sunfall by Nell Stark & Trinity Tam

Author:Nell Stark & Trinity Tam [Stark, Nell & Tam, Trinity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, lesbian, romance, Urban Fantasy, paranormal, Vampire
ISBN: 9781602827011
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2012-05-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

I woke three hours later, just shy of eleven o’clock. At first, I resisted alertness, hoping that Alexa’s rhythmic breathing would pull me back into slumber. But as the minutes passed, my brain kicked into hyperdrive. The nap had taken the edge off my exhaustion and now I needed to be in motion.

Slipping out of bed without Alexa’s knowledge wouldn’t normally have been possible, but I suspected her energy had been much more depleted than either of us realized. I moved quietly around the other bed where Karma had decided to crash and stopped in the bathroom for a quick shower before heading downstairs.

The last person I’d expected to see in the kitchen was Tian, but there she was, sitting at the wooden kitchen table, hands clasped around a ceramic mug. Dressed entirely in black, she was already prepared for the evening’s mission. Her ever-vigilant guards were leaning against the wall behind her, but they straightened as I entered.

“Valentine.” Her once-over made me feel disheveled, as though I’d had a choice about wearing the same clothes she’d seen me in earlier. “Join me. Would you like some tea?”

“Please.”

She clapped her hands and Jonah immediately appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Tea for our guest please, Jonah.”

The steam rising off the dark liquid was fragrant with the scent of chrysanthemum, and I inhaled it deeply. Tian’s scrutiny was palpable, but I refused to let her rattle me. We were, as she had said, peers. And I would act like one.

“Will you answer a question for me?” said Tian.

“Probably.”

A smile flashed across her lips. “Your lack of pretense is refreshing, but rest assured, I am not asking you to reveal clan secrets. This question is one I have asked many times, of many individuals, over hundreds of years. I would like to know your experience of the sunlight. The details of how it feels to you.”

I frowned in confusion. “But surely you’ve felt it recently?”

“Not for centuries.”

“So long? You could survive with impunity for several seconds, possibly even a full minute.”

Tian sat back in her chair, tracing patterns through the ring of moisture her mug had left on the table. “When I was a child, my favorite haunt was a small pond on my family’s estate. In the spring and summer, lotus blossoms bloomed so abundantly that the water was no longer visible. I used to sit by the pond for hours, luxuriating in the warmth of the sun on my neck, my shoulders. Each freckle, my father told me, was a kiss from the light. My mother, who wanted my skin to remain porcelain white, tried to forbid me to go. But he was indulgent.

“You are quite right, Valentine, that my body could endure the sun—however briefly. Any physical pain would be well worth the experience. But it is my mind and my heart that I do not trust. A recovered addict cannot sip their poison. So, I fear, it would be with me.”

Her voice was thick with nostalgia that prompted both my sympathy and empathy.

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