Clearing my throat, I tried changing the subject. “Why don’t you try calling Arianna again before we go? I’m sure she’s done tormenting you by now.”
Julian was just as ready to redirect the conversation, so he nodded and pulled out his phone. Exhaling a cleansing breath, he sat on his bed and called her number. His nerves spiked while he waited for her to pick up. He looked over at me, fear in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose her, any more than I did.
He shot off the bed the second she said hello. “Don’t hang up!” he implored.
I could hear Arianna’s sad sigh. “I wasn’t going to. If I didn’t want to talk to you, I wouldn’t have answered the phone.”
Julian frowned. “Like last night?”
“I just needed time to think about things,” she said.
Julian sighed, his mood sinking. “And…what do you think…about us?”
“We have a lot to talk about…but, I don’t want to give up on us just yet. I’m still in love with you, Julian.” She didn’t sound entirely pleased as she confessed that.
Julian went straight to ecstatic though. “I love you, too. I’m so glad to hear you say that, Arianna. I was really freaking out.”
“I’m sorry…that wasn’t my intention. I just…needed space.”
Julian’s voice was impassioned when he spoke again. “I don’t want to do this over the phone. I want to talk to you face-to-face. Can you come over?”
“Aren’t you going to the ranch today?”
Julian swore under his breath. Without even asking for permission, he told her, “Come with us? Just for the day. Or night. Have dinner with my family?”
My dad’s voice immediately drifted up the stairs. “Julian, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Julian ignored him, and concentrated on Arianna. “Please?”
She made a hemming and hawing sound. “Dinner? With your entire family?”
Arianna knew that would involve a lot of blood drinking. She still wasn’t overly comfortable with that, but she wanted to be, so after Julian begged her a few more times, she finally relented. “Okay, I’ll ask. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”
Julian was joyful as he told her goodbye. His glee faded a bit when Dad snapped, “Julian! Get down here. Please.”
Julian groaned as he looked my way. I gave him a supportive smile, but he’d kind of brought this one on himself. His mood petulant and reluctant, he walked downstairs at a slow, human pace. I heard a rapping sound downstairs and imagined Dad tapping his foot while he waited. Before Julian was even in the room with him, Dad said, “I know you and Arianna are close, but you can’t invite her along without clearing it by us first. Especially with Hunter staying there. I’m not sure that the ranch is the safest place for Arianna to be right now.”
I instantly glared at the floor. “Hunter’s eating now, Dad. He’s not a threat to her. He’s not a threat to anyone.”
Silence stung my ears. Even Julian stopped moving. I cringed. I hadn’t meant to give away that much information.
“How do you know Hunter’s eating, Nika?” Dad asked.
Closing my eyes, I cursed. Damn it. Hearing me swear, Dad gruffed out, “Why don’t you come downstairs, too. I think we all have things to talk about.” I trudged down the stairs even slower than Julian.
We both looked equally guilty when we were finally standing before our parents. Dad’s sky blue eyes narrowed to pinpoints as he studied us. He shared a glance with Mom, then said, “You two want to tell me what’s been going on around here?”
Like we’d rehearsed, Julian and I answered at the same time. “Nothing’s going on.”
Dad looked like he believed that about as much as he believed that Hunter was no longer a threat. “Right. Want to try that again? But with a little honesty this time? What have you two been up to?”
Julian filled with resignation while I filled with panic. My brother could totally throw me under the bus right now if he wanted. I didn’t think he would, but I beat him to the punch anyway. “I’ve been talking to Hunter on the phone every night…when you guys are asleep.” Surprised flashed over Dad’s face. He opened his mouth to talk, but I beat him to it. “Eating is really hard for him. He finds it helpful for me to be there…talking him through it.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “And you’re always telling us to be as helpful as we can to people. I was just following your example.”
Dad didn’t seem to know how to counter that. A flash of pride went through me that I’d actually stumped my father. Seeing that I’d sort of won, Julian grabbed the reins. “Yeah, and I made a pretty monumental mistake with Arianna this week, and I’m trying to correct it. You always say to do everything you can to set right a wrong. That’s what I’m doing.”
Julian and I looked at each other, matching glee in our bellies. Dad couldn’t argue against his own teachings. “We’re just practicing what you preach,” I said with a shrug.
Dad scratched his head, at a loss. “Well, okay, I guess I see your point.” Sighing, he looked at me. “Phone conversations are fine, but Hunter is still too dangerous for you to be around right now.” I kept my face smooth and hoped I didn’t look guilty; I hated lying to my parents. Dad’s gaze swung to Julian. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do with your girlfriend, but the ranch—”
“Is a perfectly safe place for her to be,” I interrupted.
Dad looked over at me with forced patience on his face. “Nika…”
Mom looped her arms through one of Dad’s. “There are going to be a lot of people there watching out for her, Teren. And Arianna is aware of the danger. I think it would probably be okay for her to come to dinner.” She looked over at Julian. “Every man should get a chance to set things right with the woman he loves.”
She looked back at Dad with a soft smile on her lips, and Dad practically melted as he stared down at her. “All right…I guess it will be fine.” Mom’s smile grew, and she leaned up to give Dad a warm kiss.
Julian clapped his hands together while they tenderly kissed. “Okay, perfect. I’ll just…go wait for Arianna to call back.”
Dad pulled away from Mom’s mouth, and Mom started nibbling his ear. Grimacing, I fled the room. As I did, I heard Dad tell Julian, “Just dinner, she can’t spend the night.”
Julian left the room a split-second after me. “Sure thing, Dad, no problem.”
As we met up on the stairs, the sound of kissing and giggling drifted out to us from the kitchen. And Dad murmuring, “You make it very hard to be a stern parent.”
Mom’s voice was low when she responded, “I’m sure I make several things hard for you.”
A low growl rumbled the air, and Julian and I both made faces like we were about to throw up before we zipped back to our rooms. God, they were mortifying.
After Arianna called back and agreed to meet up with us for dinner at the ranch, we headed out. Julian was in a much better mood when we left, and for once, we were both sort of hopeful about things. Even our parents were in bright spirits as they sang along to songs on the radio. Yep. The school year had started out rocky, but we were on our way now.
My mom’s spirits dwindled a little when she noticed a certain shiny BMW in the garage. Looking over at Dad, she cringed. “Starla’s here.”
Dad looked over at Starla’s car, then looked back at Mom. His smile was amused. “Great-Gran will be thrilled.”
I immediately scanned my internal radar for Hunter’s location when our group walked into the living room. He was downstairs, though, not basking in the sundrenched room. Starla was draped across the couch with an expression of complete and utter boredom on her face. She perked up a little when she saw us. “Vamp Boy! Vamp Girl! Vamp Kids! How fun that we’re all going to be staying in the middle of nowhere together.”
Dad forced a smile to his lips as he greeted her. “Starla. What a nice surprise. You don’t come out to the ranch very often.”
Starla hopped off the couch. Rubbing a spot on her shoulder, she sighe
d, “Yeah, well, Father insisted that Jace and I visit him for a while, so…” She shrugged at the end of her sentence, like it was a foregone conclusion that she would do whatever Gabriel asked. And she generally did.
A concerned look crossed my father’s features, but Starla ignored the implied question on his face. Instead, she blurted out, “Jace! I need your magic hands!”
Her blonde counterpart rushed into the room mere seconds after she bellowed for him. Tilting his head, he examined the spot on her shoulder that she was furiously rubbing. “Still bothering you?” he asked in a soft voice.
Biting her lip, she nodded and turned her back to him. He placed his cold hands on the area that was grieving her, and she instantly sighed in relief. “You okay, Starla?” Mom asked.
Starla gave her a lopsided grin. “Yeah. Jace and I were just trying out some bondage techniques. He tied my arms a little too tight, I think I pulled something.” Her smile grew. “So worth it though. You two should try it? Spice things up a bit.”
She shimmied her hips against Jacen’s pelvis as he concentrated on her shoulder like it was the only thing left in the room. Equal parts disgust and curiosity blossomed in Julian. My mood matched his. God, those two were so much worse than my parents when it came to private information.
Irritated, Mom sputtered, “We have the perfect amount of spice, thank you very much. We don’t need whips and chains to—” Dad grabbed Mom’s arm, stopping her from finishing that sentence. He flicked a quick glance at Julian and me. Our mouths were probably wide open. I never wanted to hear my mother say ‘whips and chains’ again. Mom stopped talking. Thankfully.
Starla laughed as she looked at the discomfort on everyone’s faces. “Oh, this weekend is going to be so much more fun than I’d originally thought.” Grabbing Jacen’s hand, she started pulling him from the room. “Come on, Jace. I’ve got a better idea of how you can help me.” The pair, who looked more like mother and son than boyfriend and girlfriend, giggled as they left.
In a whisper, my mom muttered, “Gabriel soundproofed their room, right?” A smirk on his face, Dad gave her a quick nod in response.
When the living room quieted, Julian started laughing. Mom shot him a look, and he tossed his hands up. “Sorry.”
He was still chuckling over the encounter when we ran into the rest of our family in the kitchen. I thumped his arm, and he only shrugged. He couldn’t help it. He was just in a really good mood. I hoped it lasted.
I waited out the day by doing mundane things with my family—helping Alanna bake, playing a card game with Grandma Linda. Julian spent the afternoon on the phone. He alternated his conversations between Arianna and Raquel. It irritated me, but I did my best to let it go. Arianna was the one coming over tonight. She was the one who had Julian’s heart. His obsessive need to help Raquel would eventually fade.
When the sun finally set, I was antsy. Julian too; Arianna would be here soon. My father had already left to go pick her up. Arianna getting a ride was one of the conditions Arianna’s mother had given. She didn’t want Arianna driving out to the ranch all by herself. She was probably still a little upset about the time Arianna had stolen the family car and driven out here. She would be even more ticked if she knew what had really happened that night.
I bounced my legs while I waited for Hunter to come upstairs. Julian and I were playing Gin Rummy. Pausing his hand, he glared at me. “Will you please stop that. You’re giving me a headache.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant my nervous tick, or my emotional anxiety. I could only stop the tick, so I stilled my legs. “Sorry, I’m just—”
I felt Halina coming up the stairs and shot to my feet. Julian shook his head at me and put his cards down on the table. Halina came out of the tunnels, followed closely by Gabriel. I expected to feel Hunter approaching next, but he was still downstairs. Halina greeted everyone in the room, and I gave her a half-hearted hug. Was Hunter not coming out; was he still hiding from me?
Just when I thought he’d stay tucked away the entire weekend, I finally felt him move upstairs. Mere seconds later, he stepped out of the hidden hallway. All heads turned in his direction. Hunter’s dark eyes scanned the room of people watching him; they ended on me. “Hey,” he finally muttered.
I giggled as I stepped toward him. That was probably an immature thing to do, but I didn’t care. I was just so happy that he was willingly joining us. He looked good as I wrapped my arms around him—healthy, strong, more alive than he’d looked in months. Drinking was bringing him back to some form of normalcy. He still needed to do it more often though.
His arms loosely circled my waist as I squeezed his chilly body. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I whispered in his ear.
A shudder passed through him. “I…I’m not joining you for dinner, but I thought I’d say hello.”
Disappointment washed through me as I released him. “You’re not?”
He shook his head. There was a sadness in his piercing eyes that I was getting used to seeing on him. It was almost difficult to remember a time when I hadn’t seen a trace of despair on him. “I’m getting better, but I still can’t handle eating like that. I need to do it in my own way. Privately.” He glanced at the many grandmothers in the room. “I’m sorry.”
Halina stepped forward. “You have nothing to apologize for.” She lifted her hand toward the glass doors leading out back. “Go. Do what you need to do. I’ll find you later.”
Hunter nodded and stepped away from me. I grabbed his hand. I’d really wanted some time with him. He smiled back at me. “I’ll be close. I just…I can’t be in the house for this.”
Sighing, I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’ll find you before she does.”
His lip curved into a half-smile that was disastrously attractive, then he said his goodbyes to the room and headed outside. Even though conversations blossomed around me, all my focus was on Hunter; he’d gone to the pool house. I tried to listen for him, but he was too far for my diminished abilities to make out any noise.
I attempted to go back to my game with Julian, but I couldn’t, not with Hunter awake. Feeling that Dad was still moving toward the city, and would be gone for at least another hour, I turned to Halina. “Would it be all right if I brought him something to eat? He shouldn’t have to wait since he’s not eating with the rest of us.”
Halina nodded, but my mom instantly objected. “No, I don’t want you around him when he’s eating, Nika.”
I kept my expression smooth as I faced her. “We’re constantly telling people that we’re not dangerous. That just because we drink blood, it doesn’t mean we go out slaughtering people. Is that true or not?”
Mom sighed. “You know it is, but Hunter—”
“Is drinking everyday now. He’s not starving anymore, and he’s not going to lash out in hunger. He’s also not going to drain me dry because he’s a psychopath. He cares about me, and I care about him. And I would like to help him do something that he finds disgusting. Please.” I was pretty proud of myself for saying all that. And I’d managed to not use that whiny tone that drove my mom crazy. Maybe she’d relent.
With another long exhale, she muttered, “Teren is going to kill me.” In a clearer voice, she told me, “Okay. Half an hour, and then I come check on you.”
I nodded and darted away to the kitchen to make Hunter a tall thermos of blood. He’d probably need it. When I got to the pool house, I found him lounging in the family’s super-large hot tub. His back was to me, his arms resting along the sides of the tub, his head laid back on the cushion. His clothes were in a pile next to the tub. Oh my God…was he naked in there?
Swallowing a nervous lump, I made my way over to him. Feeling me approach, he turned his head my way. “Should you be in here? Alone with me?”
He looked up at my face when I stepped beside the tub. “Mom gave me thirty minutes before she’s going to loose the hounds.” I cocked an eyebrow as I purposely avoided looking at his bare body; my cheeks warmed. “Is th
is how you spend dinnertime? In the tub?”
His eyes skimmed over my features, a faint smile on his lips. “I like being warm.”
My eyes accidentally dropped to his waist, only slightly hidden beneath the shimmering water. Thanks to my enhanced sight I could tell that he was indeed not wearing a swimsuit. He brought his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees before I really saw anything, but I knew he was naked, and the knowledge was enough to steal my breath.
“What are you doing here, Nika?” His eyes were glued on the thermos in my hand, his fangs just slightly elongated. He was hungry.
I held it out to him. “I know you’re not ready to eat with the others, so I thought I’d bring you something to eat in private.”
He smiled and looked down. “You’re too good to me.” His smile slipped, and sadness again leaked into his features. Setting down the thermos on the cement, I did something impossibly stupid. I streaked off my clothes, well, down to my bra and underwear, and hopped into the water with him. Hunter jerked up straight. “What are you doing?”
He tried to politely keep his eyes off my chest, but they kept drifting back. Some mature, feminine part of me liked him looking at my body. I kept my breasts above the waterline as I settled beside him. “Joining you for a dip while you eat. I like being warm too.”
He smirked. “You’re already warm, and I don’t think your family would approve of this.”
I sat right beside him, timidly putting my hand on his knee. Since my mom hadn’t rushed out here, I had to assume she was being kept busy by the family, and wasn’t paying a great amount of attention to me; this building was a strain for Mom, but if she tried hard enough, she could hear us. “Well then,” I quietly said. “We won’t tell them.”
Hunter grabbed a section of my hair; the ends of the long strands were completely soaked as they floated on top of the water. “Good luck with that,” he murmured.
Reaching behind me, I grabbed the thermos. Hunter’s gaze shifted from my body to the carafe. He wanted two things right now. I’d be happy to give him both. He shifted how he was sitting so he was facing me; it left his lower body exposed, but Hunter didn’t seem to care. He just wanted to eat. Since he was often a gentleman, I did my damndest to not sneak a peek while I handed him the thermos. I succeeded for the most part. His fangs crashed down before he even brought the container to his lips. His eyes closed as he tipped it back, and it made me smile to watch him eat without hesitation. Or even a grimace. This was getting easier for him. Finally.