Page 19 of The Dancer and the Dark
“I fed before I came.” He ran his hands up and down her spine. “You don’t need to be tired tomorrow.”
“I don’t mind. I like it.”
He smiled. “I know, but if I don’t take too much, I can bite you tomorrow night too.”
She let out a contented sigh. “Good point.”
“Do you think your mother heard us?”
“It’s a massive house, so probably not. And I don’t really care if she did.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “We’ve been together over five years, Gavin. I’m pretty sure she knows we have sex.”
“Fuck me, has it been five years?”
“Mm-hmm.” She stretched like a lazy cat.
“Five years though?”
“Really and truly.” She sat up. “I should go and clean up.”
He clamped a hand on her backside, forcing her to stay. “We should get married.”
She reared back, her eyes wide. “What did you just say?”
Oh fuck, that had just popped out.
From where, Gavin had no idea.
6
“We should talk about it later.”
Chloe kept going over and over it in her head.
Gavin had left her with those words and disappeared to whatever light-safe room he was using for the day, so they couldn’t continue the conversation. Audra was Gavin’s employee, so talking to her was out. Beatrice had always had issues with Gavin, and Tenzin was at the Vecchios’ house.
Which left Zain.
The man scratched the dark brown beard that covered his face. “You sure you want to talk to me about this? You don’t have any girls you can talk to about this shit?”
“Who am I going to get advice from, Zain? Tenzin?” She pointed to the house. “My mother? My aunt? People who have no idea vampires even exist?”
“I’m just saying…” He sighed. “Okay, talk.”
She and Zain had become friends when they went to Ethiopia the year before as part of Tenzin and Ben’s entourage—two Americans in Addis Ababa, scoping things out and filling their days when the vampires were sleeping.
Lots of people mistook them for a couple, but Zain had been dating a regular human for a little over a year. He felt a lot more like a big brother than anything else. Not that she had a big brother, but Zain was kind of what she imagined for a big brother. Big, strong, steady. He knew about fixing cars, and he gave good advice.
So she’d cornered him in the front yard after lunch.
“I’m probably not a good person to talk to about this,” he started, “because I have made a point to never get involved with an immortal.” He reached over his shoulders and tied his locs back with a black bandanna.
“Why not?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Just don’t see a future in it. I want a family, kids, T-ball and peewee football. All that shit. Not in the cards with a vampire.”
“Fair.” She stared at his arms. His biceps looked like they’d expanded to the size of small soccer balls. “Have you been working out more?”
“It’s a constant process, sis. I gotta keep up with immortal threats. Brute strength is about all I got with my build.” He sighed again and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Okay, so the vampire you have been living with for five years now wants to get married. Do you have some philosophical objection to the institution?”
