ambush, you know.”
Her eyes flared bright green. “Oh, so I did?”
“Look, I never said----”
She held up her hand. “Stop. Just go inside like I asked. Please.”
As I exited the car, I wondered, not for the first time, if female vampires could suffer from bouts of PMS.
Glancing toward the street, I noticed that Ethan’s car was stopped further down the driveway just inside the gates. Paige was standing near the open passenger door watching me.
She mouthed a question. What?
I shrugged at her and threw my hands up in a questioning gesture.
Kat got out and promptly retrieved two shovels, an axe, and a container of lantern fuel from the garage. She glared at me on her return to the car.
“House. Now,” she said.
Not wanting to create a scene, I marched into the garage and hit the button to close the overhead door.
Later, as I sat on one of our kitchen barstools drinking a cold beer, I contemplated the night’s events.
Was tonight’s attack intended for me, or for Kat?
Or maybe both?
* * *
By the time Kat returned, it was well past one o’clock in the morning. I was in the back living room lying on the couch watching television when I heard her enter from the garage, disable the alarm, and walk into the kitchen.
Well, Ms. Snippy’s returned.
“That’s done,” she said, sounding quite a bit less sarcastic than earlier.
“Welcome back,” I said neutrally.
I switched off the TV and got up from the couch to go take a shower. Between the late hour and my growing sense of exhaustion from my abated adrenaline rush, I’d had more than enough drama for one night.
“Don’t you want to know what happened?” she asked.
I turned and looked into the kitchen where she was leaning against the island counter.
“I’m sure you handled everything just fine,” I said.
“You aren’t even curious?” she asked.
I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Honestly, it’s easier not to ask,” I said. “It’ll probably just lead to an argument, and I really dread fighting with you.”
I turned to walk down the hallway in the direction of our sublevel master bedroom. The air swished around me and she stood before me, regarding me with a gentle expression.
She grasped me by the shoulders. “I let my guard down tonight, and it might’ve cost me the man I love. That made me angry, and I apologize if I directed some of my frustration at you.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” I said, though I still felt somewhat annoyed by her earlier behavior.
She softly kissed me on the lips, and pulled me into an embrace.
Okay, this is nice.
She pulled away from me and gazed down into my eyes, all hints of her earlier aggravation gone.
“However, someone needs to be just a little less defensive,” she said. “I’m looking out for your best interests; particularly your safety.”
Okay, maybe not so nice, after all.
“And I appreciate that,” I said. “But it’s not healthy to order me around. It feels dismissive, as if I’m some kind of subordinate or something.”
Though I felt her arms tighten around me, to her credit it seemed as if she was considering what I’d just said.
“Why do I end up feeling like the bad guy at times like this?” she asked.
“Listen, you’re not the bad guy,” I said. “I love you and I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me, including protecting me.”
She frowned. “Where did this independent, self-sufficient streak come from all of the sudden?”
I shrugged.
“I dunno,” I said. “Maybe I’m actually starting to feel a little less helpless for the first time in my life.”
Slovenia changed a number of things for me, including my self-image.
Her eyebrows arched. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I said. “I realize I’m stronger than I thought I was. I’m not helpless anymore. You taught me how to defend myself, and helped me realize that, despite my past, maybe I’m not destined to be a victim.”
She kissed me on
Her eyes flared bright green. “Oh, so I did?”
“Look, I never said----”
She held up her hand. “Stop. Just go inside like I asked. Please.”
As I exited the car, I wondered, not for the first time, if female vampires could suffer from bouts of PMS.
Glancing toward the street, I noticed that Ethan’s car was stopped further down the driveway just inside the gates. Paige was standing near the open passenger door watching me.
She mouthed a question. What?
I shrugged at her and threw my hands up in a questioning gesture.
Kat got out and promptly retrieved two shovels, an axe, and a container of lantern fuel from the garage. She glared at me on her return to the car.
“House. Now,” she said.
Not wanting to create a scene, I marched into the garage and hit the button to close the overhead door.
Later, as I sat on one of our kitchen barstools drinking a cold beer, I contemplated the night’s events.
Was tonight’s attack intended for me, or for Kat?
Or maybe both?
* * *
By the time Kat returned, it was well past one o’clock in the morning. I was in the back living room lying on the couch watching television when I heard her enter from the garage, disable the alarm, and walk into the kitchen.
Well, Ms. Snippy’s returned.
“That’s done,” she said, sounding quite a bit less sarcastic than earlier.
“Welcome back,” I said neutrally.
I switched off the TV and got up from the couch to go take a shower. Between the late hour and my growing sense of exhaustion from my abated adrenaline rush, I’d had more than enough drama for one night.
“Don’t you want to know what happened?” she asked.
I turned and looked into the kitchen where she was leaning against the island counter.
“I’m sure you handled everything just fine,” I said.
“You aren’t even curious?” she asked.
I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Honestly, it’s easier not to ask,” I said. “It’ll probably just lead to an argument, and I really dread fighting with you.”
I turned to walk down the hallway in the direction of our sublevel master bedroom. The air swished around me and she stood before me, regarding me with a gentle expression.
She grasped me by the shoulders. “I let my guard down tonight, and it might’ve cost me the man I love. That made me angry, and I apologize if I directed some of my frustration at you.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” I said, though I still felt somewhat annoyed by her earlier behavior.
She softly kissed me on the lips, and pulled me into an embrace.
Okay, this is nice.
She pulled away from me and gazed down into my eyes, all hints of her earlier aggravation gone.
“However, someone needs to be just a little less defensive,” she said. “I’m looking out for your best interests; particularly your safety.”
Okay, maybe not so nice, after all.
“And I appreciate that,” I said. “But it’s not healthy to order me around. It feels dismissive, as if I’m some kind of subordinate or something.”
Though I felt her arms tighten around me, to her credit it seemed as if she was considering what I’d just said.
“Why do I end up feeling like the bad guy at times like this?” she asked.
“Listen, you’re not the bad guy,” I said. “I love you and I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me, including protecting me.”
She frowned. “Where did this independent, self-sufficient streak come from all of the sudden?”
I shrugged.
“I dunno,” I said. “Maybe I’m actually starting to feel a little less helpless for the first time in my life.”
Slovenia changed a number of things for me, including my self-image.
Her eyebrows arched. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I said. “I realize I’m stronger than I thought I was. I’m not helpless anymore. You taught me how to defend myself, and helped me realize that, despite my past, maybe I’m not destined to be a victim.”
She kissed me on
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