Page 95 of The Vampire’s Temptation
He nodded. “Simon of Winchester was a somewhat famous vampire. One known for cruelty—”
“And I take it he was murdered by a Cheld?”
“Yes, gruesomely so. Along with some of his friends, who should have been done away with long before that.”
“So you admit the Cheld have their purpose?”
He would never willingly admit to such a thing.
“We would have gotten to them eventually.”
Her already wide eyes rounded.
“You kill your own kind?”
“When they threaten to expose us like Winchester and his gang did? Yes. There’s no hierarchy or vampire kings and queens, as some of the popular culture would have you believe. There are only vampires and older vampires. The older are stronger and tend to have more sway.”
“And you are one of the oldest.”
“I am.”
“And the strongest?”
He ground his teeth and admitted, “Along with my brothers and the Derricksons, yes.”
“And the most resourceful?”
He liked this particular game. “Yes.”
That furrow between her brows grew deeper. “Then why the hell didn’t you realize I’d fallen in love with you, Kenton? Why didn’t you understand that keeping so much from me would ensure we were eventually driven apart?”
Kenton had no answer to her question. Strike that. He had no answer besides the truth.
“Because I’ve never truly been in love before, Alessandra.”
