He sounded soreasonablewhen he said it that way.
“Then let me work!” My feet were up on his desk as I sat in my spinny chair across from him. I gave him puppy-dog beseeching eyes.
He didn’t even look at me. “No.”
“But I feel fine now!”
Draven calmly set his paper down onto his desk, folded his hands together on his flat stomach, and stared at me with cool, calculating eyes.
“Stand.”
I sprang out of my chair like a jack-in-the-box. It was only after I’d gotten all the way up that I forgot my body currently hated me. I sucked in a breath and tried to swallow my groan. Ouch and double ouch. Being mostly human sucked very much, thank you! Vampires had all the cool resistance to poisons.
I gently sat in my chair again, and sighed as I looked at the ceiling, only now realizing that it was another mural. I very much wanted to meet the person who’d painted this villa. They were a genius.
“I can donate blood again.”
Draven smiled. “Desperate, are we?”
“Please, Draven. I think I’m losing my marbles. I could swear Zian spoke to me today.”
Draven contemplated Zian across the room, lying in front of the fire as per his usual. “Hmmm.”
He picked up his phone and tapped a few buttons, then put it on speaker. Rhys picked up with a hesitant, “Hello?”
“Would you and Dice be available this evening?”
Huge, awkward pause, and then, “Let me check with her.”
I gawped at my boss. “Did you just call my best friend and invite him over for a play date?” I asked, part affronted, part excited.Yay!I cheered internally.Play date!
Draven nodded. “I did.”
Well, okay then.
Rhys came back on the phone. “We are available tonight. Meet at the villa?”
“That would be agreeable. Thank you.”
Pause. “No problem, man. See you soon.”
I jumped up, gasped at the pain, and hobbled my way to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to find cute pajamas! Friends are coming over!”
Draven’s laughter echoed behind me.
* * *
“Why,”I said in a very squished sort of way, “are we all packed inmybedroom? There is a whole villa out there!” I flung my hand out to encompass the enormous villa outside of my room and accidentally smacked Draven in the face.
“Sorry, my bad.” I settled the offending digits onto my lap again.
Dice, wearing anI used to be a people person, but people ruined that for metee shirt, sighed. “It’s a more defensible room. There’s a guard at each door, and one leading out to your balcony, and no one in this room is trying to kill you.”
I contemplated my new friend Dice. Her whole body usually gave off an alert vibe, but right now she seemed totally chill. Like she could finally set aside her worries here in my room, and just enjoy. I thought it more likely that those same bodyguards keeping me safe, Dice also felt were keepinghersafe.
