Page 35 of Crown of Death
I startle at his words, lookingback.
And as I see Cyrus’ little smile once more, as I follow him through the hangar, I can’t help butthink.
Had this man not come and taken control of my life, had he not kidnapped me, taken away Eli, told me I had to die, would he be the type I’d be interestedin?
He’s certainly the stuff of a wetdream.
He radiatespower.
He’srich.
He has the face of agod.
Certainly plenty of women would kiss his feet and slowly work their wayhigher.
Had I just run into Cyrus at some random place and he asked me on a date, would I have saidyes?
I don’t know if I can quite answerthat.
Two faces, I remindmyself.
“I thought vampires only came out at night,” I say, ripping myself in a different direction of thought. “But you’re always going out. All of you, always withsunglasses.”
“The sun is indeed a problem,” Cyrus says, glancing over his shoulder at the sinkingsun.
“Sunglasses do the trick, though?” I scoff. “It doesn’t seem like it could ever beenough.”
Cyrus smiles and stops midway through the parking lot. He pulls the shades off and hands them to me. “These are no ordinary sunglasses. See foryourself.”
With a wary look at him, I slip themon.
It’s darker. Like the sun was dimmed by half. But there’s a feeling…like my eyes don’t have to work so hard. Like the light has been uncomfortable all my life, and now they’re getting a suddenbreak.
“They filter out all UV light?” I take aguess.
“It’s a lot more complicated than that,” Cyrus says, reaching up and removing them from my face. He slips them back on. “But yes, that’s the very, very basic explanation of the science put intothese.”
I realize as we stop in the parking lot that my car is nowhere to be seen. Same with Mina andFredrick.
“Are you hungry?” Cyrus asks. And surprisingly, he walks to the driver’s door and holds it open for…me.
“Uh,” I struggle. “Iguess.”
He smiles and I walk around and slip into the driver’s seat. “Then take me to your favorite restaurant.” He hands me the keys, and then walks around to get into the passengerseat.
I just look at him for a long moment after he sits and bucklesin.
“You don’t know how to drive, do you?” Iblurt.
That careful, composed façade slips for a moment. A little shade of embarrassment, of humiliation shows itself just for asecond.
“There’s been little need for me to learn in my very long life,” he says, fixing his eyes out the window before us. “Do you think of me as less of a man,now?”
That is when he turns. His eyes bore into mine. As if daring me to say…no.
“It’s a basic life skill,” I say, swallowing once. I press the ignition button and the engine purrs to life. “You seem the type that could take care of yourself in most situations. Why not thisone?”
I look over at him. And he seems…surprised. My answer was not one heexpected.