experiment on his daughter. Hell, I’d risked my life trying to stop him. At the end of the day, I’d been the one to kill him too.
Lousy, ungrateful vampires.
“Fine, whatever,” I finally managed in a clipped tone.
Shane opened the door and looked back at me with one eyebrow raised. “Those are two of the most dangerous words in a woman’s vocabulary.”
I gripped the steering wheel tightly. My mood had quickly gone from excited to ticked off, and it really wasn’t his fault. He’d sworn an oath of loyalty to Xavier and the Conclave. He was just keeping his word.
So why did it hurt so much?
Just as I was about to peel gravel outta there, my door swung open and Xavier was standing there.
“Going to leave without saying hello?” he asked, feigning insult.
“Hey Xavier. How’d you know I was here?” I asked, not yet ready to surrender the safety of my car.
He smiled, leaning his backside against the inside of the door, propping it open. “I heard you pull up. I was just in my office.”
I tried very hard to remember exactly where in the mansion his office was located. As I remembered, one window faced out to the back of the property . Oh, vampire hearin g , I reminded myself as I finally shifted into park and turned off the engine. Apparently, I wasn’t getting out of there that easily.
“Would you care to join me for a walk?” Xavier asked, holding out one perfectly manicured hand. I shrugged and accepted it, letting him gently pull me out of my seat.
Behind me, Shane bristled and slammed his own door. He gave me an over-the-shoulder wave as he dutifully marched up the stairs and into the foyer. I couldn’t help but notice his posture as he moved. He was angry, that much was obvious by the rigidity of his shoulders and back. What struck me as odd though was the fact that he didn’t look at me. Not even a glance over his shoulder as he held up a hand. It was less a wave and more of a dismissal. Like he was releasing me from something. It was a do whatever you want but don’t say I didn’t warn yo u wave.
“Um, I suppose I have time for a quick walk.” I hesitated as the large, wooden doors closed, swallowing Shane whole.
With one graceful maneuver, Xavier took my hand and wound it around his arm, closing my door with his foot as he led me toward the rose garden in the side yard.
Whatever threats he was getting must have been serious to have security so on edge. He didn’t acknowledge them, but they seemed to be working like bees buzzing around the queen as we walked. It might have looked like unorganized chaos to someone at a glance, but I had always been good at spotting patterns. The guards who stood on the balconies swept the grounds with a long glance every three minutes on rotation beginning with the one nearest to the front door. He would glance, and then the next guard would look, and so on, all the way around the building. The guards walking were stepping in long, slow steps that, had they been moving any faster, would have looked like a waltz. Each man moved in a grid pattern around us, never face to face but always back to back with each other. Once I recognized the pattern, it began to make me very nervous. Sure, everything looked calm, but it was like surface tension. Beneath the calm exterior, something big was churning. I listened to Xavier ramble about the weather and the flowers for only a few minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Alright. What’s the deal?” I demanded, sliding my arm out of his and resting my hands on my hips.
For the briefest second, a look crossed Xavier’s face that smacked of guilt, but he recovered it quickly, putting back on the façade of calm neutrality that he wore like an expensive suit.
“I only wanted the pleasure of your company,” he said, turning on his charming smile.
I folded my arms across my chest and raised one eyebrow, not buying the act for a second.
Now he sighed and raised his arms in defeat. “Fine. You are
Lousy, ungrateful vampires.
“Fine, whatever,” I finally managed in a clipped tone.
Shane opened the door and looked back at me with one eyebrow raised. “Those are two of the most dangerous words in a woman’s vocabulary.”
I gripped the steering wheel tightly. My mood had quickly gone from excited to ticked off, and it really wasn’t his fault. He’d sworn an oath of loyalty to Xavier and the Conclave. He was just keeping his word.
So why did it hurt so much?
Just as I was about to peel gravel outta there, my door swung open and Xavier was standing there.
“Going to leave without saying hello?” he asked, feigning insult.
“Hey Xavier. How’d you know I was here?” I asked, not yet ready to surrender the safety of my car.
He smiled, leaning his backside against the inside of the door, propping it open. “I heard you pull up. I was just in my office.”
I tried very hard to remember exactly where in the mansion his office was located. As I remembered, one window faced out to the back of the property . Oh, vampire hearin g , I reminded myself as I finally shifted into park and turned off the engine. Apparently, I wasn’t getting out of there that easily.
“Would you care to join me for a walk?” Xavier asked, holding out one perfectly manicured hand. I shrugged and accepted it, letting him gently pull me out of my seat.
Behind me, Shane bristled and slammed his own door. He gave me an over-the-shoulder wave as he dutifully marched up the stairs and into the foyer. I couldn’t help but notice his posture as he moved. He was angry, that much was obvious by the rigidity of his shoulders and back. What struck me as odd though was the fact that he didn’t look at me. Not even a glance over his shoulder as he held up a hand. It was less a wave and more of a dismissal. Like he was releasing me from something. It was a do whatever you want but don’t say I didn’t warn yo u wave.
“Um, I suppose I have time for a quick walk.” I hesitated as the large, wooden doors closed, swallowing Shane whole.
With one graceful maneuver, Xavier took my hand and wound it around his arm, closing my door with his foot as he led me toward the rose garden in the side yard.
Whatever threats he was getting must have been serious to have security so on edge. He didn’t acknowledge them, but they seemed to be working like bees buzzing around the queen as we walked. It might have looked like unorganized chaos to someone at a glance, but I had always been good at spotting patterns. The guards who stood on the balconies swept the grounds with a long glance every three minutes on rotation beginning with the one nearest to the front door. He would glance, and then the next guard would look, and so on, all the way around the building. The guards walking were stepping in long, slow steps that, had they been moving any faster, would have looked like a waltz. Each man moved in a grid pattern around us, never face to face but always back to back with each other. Once I recognized the pattern, it began to make me very nervous. Sure, everything looked calm, but it was like surface tension. Beneath the calm exterior, something big was churning. I listened to Xavier ramble about the weather and the flowers for only a few minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Alright. What’s the deal?” I demanded, sliding my arm out of his and resting my hands on my hips.
For the briefest second, a look crossed Xavier’s face that smacked of guilt, but he recovered it quickly, putting back on the façade of calm neutrality that he wore like an expensive suit.
“I only wanted the pleasure of your company,” he said, turning on his charming smile.
I folded my arms across my chest and raised one eyebrow, not buying the act for a second.
Now he sighed and raised his arms in defeat. “Fine. You are
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