seconds away from disaster, putting us all at risk, and your precious blueblood council won’t like hearing that.” Nico’s eyes are shrewd and cold.
“And what do you want from me to keep this quiet?” Viktor cuts through the posturing, and I inhale sharply, realizing now what I’ve done to him. Because of my carelessness, the love of my life is in this heartless vamp’s debt.
“I want your help when I need it, and I will need it. That’s a certainty,” Nico states his terms with a cool indifference.
The two male vampires stare at each other, the animosity between them palpable. This isn’t slightly ticked off. This is a hatred that takes years and years to build up. Viktor is so going to resent turning me.
“You will have my help.” Viktor nods, his face tight, and his jaw jutting. “Come,” he barks at me. He doesn’t use my name or call me his beloved or touch me, and his eyes glow red with rage. After issuing his command, he strides away, not looking back, discarding me like a used cupcake wrapper.
I follow him, my head bowed, all rebellion temporarily snuffed out of me. I stay subdued for a full three blocks, which is a personal record. “Viktor?”
“Not now,” he growls. I didn’t know vampires growled. I thought growling was the exclusive domain of werewolves.
If vampires exist, does that mean werewolves exist also? They could provide insight into the bat shifting. I wait for another three blocks, channeling my inner-bat as I trail him. “Now?”
“No.” Viktor sounds more exasperated than cranky, and my spirits lift. He still loves me, and that’s a good thing because I love him to bits and pieces. He gives me one of his knowing looks.
I remember he can hear my thoughts, and my face heats. It makes no sense to hold back now. I love you, you big grumpy grump of a hunkalicious vampire, you .
Not now .
Holy hazelnut. I can hear his thoughts. You can’t stop me from thinking, sunshine. When we get home, I’m going to cover you with icing, and lick you clean, starting with those big shovel-toes of yours . I flood my brain with sexy thoughts and silly endearments as I skip along the curb. Being a vampire is so much fun.
We don’t go directly home. Viktor stops at a cute little bungalow located a block away from his big house. He knocks on the door, and I ring the doorbell, helping my technology-inept vampire lover out.
A gorgeous woman answers. She doesn’t say anything, not one word of welcome, studying me with a dead expression on her face, her dark gaze sweeping over the smudges on my battered yellow shoes, pausing on the manly shirt I’m half wearing, the gaps between the buttons exposing my freckled flesh, before resting on my sure-to-be crazy hair.
Did I mention I hadn’t expected to meet anyone tonight? I look like hell, and she looks perfect. Tall and thin and everything a vampire should be, she even dresses the part, wearing a skin-tight black leather catsuit I could use as a belt.
The vampire chick and Viktor look like they’re made for each other, and I don’t buy that they’re not talking. I’m thinking they’re doing that mind reading thing, intentionally leaving me out of their conversation, and this hurts.
No toe sucking for him, I decide, and I’m not waiting around while he mentally flirts with some undead babe. I walk away, putting an extra wiggle in my walk, shaking more booty than she’ll ever have. Maybe I’ll go find that Nico character, and we can be bitter and evil together. I’ll ask him about the bat shifting. He might know.
Viktor catches up to me easily. He has a big black velvet bag slung over his shoulder, like an evil Santa Claus. “Helena is a friend.” Suddenly he is Mr. Chatty.
“I don’t care.” I sniff, pointing my nose in the air. Then I ruin the effect by tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. Viktor catches me, preventing me from doing a facer into the cement, and I jerk away from his touch.
I’m stressed and angsty, and
“And what do you want from me to keep this quiet?” Viktor cuts through the posturing, and I inhale sharply, realizing now what I’ve done to him. Because of my carelessness, the love of my life is in this heartless vamp’s debt.
“I want your help when I need it, and I will need it. That’s a certainty,” Nico states his terms with a cool indifference.
The two male vampires stare at each other, the animosity between them palpable. This isn’t slightly ticked off. This is a hatred that takes years and years to build up. Viktor is so going to resent turning me.
“You will have my help.” Viktor nods, his face tight, and his jaw jutting. “Come,” he barks at me. He doesn’t use my name or call me his beloved or touch me, and his eyes glow red with rage. After issuing his command, he strides away, not looking back, discarding me like a used cupcake wrapper.
I follow him, my head bowed, all rebellion temporarily snuffed out of me. I stay subdued for a full three blocks, which is a personal record. “Viktor?”
“Not now,” he growls. I didn’t know vampires growled. I thought growling was the exclusive domain of werewolves.
If vampires exist, does that mean werewolves exist also? They could provide insight into the bat shifting. I wait for another three blocks, channeling my inner-bat as I trail him. “Now?”
“No.” Viktor sounds more exasperated than cranky, and my spirits lift. He still loves me, and that’s a good thing because I love him to bits and pieces. He gives me one of his knowing looks.
I remember he can hear my thoughts, and my face heats. It makes no sense to hold back now. I love you, you big grumpy grump of a hunkalicious vampire, you .
Not now .
Holy hazelnut. I can hear his thoughts. You can’t stop me from thinking, sunshine. When we get home, I’m going to cover you with icing, and lick you clean, starting with those big shovel-toes of yours . I flood my brain with sexy thoughts and silly endearments as I skip along the curb. Being a vampire is so much fun.
We don’t go directly home. Viktor stops at a cute little bungalow located a block away from his big house. He knocks on the door, and I ring the doorbell, helping my technology-inept vampire lover out.
A gorgeous woman answers. She doesn’t say anything, not one word of welcome, studying me with a dead expression on her face, her dark gaze sweeping over the smudges on my battered yellow shoes, pausing on the manly shirt I’m half wearing, the gaps between the buttons exposing my freckled flesh, before resting on my sure-to-be crazy hair.
Did I mention I hadn’t expected to meet anyone tonight? I look like hell, and she looks perfect. Tall and thin and everything a vampire should be, she even dresses the part, wearing a skin-tight black leather catsuit I could use as a belt.
The vampire chick and Viktor look like they’re made for each other, and I don’t buy that they’re not talking. I’m thinking they’re doing that mind reading thing, intentionally leaving me out of their conversation, and this hurts.
No toe sucking for him, I decide, and I’m not waiting around while he mentally flirts with some undead babe. I walk away, putting an extra wiggle in my walk, shaking more booty than she’ll ever have. Maybe I’ll go find that Nico character, and we can be bitter and evil together. I’ll ask him about the bat shifting. He might know.
Viktor catches up to me easily. He has a big black velvet bag slung over his shoulder, like an evil Santa Claus. “Helena is a friend.” Suddenly he is Mr. Chatty.
“I don’t care.” I sniff, pointing my nose in the air. Then I ruin the effect by tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. Viktor catches me, preventing me from doing a facer into the cement, and I jerk away from his touch.
I’m stressed and angsty, and
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