Amaury's Hellion
Page 71
“Who eats the food if you don’t?”
Amaury placed the plate in the microwave and switched it on. “My neighbors or some of the homeless in the neighborhood.”
She stared at him. He had a charitable streak? “Oh.” Now that she was thinking of it, it had been a while since she’d seen him in his vampire form. Maybe her memory was failing her, and he wasn’t a vampire after all.
“Are you sure you’re a vampire?”
He put the warm plate in front of her and handed her some utensils. A smile spread over his entire face. “Would you like me to flash you my fangs?”
“Maybe later.”
“Chicken.” His insult was spoken in too soft a voice to carry any weight, and accompanied by his grin it almost turned into a caress. Warmth spread around her heart.
He took the barstool next to her as she ate.
“So, about your gift.” She needed to know more about his strange skill. She had wanted to ask him about it in the taxi, but once he’d started kissing her, there’d been no way of stopping him.
“What about it? I already told you, I can’t read your emotions. You believe me, don’t you?”
She nodded. For some reason she knew he wasn’t lying to her. “But can you block out other people, too, like you block me out? I mean, do you hear everybody all the time?”
She caught a sad look in his eyes.
“It’s not something I can block out. Whenever I’m physically close to people I sense their emotions. And I’m not blocking you out—God knows the only person’s feelings I would really want to sense are yours. But for some reason I can’t.”
Nina’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to know what she felt? What would he do with it? The thought was both scary and exciting.
“What does it feel like when you sense other people?” She couldn’t even begin to imagine how her head would feel if she would constantly receive excessive sensory input from outside. Was it as if somebody was constantly banging at a door to be let in?
Amaury shrugged his shoulders. “How’s the food?”
She’d never tasted anything better. “It’s excellent. You’re a great cook, and you’re changing the subject.”
“There’s nothing much to talk about.”
There would be a hell of a lot to talk about if this was happening to her head every day. His gaze collided with hers.
“Do you hear people’s thoughts?”
Amaury shook his head. “No, it’s not like that at all. I can’t read minds. I feel them: I feel the people and their emotions. They’re impressions, not words that come to me. My brain sort of translates it into words for me, but it’s not their words. It’s their feelings put into my own words. I can’t really explain it. It’s very intense.”
Nina took in a sharp breath, suddenly remembering the night she’d followed him, how he’d held his temples as if he had a migraine.
“It must be so painful. How do you keep your head from exploding?”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “How do you know?”
“It can’t feel good to constantly have your mind invaded with all kinds of powerful feelings. How do you cope with that?”
He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Do you know that you’re the first person who’s ever asked me that?”
“But your friends—they know about it, right?”
He shook his head. “They don’t know about the pain. I’ve never told them what it feels like.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want their pity.”
“Tell me. I want to know.” She took his hand and held it against her cheek. His warm fingers instantly caressed her skin. Too soft for a vampire, too soft even for the hard man he portrayed. No, not the hard man, merely the hard shell. For inside, she suspected, was something different entirely. The softer the inside, the harder the shell had to be to provide protection. Was that true in Amaury’s case?
“You don’t want to know.”
“Please.” She turned her head and kissed his palm.
Amaury closed his eyes for a long moment. “It’s like somebody is sticking needles in my head. Continuously. Big ones, the kind you’d use on an elephant.” He opened his eyes. “It’s a constant noise in my head. Incessant pounding.”
It was worse than she’d imagined. “How do you get any relief from this?”
His eyes, when he met hers, seemed cautious, as if he’d revealed too much already. But she wanted to know all of it. She wanted to understand him.
Amaury placed the plate in the microwave and switched it on. “My neighbors or some of the homeless in the neighborhood.”
She stared at him. He had a charitable streak? “Oh.” Now that she was thinking of it, it had been a while since she’d seen him in his vampire form. Maybe her memory was failing her, and he wasn’t a vampire after all.
“Are you sure you’re a vampire?”
He put the warm plate in front of her and handed her some utensils. A smile spread over his entire face. “Would you like me to flash you my fangs?”
“Maybe later.”
“Chicken.” His insult was spoken in too soft a voice to carry any weight, and accompanied by his grin it almost turned into a caress. Warmth spread around her heart.
He took the barstool next to her as she ate.
“So, about your gift.” She needed to know more about his strange skill. She had wanted to ask him about it in the taxi, but once he’d started kissing her, there’d been no way of stopping him.
“What about it? I already told you, I can’t read your emotions. You believe me, don’t you?”
She nodded. For some reason she knew he wasn’t lying to her. “But can you block out other people, too, like you block me out? I mean, do you hear everybody all the time?”
She caught a sad look in his eyes.
“It’s not something I can block out. Whenever I’m physically close to people I sense their emotions. And I’m not blocking you out—God knows the only person’s feelings I would really want to sense are yours. But for some reason I can’t.”
Nina’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to know what she felt? What would he do with it? The thought was both scary and exciting.
“What does it feel like when you sense other people?” She couldn’t even begin to imagine how her head would feel if she would constantly receive excessive sensory input from outside. Was it as if somebody was constantly banging at a door to be let in?
Amaury shrugged his shoulders. “How’s the food?”
She’d never tasted anything better. “It’s excellent. You’re a great cook, and you’re changing the subject.”
“There’s nothing much to talk about.”
There would be a hell of a lot to talk about if this was happening to her head every day. His gaze collided with hers.
“Do you hear people’s thoughts?”
Amaury shook his head. “No, it’s not like that at all. I can’t read minds. I feel them: I feel the people and their emotions. They’re impressions, not words that come to me. My brain sort of translates it into words for me, but it’s not their words. It’s their feelings put into my own words. I can’t really explain it. It’s very intense.”
Nina took in a sharp breath, suddenly remembering the night she’d followed him, how he’d held his temples as if he had a migraine.
“It must be so painful. How do you keep your head from exploding?”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “How do you know?”
“It can’t feel good to constantly have your mind invaded with all kinds of powerful feelings. How do you cope with that?”
He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Do you know that you’re the first person who’s ever asked me that?”
“But your friends—they know about it, right?”
He shook his head. “They don’t know about the pain. I’ve never told them what it feels like.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want their pity.”
“Tell me. I want to know.” She took his hand and held it against her cheek. His warm fingers instantly caressed her skin. Too soft for a vampire, too soft even for the hard man he portrayed. No, not the hard man, merely the hard shell. For inside, she suspected, was something different entirely. The softer the inside, the harder the shell had to be to provide protection. Was that true in Amaury’s case?
“You don’t want to know.”
“Please.” She turned her head and kissed his palm.
Amaury closed his eyes for a long moment. “It’s like somebody is sticking needles in my head. Continuously. Big ones, the kind you’d use on an elephant.” He opened his eyes. “It’s a constant noise in my head. Incessant pounding.”
It was worse than she’d imagined. “How do you get any relief from this?”
His eyes, when he met hers, seemed cautious, as if he’d revealed too much already. But she wanted to know all of it. She wanted to understand him.
