“Do you miss her?” I lift my head up just enough to look at him.
“I do,” he replies honestly as he trails his fingers down my back. “She’s been with me for centuries.”
“She misses you, I’m sure.”
“She does,” he replies. “But a little distance is good for her. I might be a little overprotective and haven’t let her venture far on her own.”
“A little?” I laugh. “You’re a good vampire dad. Is that weird to say?”
“Yes,” he chuckles and brushes my damp hair back. I rest my head on his chest again and slowly run my fingers up and down his arm.
“Were you ever married?” I ask. “Before you became a vampire, I mean.”
“No. Though I was arranged to marry a girl from our village.”
“Did you love her?”
“Love didn’t matter then. The marriage was more of a business deal between two poor families.”
“You didn’t answer the question.” I walk my fingers around his bicep.
“I thought I did love her,” he answers honestly. “I wanted to. A relationship is easier when you at the very least tolerate each other.”
“What happened to her?”
“I don’t know. I assume she was killed when our village was raided.”
“You were in the army, or whatever it was called then, right?”
“Right.” He runs his finger over the veins in my neck. “And then captured.”
“How long did you have to fight before you were turned into a vampire?”
“Years, though the exact number escapes me. And it was several more years after being turned before I was able to escape.”
“You’ve lived through so much.”
“I would do it all again if it means being with you.” He holds me tight. “I’d go through another sixteen hundred years of pain and loneliness for just one day with you.”
I sit up again, moving up so we can kiss. My heart swells in my chest, and I feel so much for him right now. He is everything I could ever want in a lover and partner.
“I should call Abby,” I sigh, not wanting to move away from Lucas, but my heart is starting to race just thinking about not being there to protect her. “And I’m hungry.”
“I’ll make you something,” Lucas offers. “Keep this between the two of us, but I’m almost enjoying learning how to cook.”
I laugh. “Good, because I very much enjoy food, and it always tastes better when someone else makes it for me.”
“What do you want?”
“Surprise me.” We start to break apart. “Do I smell like rotten raccoon parts?”
Lucas cocks an eyebrow. “No. You smell like vanilla and lavender shampoo and burned herbs. It’s not the usual way you smell.”
“I showered at Kristy’s. But I washed all the ickiness from me?”
“If you want to shower together to be sure, we can, but no, you don’t smell like rotten animals.”
“Good.” I shudder. “I can still smell it in my head.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yeah, it does,” I counter. “I can remember what it smells like, and it was really gross.”
“But you’re not smelling it now. And you can’t smell something in your head.”
I purse my lips. “Yeah, you can.”
“No, you can’t.”
“It’s a witch thing.”
Lucas laughs. “That makes even less sense, but fine. I’ll give you that.”
“I’m right. That’s all you need to know,” I say and try not to laugh as I go to the fridge to get something to drink. There’s an open bottle of Moscato in there that looks a little tempting, but the thought of drinking something so sweet makes my stomach hurt. Maybe it’s my liver’s way of begging me to give it a damn break.
I fill a glass with milk and go onto the front porch, taking Scarlet and my familiars with me. They run around, chasing grasshoppers and looking like normal pets. I watch them for a moment and then sit on the first step to call Abby.
The call goes right to voicemail, and she texts me back just seconds later.
Abby: At work and can’t talk but can text. Everything okay?
Me: For the most part. Will you guys be home tonight? Lucas and I are going to Chicago.
Abby: Yes, but not until later. I’m having dinner at Mom and Dad’s tonight.
Mom and Dad’s. They’re not my mom and dad, but I know it’s just habit for Abby to think like that. I let out a breath and look out at the road, watching a truck drive by on the way to the estate.
Abby: Sorry. You know what I mean, though.
Me: I do, and they are your parents.
“Unfortunately,” I mumble to myself.
Me: I want to put an extra warding on your house, just in case. And give you and Phil protection charms. Can Penny wear a bracelet? I don’t know anything about kids.
Abby: She’ll probably put it in her mouth. Babies and even toddlers should never wear anything with beads or stones.
Me: Good point. I can make an alternative. Is Scott going to dinner with you guys tonight?