The Accidental Vampire(59)

"No." DJ's voice was strong now and assured as he moved around the bed and

approached her. "I want you. I find you endlessly fascinating, amusing and exciting. I

want you. Your body, your mind, your heart. All of you."

"No, you don't," she said with certainty. "I'm old."

"I'm older, and always will be," DJ countered easily.

"But I look old," Mabel shot back, eyes widening as he drew nearer. She began to pull

the blankets up to her chin.

"I love the way you look," DJ said simply.

"Then you need glasses," Mabel said grimly. "My face is as wrinkled as a prune."

"Your face is marked with the lines of life, put there by love and laughter, suffering and

tears. It's beautiful." DJ paused beside the bed and eased slowly to sit next to her.

"But—"

DJ didn't wait for her to voice more fears, leaning forward, he kissed first her forehead,

then her eyes, forcing her to close them, and then he kissed her on the mouth. It was a

hot kiss and Victor had to bite his lip to keep from shouting out '"Atta boy!"

He almost left then, but waited to see whether she'd toss him out, or give in to the

inevitable. Women could be difficult in these situations. Immortals knew that once

they found a member of the opposite sex they couldn't read, they'd found their

lifemate and accepted it as bond. Mortals generally took a little time to come around,

fearing rushing into things and making mistakes.

DJ ended the kiss and sat back, giving her a chance to respond; both he, and Victor in

the hall, waited with bated breath.

She simply sat there staring at him, her face an expressway with conflicting and

confused thoughts flashing past like cars. Finally, she tossed aside the book she'd been

reading, and reached for DJ.

"That a girl, Mabel," Victor breathed and started to straighten, then jerked upright at

the slam of a door up the hall. Turning with alarm, he found Elvi in front of her door.



Chapter Twelve





"It's not what you think." Victor said as he hurried down the stairs after Elvi. "Really. I

was just trying to help DJ."

"By playing Peeping Tom on Mabel?" she asked with disbelief, flouncing off the stairs

in her blue robe and turning into the dining room. "What? Were you supposed to

report back to DJ on what she wears to bed?"

"No, of course not," he said quickly. "Besides he knows. He's in there with her."

Elvi froze and whirled back. "What?"

"That probably wasn't the best way to go about explaining things," Victor muttered.

"What is DJ doing up there?" Anger replaced by concern, Elvi rushed back now,

hurrying past him for the stairs, obviously intent on saving Mabel.

Cursing, Victor hurried after her.

"Wait, stop, you'll ruin everything," he hissed, catching up to her and grabbing her arm

to stop her outside the bedroom door.

Elvi whirled, mouth open, no doubt to yell at him to let her go, but they both froze at

the sudden cry that came through the bedroom door. Mouth snapping closed, she

spun back to grab the bedroom door, but froze again as Mabel's voice came loud and

clear, gasping, "Oh, DJ! God, yes!"

Blinking, she released the knob as if it had turned into a snake and stared at the closed

door as if she'd never seen it before.

A growl—definitely DJ's—sounded, almost drowning out the rhythmic squeaking of the

antique bed that left them in no doubt as to what was happening beyond the door.

"He works fast," Victor muttered with surprise, and then shrugged. The first time with

a lifemate was always fast and furious, the pent‐up longings and flashpoint passions

bursting into flames and burning them both up quickly as they fed on each other's

desire. If Victor was very lucky, he might get to experience that very thing soon.

Briefly, he added on a sigh. If Elvi was his lifemate, fate couldn't have handed him a

worse hand. The last thing he would have hoped for was a lifemate who might very

well be executed by the council. It wasn't exactly every immortal's dream woman.

"What are they doing?" Elvi asked uncertainly.

Victor peered at her with disbelief, then caught his hands behind his back and stared at

the hall wall, refusing to meet her gaze. He was not explaining what was going on in

that room. She was old enough to know what it was anyway and was—he was sure—

just having difficulty believing that her sturdy, grumpy friend could make sounds like

that.

He was rather surprised himself, Victor decided, as Mabel cried, "Harder. Oh yes! Oh,

DJ! Oh God, yes! Ride me till the cows come home!"

Victor blinked at that, and then asked uncertainly, "Did she grow up on a dairy farm?"