He stops right before he gets in the room, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“What?” I ask and then look down and see the little gate in front of the door. “She took over another room for the guinea pigs?”
“This is getting ridiculous.”
“Oh, it’s harmless, and if you would have just let her get a puppy all those years ago, she might not have started this obsession. And even you have to admit they’re cute.”
“They’re not hideous, I’ll give you that.”
I laugh and shake my head, hooking my other arm around Lucas’s shoulder. We go down to the next room, which is piggy-free.
“We haven’t fucked in this house in a while,” Lucas muses, setting me on the bed. “Brings back memories of the first time I tasted you.”
I smile up at him, not having the heart to say I’m exhausted, stressed, and not really in the mood. Though I know it wouldn’t take him long to get me in the mood if I gave him the green light.
“I was nervous,” I tell him.
“I could tell.”
I reach behind me and unzip my dress. “I don’t know what scared me more, though, knowing you were going to drink my blood or thinking I wasn’t going to be good enough for you.”
“Why would you think that?” He sinks onto the bed and unbuttons his shirt.
“You’d been with so many people I felt practically like a virgin. Practically,” I stress. “Did I disappoint? You can be honest now. We’re married and I’m pregnant, so it’s not like I’ll leave if you offend me.”
“Not at all. I was impressed how well you kept up.”
“That’s a relief.” I finish undressing and go into the bathroom to take my makeup off and brush my teeth. “When will Eliza get back?” I ask when we get into bed.
“Not until sunrise,” he says, hand going to the curve of my hip. Finishing our romantic getaway with rock-your-socks-off sex sounds fantastic, but I’m too damn tired. “Don’t forget about the automatic blinds.”
“Right,” I say, opening my eyes and looking at the window. Every single glass surface of this house that lets light in gets covered with metal blinds around four a.m. It freaked me out for a while, but now that I know why the sound unnerved me so much, I handle it much better. “I got a few hours until then, right?”
“Right.” He kisses my neck.
“Is there still a heated blanket in the house?” I ask, feeling chilled again.
“I believe so. I’ll look.” He kisses my forehead and gets out of bed. I let my eyes fall shut, and I get a flash of Kenny Gray’s face, eyes black as night. The demon possessing him wanted to give me as a present, and it pisses me off more than anything else, but it unnerves me, too.
I’ve faced off against Varrador and Bael and made it out alive. My powers are growing, and the more I learn how to use my angelic side, the stronger I’ll be. But I know I have limits, and if I’m a worthy present for a high-ranking demon…wouldn’t my daughter be one as well? I can fight back. Defend myself.
But my baby…my baby will be helpless against the forces of darkness.Chapter 14“Finally,” I say when the doorbell rings. It’s a little after nine, and I’m waiting for my food to arrive. I didn’t sleep well last night, tossing and turning and waking with my heart racing from a bad dream I can’t quite remember.
The only food in the house was vegetables for Eliza’s guinea pigs, the leftover pizza, and several boxes of mac ’n cheese, but the milk was spoiled and there wasn’t enough butter. Starving, I was going to go pick something up, but Lucas called Monica, a human who runs errands for him as well as some of the other vampires at establishments he owns. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, and I’m happily surprised by how good she looks, considering the last time she looked like a human pincushion from being bitten so many times by her vampire boyfriend—who Eliza was screwing on the side.
“Hey, Callie,” she says with a smile on her face. She’s tan and either just got back from a sunny vacation or spends too much time inside a tanning salon. Regardless, it’s a stark contrast from the pale skin she usually has, probably both from avoiding sunlight to fit in with her vampire lover and from the constant blood loss.
“Hey,” I reply and step aside. It’s sunny today but still just as bitterly cold as yesterday.
She doesn’t come in, and I remember the one time she entered this house she was more than a little freaked out. “I hope I got everything right. Coffee, half regular and half decaf with French vanilla cream.”
“Yes, thank you.” I take the coffee from her.