Which feels majorly messed up and confusing.
From everything everyone says about Remus, he can be stubborn. Volatile. Unpredictable. But the man I know seems completely reasonable underneath all that chaos. I’m sure if I can just talk it through with him, make him understand?—
I bite my bottom lip and play absently with the powdered sugar banana crepe on my plate, leftover from breakfast. For a place where they theoretically don’t eat food, the breakfast was really spectacular. Crepes so light they practically floated. Fresh fruit.
Do they bring in human servants to cook? Do they... uh... feed on those same servants?
How does the whole vampire thing actually work in reality?
I shake my head, barely able to believe I’m even contemplating the practicalities of a day in the life of a vampire.
Apparently they don’t sleep all day or burn in sunlight. They welcomed us out in the open yesterday afternoon. What else has common lore gotten completely wrong?
I startle and almost upend the plate on my lap when the door suddenly opens.
It’s Remus’s wide, mischievous grin that greets me as he steps inside, his wings brushing against the doorframe as he enters.
I’m flooded with relief—so intense it’s almost physical. I wasn’t even sure who I was hoping for until right this moment.
I set the plate aside on the nightstand, jump off the bed, and run up to him, flinging my arms around his neck.
“Baby!” The word bursts out of me, excited and genuine. “It’s so good to see you! How did the meetings go?”
His strong arms come around my waist, lifting me off my feet. I feel so small in his embrace, so protected. In spite of everything—the vampires, the threats, the uncertainty—I can’t help giggling.
God, this man makes me giddy like a teenager with her first crush.
“You glad it’s me?” he whispers in my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
I pull back just enough to smack him lightly on the shoulder. “Of course I am.” I roll my eyes for emphasis.
His grin gets wider—that wild, infectious grin I’ve come to love.
“How did everything go?” I ask again, searching his face. “Is it all stable out there? The world’s not coming to an end or anything?”
He waves a hand dismissively. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
I frown a little at that. The casual dismissal feels wrong somehow. But then he pulls me back into his arms and kisses my neck sensuously, and I melt against him like butter in a hot pan.
I guess if they needed him on some sort of urgent mission, he wouldn’t be in here kissing my neck. Right?
I sigh, my whole body liquifying against his solid warmth.
God, how does he do this to me? Turn my brain to mush with just his touch?
At the same time, excitement starts zinging through my body as an idea forms.
“Honey, what if we try to do it again?” I ask, pulling back to look at him. My voice comes out breathless with enthusiasm.
My hand roves down his body, landing on the front of his pants. He’s already hard, and my excitement amps up even higher.
“This is a welcome home I can get used to,” he growls, hands framing my face as he kisses me possessively.
In his arms, with him kissing me like I’m oxygen and he’s drowning, it’s easy to believe anything is possible. Everything is possible.
I go up on my tiptoes and kiss him back just as vigorously. I love getting lost in his scent—smoke and spice and something uniquely him. His taste. The feel of his strong body flush against mine.
“It was so amazing,” I break away from his lips just long enough to say, words tumbling out. “Last night. I was thinking that maybe if we make love like that again, both of you will wake up, and maybe this time you could actually talk to each other.”
