Ignited by Desni Dantone Page A

their interest in you is, but I think he was the one they planted to get close to you.”
    “Maybe they were using him too?”
    Nathan snorted. “No, he is one of them.”
    “How do you know?” 
    “Because I know.” His tone made it clear that the matter was now closed. 
    I nibbled on my lip. “What else are you, other than human?” I asked quietly.
    He thought about it, and then shook his head. “Not yet.”
    I refused to get discouraged. He was answering everything else. I looked up at him from under my lashes. “Why do you look the same?” 
    He stared at me like he was trying to figure out if I was talking about what he thought I was talking about. “The same as what?” he hedged, watching me closely.
    “The same now as you did the first time I saw you, when I was three. It’s like you haven’t aged at all.”
    He sighed as he thought about his answer. “It’s a perk from being the other five percent of what I am.”
    “Are you immortal?” I guessed. 
    “Not quite.” He watched my reaction warily. “We just age slower.”
    I nodded, recalling how the others had vaporized. They had definitely not been immortal. “What happened to those other guys? Why did they disappear like that?”
    Nathan hesitated, and I feared he would put a stop to the questions. He didn’t, but answered slowly, choosing his words carefully. “That happens when we’re killed with a particular type of weapon. Those certain weapons make it easier to kill us. Otherwise, we’re harder to kill than average humans. Not immortal, but more resilient.” 
    “And stronger?”
    “Faster and stronger.” After all he had admitted to, none of it hinted at what he was. He was careful. I wondered what it was he was so concerned about. My reaction?
    “You can tell me what you are,” I said softly. 
    His eyes met mine and, for a second, I thought he might tell me. Then he shook his head. “Not yet, Kris.”
    For it being the first I’d ever heard him say my name, it felt oddly warm and familiar, like slipping into that over-worn security t-shirt straight out of the dryer. Not to mention, almost everyone had to be told not to call me by my given name. “How did you know my name?”
    He shrugged like the answer was so obvious he didn’t know what to say.
    “You knew to call me Kris, not Kristina,” I prodded.
    A small grin tugged at his lips when the answer came to him. “You strongly suggested it to me once. You had quite a mouth for a three year old.” 
    Oh, man, did I wish I remembered that conversation.   
    His mention of it took me back to the night he had entered my life. I had seen bad things that night, most of which my subconscious continued to protect me from remembering. Had I seen things then, similar to what I’ve seen tonight? Have I been living in this world with people that were ninety-five percent human all along?
    For years, I have wanted to ask him what his involvement had been that night, and what his involvement has been in my life ever since. As far as I knew, he had only popped into my life a few times when I needed help. What if it were more than that? What if he had been there the whole time, watching and waiting? What if he had been protecting me all along?
    And then, there was the biggest question of all...why?
    “Who are you to me?” I asked. “How is it that you’ve been there to help me all those times?”
    His eyes were fixed straight ahead, and I saw he had no intention of answering. “We better keep moving.” He stood. “Your ankle okay?”
    He helped me up and I tested it. “It’s fine.” Disappointment over my biggest question being left unanswered dripped from my voice.
    The civility that had transpired between us was nothing but a memory once we started moving again. He was distracted and his responses, when he gave one, were brief and uninterested. By the time I gave up asking, all communication from him had regressed to primitive grunts. I decided I would rather be stuck