It hadn’t surprised me that Draven had been gone when I woke up. I wasn’t sure if vampires as a whole didn’t sleep much, or if Draven in particular had insomnia. Ididknow that Draven had said something about vampires not sleeping in the same room as other people, including their spouses. I, myself, didn’t mind it a bit. It was comforting to hear the sound of someone else while you slept. At the very least, it meant that whatever came along to eat us had to go through at least one other person first.
I laughed, and Mesmer eyed me. I shrugged my shoulders. “I crack myself up.” I tried to explain the joke, but he pulled a Mesmer on me and refused to laugh.
“Spoilsport.”
They made me wait as one of them went in and searched the room. Then they made me wait even longer so they could get backup outside the office window, and move more of the guards to our side of the villa.
“Leave some guarding Rhys and Dice, though,” I said, worried that someone might come for me and find them instead.
Mesmer nodded and said something into his earpiece.
“I have come to the conclusion that it is no fun being kept under lock and key. But I’m really grateful, Mesmer. Thanks for working to keep us safe.”
If I wasn’t 99 percent sure that gargoyles didn’t blush, I might mistake the pinkening of his cheeks for one. Mesmer nodded at me, and then let me enter. Henri came in almost immediately with graham crackers and hot chocolate.
“Hey, Henri. Not sleeping either?”
Henri’s golden blond hair looked disheveled, as though he’d been funneling his hands through it all night, and his eyes looked slightly bloodshot. “Oh no, Henri! What’s wrong?” I patted the sofa seat next to me. “Sit down. Tell me all about it.” I didn’t give him much of an option, but he lookedawful!
Henri sat delicately, and elegantly served himself some hot chocolate. “It is our daughter, Reece.” His shaking hands sloshed hot chocolate on the sofa, and I mopped it up with a bit of water from the pitcher and a rag.
“No worries, continue. What about your daughter?”
I wanted to hold his hand but thought he might die of shock. So instead I tried to let him know with the rest of my body language that I was completely dialed in to whatever he had on his mind.
“The mansion on the island has hired her to be their chef.”
I hummed in thought. “But isn’t that good news, Henri? Your family’s special brand of wizardry lends itself to being head chef. Isn’t that what she wanted?”
I’d found out my first week that while Henri was an amazing chef that could cook nearly anything, it turned out that it was a special brand of wizardry, and that his wholefamilywere amazing chefs. He called it chef magic, and never in my most realistic daydreams would I have dreamed that such a thing existed. A magic that lent itself to making tasty dishes? Sign me up! They had passed their special brand of magic down generation after generation through the patriarchal line. Sadly, because Henri had only one child, a girl, the likelihood of their magic dying with her was just about a sure thing. It had been a miracle that Reece had gotten it when no other females in the line had.
Henri sighed. “Yes, but she cannot tell me anything about her employer! He made her sign an NDA that prohibits her from even stating if it is a family that lives in the big house or a single occupant!”
“Oh, Henri. I had to sign one here. I’m sure you did too. These bigwig paranormals are just protecting themselves.”
“But I am her father!”
I did pat his hand then, trying to calm him. “Yes, thatistrue. And if it were my own daughter, I know I would be wary of the situation.” I sat and thought for a few minutes. “What if I asked Draven to come with us to meet the family that lives there?”
“Or single,maleoccupant!” His voice went pitchy on that statement, and I winced.
“Is that what has you so worried?”
“No! Yes!” He ran his hands through his hair, the resulting mess sticking up every which way. “I don’t know.” He huffed. “I want Reece to find someone special, like I did many years ago with her mother, but she’s our only child.” His eyes went a bit watery, and I patted his hand some more.
“I don’t have any children yet, Henri, but I imagine letting them go must be very difficult.” I thought for a moment. “Wait, Henri, isn’t she around my age?”
“Yes.”
I laughed. “Oh, my friend. You have to let her leave the nest some time!”
Henri sighed again. “Yes, I must. But only if she finds someone really special.” He had become steady enough to sip his cocoa without splashing it everywhere. “Will you ask Master Leto? I don’t want to be a bother, but I’m just not comfortable with her taking the job without knowing what sort of situation she’d be living in.”
I smiled in reassurance. “I’ll ask him. And if he can’t make it, for whatever reason, we’ll just go ourselves, and drag my army with me.”
Mesmer snickered in the corner, and Henri grimaced.
“You know what I’m craving, Henri?”
