Shouldn't that be the other way around? Weren't we vampires the danger? "So you still intend to let him live?" A tiny crack spread in the layers of imaginary ice that encased me.
"Your father has made a wise point. Harming this descendant would destroy the peace between ourselves and the Clann. But you must not be alone with him anymore. We cannot risk your losing control around him and single-handedly destroying the peace treaty."
I almost frowned, then stopped. No, I would not think about this. I already knew what needed to be done. "Agreed. But...may I have a few days to handle this in my own way?"
Silence filled the room as the council discussed telepathically. Then Caravass nodded. "Your father will keep you under close supervision until this is accomplished."
"Thank you."
"Meeting you has been...insightful." Caravass nodded at the guard, who opened the door for us again. "I hope to learn much from you and your developments over time."
I gave a short nod and followed Dad out of the chamber.
We waited in the dank hall as the guard entered the interrogation room. After a few minutes, he led Tristan out. Tristan's wrists were still cuffed behind his back, but he seemed less sluggish now and able to walk fine. I carefully avoided looking at his face.
Dad put a blindfold over his eyes, checking around the edges to be sure Tristan couldn't see. He repeated the procedure with me. But then Dad did something surprising. He grabbed my wrist, tugged me over a few feet and placed my hand over Tristan's. Tristan's fingers immediately laced and locked with mine.
Had Dad done this to keep Tristan calm and cooperative?
Dad walked behind us, using gentle nudges on our shoulders to guide us back out of the tunnels to the street. The entire time, Tristan's heated grip on my cold hand never loosened.
The vampire inside me wanted him to let go. His touch created too much warmth, steadily melting the chill within me as Dad shepherded us out. How could I stay safe and numb when his skin was so hot against mine, nearly burning me from the contact?
At the car, we paused in the darkness while Dad removed Tristan's cuffs. As soon as we got into the equally dark backseat of the car and could remove our blindfolds, Tristan gathered me to him in a fierce hug.
Dad sat in the front with the driver and raised a black privacy wall between the two halves of the car. Only a small light set into each door panel provided a dim glow as the car began to move forward. Oh, of course. Being a vampire, Dad would be able to hear us if I lost control.
"Are you okay?" Tristan's voice came out muffled in my hair.
"Yes. You?" I felt as if I'd stepped into a bonfire. The heat from his arms around me, his thigh against the side of mine, his chest like a wall of warmth against me, was too much for the chill inside me to withstand. He bent his head toward me, and I barely had the strength to turn away at the last second so his kiss landed on my cheek instead.
"We'd better not," I murmured, everything inside me aching to do the exact opposite.
He chuckled. "Oh, yeah. At least not till we find somewhere for me to recharge, huh?"
I tried to swallow down the growing lump in my throat, my eyes burning as badly as if someone had poured chemicals into them. I pressed my face against his chest, focusing on the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek.
He must have felt the tears soak through his shirt, because he reached up to thumb away a few. "Were you scared?"
That I was going to kill him? "Yes, terrified." I still was. Thankfully the guard had cleaned the blood off Tristan's neck before releasing him, or I'd be too afraid to risk being alone with him even now. Though every second we were together, I was still tempted to kiss him and drain him even further. So even now, he wasn't safe. Maybe the council had been too lenient in allowing me a few more days with him.
"Don't worry, Sav, it's over now. I'm just glad they let us go without hurting you."
I nodded and pressed closer to him, enjoying his touch for as long as I could. Because he was right...it was over. At least for us. He just didn't know it yet. As soon as our plane touched down outside of Jacksonville, I would keep my promise and break up with the only boy I had ever loved.
Until then, I would just have to hold on to every last second we had together and pray that it would be enough.