“You worked with Command?” I asked in surprise. There had always been humans who worked alongside Vampire Command, but the list was small and highly guarded. Only the highest levels of security clearance were given the opportunity, and not all of those humans passed the psychological tests that our Command required.
“For thirty-four years,” he confirmed. “Not so long as you”—he glanced at me over his glasses—“but for a fair bit.”
“How did you end up here?” I asked, glancing around the room before I realized what I was saying.
Gary chuckled as I internally kicked myself for insulting the man. Humans who worked for Command were paid very well, both because the work was highly dangerous and because it inspired loyalty. There wasn’t anything wrong with his house,but if he’d worked for them for thirty-four years, he could’ve bought himself a private island somewhere.
“I own a thousand acres,” he said after a moment. “And this house suited me and my wife just fine.”
“I apologize?—”
He waved me off.
“My wife was sick,” he said, carefully assembling the sandwich. “Experimental treatments don’t come cheap.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. He’d saidwas.
“So am I,” he agreed. “But we’ve done all right, me and Rosemary.”
My stomach twisted, and I glanced toward where I could hear the water running deeper in the house. How long did it take for my mate to shower? The longer she was gone, the more uncomfortable it became.
“She’ll be out in a minute,” he said sympathetically as he cut the sandwich in half and started packing up the supplies again. “I’m guessin’ your skin’s crawlin’ already.”
He shook his head as he backed up from the table.
He knew about the physical symptoms of the mating bond. Interesting.
“Were you hurt on a mission?” I asked, changing the subject in an attempt to distract myself. My muscles flexed and tightened as I fought the urge to go find my mate.
“Oh, the chair?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder. “Nah, there wasn’t one big event. My discs are fucked from too many of them.” He rose to his feet and took a couple of lumbering steps toward the fridge. Bending slightly at the waist, he set the ingredients back inside, then stepped back and lowered himself into the chair again. He met my eyes once he’d spun back around. “I can walk. It just hurts like a motherfucker, especially this time of night.”
I nodded in understanding just as the shower shut off.
“So…mates,” Gary said, leaning back in his chair as he pulled off his glasses again and tucked them into his shirt pocket. “How did that come about?”
“I found Rosemary tied up in an abandoned garage when I was looking for my brother-in-law,” I replied, watching his expression for any kind of tell. “I knew right away that she was my mate.”
“Well, that’s how it happens, isn’t it?” he asked, reaching up to scratch the scruff on his cheek. “Like a lightnin’ bolt, or so I’ve heard.”
“That’s as good a description as any.” I tilted my head, just a fraction. He hadn’t even flinched when I’d described how I’d found Rosemary. “And I can see why you’d understand that with your background, but what I don’t understand is why it didn’t seem to shock your daughter.”
The side of Gary’s mouth lifted in a small smile. “Rosemary’s godparents are Vampires.”
I sat up straighter. “Who?”
“Dalton and Halle Cavendish.”
I let out a long breath and stared at him in surprise. I’d known Dalton for longer than Gary had been alive. He’d retired from Vampire Command around twenty-five years before, when he’d met his mate—that was how things worked—and we’d lost touch. I hadn’t seen him in years, but I knew my parents had.
“Halle was my wife’s best friend,” Gary said with a nod. “They met at our wedding.”
“What a small world,” I replied as a bead of sweat rolled down my back.
Footsteps came down the hall, and I waited impatiently as Rosemary made her way to the kitchen.
“I’ve been giving Daniel the family history,” Gary told her as he nodded at the sandwich he’d made. “Feel better?”
“Much,” she said with a sigh.
