Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Smiling, I get a drink and then we go upstairs so I can shower. Xavier kisses me and says he’ll be back in a few; he has to do something for work. It’s the middle of the night, but it’s prime business hours for vampires.
I brush my teeth after I shower, still feeling relaxed and satisfied from sex. With the towel still wrapped around my hair, I get into bed, prepared to finally lay down and mindlessly scroll.
“Knock-knock. Are you decent?”
I look up and see Theo standing in the doorway.
“Xavier is downstairs working,” I reply.
“I know. I came to see you.”
I purse my lips. “What do I owe the pleasure?”
“I wanted to tell you that you’re a fucking idiot sometimes, but,” he pauses and glares at me. “I admire your bravado. You put yourself at risk for the sake of the family today.”
“Wait. Can you repeat that?”
“Of course: you’re a fucking idiot.”
“No, the second part.”
Theo makes a face. “I said what I said. Once.”
I tap the side of my head. “I’m going to replay it over and over and make an entry in my diary: on a warm Friday night in early June Theo Malus gave me a compliment.”
“You’re so immature.”
“Takes one to know one.”
He flips me off and leaves the room.
Chuckling to myself, I turn off the light and settle down into bed. I’m still mindlessly scrolling when Xavier comes into the room, moving silently.
“You’re still up,” he notes, stripping out of his clothes.
“I was watching abandoned amusement park videos. My white whale is hunting monsters at one of these places. It would be so fun!”
“I really like your idea of fun,” he says seriously and climbs into bed next to me. “Are you hungry?”
“I don’t feel like making anything.”
“You can have the chef make you something.”
“He’s here?” I ask.
“No, but he’s on-call all the time.”
“You mean to tell me I could be calling someone at three AM to make me an egg salad sandwich?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Wow. But I couldn’t, I would feel bad. But you’re right, it’s his job. And he only cooks for one person and I’ve had dinner outside the house several times lately. Man, he has an easy job.” Yawning, I flop back against the pillows. “I’m too tired to wait for an egg salad sandwich. Unless there are freshly boiled eggs in the fridge, it will take a while. I’ll have an omelets in the morning.” I put my phone down and roll over, hooking one leg over Xavier. He wraps me in his embrace and I snuggle as close as I can. My feet are cold, and he has no body heat to offer. Maybe I can convince him to let me get a dog.
“Goodnight,” I tell him, feeling sleepy already.
“Goodnight, Wren,” he says back and kisses my forehead. My eyes fall shut and my mind goes back to thinking about how different things could have been if different choices had been made. Things are a mess, but I wouldn’t be here, feeling this loved and protected, if anything else had happened.
My life changed so quickly…it makes me terrified that it can change again. And not for good.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
“There’s only one person to cook for now,” I tell Alan when I come into the kitchen the next morning. He looks at me as if I just stated the most obvious thing in the world. Ah, of course. Xavier must have already held him spellbound so he wouldn’t realize anything was amiss. “Like always.”
“Right,” he says, keeping his gaze down. “How would you like your omelet today, miss?”
“With spinach and asiago cheese.”
“Coming right up.”
I get a cup of coffee and go outside while I wait, enjoying the sun. Xavier’s words echo through my head. I haven’t felt the sun in seven hundred years, but being next to you, I remember what it feels like. My heart swells inside my chest and I don’t know if I should let myself enjoy the feeling or quickly squash it away.
I’m not scared that he’s a killer or has no hesitation to resort to the most unorthodox ways of doing things to get what he wants. What scares me is the risk of getting my heart broken again because last time I barely survived it.
The landscapers are here today, and I lean back in my chair watching them work. It looks peaceful, and creating something as beautiful as this garden has to feel so rewarding. If I wasn’t a hunter, what would I have done with my life? The choice was never presented. The Order tells all kids who are born into it that if they want to leave, they can. Leo and I equated it to being as difficult to leave the Amish community. Sure, you can go out on your own, but with no money or friends or really any knowledge on how to pretend to be normal after being raised knowing the monster under your bed is, indeed, real.