It was depressing how accurate her assessment was.
“I’m not charming or suave, Raven, but even if I was, she would likely be immune.”
“I think you are underestimating modern day women, Saiden. Have you ever considered that charming and suave is not what she’s looking for? That perhaps you should just be yourself?”
“Yeah, right,” Saiden grunted, dropping his head into his hands. “I highly doubt she’s looking for an emotionally stunted, anti-social, violent, centuries-old vampire who prefers solitude and spends most of his time hunting and murdering other vampires because it’s the only thing he’s good at.”
“Well at least you can add self-awareness to your list of personality traits,” she teased in a rare display of amusement.
“Ha. Ha. Ha,” he replied dryly, failing to see the humor in his situation.
“You have a soft spot for your family,” Raven pointed out. “Perhaps you can bond over that?”
“She doesn’t speak to her father, has no siblings, and I’m pretty sure her mom is deceased.”
“I see,” Raven mused. “You really do need more hobbies, Saiden.”
“I’m well aware, thanks.” He rose from the chair and held out a hand for his cousin. “I’m pretty sure Tressa will have Cora in the dining room shortly. Will you just go meet her and maybe talk to her for a bit? I’ll take any advice you have.”
Raven shook her head. “It’s not going to be that easy, Saiden. You can’t learn what makes a person tick in one meal. You have to put in the effort. I’ll meet her tomorrow after she’s settled down a bit. Let’s not overwhelm the poor girl from the start.”
Raven spun and strode toward the door. Pausing at the threshold, she tossed back, “I can give you one piece of advice, though. No more naked seduction. You’re an attractive male, Saiden, but you don’t want her to see you as a fling. Keep it in your pants, alright?”
Saiden nodded even as certain parts of him bristled at the suggestion. He could do it, though. He could fight the pull of the mating bond and keep his hands to himself.
After all, nobody ever said love was easy.
Chapter twenty-four
Cora
Cora hated to admit it, but she was having a really good time. She’d wanted to scream when Tressa first mentioned that Marquin was away from the manor and unable to speak with her, but since she had already resigned herself to staying overnight in Vampland based on how late they arrived, she gave in and allowed herself to enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime—seeing the inside of a vampire’s lair. They referred to is as a compound, but that term was decidedly less exciting.
Tressa spent an hour showing her around the main house, indicating a few of the other buildings on the grounds that she might be interested in checking out in the daytime. Apparently they even had an Olympic-sized swimming pool somewhere. It was all a little strange given that she wouldn’t be there long enough to see much of anything, but hanging around Tressa was relaxing. Like a friend she’d known for years.
Following the intriguing vamp through what felt like an endless number of hallways, Cora found herself fascinated by some of thehistory of the place. The original structure had been built in Lithuania, but Marquin had it torn down brick by brick to be reassembled here when he immigrated to the States. Tressa let slip that they even had a legit dungeon on the lower level, but despite several minutes of begging, she wouldn’t budge on taking Cora down there. She said it was not appropriate for ‘Girl Time.’ Clearly Tressa had been hanging out with the wrong kind of girls.
The dungeon was promptly forgotten, though, as Tressa brought her to an expansive dining room. It wasn’t the ornate chandelier or twelve-person table that caught her attention, but the massive spread of food. There had to be ten different dishes of pasta, ham, and roasted vegetables.
She didn’t know how long she stood there gaping before Tressa nudged her from behind.
“Help yourself,” the friendly vamp urged. “We prepared it all especially for you.”
“For me?” Cora squeaked. “Why?”
Tressa directed Cora to a seat and handed her an empty plate. “We don’t have many visitors, so our chef doesn’t often get a chance to truly showcase his skills. I think he got a little overexcited.”
“Talk about an understatement,” Cora murmured, heaping a scoop of fettuccine alfredo on her plate. The motor lodge they’d stayed at had a poor excuse for a continental breakfast, and she hadn’t wanted to ask Saiden to pull over for lunch. Her stomach was more than ready to dive in. It was five bites too late before she considered the fact she was eating food that could be laced with anything.
“Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned,” Tressa remarked when Cora hesitated with her fork halfway to her mouth, sniffing the bit of pasta. “We’re not going to hurt you. Besides, Saiden wouldn’t have bothered bringing you all the way here just to murder you, so feel free to relax. Make yourself at home.”
The words should have been comforting, a reassurance of her earlierassessment when she had come to the same conclusion, but the mention of Saiden and murder tossed her back into the memory of Beer Belly flying through the air, and the sickening crunch that followed. She knew full well what Saiden was capable of when he was angry. Could she ever really be safe when surrounded by vampires?
“She’s telling the truth.” Saiden’s voice cut through her thoughts, and he strolled into the dining room to take a seat across from her. “Nobody here is going to hurt you.”
Cora glanced between Saiden and Tressa. The two vampires couldn’t be more different in terms of demeanor and appearance, but they both appeared equally genuine in their assertions of her safety.
The tension in her shoulders eased, and she continued shoveling food into her mouth, pausing every few seconds to remind herself to slow down. It was dangerous for her to eat fast as she knew all too well.
