My jaw slackened. “Are you— Are you joking me?”
He cleared his throat. “Last night we had a man-to-man. Or… a man-to-Vamp. He told me that I’d never have to worry about your Creator again. He didn’t elaborate, and I’m guessing by the look on your face you already know about that. Yeah. That’s all I needed to hear.”
My heart skipped a beat. “That’s it? I thought you would drag this out for years.”
He looked me dead in the eye. “That was enough. Now I know that my baby girl will always be taken care of even when I’m not here. I know he’s saved your life in the past, but that’s not enough. I would have run through fire to save your mama ten times over if given the choice, but that wouldn’t have been enough. It’s about the quality of life he’s willing to give—the sacrifices he’s willing to make for your happiness. Now it’s up to you to decide if you want to see it through. I’ll be by your side whether you want me to walk you down the aisle or tie his ass to a flagpole.”
I threw my arms around him. “You old bulldog.”
Crush managed to get one arm around me and patted my back. “Stop making me cry in front of the peckerhead.”
I leaned back and wiped a tear from his face. “He makes me happy. More than that—we get each other. We make each other better people, and I guess that’s what I need more than a fairy tale. I’m not asking you to be different around him. Be yourself. Just know that the guy standing over there next to the gorilla statue would do anything for me. And I’d do the same for him. I’m not replacing you, Daddy.”
He sniffed. “I know. Just don’t get all distant on me. I finally got you back, and I don’t want us to drift apart. You got that?”
“Are you kidding?” I snorted and sat back. “Good luckgetting rid of me.”
He patted my leg. “Get out of here.”
I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then climbed around Harley to step out of the truck. When I shut the door, I held up my hand while he backed out.
Christian waited by the entrance, holding the door open.
“I don’t know if I’m about to go on a date or be fed to velociraptors,” I said, walking inside a spacious room with monstrously huge plants and animal displays. There were walls with animals painted on them, a winding staircase on the left, and an elevator up ahead.
“Do you want the full tour? Up the stairs, it takes you on a walking path through a rain forest. Starts up in the trees.”
I flicked a glance at his outfit. Christian only dressed up when he was going to a party. Otherwise, he liked his dirty black shoes, Henley shirts, and chewed-up sweaters. While his tan trousers gave off a casual vibe, his brown leather shoes and black turtleneck made him appear stylish.
“You smell good,” I said, catching the scent of his cologne as I walked past him. “If the tour wasn’t in the plan, let’s skip it. I’m dying to see what you’re up to.”
He inclined his head. “Then follow me.”
Beyond the windows, I heard wild animals and the rush of water in the enclosure.
We walked through a dark, winding hallway with glass walls. An otter came bouncing up to one of the windows.
I laughed and touched the glass. “Are we allowed in here? Aren’t they supposed to be sleeping or something?”
“Most of the lads who run the zoo are Breed. I know a few fellas who let me in at night whenever I want.”
I stood. “This explains… so much. Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?”
“The cameras don’t record when there are special guests. Besides, I paid them a little extra for privacy.” He gave me a wolfish grin. “Do you want to see the bats?”
“Oooh.” I clutched his arm as we walked. “You mean the creepy little things we’re supposed to turn into? Where did they come up with that?”
“Because not long ago, sunglasses didn’t exist to make walking around in the sunlight tolerable. Some Vampires had homes, but people grew suspicious if they shaded the windows and never came out in the day. We lived in covens for protection. It wasn’t uncommon for us to dwell in caves where it’s nice and dark and humans weren’t brave enough to venture. But those who did would find us in there along with the bats. Vampire lore is a curious thing. Humans run off with their imaginations, and we’ve done little to correct them. What purpose would it serve? Vampires created the myth about not casting a reflection.”
“Why?”
“I’ll give you three guesses.”
I looked at a snake room as we passed it. “Well, I guess to prove theyweren’ta Vampire.”
“Clever bunch. I don’t think I’d mind turning into a bat. Did you know you can make gunpowder out of their shite?”
“There you go again, making my heart go pitter-patter.”
