Kissing her ear, because I can’t resist, I revel in her sensual shiver.
Zav fake gags and I spear him with a glare. He does that and yet has been our biggest cheerleader.
“So the vampires who held Valen captive are trying to get him back and have most likely been lying in wait since he escaped,” Celine details and holds up one finger. “Valen is a fallen angel turned vampire, and therefore, they want to collect his blood because it’s special.” She holds up another finger. “Finally, it would seem they’re using his blood to experiment on others. Did I miss anything?” She wiggles her three fingers in the air, which Zav promptly grabs and nips at.
“Wow,” Luna marvels and tosses her blond and purple hair over her shoulder. “I missed out on all the fun. Thanks for tagging me in this time.” Pom Pom stares up at her as she and Ava both pat his belly. Spoiled little prince. She turns to me. “So you’re an angel, huh?”
“I’m a fallen,” I reply. “Atruevampire.”
“Hey,” Zav whines. “I’m offended.”
I roll my eyes at his interruption. “For lack of a better explanation, vampires like you and Zav are … mutants, created artificially. And while you can create your own vampires with your venom, it’s not the same as … me. My senses are heightened even more than yours, although it’s taken time for them to recover after captivity. And I have no weaknesses like your kind does. There were no flaws for me to carry over into this second life, because angels are already superior beings.”
“In other words,” Zavier says loudly. “Valen is like our vampire daddy.”
“You could’ve been created with the venom and blood of another fallen,” I huff. “It’s possible I’m not the only fallen who was captured and used for … well, whatever it is they’re doing. It’s obviously much more than just turning random people into vampires.”
“I’d still like to think you’re my vampire daddy.” Zav grins, sliding his arms across his chest. “Look at us, father and son reunited.”
“If you were my son, I would’ve abandoned you,” I mutter.
“Oh my God,” Zavier groans. “I finally find my vampire father, and he’s a deadbeat dad. Figures.”
I shake my head and Ava snickers beside me. She gives my knee a reassuring squeeze.
“I have a question,” Celine interjects. “If both of you have a heightened sense of smell, then why didn’t you scent the horde of vampires coming for us?”
Everyone goes silent at her question.
“I’m not really sure,” I wonder aloud. “You mentioned Genevieve did the same previously? It shouldn’t be possible, and yet here we are.” I suppress a shudder at her name and see Celine flinch too.
Zav pushes his black-framed glasses up his nose from where they slipped. “The bitch totally covered her scent. It’s why I couldn’t track Celine. Could they have come up with something to mask scents with your blood? If they’re experimenting with making vampires, who’s to say they aren’t creating who the fuck knows what else, including something to hide their scents?If you’re committing illicit activities, it would be mighty handy to be able to hide your scent from other supernaturals.”
Rain begins to pound against the window, and we all turn to watch, including the familiars.
“That’s not normal either.” Luna sighs and plays with Pom Pom’s furry ears. “We all know rain can mean a lot of supernaturals in one area, but this is excessive. It’s baffled human meteorologists, but we know better. The question is: why has it gone on this long? And why haven’t we seen more milling about?”
Ava glances between us three. “Is it rare for supernaturals to gather in one spot?”
Not being able to resist, I slip a hand up the back of her shirt and stroke the bare skin there. Having her pull away was hard, and now I find I want to touch her at all times. She jumps at the initial touch, not having expected it, and then smiles. I catch Luna out of the corner of my eye watching us and wonder what is going on in her head.
Zav picks Midnight up and drapes him around his neck when he starts to fall off his lap. The cat nuzzles his neck and promptly falls back asleep. “Supernaturals tend to keep to themselves, even those within the same species. While certain geographical areas will hold certain species more than others, they’re still spread out. For it to rain, and in this capacity, there have to bea lotof supes gathered,” Zav explains, concern filling his tone. “I wanted to brush it off as odd at first, but the longer it goes on, the more it worries me. With everything going on with Valen and the group utilizing his blood, I don’t want to imagine what’s going to happen if they have a hand in it.”
“Jesus,” Celine mutters.
Ava stares thoughtfully out the window. “They’re not going to stop coming, are they?”
I lock eyes with Zav and find nothing but determinationin their green depths. The last thing either of us wants is our girls getting hurt or worse. We’re not going to let that happen.
“No,” I confirm. “As long as the spell Ava’s ancestor placed on me is still working, they’ll keep trying to capture me. It binds me to them. If they recapture me, I won’t be able to escape.”
“Whoa, what?” Celine blurts out and Luna peeks around Ava in shock as well. “How were you able to escape with me then?”
I run my fingers through my hair. “I have my theories,” I murmur, my eyes sliding to Ava. “When I was on my way out, I felt this … pressure holding me there, but I kept going, and then I saw Ava and I … it was like something in me unlocked and I could leave.”
“But the spell isn’t broken?” Celine asks, nose crinkling much the way Ava’s does when she’s confused.
“No.” I shake my head. “I still feel it.”
