“You’re peanut butter,” Zane panted into my throat. “Jelly. Honey. Something smooth and squishy that melts between us.”
“No,” I breathed, still dazed from pleasure. “I’m a symphony, and you’reallmy favorite notes.”
“Bat’s bones,” he laughed, “she’sdrunkon orgasms.”
“Or finally saying what we’ve all felt.” Koa rolled off of me and onto his side, pressing tight against Zane to drape one arm over my backside.
Molding himself to Zane’s other side, Casimir kissed my temple, then began to work the knots out of my curls. As we lay tangled in the aftermath, I realized my Zoodle had fallen asleep under me, his arms still wrapped around my waist.
“Stay there, if you’re comfortable enough,” Koa whispered when I started to move. “First time all day he’s not fidgeting.”
“Sleep, beloved,” Casimir murmured.
So I drifted off, warm and very well loved, in my dhampir sandwich symphony.
8. If She Falls
Zane
A month after Seri’s first virtual monster hunt, she was ready for field work.
In other words, Cas finally caved. Well, notcavedexactly. More like strategically retreated into a fortress of rules and conditions.
And I was living for it.
There he stood, radiating self-importance, his blond hair wound up in what I’d secretly dubbed his “Don’t Test Me Topknot.” In his hands was the freshly bound tome, a literal rulebook, because apparently verbal instructions weren’t enough for our little lunar witch. I got comfy in my gaming chair, propping my feet up on the closest table, and prepared for the evening’s entertainment.
“Operational Guidelines for the Protection and Conduct of One (1) Serafina ‘Seri’ Cimmerian, Lunar Witch, During Field Assignments,” Cas read, each syllable crisp as fresh snow under boots.
I snorted. “That title’s almost as long as your—”
“Don’t,” Koa warned from where he sat at his work bench. Broody bastard.
“—patience,” I finished with a smirk. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Koala Bear.”
Cas ignored us both, flipping open the rulebook’s cover with the reverence of a priest handling sacred texts. The pages inside were filled with his elegant handwriting because of course he wouldn’t just type this up like a normal person.
And he’d madetwocopies, one for us and one for Seri.
“This is deadly serious, Ko! Life and death, really. Especially Rule Forty, about snack protocols.”
“There is no Rule Forty yet,” Cas muttered, flipping through his pages.
“Thereshouldbe,” I insisted. “Seri gets hangry. It’s adorable, but terrifying.”
Ko made a noise that might have been agreement or might have been a warning to shut up. Hard to tell with him sometimes.
“WhereisSeri?” I asked, tilting my head to listen for her heartbeat. One of the perks of being part vampire. Super hearing came in handy for tracking errant wives.
“Coming down the hall,” Ko muttered. “Footsteps stopped at the library two minutes ago.”
“I want to review these guidelines before tomorrow’s excursion.” If Casimir was capable of producing something as human as a whine, it would have been that moment.
“Excursion?” I echoed. “Makes it sound like we’re taking a field trip to the museum instead of going hunting.”
There had been a few times we’d cut the feed to her ‘command center’ here in the security room. There were some parts of hunting that we still wanted to shield her from. She didn’t need to see me committing war crimes or Cas becoming a nightmare in human skin or Koa crushing throats with one hand and a feral smile.
Footsteps pattered down the hall, light and quick, accompanied by the soft clicking of Brumous’ claws on hardwood. The ajar door swung all the way open, and Seri breezed in like the ray of sunshine she was. Curls piled on top of her head in a messy bun, gray eyes bright with excitement.
