Ethan shook his head and walked toward me, shooting me a look like I was being ridiculous. “That’s not true. Your mortality is one of the most intrinsically beautiful things about you. Yes, you are beautiful on the outside, but physical attraction is a shallow thing. It’s attraction of the soul that links two people together.” He paused and gazed at me lovingly. “Besides, I’m not exactly a young pup myself. I will age a little over the next few years.”
I snorted and quipped, “Yeah, you’ll look thirty-six instead of thirty-five. How awful for you.” A pause as I thought about it. “Actually, since you’ve transformed, you probably won’t age at all. You’re immortal now, remember?”
He knelt in front of me and clasped each of my thighs in his hands. “Right, how could I forget?”
His hand moved up my thigh and along my stomach and chest to my heart. “Our bodies are mere shells, and you will always be beautiful where it matters.” His hand patted lightly against my chest, and I breathed deeply.
“You’re far too charming, Ethan Cristescu, but I’m still not convinced.”
“And you are far too edible,” he replied, pushing me back so that I was lying on the bed. He pulled my jeans off quickly and situated himself between my legs, pressing his face to my sex and nuzzling gently. Seconds later, my underwear had disappeared and his tongue was on me, his hands roaming under my shirt to squeeze at my breasts.
What was it we were arguing about again?
***
When I woke up the next morning, Ethan was already showered and standing by the window, yanking a T-shirt on over his head. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the thrill of seeing him standing in direct sunlight, how it brought out the striking gold colour of his hair.
“Where are you off to so early?” I asked, stretching out in the bed like a happy cat.
“Nicu Arcos is throwing a party at Crimson tonight. He’s been taking care of the club in my absence and wants to celebrate my new position of power. I’m going to visit the place while it’s empty to see how things have been going.”
“Is a party wise though? Things seem a little strained among your people at the moment.”
“And that is exactly why a party is such a great idea. They’ll be able to let off some steam.”
“Are any non-vampires invited?”
“Of course. Who else will be providing the drinks?” he joked.
“Ethan, be serious. Are Finn and the others allowed to come?”
“They may come if they wish. I’ll see to it that they are kept safe.”
“Great. I’ll mention it to them. Now that I think of it, perhaps we all need something to take our minds off Theodore.”
“Exactly,” Ethan smiled and came to kiss me on the cheek. “Now, I have much to see to today. Will you be okay here at the house?”
“Sure, but, um, there’s something else I need to tell you that we didn’t get to discuss last night.”
Ethan stared at me silently and waited for me to speak.
“It’s about the barrier around the city. Roman said he thinks it was Emilia who constructed it, not Theodore. He believes she wants to keep the humans trapped until she can figure out how to cast a spell that will wipe their memories so that the city can go back to normal.”
Ethan studied me, rubbing his chin, his eyebrows drawn together. “Hmm, I can’t say I hate the idea.”
“Me neither. Roman also said that the barrier only keeps humans and vampires trapped inside. Those of us with magic can move through it freely. So, I was planning on going through it today to call my dad. The phone signals are still crappy, and I haven’t been able to get a call through to him. I think the barrier is interfering with the cell towers somehow.”
“Okay, but you’re not going alone. Get Gabriel to go with you … and maybe the slayer, too.”
I suppressed a grin. “He does have a name, you know.”
“Fine. Bring Finn with you,” he replied begrudgingly, not admitting to the fact that he knew Finn would do his best to keep me safe.
With that, he came over, gave me a spine-tingling kiss, and left the room. I lay back, smiling. It made me happy that Ethan was finally coming around to accepting Finn as an ally, even if we still hadn’t come to an agreement about Roman. I had to admit, a part of me was excited by the idea of training to become a sorceress, but perhaps that was a little premature. I barely knew how to be a witch yet.
A little while later, I showered, dressed, and went downstairs. Gabriel was in the dining room eating breakfast with Alvie, Amanda, and Rebecca. I took a seat beside him and poured myself a bowl of cereal.