Bound by Night(83)

“We needed her help to rescue a vampire her company kidnapped,” Riker said.
“Did you rescue the vampire?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“But Nicole helped, right?” There was so much hope in Bastien’s voice that Riker had to smile.
“She helped a lot.”
Bastien smoothed his thumb over the ring’s smooth surface. “She loves you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that, but she might like me sometimes.”
“She said that,” Bastien insisted.
Riker’s gut plunged to his feet. Love? Nicole had told Bastien that she loved Riker? Bastien must have misunderstood. Surely Nicole wouldn’t do that to him, wouldn’t expect him to give himself to not only a human but a Martin.
The door swung open, saving Riker from thoughts he wasn’t ready to explore. Myne strode in, ready to hit the gym in sweats and a T-shirt that was stretched to the limits on his muscular upper body. The duffel in his hand had a crossbow handle poking out the unzipped top.
“Hey, man,” he said to Riker before turning his attention to Bastien. “You ready to put on some muscle and then blow a few holes through some melons?”
“Ready.” Bastien’s shy smile reminded Riker so much of Terese that fresh anger reared its ugly head again.
Myne, always on top of things, gestured to the duffel. “Rike, you wanna come?”
As tempting as it was, Riker sensed that he’d done enough with Bastien for now. Time to let the boy absorb the visit and end it on a good note.
“Thanks, but I need to see Hunter.” Riker came to his feet and shot Bastien a wink. “I’ll see you later, okay? Have you ever had a root-beer float?”
Bastien shook his head.
“Ah, dude,” Myne said, “you’re in for a treat. Riker makes the best root-beer floats ever.”
“Really?” Bastien asked.
Myne nodded. “Really.”
Riker had never made Myne a root-beer float, and seriously, how did anyone screw one up? But he appreciated the male’s help.
“I’ll come get you later, Bastien,” Riker promised.
“I’ll show you how to get in and out of the kitchen without Syrena the Wooden Spoon Tyrant catching you.”
Bastien’s grin spread from ear to ear, and for the first time, Riker felt like he had a chance to truly be a parent. To live the life Terese had been denied.#p#分页标题#e#

Chapter 26
Nicole spent two hours making origami animals and pacing around Riker’s quarters, waiting for him to come back. He’s been so angry and distraught when he left, and God, she hoped he was okay. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t leaving until he came back.
She wandered into his bedroom for the eighth time today, but there were no new pictures on the wall or trinkets on his bare dresser since the last time she came in. Well, his dresser used to be bare. Now it was home to a menagerie of paper animals and one paper vampire . . . her fi rst. Taking the little vampire in her hand, she sank down on the bed, wishing he’d come back. Wishing he’d climb onto the bed with her and relax. Or ravish her.
She’d take either.
What she really needed right now though, was a purpose. And a future. She fl opped back onto a pillow and stared at the ceiling. At this point, she was certain she wasn’t going to turn into a vampire, so the challenge became a question of how she fi t in at MoonBound.
For the most part, the clan members had warmed up to her, and some, like Grant, treated her like she was no longer an outsider but a colleague. She especially liked that she’d earned some respect here, rather than it being given by Daedalus personnel simply because of who she was.
Maybe she could work with Grant in the lab. She’d spent her entire adult life working to make human life better. Could she not do the same for vampires?
At least, she could until her disease progressed to the point where she could no longer function. Or until she ran out of meds.
She heard the front door open, and she clutched the paper vampire harder, her pulse picking up with excitement. “I made you something,” she called out.
Riker’s boots struck the floor with heavy thuds, and then he was in the doorway, his expression as dark and stormy as she’d ever seen it.
“Get out.”
She sat up, baffled by his anger. “Excuse me?”
“Out.” His guttural voice was as deep as thunder and just as loud. “Out of the bedroom.” He stalked over to pull her off the bed, and then he escorted her into the living room. “I told you it was off-limits. You are never to go in there, do you understand?”
She blinked, startled by his behavior. “No, I don’t understand. What is your problem?”
“Nothing.” He yanked open the fridge. “Just stay out of there.”