She comes to sit in the armchair opposite me.
“You must know that Shadow is not blind when it comes to the OG Riders finding human mates.We have discussed the… ramifications at great length.”
Getting up, Luna goes to the kitchen and fetches two bottles of fluids.Handing one to me, she goes back to sit down.
“It would be stupid for us to think that what happened to Shadow could not happen to one of the others.But what worries me about you, Hunter, is the shock this might be to your system.Things could get… messy.”
What is she talking about?Shock to my system?Am I some kind of malfunctioning machine?
“Explain.”
Another triumphant smirk from Luna.
“By all means, Hunter.First, I would like us to try a little mind exercise together.Close your eyes and use your imagination.Okay?”
“Fucks sake.”I believe I have the right to grumble about this touchy-feely human bullshit.“We’re on Landslide, Luna, not inside some goddamn yoga retreat.”
Luna waits for me to do as she said, so I have no choice but to close my eyes.
“Good.”Luna’s voice is almost crooning.“Now, as a mental exerciseonly, I need you to imagine Aila changing her mind about you.She’s hooked up with some rando who’s out here to have the best vacation of his life, and now the two of you as a couple are finished.”
Putting on an excellent imitation of Aila’s voice, Luna uses a husky, sexy tone.
“Oh, hey, Theron.Sorry I missed you at the bar last night.I’d like you to meet John.He’s a banker on the East Coast, specializes in futures.He’s going to take me shopping and then we’re flying to Paris.John and I have so much in common.And by the way, you and me, we’re over.”
My eyes fly open.I’m standing up off the couch, my hands bunched into fists.I’m snarling, livid with rage.
“Why would you say that?It’s never going to happen.What the fuck!”
Who am I kidding?Itdidhappen.That’s why the cabinet door in the kitchen is smashed.
“Sit!”Luna can pack quite a shout when she needs to.She knows how to handle an unruly bunch of vampires with blood on their brains.“You sit right back down, Hunter!And you just proved my point.That’s your problem.You don’t have the restraint to act human when Aila is around, never mind the other guests at the inn.”
As accepting as I am of Luna’s criticism, it doesn’t resolve the confusion I feel.
“You said before that I was perfectly capable of handling myself in front of Aila.What changed?”
We both take a sip from our bottles before Luna says it out loud.
“It’s been so long for you, Hunter, that I think you’ve forgotten how loveable humans can be.Yes, you hunger for them, and sure, you find them tasty, but you never gave much thought to how sweet natured they were underneath all their blood and orgasms.”
Shit.I should miss the coldblooded, single-minded creature that I once was, but I don’t.
“And there is something in Aila that has triggered your hunter instinct.But you want to possess her and protect her far more than you want to suck her blood.That’s your problem.”
“Do you think there’s a chance Aila will go off with a human?How long do you think I have?”
Picking at the paint and shards of ceramic under her nails, Luna doesn’t look at me when she says it.
“She’s only human, Hunter.There will come a point within the next ten years when Aila weighs up the mind-blowing awesome sex she has with you against having a husband, a home, and maybe kids.And no matter how much she loves you, you need to remember that Aila will eventually choose the latter.”
“That doesn’t sound like a mental exercise, Luna.That sounds like one helluva fucked up prophecy.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger.I suggest you go nomad for a while.Go find Ifan.He loved Tempest with all his heart, but he gapped it after Tempest’s maternal feelings got in the way of her steadfast love for him.”
I used to smile whenever I heard that, because I could only identify with the unemotional way my brother Rider hit the road at the first sign of human weakness.
“One more question and then I have to go.If I can convince Aila to stay, I want to build for us a place in the woods.Nothing big, just a basic log cabin.Bedroom, living room, kitchen, shower.I think we’ll be okay with that.”
