Page 27 of Life Blood
A smile appeared on his face, and I squinted trying to hold back. It was almost like he could read my mind. Of course, he probably could, he was a freaking vampire.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” he said as he approached me, “keep doing it. It’s okay to be relaxed. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
“Aren’t youvampiressupposed to be able to tell me what I’m thinking?” I paused and lifted my chin, meeting his green eyes with confidence.
“She’s feisty,” Cole said, eyeing me. “Good.” He turned to leave, “And, no, we can’t read your mind.”
“Well, he’s kind of a dick,” I said, semi-annoyed that he would just leave me standing there like I meant nothing to him.
“He’s Cole,” Braden laughed. “He’s more aggravated that Logan’s work with you last night didn’t stick. He doesn’t express his emotions very well either.” Braden took my arm. “He’s known for fixing problems, and when he can’t, well he—”
“He’s just a dick, Braden, no need to sugar coat that for her,” Logan said, still watching me, “And if you’re going to treat him like you think he’s a dick, he’ll be even worse.”
“I heard all that, assholes!” Cole’s voice called out from the other side of the car he disappeared into.
Logan smiled, “So if we want thatvampireto straighten up so we can all bear to be around him, I suggest you play nice.”
I glared at Logan, “What the hell happened to the nice side of you from last night?”
He held his arms up and widened his eyes, “Well, I don’t know. I wasn’t the one to wake up this morning and fight that sexy man’s vibes off. Maybe we should have sealed your emotions with a really good f—”
“Shut up,” Braden warned. “If you can’t handle a bruising of your ego, you sure as hell aren’t going to be able to handle a fuckingcollectorif they come for her. And your ass will be Enzo’s—”
“I got it.” Logan glanced at me, then to Braden at my side, “Figure out if she’ll make it to school or not. She’s yours to watch in the day, I’ve got her at night.”
“Just get out of here. I’ll handle it.”
“Why don’t all of you leave? I don’t need to be around a bunch of asshole vampires who get pissed if things don’t go their way.”
Logan laughed and pointed at me while walking down the driveway, “See! All it took was us being a bunch of dicks for you to be able to call us vampires without passing out. Nice!”
“Ignore him,” Braden said.
I could see the warmth in Braden’s eyes when he looked at me. “I think I will stay home today.” I held up my finger to stop him from speaking, “Alone, though. I really need to sort all of this out.”
“Inside, alone,” he said, “I’ll be outside watching.”
“Do any of you sense these bad guys you’re worried about? Do you really think they’re here?”
“No, but we won’t take any chances.”
“I don’t need babysitters.” I arched an eyebrow at him. “Unless you think I’m in imminent danger of being snatched from my house, I think I can handle being here without you hovering outside.” He raised his eyebrows with a look that made me feel like he was just humoring me. “Seriously, I need time to process this stuff. Doing it in my right mind, without any help from Logan, is the best way for me to get a handle on it. I don’t want any vampire tricks screwing with my emotions.”
“You’re right about the way you should process things. I’m sorry if you feel like you were being tricked. That was not the intention,” Braden said. “But do not think for a second that we’re going to stay away from you. Right now, we’ll give you the space you need. If a threat does enter this vicinity, you must let us protect you.”
“How about this,” I smiled at him, “Once I wrap my mind around all of this lunacy, you teach me how to protect myself. At least leave me with that one normal part of my life.”
“It’s a deal,” Braden winked, and I felt a loving connection I couldn’t explain.
Inwardly, I believed that this would all work out…I had no reason to think that, but I did. And the fact that the guys seemed as edgy as I did made me feel like maybe I wasn’t the only one who was overwhelmed by these emotions.
Chapter Ten
Isat on my bed, staring out of my window for what seemed like hours before I finally got up and grabbed my laptop from off of my desk. I sat cross-legged in my bed and leaned against my pillows as I opened it and powered it on.
I logged in, and as soon as I opened my internet browser, a quote from Albert Einstein appeared at the top of my Pinterest page.
“It is entirely possible that behind the perception of our senses, worlds are hidden of which we are unaware.”
