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“Of course I don’t.” His smile fades as his expression turns serious. “You were traumatized by many of those same people who now kiss up to you. They’re lucky all you do is exploit their hypocrisy.”
I smile, though my chest tightens with the knowledge that I do far more than that. I wonder if there will ever be a time when I can share that part of me with him.
I scoop up a kitten, cuddling it to my face. “Names.”
“I have a thought,” Eli says with a mischievous smile. “What if we name them after all of our favorite characters.”
I laugh. “Like… from shows and books?”
“Yeah, and movies. Whatever.”
“I love it, actually.” I gaze down at the ball of fluff in my hand. “The Doctor. Naturally.”
“Naturally. This one is Spock,” Eli says, holding a gray kitten. “His ears are perfect.”
I chuckle, nodding. “How about Napoleon for this one?” I ask, holding up the smallest kitten. “Dynamite, not emperor, of course.”
“Of course.” He scoops up another kitten. “I can’t tell if it’s a girl or boy, but I think Princess Leia is good. She looks tough.”
I laugh. “Perfect.” I grab an all-black kitten. “What’s the name of that show you made me watch so much?”
“Mad Men. Don Draper. That’s the kitten’s name.”
“Hilarious.”
“You name the last one,” Eli says, gazing down at the sleeping gray-and-black kitten.
“Carmella.”
Eli cracks up. “Perfect. I forgot we binged the wholeSopranosseries in a weekend.”
“You forgot? We both talked with New Jersey accents and said ‘bada bing’ for a month.”
He nods. “A travesty. Carmella is perfect. We need a name for Mama too. Something better than just her role.”
I think it over for a moment, then softly say, “Mina.”
“That’s beautiful. Is it meaningful?”
“Mina Harker. FromDracula.”
Eli grins, nodding. “I love it. We can always use a good vampire reference.”
As his words warm my core, I nod and pull my gaze away, afraid my true nature might reveal itself.
“Well, that task is done.”
“We have ourselves a perfect little chosen family,” Eli says, scratching Spock under the chin.
“Yes.” I stand as my fangs throb in my gums. I need to eat to keep my bloodlust under control. “I should get back to the office and get some work done.”
“Cool. I’ll see you for dinner later.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we should take the kittens to a vet just to have them checked out?”
“They’re healthy.”
