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Even hours later, as she sat in a chair attempting to sort through correspondence while River reviewed some medical texts on the settee across the room, she kept glancing over at her fiancé's neck.
Up until she'd sipped River's blood, chocolate had been her favorite food.
Now it was a distant second.
But she couldn't take more until at least the following day. Drinking someone to death was one of the things vampires had to watch out for. Well, at least the good ones.
River's voice garnered her attention. "I thought you had some urgent shit to take care of."
Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. "You're too much of a distraction."
His lips quirked and she couldn't help but smile as well. "Normally, I'd make some sort of cocky statement to drive you bonkers. However, I really do need to refresh my memory on some shit for Dark Lord Black's arrival tomorrow."
Right before they'd sat down to supper, they'd received confirmation Everett and Grace Black were coming the next afternoon. "I promise to let you have some study time later, but what exactly do you need to look up?"
He laid down the book, stretched his arms above his head—which drew her eyes to his broad shoulders—and finally answered, "Well, back in New Jersey, I focused more on emergencies, broken bones, and sometimes even births. But I wasn't trained as a specialists like some, and the complex inner workings of the eye, the brain, and sight are something I need to brush up on."
Nora didn't even pretend to go back to work. "Is it possible to make a blind person see again?"
He shrugged. "In extremely rare cases. Sometimes a fae witch's magic can only improve light and shadows, giving vague outlines. Or correct color blindness. However, if Grace Black was born without certain necessary parts, to put it simply, then I can't do anything to help her. Not even a fae witch can regenerate or construct body parts from scratch."
"I know you'll do what you can, River. And even a Dark Lord has to realize there are limits to magic."
He rubbed his face with his hands. "I hope so. Although any info you can give me about this wolf shifter would be super helpful."
Nora stood, walked over, and sat next to River. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. Nora snuggled in, laid her head against his chest, and answered, "From what Leo says, he likes to tease everyone and tries not to appear serious. But according to the female shifters who visit the ladies-only section of Leo's gaming hell, Dark Lord Black is someone you don't want to upset. Loyalty means everything, not to mention he likes things a certain way. If you follow the rules, he leaves you alone. However, if you break them, the punishments can be harsh." She looked up. "But this is why I hate relying on rumors and gossip—I don't know how much of it is true. Regardless, Leo would never allow him to punish you, if it ends up you can't help the wolf's sister."
He strummed his thumb on her upper arm. "Good to know. Although the better the impression I make, the bigger advantage it'll give me in the long run. I plan to treat all paranormals, and given how shifters usually end up supporting human armies, or spies, or those sort of secretive things, they need doctors a lot. Well, if it's the same in this time?"
Nora nodded. "Oh, yes. Shifters are the first ones on the front lines. Sometimes, such as when England was at war with Napoleon, vampires and fae witches are also recruited. However, in calmer times, shifters dominate the British soldier and officer ranks."
River grunted. "Well, we'll see what happens." He turned a little toward her, his gaze moving to her lips. "Although I could use a little break before hitting the books again."
Even though heat shot through her body, Nora shook her head. "No, you study first and see if you have any free time afterward. I also need to finish a few letters before I go to bed." She paused and blurted one of the questions she'd yearned to ask for hours. "I know once we're married, we're supposed to share a bed. Will I have to do that tonight as well?"
He searched her gaze, and Nora wondered how much he could read her. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do, baby. If you need your own room, then sleep there. For tonight, at least, it might be best. Not because I don't want your curvy, beautiful body in my arms as I dream. But it's probably going to be a late night and I won't be able to sleep if you're there. Being a grumpy asshole probably won't win me any points with the shifter Dark Lord, for sure."
A small sense of relief flooded her. "Separate bedrooms for now, then." She debated being completely truthful, but decided she could honor that rule at least. "Otherwise I might persuade you to give me another taste of your blood."
The corners of his mouth curled upward. "Liked it that much, did you?"
"Yes, but you need to recover. I know with time, your body will adjust to me drinking every day, but in the beginning it can be a bit much. Especially since you're only recently recovered from whatever torture you endured."
He grimaced. "Yeah, not being as strong as I was before fucking sucks."
As River fell silent, Nora placed a hand on his thigh. "You'll build up your strength and be as strong as you were before. I have faith in you."
He placed a hand over hers and squeezed. "You're so fucking amazing, Nora. You're the strong one, after everything you've gone through. I can't even remember a damn thing of what happened to me, so I have no right to complain."
"If your memories do return, well, then you'll have me."
Once the words were out, a sense of rightness settled over her.
Strange, as even a few weeks ago Nora would've never imagined a future with a male of her own. However, the more time she spent with River, the harder it was to imagine a life without him.
Not wanting to get ahead of things—there was no way he could feel strongly about her yet—she kissed his cheek. "I hope you find what you need in the books. I'm going to finish my letters in my sitting room and then go off to bed."
She moved to stand, but River put a hand on the back of her neck, brought her face to his, and he whispered, "You're not leaving without giving me a real goodnight kiss."
