“Yes, dear. Vampires.” She eyes me knowingly. “Now do you see why I’ve been trying to get you here so hard so we could have a talk?”
“Thisis what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Well, I wasn’t pulling your leg, sweetheart.” Gammy sighs and nods. “But hopefully, you can see now why I thought it best that we have this discussion in person.”
I snort. “I probably would have had you committed.”
“Mmhmm,” she hums before jerking her thumb at the coffeepot behind her. “Make yourself a cup and sit down. We still have quite a bit to talk about.”
I move to do as I’m told, but Rook is faster—obviously—jumping up from the table, pouring a cup, and mixing in cream and sugar for me before I can even make it to the counter.
He holds it out to me slowly, and I get up on my toes to touch my mouth to his, grateful that he had the foresight to bring me here. I’m biologically comfortable with him now—clearly—but hearing the kinds of things I can only imagine I’m about to is still so much better from a familiar face.
Escorting me to my seat, he pulls out the chair and waits for me to get comfortable before taking the one next to it this time.
I don’t miss Gammy’s subtle smile or the satisfied way she hides her face behind her own coffee mug when Rook asks, “You good?”
I nod. “As good as I’ll ever be when my grandmother’s getting ready to tell me alien ships are waiting in the ocean to take us to another planet, and when we get there, we’ll be the king and queen of the society.”
Rook smiles, and I shrug. “Am I close at least?”
“No.” He shakes his head softly. “But I’m thoroughly entertained, and that isn’t easy, so good job.”
“Thanks,” I say smugly, sucking in a sip of the most divine coffee I’ve ever tasted. Rook isn’t only as fast as the speed of light, strong as a superhero, and so capable of producing orgasms I’m still walking funny—he’s a regular barista too.
“All right, sugar, time to get down to the hard stuff. As you know now, we humans are far from the only thing in this big world. It makes sense that we’d think so—what with how self-centered we tend to be—but we’re not. Not even close. Rook, his brothers—”
“Holland and the rest of the Fighting Fangs,” Rook jumps in to supply.
Gammy nods. “They’re all vampires.”
I nod self-consciously, still feeling wild for believing it all. “Rook told me.”
“Well, what they didn’t tell you about, I’m told, is another group of vampires you haven’t met—the elites.”
I grimace. “Let me guess. Untouchable money. Untouchable power.”
“Untouchable because no one ever sees them. They don’t show up in headlines. They don’t need names.” Gammy’s jaw tightens.“This group of vampires doesn’t believe they’re obligated to follow rules or a code or any of the worldly order of any of the others, and as such, they take what they want without asking.”
“What do they take?”
“Humans,” Rook growls. “Women. Like you.”
My eyes grow wide as they jump to Gammy, who’s nodding along slowly. She reaches out and grabs my free hand, and I put down my mug to sandwich her fingers with the other. “Women like me?”
“Our family is part of a royal group of humans, honeypie. A very powerful heritage known to Rook’s kind asthe blood of the three.”
“Okay, yeah, I don’t like the sound of thatat all.”
“Of course you don’t, baby. You’re a woman born of rebellious blood. Your mama—she was the same way.”
“What do you mean? Mom…Mom was part of this?” My voice shakes, and my lip quivers slightly.
“Think biologically, Ky,” Rook suggests softly, cupping my shoulder with his strong hand. “If you’re of royal blood, so was your mother.”
“But your daddy wasn’t, sugar,” Gammy explains. “He was human. A regular guy with a regular job and a sweet, sweet smile. And because she was in love, your mama thought she could buck the rules—go her own way. And they killed her for it.”
“So…you’re saying the same people—vampires—responsible for killing Mom…want me?” Gammy’s frown is all the answer Ineed. My whole body shakes as I admit, “Gammy, you’re scaring me.”
