Page 30 of Vampire's Breath

I nodded. “Could you make up the second bed?”

Dani moved swiftly, pulling linens from hidden storage areas. It was slower than I had ever seen her accomplish a task. I smiled, knowing she was taking her time for Briar’s sake. “There you are. Anything else, Lorcan?”

“No, thank you.”

She walked from the room. “Good night.”

“Good night,” I replied, looking over my shoulder.

Cormac appeared in the doorway. “Good night, you two. Lorcan, do let us know if you need a manual on how to make the first move. If you start practicing now, you might work up the nerve to kiss her by sunrise. Maybe.” He closed the partition with deliberate flair, his smirk unfaltering.

And there it was, the comment I didn’t need from my elder brother. Briar giggled.

I heard Rory’s whispered voice through the partition. “Really?”

“I haven’t seen my brother in almost one hundred and twenty-five years. That is a lot of advice I haven’t given. And she makes him happy. Just like you make me happy, so come here,” Cormac growled. I pushed the sound of Rory’s moan from my head as soft music filled the plane. Apparently, I wasn’t the only vampire who didn’t want to listen to them.

“I’m going to go change.” Briar’s voice pulled me back to the room. My throat tightened. Maybe this had been a bad idea. She disappeared into the bathroom.

Cormac was right; Briar made me happy. Being with her felt like a puzzle piece snapped into place. But there was no guarantee of happiness. I swallowed the lump in my throat—no guarantee I wouldn’t end up like Ashdowne. I pulled off my pants and folded them, placing them at the end of the single where I could get to them if needed. Just before she emerged from the bathroom, I slid into the sheets of the smaller bed. I couldn’t take my eyes off her body, stunning in the V-cut pajama top and short shorts. It was a good thing my cock was well-covered. I bent my knees so she wouldn’t see the growing erection.

She tilted her head. “I thought I was taking the smaller bed. I don’t need the double when you’re taller than me.”

“Guests always get better accommodation. Mother’s rule.”

She pressed her lips together before she slid to the top of the double bed. “Thank you for staying with me. Are you sure this isn’t weird?”

“Not weird,” I said with a smile, although I couldn’t ignore the fire in my groin. This woman was beautiful.

Briar pulled the sheets back. They rustled as she smoothed them over her, leaning against the wall facing me, her legs stretched out in front of her. “Have you and Cormac always been at each other this way?”

I swallowed. “You mean the teasing? Only sometimes.”When he can tell I like someone.I wanted to say it, but I kept it to myself. “Cormac really is more trouble than he’s worth.” The words came out clipped, and I turned my gaze to the floor, my shoulders stiffening. I glanced at her and pulled at the fabric of my shirt. “Um, do you mind? I’d rather not sleep in this?”

She shook her head. “No, get comfortable. Besides, I’ve seen it all already.” Her cheeks reddened as she spoke, a smile dancing on her lips.

I pulled my shirt over my head, throwing it to the end of the bed with my pants.

“Tell me about your brothers.” She tilted her head, elongating her neck.

The slight perfume of her blood reached me. My gums ached. Being in here was a horrible idea. I swallowed, forcing the sensation from my mind. I couldn’t imagine how bad this would be if I were lying beside her, pressed against her body. “Cormac is the best of them, but there’s a side to him most people don’t see. As for the others… Aiden has issues, and Conall—let’s just say, don’t make him angry.”

Her brow furrowed, her gaze locking onto mine as if trying to decipher my meaning, but I was sure she wouldn’t stumble onto the idea of bodies falling in Conall’s angry wake. Oddly, despite rivaling Aiden’s, Conall’s body count didn’t bother me. The madness—the hunger for power—to be above it all was the issue. Conall just showed what we were—monsters parodying the rich and cultured.

Her face smoothed out as her lips curled into a smile. “What happens if I make Conall mad?”

I shook my head, voice low. “It’s just never a good thing.” I shifted on the narrow bed, the mattress squeaking softly under my weight.

She laughed, but her words cut deep. “You talk like they’re evil.”

My heart skipped a beat. She didn’t understand evil. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but I deflected. “Says the woman whose ancestor wrote about killing vampires.”

“Vampires aren’t real, Lorcan. Your brothers are.” She stretched her arms above her head, the yawn softening her words. “But if you don’t want to have a genuine conversation, we don’t have to.” She glanced around the walls.

“That isn’t what—”

She turned the overhead lights out, ending the conversation.

They were lights I didn’t need. My heart ached as I yearned to tell her everything. That my brothers were evil, that I was the same Lorcan who knew her ancestor, and that it was my sireling with a wooden knife in his chest. It didn’t take long for Briar’s soft breathing to fill the space, and for a fleeting moment, I was glad for the normalcy of her settling into bed, angry or not. A hollowness spread through my chest as I realized a human could not hear her breathing, see her movement, or smell the irresistible bouquet of her blood. Nothing was normal about this. My gums burned, and my cock begged for release.

---