“It took much restraint.” He studied the tables again. “They are very earnest.”
“I know,” I said. “They are my heart.”
He leaned down. “And you are mine.”
I felt that everywhere.
Two months ago, we’d barely survived each other. Now, I had a hallway full of coworkers who liked me, a classroom full of kids who trusted me, a partner who chose me every day.
And a life that finally felt like mine.
Yes, Cristian was a vampire. Yes, he drank from me a few times a week. Yes, I loved it. Yes, I loved him.
Everything felt right.
Even better, everything felt like Ibelonged.
The living room glowed with soft lamp light and the faint soundtrack of Judge Judy laying waste to someone’s argument. This had become our night-time ritual after I’d get home from a long day of teaching.
I sat curled under Cristian’s arm, my knees tucked against his thigh. I had moved into the mansion two weeks ago. My clothes hung in his closet. My planner lived on his dresser. His pillow smelled like my hair products now. It all felt strangely right.
Judge Judy pointed her finger at a man on the screen and declared him irresponsible.
Cristian frowned deeply. “So, the offense is that he borrowed his friend’s car and did not replace the gasoline for an entire month.”
“That’s the gist,” I said.
He shook his head. “Peasants have very odd requirements for friendship.”
I pressed my hand to his chest and laughed. “You have to stop calling people peasants.”
“They behave like peasants,” he insisted.
“You cannot say that at school to anyone,” I said.
“I have not,” he said. “Yet.”
I stared him down. “Cristian.”
He sighed in defeat. “I will work on it.”
“Good.” I held out my hand. “Contact.”
He threaded our fingers without hesitation. “Default setting.”
I leaned into him, letting his warmth settle me. The house felt lived in and comfortable. Our mugs were drying by the sink. My shoes sat by the door. We had grocery lists on the fridge. We had routines.
A sudden thump near the front of the house made both of us jolt upright.
Cassian came breezing in, dragging two enormous suitcases behind him and looking far too smug for someone who had disappeared for a month without warning. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was windblown.
Cristian stared at him. “You have returned.”
“Europe was pleasant.” He tugged both suitcases into the room and dropped them at Cristian’s feet with a loud thud. “I brought souvenirs.”
Cristian eyed the suitcases. “You did not bring me the bodies of your meals, did you?”
Cassian rolled his eyes. “Please. I am not uncivilized. This is something better.”
