Page 117 of A Vampire's Pain
"No, I don't think I would have," I told him.
He smiled a little.
"So, you understand why I want to kill you?"
I nodded.
"Trust me, I always understood," I said.
"Good," he said. "Because I really want to kill you. Now more than ever."
"Now more than ever? Has something changed?" I asked, feeling a little concerned.
Had something happened to Valeri?! She might have walked away from me, but she was still my mate, and if something had happened to her, I wanted to know, so I could help.
"Why her?" he asked.
"Valeri?"
He nodded.
"I don't really think I have got a choice," I said.
"You do. Many today choose their mate. You could have rejected her," he said.
"That would have hurt us both."
"Would it really matter to you?" he asked me.
I looked at him shocked, but I understood why he was asking me. In the past, I didn't really care whom I hurt, so of course, he wanted to know why it was different with his sister.
"It does," I said. "Because the moment I saw her she took my breath away. I knew I would never want anyone else."
"You expect me to believe that?" he asked. "After all the women you have slept with. Commoners, ladies, duchesses, princesses, and even queens. Married. Unmarried."
I shrugged a little.
"No, I guess I haven't really given you a reason to believe me," I said.
"Not really."
"But she is different," I told him.
"How?"
"She ... She makes me want to be better," I said. "She makes me want to be better, so I can make her happy. I can't explain it, but it felt like she changed me the moment she looked at me. I just knew I would do anything for her."
"Anything?"
"Anything!"
Damon studied me a little, and I wondered where all of this was coming from. Why was he acting like this?
"I am not sure I can believe that either," he said.
"I don't blame you," I said.
"So, how can I ever let her be with you?" he asked.
