“It died humanely, I promise,” Eric broke in, not wanting to start an argument.
“Okay.” Jay didn’t look fully convinced. “I’m going to have s’mores for breakfast though.”
Wolfe tsked. “It’s a good thing you’re a vampire in this modern age, Johann. Were you human, I fear you’d have a severe case of malnutrition.”
“Don’t be mean, Wolfie,” Jay said absently, turning back to his cards.
“I’m simply stating fact.” There was a hint of tension in Wolfe’s voice. He was feeling protective of Eric’s feelings. How adorable.
“C’mon, Wolfie,” Eric teased. “Help me gut this fish.”
“I will…supervise.”
He did, standing a healthy distance away while Eric got to work. “Why didn’t you throw it back? You usually do.”
Eric shrugged, cleaning out his catch. “I miss the taste, I guess. And I wanted to make sure I still know how to do this.”
“Do you wish he were here now? Your father?”
Eric glanced up, surprised by the non sequitur. “What?”
Wolfe’s eyes were narrowed as he studied Eric’s face. “I’m wondering if all this healthy outdoor activity has you nostalgic. Craving the family embrace.”
This guy. Eric fought the urge to roll his eyes. “You’remy family. And you embrace me plenty.”
He was rewarded with a pleased smile. God, Wolfe was easy. And possessive. And, as always, ridiculous.
“What else will we do all day?” Wolfe asked, once Eric had completed his task.
“Oh, you know. Play cards. Explore the woods. Swim and lay out in the sun. You’ll probably read your book ninety percent of the time, I’m sure. Jamie wants to tell ghost stories, regale each other with tales of things that go bump in the night.”
Wolfe clucked his tongue. “Wearethe things that go bump in the night.”
“Yes, you’re very intimidating. Now take this fish. I need to wash my hands.”
Jay
“And thenWolfegot in the water, even though he said he was gonna stay on the shore, and I think it’s because Eric looked so handsome swimming he just couldn’t help himself!” Jay bounced in the passenger seat, watching the trees pass by as he recounted the best bits of that morning.
“You think Eric’s handsome?” Alexei asked mildly.
“So handsome!” Jay gushed. “Especially now that he’s so happy and relaxed all the time. It’s almost like he has a different face.” Jay reached up with one hand to stretch his own cheeksdown. Had his face changed when he met Alexei? He hadn’t thought so, but maybe it was hard to tell from the inside.
Alexei’s grip tightened on his other hand—Alexei was such an excellent driver he could manage the RV with just the one—and Jay released his cheek, turning to look at him. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to say that other vampires were handsome? Was that a faux pas in relationships?
But Alexei was smiling softly as he focused on the road. “I’m glad you had such a good time, kotyonok.”
“Me too! And then Danny…”
Jay continued to tell Alexei everything that had happened from the time they’d woken up that morning to the time they’d all left the campsite. How Danny had enjoyed what he called his “lizard time,” where he lay in the sun with his eyes closed and soaked up the warmth. How Roman had enjoyed his own version of lizard time, where he lay in the sun and stared at Danny. How Jamie had teased Luc mercilessly until he’d agreed to race Roman in the water afterward.
Of course, Alexei had been there for all of it too. (He’d been carrying Jay on his back in the water when Jay had cried out “Lizarding!” to alert him.) But it somehow comforted Jay to say it all out loud. To remind himself that these things had really happened: he really had friends, he really had planned something nice for them they’d all enjoyed, he really was here and happy and loved.
And Alexei never seemed to mind when Jay needed to vocalize things. He listened and laughed at all the right parts. He hummed in agreement as Jay debated which ghost stories from the night before had been the scariest.
That one was a hard call though. Jamie had told some urban legends that had made Jay shriek, but then again, Roman had shocked them all by sharing some of his own family tales, all about devils or demons come to tempt people away from therighteous path. Jay wasn’t a contender: he hadn’t known any ghost stories, so he’d read out loud from one of his Highlander books. Not thereallysexy scenes—those were for him and Alexei during their alone time—but some of the scandalous flirting. Soren had seemed to like that, hooting at the raciest bits.
When he’d covered everything he wanted to cover, Jay sighed happily and leaned back in his seat. “Do you really think everyone had a good time?” he asked once more for good measure.
