Page 171 of Vameer

Our vampire men flanked us as we entered, ducking through the doorway, and walked us to this table. Nix and I sat facing each other, leaving the empty chairs for our mates beside us, and Vameer asked four times if I was okay before he agreed to walk the twenty feet back to the front to order.

Nix rests her elbows on the table. “You were literally attacked by an awful man the moment you first stepped outside after changing. My audience was a bunch of barely twenty-year-olds who were already terrified of Volik. Our experiences are not the same. Plus”—she tips her head toward the boys—“we have them with us. I’m fairly certain that literally nothing can get past them.”

We’re both looking at the Vadas brothers when Volik bumps his shoulder into Vameer. Vameer sidesteps from the action. And his horns knock into one of the rattan chandeliers.

A laugh bubbles out of me before I can catch it.

Reaching a hand up to still the swinging light fixture, Vameer slowly turns to look at me, his eyes narrowed.

I hold my hands together, forming a heart in front of my chest, as I mouth I love you.

His nostrils flare, and he turns back toward the counter.

I turn back to Nix, not looking at anyone else. “Don’t you ever get scared? When you go out without Volik?”

They’re almost always together, like I imagine I’ll always be near Vameer. But there are times when Nix goes to the university alone. Jumps alone.

I was never a shut-in, but now… I can’t imagine doing that. Even if I could jump.

“A little. But not any more than I was just as a woman going out alone before all this.” She gestures to her face.

The sound I let out is exhausted. “Fair.”

“I know you haven’t turned all the way, but even as you are, you’re stronger than a human. And if for some reason you couldn’t fight a person off, you could bite them and suck the actual life out of them.” She shrugs, making a solid point. “And for me, being fully turned, the idea that scares me most is some new enemy crawling out of the woodwork.”

We both turn our attention to our mates.

Vameer will attract enemies.

And to his enemies, he’s the one who crawled out of the woodwork.

The couple is still ordering at the register ahead of Vameer and Volik. And I hope the cashier isn’t too intimidated by the pair of brothers looming behind the other customers. Standing shoulder to shoulder, both their arms crossed, both looking ready to bust out of their custom shirts.

Vameer has been wearing the robe at home. But since we’re out, he opted to leave it off, along with his sword, and just wear his pants and shirt.

The dark red color really is perfect for him. But we need to go visit Haruto soon, because he still hasn’t sent anything else. And Vameer is still barefoot.

“I know you haven’t been to France yet, but have you met Barth on any of your calls with Uncle Frio?”

I shake my head.

“He’s a…” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “D-word.”

I snort, loudly.

Vameer tips his head, and I know he heard me.

“You know what I mean.” Nix laughs as she wiggles her fingers, indicating magic.

I smile, feeling more of my stress slip away. “D-word with the glowing…” I blink rapidly, indicating my eyeballs.

Nix snickers. “Precisely. Well, anyway, Barth is mated to one of their cousins.” Nix gestures toward the brothers, then lowers her brows. “Well, I actually don’t know how she’s related. So maybe cousin is wrong. But that’s not the point.”

“There’s a point?”

She tries not to smile. “Anyway… Barth was telling me that most of the cursed artifacts from human history, like when an archaeologist would dig something up and then mysteriously die… Those items are actually old D-word items.”

My brows lift. “Really?”