“Me too,” Ari groaned.“Why’d you guys make me eat all that?”
“I had no idea you could eat so much,”Sean murmured. He smiled sheepishly when she laughed. He probably hadn’t expected her to hear that.“Sorry.”
“I don’t care.”She stood and started collecting dishes while I did the same.“We’ll be back.”
“Are you guys okay while we go clean?”I asked, directing the question at Dennis and Sean.
“They’ll be fine,”Uncle Tom said.“It gives us a chance to get to know each other better.” He smiled, which came across as intimidating.
I shot Dennis an apologetic look before picking up the final dishes and following Ari to the kitchen.“Your dad and Aunt Helen are about to do an interrogation.”
“Oh,no.Should we go back?”
“Nah.”I set my stack of dishes in the sink.“They may as well get it over with now, right? It’s gonna happen sooner or later.”
“But my dadandauntie at the same time? They’re gonna be so much.”
“Too much. Oh well, what can we do?”I shrugged and started washing dishes. Ari sighed and started putting the leftovers into containers.
“I feel bad for them,”she said.
“Who cares? They’re fine.It’s kinda funny, if you think about it.”
She laughed and shook her head.“You’re so mean. What do you think they’re talking about? I can’t hear. They’re too far.”
“Hold on.”I dried my hands on a towel, then snuck beside the door tolisten.
“What are your actual intentions with my nieces?”Aunt Helen was asking.“You first, Sean. Why did you bind Aurelia?”
I grimaced at her words. She only used our full names if it was something serious.
“For safety. I did it the night a vampire tried to kidnap her outside the bar.”
“And you rescued her?”
“Dennis did.Her and Emy. He got rid of the vamp and sent them into the bar where I was working, and I bound Ari that night.”
“So there’s no ulterior motive?”Aunt Helen asked. There was a brief silence. I assumed Sean was shaking his head.“Not even to date her?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
Uncle Tom grunted.“We’ll see about that. And you, Dennis. Why’d you bind my niece?”
“A lot of reasons.”
“So not for safety,”Aunt Helen guessed.
“No, not safety.”
My heart beat faster at the prospect offinding out why Dennis had chosen me out of everyone in this tiny ass town. Or anywhere, actually. He’d been a vampire for six years, even while going to a prestigious university in a massive city, and had never bound someone before me.
“What’s happening?” Aricrept up beside me. I held a finger to my lips.
“Then why?”Aunt Helen pressed. Dennis didn’t answer.“Have either of you slept with either of my nieces?”she asked. Sean started coughing and I heard Dennis’chain rattle as he ruffled his hair.
“No.”
“I—”
