“So you said,” Liam replied. “But you canget her through it.”
“Can I? Because I’m not so sure aboutthat.”
“Better you than Jack. He would have thrownup his hands and walked away by now.”
David chuckled. “No, not even Jack wouldhave walked away from this… thisdrawI feel to her.”
Liam became silent and David couldpractically hear the wheels spinning in his friend’s head. “Youthink she’s your mate,” Liam finally stated.
“Yes, I suspect she is,” David admitted.
“Then youwillget her throughthis.”
“How?”
“Just be there. It’s all you can do. Fromwhat you’ve said it sounds like she’s already grown to trust youmore.”
“I think so.”
“Then let her come to you in her own way andown time. If she is your mate, as a vampire, she won’t be able toresist the pull between you for long either.”
David stopped pacing to stare at the goldenmirror across from him, another thing he would have heaved out ofthis house if it were his. “You’re right,” he said.
“I usually am,” Liam replied.
“Not often that I can recall.”
Liam laughed, and David heard the cushionssink as he plopped himself onto a couch. “Maybe try taking her on adate or something, romance her.”
“Sure, it will be really romantic to beblindfolded so we can leave this place and then have someone elsedrive us around like we’re teenagers. I didn’t like that when I wasfourteen and going on my first date.”
“That’s because your mom drove you, and shetold you and your date that your braces would lock together if thetwo of you kissed.”
“That’s right, she did.” With a fond smile,David recalled the human memory he’d forgotten until then. “And weboth believed her.”
“No kiss for you that day.”
“No kiss for me until those damn things cameoff a year later,” David muttered. “I doubt it would be any morefun now to have someone driving us around on a date.”
“Probably not,” Liam agreed. “You’ll figuresomething out. Are you going to be able to return home soon?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I asked Mia ifshe would come with me, but I think it may be too much for herright now.”
“It most likely would be with the zoo wehave here. Don’t push her on that.”
David wouldn’t push her to do anything shewasn’t ready for, but he missed his home. Years ago he could haveset out and gone his own way, but he’d realized when he’d brokenoff to go to college in Pennsylvania that he was happiest among hisfriends who were family to him. He’d traveled the world, seen thesights, and done his fair share of partying over the years, butnone of it made him feel as content as when he was in his ownbed.
“I won’t,” he muttered. “How did you getthrough this with Sera?”
“Not well, at least not toward the endbefore our bond was completed, if you remember.”
“I do. If I hurt Mia in any way, if I pushtoo fast or scare her, she’ll bolt, connection between us ornot.”
“I’d like to say to not do those things, butI never thought I’d do any of the things to Sera that I did,” Liamsaid. “The difference is you know what this could be between thetwo of you. I didn’t. Work with that knowledge, don’t try to denyit, and move slow. If you don’t progress through some of the stepsfor a while, you’ll be better able to control yourself.”
“Yeah,” David agreed as a high-pitchedsqueal sounded through the phone. “Who was that?”
“Mandy and Jill are visiting Emma. Mandy’sgetting married in the spring, and they’re working on planningthings. Jill just shoved Cassidy into the pool.”
