Valkyrie

Chapter 10

I patted the bench next to me. He slowly sat on the edge of it, turned toward me slightly, body tense like he was ready to run at any moment.

"I'm not going to bite you," I chuckled. "You're the one that bit me, remember?" I brought a hand up and rubbed the spot he'd marked. The bruise was completely healed and the scabs were all gone, no sign of it ever having been there left on my skin but I could still feel it there. Like the nerves were still sensitive in that spot. A frisson of need went through me like a wave as I brushed my fingers over it but I pushed it away.

"Forgive me for being cautious," he rumbled. "It's not everyday someone pulls a sword on me." He relaxed back, propping his forearms up on the table top behind him, feet flat on the ground. I could see that he was still wary of me. I didn't blame him but it made me a little sad.

"Sorry about that. It's a reflex." I sat up and picked up the glass. "You want a drink?"

Trey looked up at me with his mercury eyes, one perfect inky brow arched. "Will I need one?"

"You'll probably want one." He gave me a small nod. I stood and went inside and rinsed out my own glass, grabbing another one from the cupboard. I went back out and handed Trey his glass, pouring while he held it. I refilled my own and tossed back the whiskey before I slopped more in my glass and sat next to him. I was going to need the liquid courage. I'd never told anyone anything I was about to tell Trey. The people that knew what I was had known me my whole life so there was nothing to explain. I wasn't really sure how or where to start. I took a deep breath and let it slowly out.

"How old do you think I am?" I asked. I was going to start with the easy stuff. This was either something he would accept or he wouldn't but it wouldn't make a difference if he believed me or not. I was still going to give him the whole messy enchilada before I sent him packing. If he didn't leave on his own first, anyway.

"Is that a trick question?" he asked with his crooked grin. "It was on your ID when they brought you to my ER. Your thirty-five." I look about thirty-five but that's not even close to my actual age.

I smiled, just a twitch of my lips. "Does your ID have your true age on it?" His eyes slid to the side and my smile grew. "How old are you? Truly?" To me, he looked like a well preserved late thirty something.

"About ninety-five, give or take a couple of years." He was older than I thought he was but still not as old as I am. "My family wasn't that great with keeping track of birthdays. We were all born at home and there were a lot of us." I understood that. I wasn't sure how old my father was. I just knew he was older than me but he'd been relatively young when I was born. Pretty close to the age Trey was.

"I was born in 1702 in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no one there to help my mother bring me into the world but a vampire named Alexi Orlov and one of my mother's relatives." I wasn't going to say her name but let's just say that you would know who she is if you heard it. I like her well enough but I didn't want her attention at that particular moment. It starts with an "F" and she has a thing for cats. I'm not a fan, personally. Of cats. I like the divine person whose name starts with an "F". Well, most of the time. Like all of the divine, she has her moments. I only call her if I need to. Otherwise, she wants to hang out and do stuff. Like, socially. Get drinks. Go dancing. Go shopping and get mani pedis. Gossip. I am not social if I can help it. We hang out when I let her brow beat me into it but not as often as she'd like.

Trey sat forward and went still for a few beats. It wasn't the preternatural stillness that the vampires could achieve because he still had to breathe but it was a close thing. He stared at me, mercury eyes sparking with the colors of the rainbow lights as they roamed over my face. He blinked a couple of times, mouth opening and closing before he finally spoke. "Impossible." The word was barely more than a breath as it left him.