her head to ask, "Is that why you disappeared for a bit when we were at the Night
Club?"
"Yes," he acknowledged warily, but she just nodded and leaned into him again.
"Do you mind?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"Mind what?" she asked, sounding confused.
"About my having to bite other women?"
"Well, you could bite men too," she pointed out with amusement.
"Yes, and I will, but there will be times when it's a woman who will be most handy," he
said quietly.
Elvi shrugged. "Why should I mind? If it's the only way for you to feed…" She shrugged
again.
"Marion minded," he murmured.
"Marion died before there were blood banks, she must have had to feed by biting as
well. Why would it bother her?"
"She was afraid I'd find the women attractive, I think," he admitted.
Elvi gave a laugh. "Then maybe there was something wrong with Marion. It's hard to
find someone attractive when you're thinking of them as dinner. At least, it was for
me. I certainly didn't find any of those eighteen‐year‐old boys attractive."
She peered at him solemnly. "Victor, even if you found them attractive, I know you
wouldn't do anything with them. I'm your lifemate. I doubt you're likely to run into
another woman you can't read while out feeding. I'm not insecure enough to fret over
that." She tilted her head. "Is that why you haven't told me until now?"
"That and I worried that you might be upset at the idea of having children who would
have to feed that way as well. Bastien says the chances might be fifty‐fifty as to
whether they are or not, it depends on whether they take after the mother or the
father. It's something of a stigma among our people."
"Well, then, I guess we'll have to hope they take after me," she said reasonably. "But if
they don't we'll deal with it. We can deal with anything together. I love you."
"I love you too," he breathed, hugging her close. "How did I get lucky enough to find
you?"
"Mabel put an ad in the single's column," she reminded him teasingly and Victor
laughed and hugged her close, and then stood with her in his arms and started up the
stairs to the sunroom.
"I was thinking we might like to take a trip in the near future," he murmured as he
paused at the top of the stairs.
"Oh?" Elvi asked, pulling the sunroom door open so that he could carry her in.
"Yes. To California. To see my son."
Elvi glanced at him sharply. "Really?"
"Really," he said softly. "It's time. And somehow I don't think it will be painful
anymore."
"I love you, Victor Argeneau," she whispered, hugging him tightly as he carried her
through to the bedroom.
"I love you, Ellen Elvi Black Stone… But I can't wait to change your name to Argeneau
so I know what to call you."
"Just call me 'Love' ," she whispered and kissed him as he lowered them both to the
bed.