Page 20 of Blood Ties
“I’m so sorry, Grayson,” I muttered through my sobs that were wrenching through me.
His hands cupped my face on either side, tilting my head to look at him. “What did I say, Gaby? No more apologizing. You couldn’t possibly have known this would happen. And I should have told you when it first started. I just didn’t want to give you anything else to worry about.”
“I think the question is why is it happening in the first place?” Shawn mumbled.
I looked at Shawn. I could see the underlined thought on his face. I knew where he was going, but after pissing me off with his unsavory comments lately, he didn’t want to overstep. What was worse was I knew he was right.
“What’s different with Grayson from other vampires?” Shawn challenged, leaving his unsaid statement alone. His gaze settled on me almost like he was reading me.
“I think what we need to worry about at the moment is how are we going to explain this?” I gestured around the room.
CHAPTER SEVEN
We all left Alexander Holdings Incorporated right after we finished cleaning. Shawn had stepped up barking orders, making me thank god for his clear headedness. He had us cleaning the room and then sent Grayson into the shower. The only spare clothes he had at the office were his gym clothes, but anything was better than the blood soaked suit he was wearing. The ride back to our apartment was one of the longest ever. Traffic wasn’t particularly heavy. Just the fact that we had to wait to discuss anything since we couldn’t talk about it in front of John, Grayson’s driver, was complete agony. Eventually we did arrive.
We burst through the apartment door and I headed straight to the kitchen while Grayson went to the bedroom to change.
“Gaby?” Shawn called out, when I quickly vanished. He heard my clattering around and followed the sounds. He walked in on me throwing back a shot of Grayson’s bourbon. It burned as it flowed down my throat. It wasn’t the type of liquor you shoot, but I needed the alcohol in my system, quick. If I could have set it up on an IV, I would have.
“Gaby,” he sighed.
“Don’t Shawn, okay? I already know what you’re going to say. I know you’re right, but I don’t want to hear it. Right now I just want to live in my fantasy world where I don’t have to track down the man who abandoned me to help the man I love.” I poured myself another shot and tossed it back. It burned a little less this time. I was so grateful for the effect alcohol had on me. It was strange. I had always attributed my lack of alcohol tolerance to my human side, since vampires couldn’t become intoxicated, but since my mother’s great reveal to my origins, I wondered why I was able to get drunk when no other vampire could. I wondered if Grayson could.
Like I summoned him with that thought, Grayson walked into the kitchen. He looked down at my hands holding the shot glass and the bottle of bourbon before taking it from me and pouring himself one.
I watched him adamantly for some sign of the alcohol taking its toll. He startled slightly when he saw me openly peering at him.
“What?”
“How do you feel?” I asked while still trying to read his body.
“Gaby, I’m fine; really. Your blood is in my system right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s great, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“The alcohol!” Shawn gasped when he realized what I was aiming at.
“What?” Grayson was unclear.
Shawn shook his head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Grayson, vampires don’t drink. I mean they can, but the alcohol has no effect on them.”
“So I can’t get drunk anymore?” I could hear the disappointment in his voice. Yes, it was a small thing, but to never be able to do it again, I’d feel disappointed too.
“Well you shouldn’t be able to go out in the sun either, yet…” Shawn gestured to the open curtains that were allowing the sunlight to drape the room.
“Take another,” I nudged.
“Gaby, if I can still get drunk, I’m not trying to do it before lunch.”
“It’s just a test Grayson. The average human can begin to feel the effects of alcohol after two shots. It’s not enough to get you drunk just enough to test the theory,” Shawn explained.
With a heavy sigh, Grayson poured himself a second shot.
“Well?” Shawn and I asked in unison after a few moments had passed.
Grayson’s mouth pulled up in a sexy smirk. “I think it’s working,” he sounded bewildered.
Shawn started laughing while I stood there staring at Grayson. He must have seen something in my expression because he walked up and wrapped his arms around me.
