The two of them grinned at each other beforeturning their mischievous looks on David. “Shemp,” they said at thesame time. “He’s definitely Shemp.”
“Get out of here before I kick both yourasses,” David said.
Mia heard the amusement in his voice when heissued this threat.
Vicky waved her fingers at him. “Oooh, we’rescared.”
“Go,” David said.
“We were going anyway,” Vicky retorted.“We’ll see you in the gym, Mia.”
“I’ll be there,” she replied, watching asthe sisters strolled away.
“See you later, Shemp!” they called down thehall behind them.
Mia bit on her bottom lip to keep fromlaughing as David scowled after them. She’d come to learn that allof Liam and Sera’s ten children affectionately referred to Davidand his friends as the Stooges. David acted like it bothered him,but she had a feeling he secretly loved it as much as he loved thechildren he’d helped to raise.
“I should go,” she said and turned away fromDavid.
She may not like to be touched, but sinceher capture, she’d realized she had to be able to defend herselfbetter. Those vamps had taken her unawares before; it wouldnothappen again. If someone jumped her now, she would beable to defend herself, and she would have a weapon with her.Before she’d never considered carrying a stake or crossbow withher, but now there wasn’t a time she was without one.
David held his hand out to stop her, carefulnot to touch her as she froze inches away from his fingers. Hetried not to let her aversion bother him, but a pang tugged at hisheart when she gazed nervously at his palm.
“Think about coming to my home with me,” hesaid. “There are others there who would like to meet you. It willalso be safe, and it is far more inviting than this place.”
“And why would any of them like to meet me?”she inquired.
David’s gaze unwaveringly held hers. Theravenous gleam in his eyes made her toes curl and her fingersinstinctively rise to her lips. They were still swollen from hiskiss. The taste of him lingered on her mouth; he’d tasted like hesmelled, of pine and fresh air. His kiss had only increased herhunger for him instead of satisfying it in any way.
“I think you know why,” he said.
Dropping his hand, he turned away from herand walked out of the room. Mia’s eyes remained latched onto hisbroad shoulders until he vanished from view.What does thatmean?
She had a sneaking suspicion she alreadyknew the answer to that question. She’d seen her parents; she knewthe stories of mated vampires and the attraction that pulled themtoward each other. Not one of the men who had wandered through herlife had left her aching for more the way David did.
The possibility of a mate was something shesimply couldn’t consider right now, no matter how much her body andmind were trying to tell her it could be David. She’d spent herfirst eighteen years dreaming of the day she found her mate. Thenshe’d come to know that life was a fickle bitch, and the yearssince the fire had convinced her she would never find her mate orknow love again.
It was the cruelest twist of fate that shemight have stumbled across her mate now, when so much of her haddied in that fire, and the rest of her had been shredded whilewearing chains.
CHAPTER 4
Mia repeatedly pummeled the punching bag asshe attempted to beat the stuffing out of it. Maybe, just maybe,she could exorcise herself of some of her own demons if she hit ithard enough. Maybe she could be normal again.
Okay, that was hoping for too much from apunching bag, but it was worth a try. Plus, Lucien was holding thebag, and every time he grunted, she felt a jolt of satisfaction.She drove her fists so violently into it that she pushed him back astep. Lucien’s head popped out from behind the bag, hisraven-colored eyes narrowed on her.
“What has you in a mood?” he inquired as hereleased the bag to run a hand through his sandy blond hair. Hishair stood up in tousled spikes around his handsome face when hewas done with it.
“Nothing,” she replied and stepped away fromthe bag.
“Must be that time of the month,” hegrumbled.
Mia glowered at him and instinctively movedfarther away when he strode by her toward the bench on the sidewall. The loose-fitting sweats he wore hung low on his hips. Hergaze ran over the chiseled muscles of his back and sides as theyflexed with every step he took. The sweat beading on his smoothskin caused it to shine. She appreciated his stunning physique, yetthe idea of running her fingers over his body made her inwardlyrecoil.
At one time, after the fire, she might havescrewed Lucien to simply try to forget for a bit. However, she’dcome to realize that though she may forget her loss for a briefperiod of time, she always remembered afterward, and she’d alwaysbeen left bereft once more. Still, sometimes it had been nice to beclose to someone for a bit. To make believe they cared for her whenshe knew they didn’t, and she’d honestly never cared for themeither.
Now all she wanted was her distance fromeveryone, except….
Her eyes went to where David stood withVicky and her older brother, Aiden. The three of them were takingturns sparring with each other as they danced around the mat. Hergaze hungrily drank in the bunch and flow of his lean muscles as hemoved with easy grace. She licked her lips, savoring the taste ofhim. The idea of running her fingers over his body, of feelingthose muscles flowing beneath her, didn’t make her recoil at all;instead, her body heated, and her pulse picked up.
