“So instead you devise a plan to put me in my place?” I say dryly.
“Maybe.”
“Well, we shall be leaving this kind of play at the door,” I state firmly.
“Fine.” He sighs, disappointed.
“Fine, maybe every now and again. Like once a year,” I bend slightly, and he laughs.
“Done.”
“You know,” I say slyly, “if you took a human lover you could feel that way, powerful, all of the time. You could use her and feed from her and there would be nothing she could do about it.”
I leave that to sink in as I get up and go to get myself something to drink. I am getting quite addicted to my bloody wine cocktails and add a dash of Tabasco in this one just for an extra kick. Hm, delicious. I have always tried to stay away from the cliché of the Bloody Mary but maybe next time I will give that a go. It sounds quite tasty.
Cole takes longer than I expected to come and find me to lambast me about my remark. Only instead of a lambasting, I get a thoughtful look. “Is that why you have been pushing me to do it?” he asks.
“Part of the reason,” I shrug.
“What’s the other part? So, you don’t feel so guilty about doing it yourself?”
“Erm, no,” I say, although he kind of has a point. “It is just the way with male Vampires. Especially new ones and I am away so much of the time. I just want you looked after.”
“That is a lame answer, Liv. I would have preferred you said that you feel some guilt.” He goes about making his own bloody wine drink and to my surprise adds a dash of Tabasco to his too.
“Snap,” I murmur, and he frowns at me until he sees me looking at the drink.
He tilts his head. “You did the same?”
I nod and he says, “In perfect sync with each other. I like that.”
“Me too.”
“I will think about what you said,” he says carefully, and my eyes go to his. He is being serious and while I feel a pang of jealousy, I am glad that he is going to think it over. “But I’m not going to be forced into it, so drop it now, Liv. Please. I have heard you and I have told you I will think about it. I don’t want to talk about it again.”
“I promise.” I step forward to kiss him, but he holds up his hand.
“I meant what I said about going Hunting as well. I have thought about it since we spoke of it here when I fake drained you. And you don’t get to treat Devon any differently to me. You don’t get to decide if I am prepared or ready and you certainly don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do.”
Wow, assertive Cole is still out in full force. I am getting all mushy again, but I just can’t agree to this.
“I love you, Cole. More than you will ever know but I can’t do this with you. I worked long and hard to evolve and if I step back and let you do this; I might as well be doing it myself.”
“So, do it yourself,” he says, and I glare at him.
“Not very supportive, my love.”
“Liv, you are a Vampire. You are Queen of the Vampires. Of all of us. You should take a leaf out of ‘other you’s’ book.”
“Cole!”
“I’m just saying.”
“You don’t know what you are saying. I won’t take you Hunting. If you want to go, you find someone else to take you.”
“Fine. Tell me which one of you still kills? Devon? Sebastian? Constantine? I am sure he still does but would never admit it to anyone. Secretive bastard.”
“I have no idea!” I yell at him, getting