Reborn Yesterday (Phenomenal Fate 1)

In short order, so would her time with him.

“Two weeks ago, I woke up in the ocean,” she whispered, recalling the chill of the black, bottomless water, the taste of salt on her tongue. “It was pitch dark, but I could see lights in the distance and I swam toward them. It took me…hours, it seemed like. And I have no idea how I got there. Only that I slept so deeply before it happened, almost like I was in a trance. Something or someone lifted me up and took me there.”

Jonas had gone still as a marble statue, his hands going from cool to icy where they held her face.

“A-and tonight, the same thing happened, except…”

“Tell me.”

“When I woke up, I was in the middle lane of the Belt Parkway.”

A choked sound left him.

His hands dropped away from her face.

“This time, I remember…floating. I was floating. I can’t remember that happening the night I ended up in the ocean.”

“Vampire,” he growled.

“A powerful one,” Roksana added, sounding fearful for the first time since Ginny had met her. “What the hell, Jonas?”

Ginny came off the door. “A vampire is the one doing this to me?”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Jonas muttered, fingers plowing through his inky hair. “I could understand if I’d made her a target, but I’ve only known her two days. The first incident was weeks ago.”

Ginny waved her hands. “Can we please start from the beginning? Vampires can make people fly?”

Roksana lowered the towel from her head and Ginny got a look at the gigantic red lump. “You’ve obviously noticed Jonas can compel your actions. He probably wouldn’t be able to levitate you, though.” Gingerly, she prodded the knot on her head and winced. “That’s a skill reserved by older, more seasoned bloodsuckers.”

“But…” Ginny made a grab for the missing pieces. “I thought it was against the rules for a vampire to kill a human.”

“They didn’t kill you,” Jonas said, tone ominous. “They put you in a situation where you’re likely to…” He dragged a hand down his face. “It’s not a direct violation of the rule, but someone is definitely playing fast and loose. Why, though?” He paced for a moment. “I’m the first vampire you’ve had contact with,” Jonas asked Ginny, even though he didn’t exactly phrase it as a question.

“Yes. That I’m aware of.”

He nodded, satisfied with her answer.

“I’m not in love with the fact that you’re a human lie detector.”

“Don’t lie to me and you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“I rarely lie at all.”

“I know. Only by omission—and you’re loath to do even that. Your honesty is one of the reasons I…”

“What?”

He seemed to be judging the wisdom of continuing. “One of the reasons I can’t stand to be away from you,” Jonas said, just above a whisper, before stepping closer, face tortured. “You’re sure you’re not hurt?”

He can’t stay away from me. The omission made her want to be truthful. “I think I might have strained my Achilles running from the police.”

Jonas’s right eye ticked. Twice. “Christ.”

The next thing Ginny knew, she was being settled onto the edge of the bed with Jonas kneeling in front of her. He started to roll up her pant leg, but paused, his gaze ticking to hers. “No blood anywhere?”

“No.” She rolled her lips inward. “Wouldn’t you…smell it?”

Briefly, his grip tightened on her calf. “I smell your blood at all times, but seeing it…”

Ginny’s mouth went dry at the way Jonas stared up at her, as if it took all his inner strength to keep from pressing her backward onto the bed. Oh my.

“Farewell, lovebirds. I hereby resign my post,” Roksana announced dramatically from her position at the window. “I apologize for failing you tonight, Ginny. You could have been a pancake and all because some parasite got the drop on me.”

“Roksana, no.” Ginny reached a hand in her friend’s direction. “If this vampire is as powerful as you say, what could you have done to—”

“Let her go,” Jonas cut in, never taking his attention off of Ginny. “Roksana is right. She didn’t do her job.”

“I will take some time to train and once again become unstoppable.” Roksana turned and gave them a final, anguished look. “Dasvidaniya.”

With that, the slayer’s blonde head ducked out of view, leaving Ginny and Jonas alone in the bedroom. Shaken at the sudden loss of her friend after everything she’d already been through that night, Ginny smacked Jonas’s hand off her leg. “Why didn’t you make her stay?”

“Tonight you could have…” He broke off, nostrils flaring. “Hell, two weeks ago, you could have been gone and I never would have met you.”

“That wouldn’t have been her fault, either.”

His hand landed back on her knee and smoothed down, around to the swell of her calf, massaging there. “I’m quite aware I’m not being rational about anything concerning you, Ginny.”