“Not completely, no,” Jazz mutters, earning him his own shove from Westin.
“Shut up. I know of…things.”
“So many things.” Jazz pats Westin’s head, and Westin slaps his hand away, scowling.
“Oklahoma!” Nariko bounces on her feet, waving us to them, and my heart feels funny, like there’s a firefly inside flapping its wings.
My mate winces, and a wave of pain from across the field hits my chest. Nariko limps over to a nearby rocking chair they have set around the fire and takes a seat, the pain subsiding.
“Pump your brakes. Don’t go using your speed or you’ll give us away.” Jazz tugs on my shirt to stop me.
I hate that my friends know me so well.
“She already knows,” I admit, rocks and leaves crunching under our boots as we make our way over to our guests.
“Whoa, what the fuck? What do you mean?” Westin questions, cutting me off by stepping in front of me.
“She knows I’m not human. I haven’t said what I am. She noticed my eyes and my fangs. I tried to hide them, but she reeked of her blood earlier, and I was barely keeping it together.” Even the thought has my fangs on edge. “And she kissed me.”
“Still? Even knowing all that?”
I duck my chin with a smile, rubbing my mouth in memory. “Still.”
“She isn’t afraid?” Westin steps out of my way, and I waste no time putting one foot in front of the other to get to Nariko.
“No. I only felt curiosity, relief, and happiness when she looked at me. Really looked at me. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to be myself again.”
“Doesn’t surprise me that she isn’t afraid. She chases fucking tornadoes. I would think nothing scares this crew.”
“We are vampires. That’s completely different. In every story about us, humans are meant to be afraid. Them finding out we are real? It would send the world into chaos. Humans hate anything they don’t understand.”
“Well, she isn’t. I can’t speak for the rest of them, but Nariko seems intrigued.” I step over a slithering root from a tree that is older than me, then take off my hat, pressing it against my chest when I’m close enough to smell Nariko.
She’s tired, but when her beautiful brown eyes land on me, a burst of happiness energizes her. It invigorates me like a shot of fresh blood to my system.
“Evening,” I greet everyone, never taking my eyes off Nariko. “How is everyone doing after today?” I don’t care how they are doing. I only care about my mate. As long as she is okay, that’s all that matters to me.
I don’t sit down yet; I stay far enough away to respect Nariko’s space.
“Feels good to blow off steam.” Ruka relaxes in his chair, staring up at the beautiful starry-night sky. “Thanks for having us here. We appreciate it.”
“We will leave. Just let us know if we overstay our welcome.”
I can’t believe the words that leave Nariko’s mouth. “You could never overstay your welcome. Ever.” The reflection of the flames dances in the espresso brown of her eyes, and I find myself jealous again.
Jealous of a reflection because I’m not the center of her attention.
“So fucking beautiful,” I say loud enough for everyone to hear, even Nariko. It’s clear the words are for her, as I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her.
“She is, isn’t she?” Jess winks at me from the steps of the cabin.
“Don’t talk about my sister like that.” Ruka hiccups, then takes another sip.
“Everyone should be talking about your sister like that,” I reply, still not taking my attention off the person who means to consume all of me.
Consumption is a dangerous word to use. I want to consume her mind, her body, soul, and heart. I want to consume her blood and taste what makes Nariko, Nariko.
No other will have that ability—that gift.
