"She kissed you, huh? That's nice. Did she crawl out of your bed on weak knees?" Chase knew he was ten kinds of bastard for pulling the old kiss-and-tell, but Kayden needed to be put in his place. And that place was far from Lovely. Kayden's face drained of all color. "No? Well, she made love to me while her little human buddy Jared waited for her to return to their date. I'm not really impressed by your kiss." Chase pushed Kayden back.
"Do you two boys need to get in the ring and work something out?" Gage came out of nowhere to separate them.
Chase walked around to the driver's side and said, "No, sir, Mr. Paris. I have to get Danielle home, where she belongs."
There had been a steady stream of visitors for the past couple of days, but it'd been quiet that day. Dani received an invitation to a dinner party in her honor at the home of Christopher Stafford. The Stafford house wanted to show their gratitude for her efforts in the rescue. She didn't like the attention, but Mason said it would be an insult if she declined.
Mason had given her a lot of the answers to the questions she'd had regarding the council and how their justice system worked. He also explained more about vampire longevity. Vampires reached their prime at around twenty-five, and then the aging process slowed way down. If they took care of themselves and fed regularly, they could live for hundreds of years. The older a vampire got, the stronger he or she became. The young were much more vulnerable, until they came into their power. It seemed Dani's need for blood was brought on when she came of age and her powers started to kick in. He explained that baby vamps got blood cells from their mothers' milk, and they breast-fed longer than humans would consider normal. He'd been bringing bags of blood to the Enclave for her, but she'd have to learn to hunt soon enough. Obviously, she didn't need to worry about sunlight, crosses, or any of that other silly stuff.
According to their history, vampires were just creatures that evolved from the garden-variety human, like the missing link or something. Both species shared many of the same traits, but there were huge differences in metabolism, dietary needs, basic strengths, and abilities. Humans could be turned into vampires if enough blood was exchanged, but it was rarely attempted because the human died more often than not during the process. If it was attempted, it was usually done out of love. Made vampires couldn't have children, and the reasons why eluded their scientists. They also tended not to live as long as born vampires. He hadn't found any records of a vampire and a human ever having a child that survived. He had found a few very old references, but the mother and child had died in every case. It wasn't a problem anymore, because of the vampire's prejudice against humans. Humans were lower on the food chain and therefore beneath consideration for a mate, unless the human was turned first, but then children were out of the question. Mason believed Tessa had convinced Griffin to turn her if she survived childbirth, so they could stay together.
Her mom was going nuts because she had to stay away. Dani suggested she could expose her humanity. Dani had suggested her mom could give Griffin a call from the grave, but Tessa didn't want to do that. She was convinced that Dani would be scorned. As Tessa's biggest concern was keeping Dani safe until the vampires caught their villain, Dani wondered how long the charade would last. Someone was sure to notice her differences in time. She didn't heal as fast as a vamp. Her physical attributes were seriously lacking, but her mental gifts were over the top. Dani believed that had a lot to do with her mother's paranormal ability to see the future, and her father's telekinesis.
Jared had been begging to visit, and she'd finally agreed. Chase pitched a fit until she explained that either he would be a gentleman to her guest, or she would find someplace else to stay. He'd been trying hard to make her comfortable and rebuild their relationship. She couldn't be anything more than friends with an engaged man. He still insisted he was working to get out of the engagement, but she'd told him he shouldn't ruin the relationship between the two high-powered families over her.
Whoever would have thought Nightmare Barbie would turn out to be her half sister? She'd found that out the day she left the hospital. Mrs. Vaughn "the second" had perched herself on a chair in the corner of Dani's room, on her cell phone, going on and on about the bonding ceremony. She kept looking at Dani to be sure she was listening. Dani didn't know why Sarah had come to visit. Then it dawned on her. The woman was trying to relay a message without coming out and saying it. Sarah was there to make sure she understood Chase was taken. Dani got the memo loud and clear. Her life was moving on. She and Kayden had slid smoothly into a relationship she was comfortable with. He was her rock and the reason she hadn't run away screaming yet. He kept her calm and distracted her from all the things she couldn't change.
Kayden was now outside pacing the hall. Dani had just informed him that Jared was on his way, and he didn't like it at all. She suspected jealousy was the cause of Kayden's bad mood. She imagined the females he dated didn't parade their male friends around in front of him.
She reminded Jared to act like he knew nothing about the black-eyed freaky people. He said he'd act like he didn't know his own mother if it got him a visit with her. She really missed her friend and was so happy to finally see him again. It was going to be nice to spend time with someone who wasn't pressuring her for more than she could give him.
A knock on the bedroom door pulled her out of the morbid thoughts. She knew it was Kayden by his woodsy essence. "Come on in, Kayden," she called out.
He sulked in and flopped down on the bed, face first. She couldn't help checking out his butt. No wonder all those girls chased him around. The view from behind was almost as good as the front.
She plopped down next to him, face up, using his muscled arm for a pillow.
He simply breathed in and out, and she could feel the tension rolling off of him. "We need to talk," he finally announced.
Oh, shit. That didn't sound good. She didn't want him to break up with her over a friend, but if he couldn't trust her to have friends they didn't have a very good relationship. He made her feel normal, like she belonged with him. But she'd made it clear she needed time before she'd be ready for a sexual relationship. She just wasn't there yet. Not after being with Chase so recently. A guy with Kayden's reputation couldn't be expected to go without sex indefinitely. It was only a matter of time before he let her go.
"What do you want to talk about?" She sat up and waited for the other shoe to drop.
"Us … you and me."
He still didn't face her. Oh God. She was right. He was ending it. They'd only been together just over a week, and she didn't want to lose him.
"I'm listening. Are you going to look at me or what?" Anxiety made the words harsher than she had intended.
"I don't know why this is so damn hard for me. I've been dating since I was fifteen, and I've never had an exclusive relationship, but knowing you're spending time with someone else makes me crazy." He still couldn't look at her.
Here it comes. She'd have to decide to let him walk away and see if he came back, or throw herself at him before he made it to the door. He rolled over to face her with his beautiful hazel eyes burning a hole in her heart and said, "I think I'm falling for you."
That wasn't what she'd expected. The words needed to soak in for a minute. He watched her nervously, until the statement was absorbed. The smile she gave him felt oddly shy.
"I have feelings for you, too, Kayden. I just think we need to take it slowly." Why couldn't she fall in love with this man who wanted her and her alone? Her feelings for him grew every day, and maybe one day her attraction to him would become something more. He was the kind of man she needed and wanted in her life. She just had to convince her heart to get with the program. He took a deep breath and hauled her flush against his body, squeezing her so tightly it hurt her ribs.
"Ouch! I do still have tender ribs."
He instantly loosened up but didn't release her. "I was so afraid you were gonna laugh at me," he admitted, and his voice wavered a little.
"Why would I laugh at you?" She ran her fingers through his hair in an effort to comfort him. He was so damn cute when he got nervous. Truthfully, he was hot all the time, but the unsure side of him was endearing. As big and bad as he could be, he could also be sweet and vulnerable.
"Everyone says you're above me," he confessed, "and I'm not good enough for you. I'm afraid they're right." He blushed. The big strong man blushed in her arms.