Page 128 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness
“Agreed,” Kylo said, his features relaxing as he found an ally in Vesper. “This was our thinking as well.”
Vesper sipped her drink. “I want to be able to help.”
“And kill Conrad,” I said.
Her smile was all charm. “Yes.” She pinned me with something more serious. “But I also don’t want you taking unnecessary risks. We’re in this together, okay? Don’t forget that. Let’s get them to play byourrules for a change.”
Some amount of weight lifted off my shoulders. I couldn’t help but nod, and I watched as the movement lessened Kylo and Idris’s tension too.
It had recently felt like it was all up to me, despite clan support. I was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so much greater.
War talk faded, but its heavy cloud never fully dissipated.
For the rest of the evening, we enjoyed each other’s company, and more of the clan slowly trickled up to join us. Turned musicians played live music, and soon it was a full-on party.
I’d never seen so many turned above ground, not like this. And for a moment, I imagined how it would feel if we could exist like this forever.
From Kylo’s arms I watched Idris talk to a couple of his friends. He laughed and clinked glasses with them before disappearing into the crowd of dancers.
Vesper had an entire crowd of people gathered around her, as if she were holding court. She lounged on a velvet couch and spoke animatedly, her smile warm and eyes hooded. I was quite sure she was seducing them all at once.
Kylo kissed the top of my head. “You really like her, don’t you?”
I smiled. “Who wouldn’t?”
“Good,” he said. “I want your life to be full of love. Not just from me. You deserve your own world outside of me, too. You know that, right?”
I stared into his earnest pools of blue. “I know. The assumptions I made in the wake of your murder-coverup couldn’t have been more wrong. I know you were never trying to control me—not likethat.” I released a breath, thinking about Vesper’s horrific story. “I think intimacy is hard for me. But I’m learning. Maybe I would’ve been more insatiable if I hadn’t been born so afraid.”
Kylo gripped me tighter. “Everyone who has ever truly known you has loved you. Take your time, baby. But believe that you’ll be rewarded for your brave vulnerability.”
“You are unrealistically emotionally advanced for a man,” I muttered.
Kylo grinned. “Thank you, angel.” He stared at my lips. “Like you said, I simply needed those extra eighty years to approach maturity.”
I laughed before snuggling into his hold. The music washed over us. And after a few more blissful moments in our bubble, I pulled away.
“I am ready to socialize again,” I declared with a serious expression.
Kylo mirrored my faux severity. “Let us socialize, then.”
He shook his head with a chuckle as I grabbed his hand and waited for him to steer me in a new direction.
Parties were too daunting. Approach a pre-formed huddle of people and insert myself into their conservation? I would rather be shot with a crossbow.
So, I let Kylo do it for me.
Bexley flirted with Harmony off to the side. A few turned I didn’t know were in the mix, along with a handful I’d crossed paths with before.
“Do you read romance novels?” one of the women asked me. After I nodded, she squealed. “You must join our new book club!”
Lachlan lifted a brow. “Absolutely insane time to start a book club.”
A few vampires laughed, but the woman put a hand on her hip. “We need stories now more than ever.”
“True,” Kylo said.
The woman beamed at Kylo’s approval. Her smile was beautiful, her teeth impossibly white. She’d brushed shimmering makeup across her cheeks and eyelids, shades of red and dark pink that blended perfectly with her dark brown skin.
