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He lifts her hand to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of her hand. “Who better than a former vampire to teach you how to be a vampire in a world of people?”
“I don’t want to accidentally devour you.” She half-heartedly pulls her hand away from him, but he doesn’t let her fingers slip away.
“You know, it’d be a heck of a way to go. In your arms with your mouth on my skin.”
“Don’t talk like that.” She leans toward him as they go around a tight corner and into the warehouse neighborhood of Mercy City. Her dark look made it clear she didn’t like his joke.
“Well, you haven’t drained me yet. That’s a good sign.”
She rolls her eyes. “I had five pints before you marched through the front door of the safehouse. That’s not going to last long.” She turns back toward the window as though she can already feel the emptiness creeping back into her middle.
Caleb taps Sylvan on the shoulder. “Can you stop by a blood bank before we go to Veritas?”
The Fae takes the earbud from his ear and drops it in the cupholder. “We already have a dozen blood bags in the cooler in the back, and a warmer we can plug into the USB in here.”
“You hungry?”
“I could eat,” she says, already half-way over the backseat and to the cooler. She brings two blood bags into the rear seat, and she consumes two more cold bags before they pull to a stop in front of Veritas.
No matter how many times they visit Veritas, Caleb can’t get over how the biggest library in the world for supernaturals is hidden inside a nondescript, unmarked warehouse, tucked between a shop and a barber. Dry, faded timber surrounds the old warehouse doors.
Sylvan climbs out and waits near the front of the vehicle.
Maddy leans toward Caleb. “He’s not impressed with the building.”
Caleb grins as he climbs out of the backseat. “Were you impressed the first time you walked into the library?”
“No, not at all.” Maddy follows him out the door he opened.
He tugs her close, unwilling to let her go farther away from him than the SUV seat beside him. “We both need to learn control now, control together. I still love you as much as I ever did, Maddy, more even.”
Maddy licks her lips and carefully presses her mouth to his, slipping her arms around him. Maybe she’s starting to believe they can make their relationship work, maybe she’s not, but her behavior inspires Caleb to hope she won’t run away the next chance she gets.
He relishes the closeness of his mate, not the vampire, not the warlock, but the woman he loves. The tangy taste of blood lingers on her tongue, and the need for it doesn’t drive Caleb anymore. As a vampire, the merest hint of blood could whip him into a frenzy like blood in the water for sharks. Not anymore.
After they break apart, he drops a kiss on the bridge of her nose. “Ready to head in?”
“Sure. Let’s see what we can figure out about this weapon.” She turns to Sylvan. “Are you ready to see what’s inside?”
Sylvan nods. “I’m ready. Will they allow me inside?”
“Supernaturals are allowed in, so you should be fine. When I was only a hunter, they let me in, too.”
“But you had magic,” Caleb says. “Don’t sell yourself short, Maddy.”
His words bring her up short. “Will they let you in, Caleb? You’re just a human now.”
Sylvan shakes his head. “A human Van Helsing with powers now.”
The trio enters the warehouse, and Maddy turns sideways the way she did the first time Caleb brought her to Veritas, avoiding the roughed-up wood on either side of the door.
Nim, a powerful seer, meets them almost the moment they enter. Her eyes roam over them with a knowing glint. “You’ve had some interesting developments between you two,” she says, frowning at Caleb. “You’re human…but not.”
He shrugs. “I still have magic, some kind of powers.”
Slowly, she nods as her scowl smooths. “I see that. Now how can I help you today?”
Caleb gestures to the Fae beside them. “This is Sylvan, and we’re looking for a title about unknown Fae weapons, the hidden ones.”
