether my feet would be willing to carry me.
Hans tutted as he read my mind.
“You really want to run, do you?”
I nodded in a flash, adrenaline buzzing.
He tutted again, placed a hand to his heart.
“Really, Katherine. I held you true to your word.”
Oh no.
NO.
Any instinctive recognition I’d had before faded to nothing in comparison to how I felt as he stepped closer and smiled. I saw… fangs. And they weren’t shitty plastic.
My voice was barely more than a whisper when it came out of me.
“You’re a vampire.”
“Bravo,” he said and applauded with slow claps, but there was no malice in it. “So, now you have to ask yourself, which came first? Me, or your vampire crushes? The chicken or the egg?”
My thoughts swirled, trying to make sense of it. I tried to put it into words, but I sounded like a fool.
“You mean you’re the reason I’m obsessed with vampires? But how? I’ve been obsessed with vampires since I was a kid watching cartoons on TV.”
I could feel the heat from him as he stepped up in front of me, held my arms tighter to my chest, one hand to my throat.
“Trust me, fate and bloodlines are a lot deeper running than you could imagine. Your obsession with vampires isn’t something that you randomly fell into. It was in your veins from the very moment you were born.”
My questions were scary, even to speak them.
“And how about you? Were you watching me from the very moment I was born?”
“I’ve been watching you a lot longer than that, little girl. I’ve been watching you since you were nothing more than a tiny spark of life in a family chain.”
I couldn’t fathom it, so I didn’t even try.
This is a dream, I told myself.Wake up, Katherine. This is a dream!
Hans read my mind again.
“At least you’re using the worddreamand notnightmare.”
“Stop it!” I said. “I can’t think straight.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I don’t think many people would be thinking straight in your position.”
Shit.I was so confused. My blood was throbbing so fiercely that I could feel my pulse in my neck, but of course I would. I was standing in front of a freaking vampire.
Hans’ voice was much lower this time.