“Which one?”
“All of them.”
Pulling up the sleeve on my right arm, I open my mouth to speak when she quickly cuts in, “By the way, that shirt is fucking stupid.”
I can’t argue, “Agreed.” I’ll take that as her thanking me for not making us swap. “I’ll take it off in the car so you can stare at my chest some more.” She rolls her eyes away from me, but slowly brings them back as I continue with her inquiry. “A graveyard, to me, symbolizes rest. There is no greater peace than death. Each headstone,” I point to the four, “represents the deaths of those I lost because of my immortality.”
I feel the table slightly shift, and she leans over to look. Adjusting to give her a better view, I rest my elbow onto the table. “One of them has your name…”
I nod, “Technically I lost myself to my immortality.”
Her eyes quickly flick to mine, and then back to my arm. “Down here, there is a cat.” Her nail traces along the ending of the graveyard, where there are random pieces such as the black cat she’s referring to, and skulls resting in grass. “Any particular reason you went with a cat?”
“Not really, it was to fill the space. Felt like a black cat suited the design.”
“There are two skulls, are they—”
“No meaning,” I hope my lie is convincing, but her eyebrows twitch, which makes me think not. “Okay, there is one, but I’d prefer not to discuss it.” There is no part of me that wants to dump that on her, and she probably wouldn’t care anyway. Which is fine, I don’t care anymore sowhy should she?
She licks her lips and doesn’t comment; instead, she moves on. “You have space on your wrist, and this hand. Any plans?” Her nails stop at my knuckles, and I shake my head. “I see.”
Moving her hand, she gestures with it to my other arm, and I oblige, turning and situating myself in the same manner. As I’m rolling my sleeve up, I can see her intensely looking at my hand. The symbol of Achille.
“The reaper and all the time items,” she doesn’t comment on it, “it means your time is up when death comes. Right?”
“Sort of.” Her hand is taking my wrist and turning it over to look at the sundial that wraps around the entirety of my forearm. “I always found the concept of death fascinating, even as a Mundane. When I met the reaper, figuratively speaking, it was more like time was infinite. I don’t hate immortality, so it’s sort of a nod to thanking the creature for the time I’ve been given.”
Without releasing my wrist, she meets my gaze, “Shouldn’t you be thanking the Vampire that turned you? Not Death itself?”
I chuckle and shake my head, “That crazy bitch is dead, thank Belial himself. I didn’t want to be a Vampire, don’t take my enjoyment of immortality as that. I’ve just come to terms with what I am and will enjoy it because it’s the life I have been given. Until someone pops my head off.” Offering her a wink was the right move because she graces me with a slight smile.
I hum softly,you are the sweetest of sins.
“Anyway.” I clear my throat and move us forward. “I’ll let you explore my chest and back piece when we are naked in bed together later.”
She scoffs and leans away from me, and I bark out a laugh.
“So confident in yourself,” she murmurs and sinks into the bench. “You’ll be taking me home and leaving me alone after this. I think we’ve spent enough time together.”
I can’t help but wonder, if I were to utter a simple ‘okay’, would her heart start racing, desperately clinging to the hope that I was kidding? I’d like to lie and tell her that I’ll never see her again after this. Except, the words stick in my throat and I’m unable to even joke about it.
“It is you that is quite confident you can tell me what to do.” I grin, “Plus, it’s not been long enough. Whether you think so or not.”
“Whatever, Kai.” Good, she’s still calling me that.
Theapproaching footsteps make her straighten her posture, and she eagerly looks up at the waitress placing her plate in front of her. Her tomato juice is set right beside her water, and then my delectable blood is placed in front of me.
“Enjoy!”
For the next ten minutes, we sit in silence while Xeraphine eats and I sip. There’s nothing appetizing about blood that has sat in a plastic container for likely days, but it will satiate me until I can feed properly. Achille requested my presence a few days ago, so when I go in, I’ll feed on the prospects.
After she finishes her meal, I pay for it, and we head back to my car. As we walk, I notice a few other people pumping gas, which reminds me that I need to do the same. The sound of raindrops hitting the overhang above us provides a soothing backdrop, shielding us from the downpour.
“Your kind doesn’t get cold, right?” I ask, turning toward her and getting the answer for myself. Her arms are hugged across herself and she’s begging with her eyes for me to unlock the car. “Oh, sorry.”
“I’m not a full Succubus, and while my skin is thicker, it isn’t impervious to the elements.” That’s right, I’m not sure how I forgot she’s a hybrid.
With a smile straight from the Beyond, I wrap my arm around her and flush her to me. “Good to know.” Her head is pulling back, eyes wide. “I’ll know to stay close during the colder hours.” My opposite hand traces down to the small of her back and roughly smashes our hips together.