Page 76 of Fangs and Family
‘I’m sorry, Nina. I need to go. Leszek… is worried. We had a little trouble in Gedania, but we’ll catch up later,’ she said. I bid her goodbye before curling up on the sofa and gazing through the massive window at Gdansk’s old town.
That’s how Adam found me several hours later.
I woke up to the soft caresses of his lips on my cheek and a voice filled with tenderness.
‘Hey, sleepyhead. Ready to see your brother?’
I sat upright abruptly, blinking away my exhaustion. A fluffy, colourful blanket that must have been wrapped around my body slid to the floor as I looked at Adam.
‘It’s still dark. How long did I sleep?’
He smiled mischievously and pointed to the clock.
‘About fourteen hours, according to Lorelai. Anyway, your supper is ready, and as soon as you’ve finished eating, we can go to the Seethe’s compound. Your brother woke up a short while ago.’
‘What? Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? We can go right away.’ I said, rising from the sofa, but Adam’s hand on my shoulder stopped me.
‘First, you were tired and needed to rest. Second, although your transformation was quicker than expected, Pawel’s wasn’t, so there was no point leaving earlier. I made your supper and woke you as soon as I got the call. You were recently turned, and I’m not risking a hungry vampire on the streets of the city.’ I instantly bristled at his lecturing tone.
‘Since when are you in charge…daddy?’ I asked, trying to annoy Adam enough to avoid eating. I didn’t expect his lips to twitch as he turned away, attempting to hold back laughter before he composed himself and looked back.
‘Be a good girl, Nina, ordaddywill spank your bottom.’
‘What? No… you’re supposed to be angry, not teasing me.’ I said with righteous indignation, but he leaned over to kiss my forehead.
‘I like this new kink of yours. I can be your daddy anytime you want, baby girl,’ he whispered into my ear, and I swore as I pushed him away to make space to stand up.
‘I just said it to piss you off, you idiot. Stop it now. Where’s the food?’ I desperately tried to distract myself from the sudden flood of arousal. Calm your titties, Nina. First, your brother, then Sara, and if all goes well, you can play with the winged Adonis afterwards, I thought, trying to talk myself out of the images that appeared in my mind.
Adam smirked as if he could read my thoughts, busying himself with his phone as I went to the table. He made a few calls while I was eating, and as soon as I finished, he gestured to the hallway.
‘The car is ready. I have to warn you. Your brother is going through the normal stages of vampiric transformation, and right now, he is… a little feral. I don’t want you to worry. It will pass, but this first meeting won’t be pleasant.’
‘Adam, as long as he is alive, I don’t care. I know you will help him through his transition,’ I affirmed, noticing his relieved sigh.
We drove for half an hour. I had never been to the Seethe’s compound and wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe some gothic manor, but certainly not Fin de siècle1[1]architecture. The house was beautiful, the colourfully decorated front and fantastic carvings harmonising perfectly with its stained-glass windows. Set inside a generous walled garden, I half expected Victorian couples to be strolling around outside with parasols and fluttering fans held aloft.
‘Whoa, that looks amazing. Why are you living in that concrete penthouse when you have something like this here?’ I asked.
‘Because I like my solitude. This pretty building is a communication hub for the Tricity vampires and a guest house for visitors. Or maybe I should call it a beehive? I like old Gdansk, and I prefer my modern conveniences over the beauty of this place,’ he insisted, and I rolled my eyes.
‘Solitude, my arse. If you wanted solitude, why would you allow a kikimora to stay there, or me?’ I teased.
‘Because she is useful. You get to stay because I love you.’ Adam replied with such a matter-of-fact tone it left me unsure what to say, but something pushed me to test the waters.
‘You know I have a home, too. I should move back there now that everything is settled,’ I said, watching as his body stilled.
‘No! I mean, please, you don’t need to do that. I know you may not like my style, but I hope you’ll stay, and we can make it a home for us both.’
I didn’t answer as Adam parked the car and came around to the passenger door, opening it for me with a shy smile. I liked his cute, old-fashioned gestures, which contrasted with his usual no-nonsense professional brusqueness.
As we entered the building, the vampires that greeted us nodded their heads respectfully but avoided looking directly at Adam or me.
I leaned closer to whisper into Adam’s ear. ‘What’s wrong with them?’
‘They’ve heard about Sapieha’s demise and are trying to avoid challenging you, or me for that matter, but I’m well known here, so….’ The look of shocked disbelief on my face made Adam smile, but I could see the pride in his expression.
‘You’re saying they’re afraid of me? This is a joke, right?’
