But love doesn’t disappear just because you don’t acknowledge it. It lingers, multiplies, takes over every breath, whether you accept it or not.
“I love you so much,” I say. “And I’m really happy you’re here. I hope…I hope you stay.”
I don’t meanhere, in my quarters, in this vampiric manor. By the way he kisses my head, still hugging me impossibly close, I think he understands. He pulls back, cupping my jaw between his large hands. He looks at me like I’m precious, like I’m beautiful, like I’m exactly as I should be.
“I love you,” he says. He traces my lower lip. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The next morning,we travel to the Day Realm in strategic groups. Elliot goes first, alone. He’s by far the most likely to be recognized in Ochre, and showing up with an entourage of vampires would foil our plans immediately. The council would realize he’s a traitor, and our odds of getting Madam Lyrie alone would diminish to near-zero.
After Elliot, the rest of us travel in pairs. Sebastian and Grace. Me and Amelia. Beatrice and Milas. The first couple was a hard-won battle for Grace. Sebastian wanted her to remain at the manor. She refused because, in her words,if you all die, there’s no way I’m taking over your psycho vampire kingdom.
With only Beatrice and Milas yet to arrive, the rest of us are spread out within Elliot’s home. It’s a spacious house, far biggerthan the one we once dreamt of sharing. While the others prepare a holding room for Madam Lyrie, I wander the grand space and imagine myself living here.
It’s a childish game. I was never going to live here. I don’t belong in the Day Realm, and I’m certainly not wanted here. I torture myself all the same. I run my hand over the smooth counter. I imagine sitting on it while Elliot cooks dinner. I’ve never been much of a cook. I suppose I don’t know whether he is either, but I can see it. Me here with my legs crossed, him at the stove, grinning back at me.
Maybe there’d be tiny footsteps upstairs or maybe it’d just be us. It’d be lovely, far more than I deserve.
“They have many homes like this in the Night Realm?” Elliot asks, startling me. He stands just behind me, a soft smile playing on his lips. I turn to face him, feeling blush scour my entire face. Though he can’t possibly know what I was thinking, I feel exposed.
“I don’t know,” I say. I lean back against the counter and tip my chin to look at Elliot. “I doubt it. Maybe some nice, dilapidated stone castles though.”
“Dilapidated castles are my favorite.”
I roll my eyes and start to turn back to the counter, but Elliot stops me. He steps forward, bracing one hand on either side of my hips. We’re close enough I can feel the heat from his body. He’s wearing a buttoned shirt, rolled to his elbows, and he smells impossibly divine. I glance toward the living room, relieved the others aren’t paying attention. When I look back, Elliot’s face is a breath from mine.
“Would you live there with me?” he asks. Rather than pulling back to speak, he moves closer, until his lips ghost my cheek.
“In your dilapidated castle?”
“Anywhere.”
I lean back, studying his bright hazel eyes, gauging his seriousness. Before I have the chance to answer, there’s a knock at the door. Sebastian answers it, but Beatrice and Milas are stuck waiting on the front porch. Elliot steps away from me, his hand trailing down my arm as he reluctantly turns to the door.
“You can come in,” he says.
Beatrice and Milas fight to be first, and though Milas wins, it’s Beatrice who lets out a victorious whoop.
“I win,” she taunts. Turning to Milas, she adds, “Your knife, please.”
Behind her, Milas already has his knife in his palm, the handle turned toward her. He rolls her eyes as she takes it and kicks the door shut with his boot.
“Do Iwantto know?” Sebastian asks.
“I bet Milas that those two would hook up in the few hours since they had breakfast in the courtyard.” Beatrice fastens the knife to her hidden thigh sheath. She smirks, looking between me and Elliot. “Couldn’t believe he’d bet against them.”
“A simple no would have sufficed,” Sebastian grumbles.
“As if you didn’t already know.” Beatrice slaps him on the back as she crosses the room, her smile growing as she looks at me. “Good for you, Cora.”
I roll my eyes, but it’s the most I allow myself to react. Beatrice feeds on insecurity and embarrassment, and I’m not about to offer her either.
“Enough,” Sebastian says. It’s the tone that makes spines stiffen, even mine. “We cannot afford distractions today. Understood?”
“Yes, Master,” I say. I’m surprised to realize I’m not the only one. Amelia and Milas both echo the title. Sebastian may no longer be king of the vampires, but the respect is there regardless.
“Let’s finish with her holding room,” Sebastian says. Hecrosses to the open doorway near the kitchen. It leads into a small bedroom, containing only a narrow bed. “Milas, you have the supplies?”
Moments later, we’re all too busy to pick at each other. Milas and Amelia prepare the ingredients and artifacts. I ward the room to contain Elliot’s mama, and he provides a droplet of blood to strengthen its hold. Sebastian, Beatrice, and Grace remain in the living room to discuss the many scenarios that could occurafter.
