That last one quickly became the most important to her. There was a clear demarcation between the generations that went beyond who wore the bloody tattoo or not. The way the elders held themselves, how they spoke to them — they were justdifferent.
Colder. Hardened. Hawkish. When they looked at her, they were assessing where the tenderest bits to pick off were.
Not all of them were outright unfriendly, but none of them were warm. Dahlia wasn’t offended, but it did make her wonder how much of their opinion really could be swayed by the fact that she was a blood bride.
Looking into their flinty eyes, an upswell of protectiveness rose from deep within her.Thesewere the people who would’vehappily sided with Yvanna against Felix. They would’ve taken his death completely in stride. They might’ve even helped make it possible.
They were sharks in the otherwise clear, welcoming waters of the family, and Dahlia wouldn’t let them out of her sight for a second.
It was a relief when they finally made it over to the corner where Nash, Alvin, and Milo were gathered. She was a little surprised to see another non-vampire or Amauri spouse there as well.
Genevieve, the tattooed witch who’d torn open space and time like it was as easy as sneezing, sat in a chair with her feet propped up on Nash’s thick thigh. He sat caddy-corner to her, his huge, muscular arms spread over the back of his chair. A bottle of synth was clutched loosely in one hand, but he didn’t appear to be drinking from it as he listened intently to something the witch was telling him.
His posture looked a little stiff, too. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was strange about it until she saw the fingers of his left hand twitch and curl into a fist, like he was actively trying to resist grabbing something — the slim ankles in his lap, maybe.
Before they got close enough to be overheard, Dahlia whispered in Felix’s ear, “Are they together?”
“No.” He paused, eyebrows arching in a look she recognized as his shit-stirring face.“But there’s a bet going around over when Nash will work up the courage to take a bite. I’ve got a hundred bucks on six weeks. Luis doesn’t think he’ll ever make a move, and Marietta is betting on less than a month.”
Going by the moon-eyed way Nash was looking at her, Dahlia didn’t think Felix was far off. Six weeks seemed like a solid estimate, considering Felix himself had waited three years toact onher.“I’m surprised to see her and Alvin here, though. I thought this was a family only thing.”
Felix shrugged. “Things used to be stricter, but I don’t think that’s fair. Alvin and Genevieve have proven their family loyalty more than half the old fucks in this room. They deserve to be here.”
Dahlia squeezed his arm. “Good call. Blood doesn’t mean anything if you don’t act on it.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
Normally she would’ve brushed off the praise as mocking, but Dahlia was starting to understand Felix’s nuances better. A glance at his pleased expression proved he wasn’t making fun of her. He really meant it.
A warm fluttering took up residence in her belly as they closed in on the corner. Knowing Felix didn’t just want to own her butvaluedher was a heady feeling unlike any other.
She was powerful not because he gave her power, but because he’d always respected what she already had.
Instead of greeting them like a normal person, Milo swept his mismatched gaze around the room and grunted, “Survive the vultures?”
Felix waved a hand. “Better question is whether they survived her. They’re really not going to know how to handle Dahlia when they piss her off.”
“I’m sure they’ll figure it out soon enough,” she said, casting a cool look over her shoulder, where several elders were bunched together.
Alvin cleared his throat. “How are you feeling? Have you been taking the supplements I sent over?” He paused to cast Felix a look. “Both of you?”
“Yes,” Felix answered immediately. “You think I’d let her get sick?”
All the assembled vampires looked away quickly, the corners of their mouths twitching as Alvin took the full heat of Felix’s glare.
To his credit, the doctor who looked like he’d be more comfortable playing polo on the weekends than standing in a room full of vampires didn’t even flinch. He met Felix’s gaze with an unperturbed look, his pretty face smooth.
Alvin had sent over a small drugstore’s worth of supplements and a binder explaining what each of them did. Apparently while two vampires feeding exclusively on each otherwaspossible, it could greatly diminish their fat and calcium reserves over time, so modern medicine recommended they both take regular vitamins and minerals.
The hassle of it annoyed her, but Felix was relentless about it. He stood over her like a drill sergeant until she swallowed the last of the gel packs, and she was pretty sure he’d read the binder front to back three times.
Knowing how touchy he was about her health, Dahlia decided it’d be best to defuse the situation before Alvin implied a worse insult than he already had.
“Felix makes me take them at dusk every night,” she said, patting his arm. “Even though they taste disgusting.”
“That’s because they’re fruit flavored. The artificial flavoring is non-toxic to you, but doesn’t taste great. I keep sending them emails asking for them to make vampire-friendly versions, but I haven’t had any luck,” Alvin replied.
Dahlia sighed. “I used to love fruit. And burgers. And tacos. And hotpot. And sponge cake. I think I can learn to like a lot about being a vampire, but I’ll never get over that.”
