A Fire in the Blood(64)
Luke and Jilly arrived a few minutes before four, Tristan shortly thereafter.
Bailey made the introductions.
Tessa smiled as she shook Tristan’s hand. He was a handsome young man, almost as tall as Andrei, with short, dark brown hair and vivid green eyes. He was obviously ill at ease in a roomful of strangers, but he greeted each of them politely. Tessa noted that Bailey couldn’t keep her eyes off him.
“Where’s Andrei?” Jilly asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him. Oh,” she said, hurrying toward the front door, “he’s here.”
She felt her heart skip a beat as he swept her into his arms and kissed her. And kissed her again, his hands moving up and down her spine, then delving into her hair.
“I missed you,” he murmured.
She gazed up at him, breathless, her other guests forgotten. “You should miss me more often.”
“Darlin’, I miss you every second we’re apart.” He smiled down at her, his eyes alight. “I have news but I’m not sure if it’s good news or not.”
“What is it?”
“I stopped by Katerina’s place on my way here. There’s still no sign of her. It looks like she packed up and left town.”
“That sounds like good news to me!”
“If she’s truly gone from Cutter’s Corner, then it is. If she’s still here . . . shielding her presence . . .” He shook his head. “It’s easier to fight an enemy you can see.”
“Well, let’s not worry about her now,” Tessa said, taking him by the hand. “For today, let’s pretend she doesn’t exist.”
“All right, love.”
Still holding her hand, Andrei exchanged greetings with Luke and Jilly, shook hands with Tristan, gave Bailey a one-armed hug. If he was surprised to see Tristan, he didn’t let on.
A short time later, Tessa announced dinner was ready and they sat down to eat. She glanced at Andrei, seated to her left. Was it uncomfortable for him to be here, she wondered, watching the rest of them enjoying the meal?
Catching her gaze, Andrei shook his head. Food had held no interest for him since he became a vampire. And yet . . . he stared at the thick slice of rare prime rib on Tessa’s plate and felt his mouth water. As if watching himself from a distance, he picked up her knife, took the fork from her hand, cut a small piece of meat, and ate it. It seemed odd to consume something that wasn’t liquid, odder still to have to chew before he swallowed. The meat was rare and tender and slid easily down his throat.
Tessa stared at him, as did everyone else at the table.
Shrugging, he helped himself to a slice from the platter in the center of the table. He might regret it later, he thought as he took another bite. But for now he was going to enjoy it. Later tonight, he would ponder how it was possible for him to consume mortal food.
* * *
The night had passed pleasantly enough, Tessa thought as she loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. Jilly and Bailey had offered to help, but she had insisted on doing it after everyone had gone home. “It’s a holiday,” she’d said. “Let’s not spend it in the kitchen.”
Now, near midnight, she switched on the machine, turned off the light, and went into the living room, where Andrei waited for her. Jilly and Luke had gone home; Bailey had gone out with Tristan.
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” Tessa remarked, curling up on the sofa next to him. “At least after we all managed to relax.”
He chuckled. The amount of preternatural power in the room had raised the hairs along Luke’s arms. “I think Tristan will be good for Bailey.”
“Do you really think they’re destined to be life-mated?”
“I guess it’s possible. I don’t know much about the shifter community.”
“But you knew they existed?”
“I’ve run across one now and then.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You know you can ask me anything.”
“I thought you couldn’t eat . . . you know . . . regular food. But you ate the roast. How did you manage it?”
“I have no idea. I don’t even know where the urge came from. I haven’t eaten solid food in centuries.” His gaze moved to her throat. “I think it has something to do with your blood.”
She lifted a hand to her neck. “What do you mean?”
“It’s made me stronger in ways I can’t explain. Perhaps that includes the ability to consume mortal food from time to time.”
She stared at him, eyes wide.
He laughed softly. “It’s pretty amazing. Who knows? Tomorrow night I might try a hamburger.”