Scotty covered his mouth and snickered as Lysandro handed me the goblet, which I drank slowly while glaring at them both over the edge.
When I finished, Lysandro clapped. “Knowing that Scotty’s your anchor is helping already. Good.”
Scotty and I exchanged a glance, then he asked, “What do you mean?”
Lysandro pointed at my neck. “He forgot his amulet and didn’t go into a blood frenzy with you here—even though he hadn’t eaten yet. And he finally consumed his meal like a civilized adult instead of guzzling it like some kind of…” He trailed off with a shiver.
Huh. I hadn’t noticed. I was very aware of Scotty’s blood rushing through his veins, of the scent of baked bread, cedar, and old books that he carried with him, but those were all part of his essence. Normal.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
Lysandro nodded. “Yes, I see you’re starting to understand.”
“Understand what?” Scotty asked.
There was no way that I was going to admit that his presence made me feel comfortable in my own skin, so I asked the old vampire, “What next?”
He glided to one of the large windows and pulled the drapes open. “You’re going to come over here and tell me how many heartbeats you hear in the yard.”
Scotty barked out a laugh. “He’s going to what? There’s no one out there.”
I started to agree, then listened—like truly listened for the first time. I heard the faint pulse of what sounded like hundreds of different pulses. “I can hear…” I blurred to the window and looked out. “Some of them are so slow.”
“Mhm,” Lysandro confirmed. “Many insects pulse so slowly that…”
I turned and picked him up and shook him. “I can see them, too. Dro, did you know that I can see them? There’s a freaking grasshopper out there that must be fifteen feet away. I followed one of the heartbeats right to it.”
Lysandro wiggled, trying to get out of my arms. “Do put me down.” I set him carefully on his feet, kinda surprised that I hadn’t even noticed holding him. Like, I knew I’d picked him up, but like Scotty the other night, he was so light that it didn’t really register that I was holding up a full person.
Scotty crossed the room with a perplexed expression on his face. “Can you really see that far? And you followed it by the sound of its heartbeat? Get the heck out of here.”
Lysandro snorted. “Of course, he did. He’s had the ability the whole time if he’d given himself half a second to figure it out instead of hiding on the couch.”
He clapped his hands. “Okay, Scotty, I brought your books for you so you won’t get bored watching us.”
“Why would he get bored?” I asked, tracking a fox dashing through the brush at least thirty feet away. “I can point out where the coolest things are.”
“Yes, and unless he also turned into a vampire last night, which I know for a fact he didn’t, he won’t be able to follow.” He turned, then was back with a notebook in his hands. “I’m going to give you heartbeats to find and animals and insects to track. We’ll be at this window most of the night. I’m pretty sure that won’t be at all enjoyable for Scotty.”
“Oh. Probably not.” I looked over my shoulder at the young man in question. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you wouldn’t have anything to do. Um.” I didn’t want him to leave, but I also didn’t want him to hate being here. “Do you want to go back to the manor?”
“Nope.” He popped the P. “Chance, Jetty, and I had a nice talk today. Until we get a clearer picture of what you’ll need, they’re leaving my room open for me, and Chance and Archie are going to handle all customer service. The kid will be psyched to get more hours. Sky’s going to come hang out with you periodically so I can sleep in my room and hang out with my brother.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand, stopping me. “Don’t worry, Ego. I’m not doing anything I’m not choosing to do. If Lysandro says my presence will help you, then…” He shrugged.
“It will,” Lysandro said. “But when Scotty’s not here, you must remember to wear your amulet. Okay?”
I felt my bare neck. “Should I go put it on?”
He shook his head. “The bonding started sometime when I wasn’t paying attention. It’s progressed much further than I would’ve expected.”
Scotty’s cheeks went rosy and red, and I wondered if he was thinking what I was. Maybe we triggered something when we got intimate. I wasn’t sure, but that seemed likely, and I didn’t regret that for one moment.
Clearing his throat, Scotty moved toward the wingback chair that I’d started to think of as is. “You two do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. I took a nap today, so I’ll be fine to stay up.”
“You don’t have to.” Then it hit me. “I can get a room ready for you first.”
