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seemed to be an open book to them, and they could not seem to tear their eyes off the pages. It occurred to her that perhaps it was not possible for them to stay out of her mind. Perhaps her thoughts were as loud to them as if she had spoken aloud. "Am I right?" It would be a good test.
    "Yes." Nevar answered. We can hear you just as you can hear us. Of course, we only lower our shields when we want you to hear us. As you said, some things are best left unsaid.
    “ Okay, I think I get the picture. You can keep your thoughts to yourselves. Just pretend you can’t hear mine.” She had no desire to know what went on inside a man’s head, let alone two. Even though she was certain that these two probably had very interesting minds compared to her normal crowd. “So, just how long will it be before I can have my privacy back?”
    Xander sat in an armchair across from her. “That’s a good question. You’re the first vamp I’ve ever known to even pull it off the first night. It could be a couple of days, but it may take much longer. Most don’t develop the ability until they are at least a few years old.”
    “ Years?” She exclaimed. “I couldn’t stand that! Why would it take so long?”
    “ I think the best answer to that is clarity of thought, or rather, a lack thereof. Have you noticed that some of your thoughts have taken you a while to process?” Nevar had a pained look on his face again. “Like what I am and what you are because of me? It took you until our arrival here to fully process it.”
    It was true, she noticed. It had come to her in bits and pieces. She had only seen the broad picture of it all outside. She should have fainted in her penthouse when she was attacked, but instead, she was overwhelmed by her heightened senses. She wondered now if Nevar had coaxed her into willingness. She had managed to shield her thoughts for a while … but it was when her shields had been up that she had started to see the pieces to the puzzle. “Nevar?”
    He sighed heavily. “I fear that I will never cease apologizing to you. Yes. I coaxed you a little, but only to get you fed."
    "'Trust your instincts'," she recited. She was livid, angrier than she'd ever been before. But when she turned a heated glare at him, she was the one who melted. He was standing there, shame in his eyes, waiting for whatever punishment she had in store for him. Her expression softened instantly. Suddenly, the pain and anguish she'd seen on his face all night started making sense.
    He had lost control, something that he admitted he'd never done before. Instead of taking her life, he'd offered her a new one. He had used what advantages he could to guide her in those first crucial hours. Without him, who knows what she might have done. She still wasn't quite sure what she was capable of.
    "I'm sorry, Nevar. I'm afraid I may have judged you too harshly. Normally, I would have the benefit of being able to think things out before throwing accusations around, but it seems I cannot afford that luxury currently."
    "Given your current rate of progress, I imagine you will not have to wait long for it." Xander looked outright impressed. His smile was perfect. If he wasn't a model, he should be. He gave her a quick wink that made her blush. "She's amazing, Nevar. As long as I've been alive, I've never seen any vampire with so much control, even into their second or third year as she has. Forgive me for saying so, Alyssa, but listening to your mind work is fascinating."
    "I'm glad that you think so, but I don't understand. What do you mean when you say I have so much more control than other vampires? What would normal behavior be?"
    Both of their faces looked grim, but it was Xander who spoke first. "For one, you would have torn Nevar's face off just a moment ago. For one split second I saw it there, but you pulled it back so fast, a human's eyes would have missed it entirely. Most newly made vampires' minds are hard to read, like trying to read a