Safeword: Storm Clouds(54)

"Yes, but if we are going to go forward and be exclusive to each other, it's time."



"Will word get back to your, umm, ex?"



"I don't know if he made contacts here that will keep him up on what's happening or not. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not really worried about him, though. I'll let Gavin know what's going on, and probably Josef and a few of his top people. Everyone else will find out when they ask questions."

"What does this mean, as far as time you and I spend together?"

"It means that you get access to the main floor of the house. Once everyone in my section of the house, the basement, approves of you, then you'll have access to the basement. Once you get access you'll be able to come and go as you please, so if you want to show up an hour and a half before the sun sets so you'll be there when I wake up, you can. Or, if you want to stay with me until I rest at dawn you can, and you'll still be able to get out once I'm down for the day. Until you get daytime access downstairs I can let you downstairs once I rise in the evening, and we'll need to make sure you're gone before I'm down for the day."

"Gavin is up on the second floor area, right?"

"Yes, he has what was the original master suite of the house, but with boxes around the windows to keep light out while still allowing them to look curtained from the outside." Kendra paused then rushed into saying, "Just so you know, most human companions are live in companions. If you want to move in once the other downstairs residents give the okay then you can, if you want. If you don't, that's okay, too, but I just needed to get it out there, so you'd know you have that option. You aren't technically a human companion, you are more than that, a lover, a boyfriend, an equal. But, it's kind of a protocol thing that the offer is made."

"Are you asking me because of protocol, or because you want me to move in, Kendra?"

"A little of both, I guess. I don't expect you'll actually move in permanently – your yacht is your home. But, it would be nice if you could come stay for a bit, and then maybe we could stay here for a bit. I know you've got work to do, and while I've got about a week of mostly downtime with The Library right now, once the contractor gets to a certain point then we'll start hiring and training and getting ready to open and I'll be pretty busy again for a while. But in between us needing to work, I guess I'm hoping we can spend some more time together. If you're okay with that."

"Sure, I can give you a couple of drawers here to keep stuff, and let you take over one of the closets in a guest bedroom for stuff you need to hang."

"And I can make room for you in my suite of rooms as well so you can keep stuff at my place. You'll need to hang out for a while though, and let the downstairs residents get to know you. They'll want to get to know you before they give you twenty-four hour access to the downstairs – each suite of rooms locks as well, but vampires can be a bit touchy about who can get to within one locked door of them during the day."





Chapter Fourteen





Kendra didn't mention much to her housemates about Eric, though they all noticed he was with her a good bit. The new security system had been installed for a while now and once the initial discomfort of 'something new' was over, the vampires appreciated it. Eric had also been teaching a class a week and the attendance was good. Even people who had been using computers attended a few of the classes just to make sure they weren't missing some important point, and all of them said the classes were worth their time. Within a week the downstairs residents all gave the green light for Eric to have access to the downstairs access points.

Before long Kendra successfully opened The Library and her main duties were over as Abbot took over the day to day management once she had it up and running smoothly. Eric usually went to sleep around three in the morning, woke between nine and ten, and then worked all day so he could spend time with Kendra when she rose for the night.

Eric and Kendra bundled up and went roller blading and bicycle riding and rappelling and caving and Eric finally took her on that nighttime hang gliding flight he'd promised.

He didn't tell her where they were going, only that they needed to leave right at sundown, and what she needed to wear. They drove to the Ocoee area, where they could get away with being towed up by an ultralight at night without too much risk of getting caught. Eric had a friend who had agreed to tow them up at night, and then they took their time flying with the feel of the wind in their face. Kendra loved it, the feeling of the wind lifting them and moving them around the night sky, it was a wonderful feeling. Hang gliding was such a different feeling than that of flying magically.