She’s an addiction my immortal life is now cursed with.
We sit at the island while she builds the gingerbread house, which involves icing and candies everywhere and a whole lot of giggling. It’s such a…ahumanactivity. It should sicken me, since both the process and the food is disgusting. But nothing Sawyer does is repulsive.
“Can you eat these?” She holds up something gummy, red, and coated in sugar that makes me hiss.
“Why would I want to, is the better question. Sugar to me is like if you were to eat dirt.” She scrunches her nose, which draws attention to the faint smudge of icing on her cheek. Ilean forward and flick my tongue against the blob until it’s all gone; the taste is bitter, but tinged with her, too. “Then again, sometimes sugar can be tasty.”
After she cleans up, she takes a ravenous bite of the house’s door, undoing so much of the work she’s spent the past hour doing. Mortals are strange…
“You know,” she mumbles around the food, “I never went for that walk, even though the weather is vastly warmer than yesterday.”
She managed to get minimal service on her cell. It’s slow but functioning enough for the application she uses to check the weather to display the temperature. After she learned it was negative twenty-one today, she went on to demonstrate the modern concepts of what is her cell phone. A piece of technology I know about but have no need to own.
“I vote,” she continues, “when the sun’s completely set, we get out of here and explore the mountains. And though I said it’s a vote, I’m not asking permission.”
Making her stay is a matter of my own desires, but I agree with a shrug. As long as we’re together, whatever it takes to make her satisfied is what’ll happen. “Run away if you want; I’d find you regardless by scent alone.”
She pauses mid-chew, tilting her head. “Your nose isthatgood?”
“Smelled your car accident, didn’t I?”
“Because you’re attuned to the blood. But my normal scent?”
Pretty sure she could be half a world away, and I’d be able to track her.
“Both your shampoo and bodywash is strawberry-scented. When you look at me for too long, it’s because you’re thinking about this morning, and then your pussy?—”
“Wait.” Her hand thuds down onto the countertop. “If you know what’s in my head, can you read minds, too?” Every kind of horror passes over her expression.
“No, but I can read your face.” I flick her nose playfully. “As I was saying…memories of this morning make you wet. You desire a repeat. As a result, your emotions flicker between nerves and peace, and I should note, strong emotions carry an odour as well. Tell me, Sawyer, is any of that wrong?”
She rolls her lips together, catching her bottom lip on her teeth. The blush returns to her cheeks.
“Thought so. So, as I was saying…I’ll track your scent wherever you go. You’re my prey, little human.” A warning and a threat all rolled into one but masked with a wink. “And not the kind of prey I kill. Don’t worry, you won’t be going anywhere.”
Her tongue slides to her cheeks as she’s clearly thinking hard enough to make me wish mind-reading was an ability of vampires. “Alright, then prove all that. I’ll get ready and leave now while the sun’s still up. As soon as it gets dark, come find me. We’ll see how long it takes.”
Minutes, because she’d never make it far enough between now and sundown to provide an actual challenge. Hell, she might even get too cold before then.
“Another mountain adventure? Playing in the snow once this week wasn’t enough?”
“Oh, he jokes too. It’s not that bad out; not with the number of layers I’ll stack on. Besides, after all the negative forty to fifty, twenty-five is hardly anything.”
Somehow, I doubt that. This isn’t a viable holiday activity, but her excitement is too contagious, so I nod my agreement.
She rushes upstairs to layer up, and then she puts on her outdoor gear by the door. Hip to the counter and arms crossed, I observe, fascinated over how this stupid little game pleases her so much.
“Catch me if you can!” she calls before the door slams shut behind her. Her steps head straight for a while, and then veer right, and she rushes off.
“I can and I will.” My vow bounces around the empty cabin.
CHAPTER 13
Sawyer
Jogging through the winter woods—again—probablysuggests something is severely wrong with me. Although, I’ve already established that, so what the hell.
It’s worse this time; I’m aware a vampire is hunting me, and I’m still willingly running.
