herself. Cinn didn‘t doubt he could destroy every one of her plants if he went on a rampage. God, she hoped her fear didn‘t show in her eyes. She felt the brush of his mind a moment before he spoke.
“You‘re crazy, do you know that? You‘re more afraid for these plants than you are for yourself.” He shook his head at what he‘d consider stupidity beyond understanding. “Now tell me about Carla.”
“Carla is a Venus flytrap.”
“I‘ve seen pictures of Venus flytraps, and this isn‘t one.”
“Yes, well, she grew a little bigger than normal.”
“You think? She‘s at least six feet tall.” Dacian glared at the plant. “She‘s dangerous.”
“Pot, kettle?”
His smile was merely a baring of his teeth. “But you expect me to bite you, sweetheart.” His smile eased into something more sensual. “I always like to rise to those kinds of expectations.”
She refused to react. Okay, how to explain Carla and the rest of her rejects to someone who probably never had a soft feeling in his entire life? “I made mistakes with a few of my plants. They weren‘t as calm and friendly as I‘d hoped. But I couldn‘t destroy them. They were alive. They didn‘t want to die.” She realized she was twisting the bottom of her T-shirt nervously and stopped. “I keep them in a corner of the greenhouse. They‘re my weed warriors.”
He didn‘t smile. “Better put up a warning sign.” Then he did smile. “On second thought, don‘t. I‘d like to see the face of the first person who leaves with Carla‘s teeth marks in him. I‘d like to follow him outside and listen as he tries to explain to his friends how he got the bite.”
Cinn didn‘t register anything after that smile. Sure, he‘d smiled before, but this was a real smile.
And for the first time she got a glimpse of the beautiful man he must‘ve been before bitterness, cynicism, and probably just being a vampire had leached all the emotion except rage from him.
She took a deep breath. Something monumental had just happened. For just a nanosecond, she‘d forgotten the vampire part and thought only of the human. Not a good thing. Because it was the vampire part that could kill her.
Chapter Four
Dacian watched the play of emotions cross Cinn’s face and enjoyed them vicariously. They were part of her humanity, something he hadn’t been able to claim for six hundred years. Emotions were a blessing and a curse. They’d made him feel alive, but they’d also made him vulnerable. And in the end, they’d killed him. Stephan had seen to that.
Thinking about Stephan soured his mood. He turned his back on Cinn and strode over to the corner, where Carla squatted with her merry band of misfits. If he hadn’t known better, Dacian would swear the plant was smirking.
“Wipe the grin off your…whatever before I do a little pruning in here.” That should put her in her place. He scanned the other five plants behind the Jaws of the greenhouse. “I don’t know what you guys do, but mess with me and you’ll be going to the great compost heap in the sky. I’m here to protect Cinn, so we’re working on the same side.” And talking to a bunch of plants was about as weird as it got.
Just before he turned back to Cinn, he felt a tentative probe of his mind. What the…? The touch wasn’t feminine, and it didn’t have the feel of Stephan. Then who…?
He swung toward the door. Whoever it was wouldn’t be far. “Someone is tapping on my mental door. I need to track them down.” People who tried to breach histhoughts weren’t usually friends. Yeah, so he didn’t have any friends.
Dacian had flung open the greenhouse door leading to the courtyard and stepped out into the night before Cinn caught him.
“Wait. That’s probably Vince.”
He glared into the darkness. “Fine. Who’s Vince? And he better have a good reason for poking around in my head.”
She sighed. “You won’t like this.”
He turned his glare on her. “Lady, I haven’t
“You‘re crazy, do you know that? You‘re more afraid for these plants than you are for yourself.” He shook his head at what he‘d consider stupidity beyond understanding. “Now tell me about Carla.”
“Carla is a Venus flytrap.”
“I‘ve seen pictures of Venus flytraps, and this isn‘t one.”
“Yes, well, she grew a little bigger than normal.”
“You think? She‘s at least six feet tall.” Dacian glared at the plant. “She‘s dangerous.”
“Pot, kettle?”
His smile was merely a baring of his teeth. “But you expect me to bite you, sweetheart.” His smile eased into something more sensual. “I always like to rise to those kinds of expectations.”
She refused to react. Okay, how to explain Carla and the rest of her rejects to someone who probably never had a soft feeling in his entire life? “I made mistakes with a few of my plants. They weren‘t as calm and friendly as I‘d hoped. But I couldn‘t destroy them. They were alive. They didn‘t want to die.” She realized she was twisting the bottom of her T-shirt nervously and stopped. “I keep them in a corner of the greenhouse. They‘re my weed warriors.”
He didn‘t smile. “Better put up a warning sign.” Then he did smile. “On second thought, don‘t. I‘d like to see the face of the first person who leaves with Carla‘s teeth marks in him. I‘d like to follow him outside and listen as he tries to explain to his friends how he got the bite.”
Cinn didn‘t register anything after that smile. Sure, he‘d smiled before, but this was a real smile.
And for the first time she got a glimpse of the beautiful man he must‘ve been before bitterness, cynicism, and probably just being a vampire had leached all the emotion except rage from him.
She took a deep breath. Something monumental had just happened. For just a nanosecond, she‘d forgotten the vampire part and thought only of the human. Not a good thing. Because it was the vampire part that could kill her.
Chapter Four
Dacian watched the play of emotions cross Cinn’s face and enjoyed them vicariously. They were part of her humanity, something he hadn’t been able to claim for six hundred years. Emotions were a blessing and a curse. They’d made him feel alive, but they’d also made him vulnerable. And in the end, they’d killed him. Stephan had seen to that.
Thinking about Stephan soured his mood. He turned his back on Cinn and strode over to the corner, where Carla squatted with her merry band of misfits. If he hadn’t known better, Dacian would swear the plant was smirking.
“Wipe the grin off your…whatever before I do a little pruning in here.” That should put her in her place. He scanned the other five plants behind the Jaws of the greenhouse. “I don’t know what you guys do, but mess with me and you’ll be going to the great compost heap in the sky. I’m here to protect Cinn, so we’re working on the same side.” And talking to a bunch of plants was about as weird as it got.
Just before he turned back to Cinn, he felt a tentative probe of his mind. What the…? The touch wasn’t feminine, and it didn’t have the feel of Stephan. Then who…?
He swung toward the door. Whoever it was wouldn’t be far. “Someone is tapping on my mental door. I need to track them down.” People who tried to breach histhoughts weren’t usually friends. Yeah, so he didn’t have any friends.
Dacian had flung open the greenhouse door leading to the courtyard and stepped out into the night before Cinn caught him.
“Wait. That’s probably Vince.”
He glared into the darkness. “Fine. Who’s Vince? And he better have a good reason for poking around in my head.”
She sighed. “You won’t like this.”
He turned his glare on her. “Lady, I haven’t
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