My brows shot up.
“Maybe you should –” Edwina started, all of a sudden there, standing behind the couch looking a little worried.
Avery lifted a long knobby knuckled quieting hand and Edwina was silenced.
“What?” I asked and Edwina gave me a look.
I wrote sorry in big block letters on the pad and showed it to her.
Her head tilted to the side. She winked at me and fluttered back to the kitchen.
Avery spoke. “She’s concerned. As you’re in the life, you’re entitled to know about vampire culture. But other cultures are kept from you. They’re secret as the vampire culture is secret from all mortals outside of it. In other words, I can’t tell you what I am.”
My eyes went wide then I wrote on my pad and turned it to show him.
“Yes, Leah, there are other cultures, other kinds of immortals,” he paused then continued, “and other creatures.”
This was news. Seriously nutty, outrageous news.
I wrote on my pad again and showed him. He read it and smiled.
“I trust you to keep my secret, little one.” Only Avery, who was seven foot tall and mammoth, would be able to get away with calling me “little one”.
He went on, “Though, if anyone ever knew I told you, I’d be sentenced to death.”
I felt my eyes bug out in horror and he laughed and continued, “We take our secrets very seriously.”
I wrote no kidding on my pad. He read it and chuckled again.
Then I wrote why?
“Do the words ‘angry villagers’ mean anything to you?” he asked, trying to make it a joke but I didn’t take it as such.
I felt my heart hurt like it did last night when Lucien explained the world he was forced to live in. Not only hiding his magnificence but also being roundly and kind of sickeningly used and misunderstood.
I wrote angrily on my pad again and showed it to Avery. When he read it, his face grew soft, his big hand came out and he tugged a lock of my hair.
Then his gentle eyes looked deep into mine and he whispered, “Not all mortals suck, Leah.”
His words washed over me and I smiled at him. It was shaky, my heart still hurt but I was glad he didn’t blame me for whatever tortures his people endured from my people, either advertently or inadvertently.
The phone rang. Edwina answered it then brought it to me.
“Lucien,” she said and my heart skipped an irritating beat. I took it and put it to my ear.
Then I didn’t know what to do, his command was no talking.
Could I do long distance, mutant vampire abilities, telepathic communication?
“Leah?” he called.
I was silent.
“You can talk, sweetling,” he said softly.
I was relieved. Then I was cross.
“You know, it totally sucks that I have to wait for you to let me speak,” I informed him waspishly.
He chuckled. Damn the vampire!
I ignored the chuckle.
“Did you manage not to get arrested today?” I asked.
More chuckling. But, I noted, no answer.
“For my peace of mind, I’ll take that as a yes. So, did you break any laws?”
“Leah –”
I cut him off with, “Speeding ticket?”
He burst out laughing.
I fumed.
“You’re sounding better,” he commented after his hilarity died down.
“Like I said this morning, I’m fine.”
“You’re fine because you’ve rested your throat all day,” he returned.
He was probably right. That and Edwina’s obsessive administration of throat lozenges. I didn’t share either of these tidbits of knowledge with him.
“I’m on my way home,” he informed me.
“Goodie,” I said with saccharine sweetness but I felt my pulse race.
I ignored my pulse. Lucien ignored my grumpiness.
“Have you eaten?”
“Edwina’s making dinner now.”
“Good. I’ll be home in five minutes.”
“You know,” I said chattily, “you don’t have to call when you’re five minutes from home. We could have had this extremely pressing conversation five minutes from now, when you are home.”
“Yes, my pet, but I worried about you all day and found I couldn’t wait five minutes more to assure myself you were all right.”
That took the bitchiness out of me. Mainly because his words made me feel really, really good.
And that scared me silly or, in this case, it scared me right back to bitchy.
“Stop being so nice,” I snapped.
“Why?” His voice held a burgeoning chuckle.
“Because I don’t know what to do with it,” I replied.
His voice turned velvet. “Tonight, I’ll teach you what to do with it.”
My womb (and parts south) rippled and it felt great.
Moving on!
“See you soon,” I told him.
“Soon, pet,” he replied and then disconnected.
I hit the button to turn off the phone, ignored my still rippling female parts and announced to the room, “Lucien says I can talk and he’ll be home in five minutes.”
Edwina flitted forward, wielding a throat lozenge. “One more, dear, just to be on the safe side.”
I caught Avery’s amused grin as I took it and popped it in my mouth even though I didn’t need it and I didn’t want it. She was concerned. It made her feel better. I wanted her to feel better and, furthermore, I wanted her to be my new Mom so I didn’t want to scare her off with Leah Attitude before she took on the role.
The attitude would come later, the first time she told me to behave myself which would happen, no doubt about it.
Lucien had been wrong. He wasn’t home in five minutes. He was home in four. It was embarrassing to admit but I watched the freaking clock.
To hide the fact that I’d had such a girlie, obsessed with a hottie vampire who was going to join with me that very night thing, I didn’t bother to rise from the beanbag when he came in.
I should have known better.
He hooked the keys on the holder, nodded to Edwina’s greeting, shook hands with Avery and then came direct to my beanbag.
“Yo,” I said, looking up at him.
Mistress Cool.
His mouth twitched. My female parts rippled.
Before I knew it, I was plucked out of the beanbag and found myself in Lucien’s arms. Not like a normal, give your concubine a hug upon arriving home.
No.
He had my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms automatically went around his shoulders to hold on and his hands were at my ass.