Chasing Midnight (Dark of Night Book 2) Read Free Page B

I’m glad you could make it,” he said.
    Hey, good manners were important, even for the undead. “Thank you for the invitation.”
    We both took our seats and the hostess, who announced herself as Rebecca, was going over the wine list and the specials. But Xavier never took his eyes off me. His black hair was perfectly combed back off his face, not slick, but obviously styled. He was pale, but not unnaturally so, and his green eyes shone like emeralds, perfectly set in his face. He managed to look relaxed even in his dark grey suit. His tie was the color of his eyes, which were still focused on me.
    He leaned forward. “You look stunning tonight.”
    I fought off the blush by looking up at Rebecca, who had completely lost her train of thought and was staring down at Xavier like he was a rock star.
    Total newbie.
    Without looking up at the poor girl, Xavier dismissed her. “Thank you, Rebecca.”
    If she felt the brush off, it didn’t show. She smiled like a deer in headlights and glided off, leaving us alone.
    I laid my napkin over my lap. “That wasn’t very nice.”
    He snapped up, looking truly shocked. “What?”
    I motioned with my head back to the stairs. “That poor girl clearly thinks you hung the moon, and you didn’t even give her a glance.”
    Visibly relaxing, he took a drink from the large wineglass in front of him. It was white wine, thank goodness. I understood their diet. I mean, I had to order blood for Shane all the time, but having to see it was something else entirely. But I also knew from living with Shane that they could still eat. They didn’t need to, but Shane seemed to enjoy it. I shook my head, making my hanging tendrils bounce. I had to stop thinking about Shane or I’d never have any fun tonight.
    “Young Rebecca has recently come to us from the Virginia Conclave. I brought her here in hopes that she would be able to spend some time with Melanie—be a calming female presence. Though, to be honest, Melanie doesn’t seem to… get along with any of the ladies in the Conclave.”
    I sat back, relaxing into the soft chair. Melanie was four years old, or at least, she had been when, dying of cystic fibrosis, her father had tried to use vampire blood to save her and ended up turning her. After her father—did I mention he was a deranged psychopath?—had been killed, she sort of adopted Xavier as her surrogate. And he was happy to let her.
    “How is Goldilocks?” I asked, wishing I had a big glass of wine myself.
    Melanie was a pretty little thing. She’d woken up from the change without any of the bloodlust that required most new vamps to be caged up until they could learn some control. As a matter of fact, aside from her unnatural beauty and need for blood, she was growing. Not at the speed of a normal child, according to Shane, but enough to be noticed. For that and so many other reasons, she really creeped me out. Just thinking about her made goose bumps break out across my arms. I rubbed them unconsciously.
    Xavier chuckled at my nickname for her. “She’s doing well. I have been looking for a nanny of sorts for her, but she complains about everyone I’ve sent her.”
    Not really a surprise, the way he spoiled her. All she had to do was ask, and he would give her whatever she wanted on a silver platter.
    Finally, a waiter brought me a glass of wine, which I drained in about five seconds. So much for those years my mother spent trying to teach me manners.
    “Have you considered a human nanny? If she really is growing, maybe part of her is still human,” I offered, looking over the fancy linen menu. “I mean, the way she was changed, it wasn’t supposed to be possible to do it that way, right? It’s all kind of an anomaly.”
    I didn’t realize my faux pas until it was already out of my mouth. Maybe Shane wasn’t supposed to share that information with me. I glanced over the top of my menu at Xavier, who was leaning back in his chair, smiling like the cat that ate the