“Just a couple of days.”
She nodded and stepped into the elevator when it opened; apparently she was going up. “Perhaps while you’re here, you and I…” Her finger slid along the front of my shirt. Before she hit the waistband, I stopped her with my hand.
“I’ll have to decline, Loretta.”
Her eyes widened with shock. It wasn’t often anyone said no to her. “No?”
“I’m here to enjoy your overflowing supply of blood, the springs, and to decompress for a few days.”
“You know the best way to decompress?” She quirked a brow.
“Loretta, you’re beautiful, and we’ve had a lot of fun, but I’m declining. Please respect that.”
She stepped back, the assessing look on her face one of calculation. “Who are they?”
“Pardon?”
The doors opened and I stepped out. My room was down the hallway at the end. A corner suite.
“You met someone.”
She’d always been smarter than most. I put the code in, the door opened, and of course she followed.
“I have.”
I placed my bag on the bed. I’d only brought a small one, so there was no need for a bellhop.
She grinned. “Is it serious?”
“I’d like to think it is.”
She cocked her head. “They don’t know what you are, do they?”
I dipped my chin and moved toward the bar, where blood of all kinds was ready for consumption.
“Not yet.”
She hummed. “Is he your eternal?”
For some, finding your eternal was their greatest wish. I wasn’t looking for mine—likely had actively been avoiding them. But Sam, he was a wrecking ball that had crashed into my life and then stuck to me like glue.
“I’m hoping he is.”
She approached the bar and took the glass I offered her. “Why are you here, Lukas, if you clearly want to be where he is?”
I sighed and put my glass down. “Because there’s something wrong with him, he won’t tell me, and he needed space.”
She nodded and sipped her blood. “I haven’t been around as long as you have, Lukas, but one thing I’ve learned in my three hundred years, is that running away is the worst answer to every question.”
“I’m not running.”
She shrugged. “I’m sure you don’t feel that way. But he’s struggling with something and now if he needs you, you’re not there.”
I knew she was right, but I wasn’t running. I was going crazy wondering. “Thank you for your concern, Loretta.”
She finished her drink and smiled. “Enjoy your time here, Lukas, and when you do get home, I really hope everything is okay.” She reached out and cupped my face. “You deserve happiness. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re still with us.”
After she left, I sat on the couch and stared out at the water. The blood was top of the line, and normally it would give a glimmer of happiness. But it wasn’t, and Loretta’s words were playing on a loop in my head.“But he’s struggling with something and now if he needs you, you’re not there.”
