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marks left behind were from an accident with open shears or something. Paul didn’t need to know this though. To keep him from asking the questions she could see swirling in his eyes, she said, “You’ll have to remove most of these chains. I can’t eat like this. One around my ankle ought to be sufficient during the picnic. You can always put the others back on afterward.”
    Uncertainty immediately claimed Paul’s expression and then he asked warily, “You’re stronger. How do I know you can’t just snap the one chain?”
    “I can’t just snap it like twine,” she assured him. “It would take a little bit more effort than a quick jerk. You don’t know that for sure, of course, and I could be lying. But if you keep your tranquilizer gun on you, it shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” she pointed out quietly.
    His eyes narrowed with a combination of confusion and suspicion. “Are you saying you won’t try to escape?”
    “I can do better than that. I promise you I won’t try to escape. At least not until I’ve heard this proposition of yours,” Jeanne Louise said solemnly.
    Paul’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
    Jeanne Louise hesitated. She simply couldn’t tell him it was because he was a possible life mate for her and she hoped to claim him. In the end, she went with, “Because I like Livy.”
    It was the right thing to say and apparently thoroughly believable to him. He relaxed at once, a small smile curving his lips. “Everyone likes Livy. She’s adorable and so smart and funny. She makes the world a brighter place.”
    Jeanne Louise stayed silent. The man loved his daughter. If she hadn’t already figured that out, the way his eyes lit up and his face softened as he spoke of her would have done it.
    “Right.” He smiled, looking more relaxed than he had since she’d woken up to see him standing over her. “I’ll make a picnic for us and then come down and get you. We can have it outside. It’s a beautiful sunny day. Livy will like that and—” He blinked and paused, a frown suddenly tugging at his lips. “Oh. I forgot, you can’t—”
    “I can go out in daylight, I will just have to sit in the shade,” she said quickly.
    “Really?” Curiosity immediately filled his expression again. “Most immortals work at night. I thought you all avoided sunlight.”
    “We avoid it to avoid needing more blood, but we can go out in daylight,” Jeanne Louise said solemnly.
    Paul nodded and she could see a million questions swimming in his eyes, but in the end, he simply said, “You’ll have to tell me more during our picnic. I’ll go fix sandwiches and stuff for us. You like ham, cheese, and mayo right?”
    Jeanne Louise blinked at the question. It was her favorite, but she had no idea how he knew that.
    “It’s what you usually order in the cafeteria on your first break,” he explained and she relaxed. The man had obviously paid attention to the details while planning this kidnapping.
    “Yes, I like ham, cheese, and mayonnaise,” she agreed quietly.
    Nodding, Paul turned to the door. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
    Jeanne Louise watched until he was out of sight and then laid back and closed her eyes again. This was good. A picnic outside. She suspected he wanted her to get to know and like Livy in the hopes that she’d be more agreeable to turning the girl, but it would also give them a chance to get to know each other better in a more natural setting. She would also be able to see if the other symptoms of life mates were there as well. Or perhaps not, she thought with a frown.
    Not being able to read a mortal or immortal was only one sign of a life mate. A resurgence of appetite was another. A lot of immortals stopped bothering with food after the first hundred years or so, but Jeanne Louise was just 102 years old. She still ate, and mostly still enjoyed food, though she had noticed lately that it didn’t seem as tasty as it had always been. Which was why she’d been so surprised