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Lili couldn’t help laughing this time—it bubbled up and came right out her mouth before she could stop it. Soon she was laughing as hard as she’d been crying just a few minutes ago.
“What?” Dark frowned. “Did I get it wrong? Should I rub some other part when your eyes leak?”
“No…no…” Lili shook her head but she couldn’t stop laughing long enough to explain. It seemed like all the emotions she’d had that night were bubbling over. Well, at least they were coming out as laughter instead of tears this time, she thought.
“I think maybe you’re oversimplifying Lilibet’s emotional responses,” Light said thoughtfully. “I’m sure there are other things we can do when she produces tears to make her feel better.”
“Well, whatever I did to make her laugh, I’m glad I did it,” Dark said frankly. “Her laughter makes me feel happiness for some reason.” He raised his eyebrows curiously. “Are emotions catching that way?”
Finally Lili caught her breath and managed to stop laughing.
“They can be, I guess—if you’re sensitive to the emotions of the people around you,” she said, swiping at her eyes. This time they were watering with laughter, not tears, which was nice.
Dark shook his head.
“Before we met you, I never felt like I was catching any of the emotions of the people around me. I must only be sensitive to your feelings, little Lili.”
“I feel the same,” Light said, looking down at her. “Why is that, I wonder?”
“I don’t know,” Lili said honestly. “It’s nice, though. My ex didn’t care if I was happy or sad or what, as long as I would clean the house and give him sex.”
“Your what?” Dark had been heading for the cockpit, but now he turned back, frowning.
“I think she means her ex-mate,” Light said, looking at her for confirmation. “Remember, the humans don’t form soul bonds like Kindred do. They can break their ties and leave each other at any time.”
“But this male—this ex-mate of yours—you said he demanded that you be his domestic slave and give him sexual gratification?” Dark probed. “Did he hurt you? Do I need to teach him a lesson?”
Lili shook her head quickly.
“No, no—Mitch was an asshole but he was never abusive. Just lazy and stupid and really unhelpful,” she added. “Anyway, I’ve been divorced for a long time now—I’m just saying it’s nice to be with men…er, males, who care how I feel.”
“But don’t human men care how a female feels?” Light asked, looking perplexed.
Lili sighed.
“Not as often as you’d hope. Think about that guy who attacked me—he didn’t care that I was terrified and disgusted by him. He just wanted to…” She trailed off, feeling sick all over again.
“Don’t think about it, Lilibet.” Light squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. “And please don’t talk about it—you’ll stir Dark up again. He has a…very strong urge for vengeance,” he added, nodding at his brother who was glaring angrily.
“Sorry.” Lili took a deep breath. “I’m okay, really,” she said to Dark. “I was just saying that some men don’t care what a woman wants as long as they can get what they want from her.”
“Broken Ones,” Dark growled, frowning.
“Excuse me?” Lili asked, lifting her eyebrows.
“That’s what the Kindred call a male who derives pleasure from hurting females,” Light explained. “There’s something wrong inside them—something broken. Most often they are put to death. A male who likes hurting females is too twisted to live.”
“Wow…I see why you, er, wanted to kill that guy, then,” Lili said.
“Do you wish we had?” Dark asked, his eyebrows drawing low over his dark eyes, which were glinting a dangerous red. “Because I’ll go back and find him for you and rip his fucking head off if you want me to, Lili.”
“No, no—you punished him enough, I think,” Lili said hastily. “I don’t think he’ll be going after anyone else for a while—not with two dislocated shoulders and no equipment to hurt anyone with.”
“Well…let me know if you want vengeance,” Dark told her. “Just say the word—I’ll gut him like a fucking piscine.”
“I’ll let you know,” Lili promised faintly. It was hard to square the two different sides of the Dark Twin’s personality. The ruthless killer who had castrated her attacker and the gentle giant who had given her the best foot massage of her life to stop her eyes from “leaking” seemed almost like two different people.
But there was no time to think about it now. The proximity alert dinged again—this time with more urgency.
