Roses & Thorns by Tish Thawer Page B

lately...I miss you." She threw her arms around me, which made me feel tons better. At least she wasn't mad at me fo r being too busy, since obviously she was pretty occupied with her team at the moment.
    "I miss you too. I've just been hanging out with Christian, and working out with Mom at the pool a lot." No way could I tell her that I was currently spend ing time with yet another new guy that involved me meeting him after dark.
    "Okay, well , h ave fun with Christian . I've gotta go kick some ass on the court!" Her whole team w hooped and hollered as they bounced their way out of the restroom, leaving me to st are at myself in the mirror , wondering just how dense I could possibly be.
    I was s uddenly having an epiphany. Thinking about Terrance needing to meet me after the sun had set had me p utting two-and-two together . How interesting that Christian and I c ould never meet unless i t was after dark as well? And w hy was he always so vague when it came to talking about any other job before this job that required him to work night s ? H e was also the only person I 'd ever met that ate everything rare and practically bleeding on the plate .
    Holy shit! I was dating a vampire. He had to be, and I knew one sure fire way to find out. I grabbed my cell and dialed Christian's number.
    "Hello?"
    "Hi, Christian. I 'm just calling to let you know that I'm going to be a little bit late. I got held up a t school and I still need to grab a bite to eat before I head down." I didn't want to cancel all together, but first...it looked like I would be meeting Terrance tonight after all.
    After dumping all my makeup back into my purse, I made a beeline to my car –Mom had let me take it to school today since I would be headed to Christian's tonight. But this was a detour I had to make first. I drove straight to the swim complex and found Terrance waiting in the shadow of the trees just beyond the pool while my m om finished her last lesson of the day. I stood behind the corner of the building and waved him over the moment he noticed me. He was at my side in two seconds with a worried look on his face.
    "Rose, is everything alright? You look upset, and your hea r tbeat is racing."
    "I have to ask you something , and I want the truth. Do you know a vampire named Christian Royce?"
    I knew the answer the instant that he dropped his head. After sliding down to the ground, we took ou r usual seats with our backs to the building and he told me the one thing that I never expected to hear.
    "Yes. I know Christian. Royce is the last name that he uses in the human world, but we really don't have last names once we're turned. We are part of the same clan and live at The Rising Pit. How did you meet him?"
    After the air left my lungs, I answered, "I've been dating him for the last month and a half. Why have I never seen you there?"
    "I choose not to feed in the vicinity , and prefer to come into town instead. Chr istian has always fed close to home," Terrance explained.
    I knew from the jealous feelings that raced through me at the thought of Christian touching another person , I wouldn't be breaking things off with him . Vampire or not... I was sure that I was falling in love him . And, based on my conversations with Terrance , I was certain that Christian wouldn't hu rt anyone , so I really couldn't be angry at him for fe ed ing on h umans in order to survive. He couldn't help what he was.
    Even though I could bar e l y process that my boyfriend was a vampire, I suddenly felt much better. I was excited to tell him that he didn't have to keep it a secret any longer. "Well, I guess it will be a big surprise for him tonight when I tell him I know what he is ."
    "No. You can't!" Terrance exclaimed as he shot to his feet.
    Panicked, h e said, "If you reveal that you know vampire ' s exist, you co uld get us both killed. " He went on to explain that I had to hide my thoughts around other vampires, making sure that I only focused on the events that were