“Well, I wouldn’t mind brushing my teeth,” Rebecca said. “Can you rein in your excitement for half an hour, Bigfoot?”
“I, too, would like a quick shower.” Lilith winked at Spencer, and an adorable blush rose on his cheeks. “Meet in the library in thirty?”
“Very well.” Andrei bowed. “Stefan will show you to your rooms.”
They followed Stefan to their wing, but before Alan stepped into his room, he gave Spencer a hard look. “Thirty minutes.”
Spencer simply chuckled and opened his door.
Lilith waited for Rebecca to disappear into her own chamber before following Spencer into his. He raked his gaze down her body and clutched her hips, pulling them flush against his and taking her mouth in a tender kiss. The fine hairs on her arms stood at attention as warm shivers cascaded through her body. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and deepening the kiss.
“You should have asked for more than thirty minutes,” he whispered against her lips.
“I’m sure they won’t mind if we’re a little late.”
He laughed and pressed his forehead to hers. “Alan will most definitely mind. He’s a stickler with schedules.”
“I guess we’ll have to shower together then.” She ran a finger down his chest, stopping at the waistband of his jeans. “Get clean while we’re being dirty.”
“With all the things I’d want to do to you, there’s no way we’d be done in half an hour. Let’s wait until the others go to sleep.”
She pouted her lower lip. “You, sir, are no fun at all.”
“I promise I’ll make the wait worth your while.”
“Oh, fine.” She grinned and headed for the hallway. “I will hold you to that promise.”
“I hope you do.” His seductive smile made her spine tingle.
A text pinged her phone, Deirdre’s name lighting up the screen, and she swiped it open. The text contained a picture of Esther curled on the couch next to Azrael’s cat, Tabitha. Her color had returned, thankfully, and the message read: Keep doing what you’re doing. Esther is recovering.
“You mean keep doing whom I’m doing.” She snickered and closed her door before typing a quick reply: Sending her my love. Thank you for the update.
Lilith showered—sadly, alone—at vampire speed and applied a light coat of makeup before slipping back inside Spencer’s room at the most opportune time. He stepped out of the ensuite bathroom naked, his skin pink from the heat of the shower. His pheromones flared when he glimpsed her sitting on the bed, the most alluring fragrance of spices and home.
He chuckled and grabbed a pair of boxer briefs from his bag. “Couldn’t wait, huh?”
“I wanted a sneak peek of the promises that await.”
He held out his arms and turned in a circle. “All this can be yours for the small price of a little patience.”
“Patience has never been one of my virtues, but I will try my best.” Watching the man perform the simple act of getting dressed made a chocolate fountain bubble in her core, the gooey warm goodness spreading through her body, delighting her in a way she’d never experienced before.
They met the others in the library, and Lilith sat in a cigar chair next to Andrei as they set up their equipment. Rebecca positioned a strange, rectangular light covered in white fabric to shine on Andrei, and Spencer attached his camera to a tripod.
“Do you mind if I take that seat?” Alan asked.
“Of course.” Lilith moved to a small couch adjacent to the chairs and crossed her legs, clasping her hands on her knee. Spencer counted backward from five on his fingers, pointed at Alan, and the show began.
“Greetings, fellow cryptid hunters. I’m in the castle of the village’s resident vampire, Andrei Lupu, the fourth. Tell me, Andrei, what makes the people of this small town believe you’re a creature of the night?”
“My family has lived in this castle for hundreds of years. I bear a strong resemblance to my dearly departed father, Andrei Lupu, the third, and he to his father.” Andrei steepled his fingers as he spun the tale. He had explained to the village elders, many times over, that he was simply a descendent of the original owner. He even convinced them one of his servant’s sons was his own. Still, the rumor…the truth…spread through the village like a fable parents told small children to make them stay in their beds at night.
“My son, Andrei Lupu, the fifth, will one day be the man of this castle, and I am certain he will be accused of being a vampire, as I and my father and grandfather were.”
“So the rumors of bloodletting, of virgins being sacrificed in blood orgies, of townsfolk venturing too close to the castle and disappearing…? All untrue?”
“Nothing more than gossip. Ask Lilith. She has stayed in my castle on several occasions. Did we sacrifice any virgins that you are aware of?” Andrei gestured, and Spencer panned the camera toward her.
