Christian’s nose twitched again, and he reached for an onion ring. “Sounds like he had big feet.”
I shoved the rest of the burger into my mouth and held up one finger for him to wait.
“Jaysus wept.If I’d known you were that hungry, I would have bought the whole heifer.” He crunched into his onion ring and studied the inside. “I called Viktor and filled him in on all the details.”
“What about Spoon Man?” I said with a mouthful of food.
He dusted off his fingers. “I left out a few highlights from our trip. Would you like me to call him back and tell him you were going to get spooned before we set a dead body on fire?”
I chuckled and licked mayo off my thumb. “Please don’t.”
“Do you mind telling me why your bathroom door is off the hinges?”
I wadded up the empty wrapper and tossed it on the nightstand. “So it seems that Vampire blood has this little side effect.”
His chewing slowed, and he leaned up. “Are you saying that my blood gave you Vampire strength?”
I turned over and lay on my left side, facing him. “I guess I’m not as inadequate as you thought.”
“Squeeze my hand.”
I did as he asked. I partly expected to hear the sound of snapping bones beneath my grip, but nothing happened.
“It doesn’t seem to last. But your grip is strong, to be sure.”
I let go. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t plan on drinking from a Vampire again.”
“Don’t be daft, woman.”
“You said yourself that Vampires shouldn’t drink from each other.” I curled my legs and yawned, completely sated by the hot food in my belly.
“Aye, but if you’re ever captured by a Vampire, how will you escape if you’re unarmed?”
“I’m a Mage. I can flash out of his grasp.”
He reached out and brushed his thumb against my mouth, wiping away a bit of mayo. Then he put that thumb in his mouth and sucked on it. “You’re also a Vampire. If you weren’t so bullheaded, you might actually see it as a blessing and not a curse.”
“Yes, but if I drink from a Vampire in order to fight him, he might have control over me. You said yourself there’s no way to know the effect it’ll have.”
His lip twitched. “You listen to every word I say, don’t you? Sometimes I think I’m wasting my breath. In moments of life and death, you’re sometimes forced to take risks. I’d rather you not drink from another Vampire, but if it’s the last measure that might save your life, then don’t be obstinate.” He leaned back and laced his fingers across his stomach.
The only thing I heard in that explanation was Christian admitting that he didn’t want me to drink from another Vampire. Something about that remark felt possessive, and I wondered if we’d crossed a line that partners shouldn’t cross. I’d felt a connection between us since joining Keystone. The last thing I needed was to nurture feelings for a man who wanted nothing more from women than sex. Especially when that man was my partner.
I needed to get a grip on this situation.
While he nibbled on another onion ring, I decided it was best to establish boundaries, so I reached for the phone. Even though Detective Glass had written his number on a napkin, I had it memorized. I felt quite silly for doing so, but a man hadn’t asked me out on a date in a long time.
My heart quickened when I heard the first ring.
“Hello?”
A million clever responses went through my head, but all I could say was, “Hi. It’s, um… it’s Raven.”
“I didn’t recognize the number. How are you, Miss Black?”
“Good,” I replied, noticing the crunching behind me had stopped. “I thought maybe I’d take you up on your offer.”
“Sounds like a plan. Tomorrow evening?”
