He clicked the cane on the floor as he smiled at her. “Don’t worry about me so much, Jelly Bean. It will take more than some missing body parts to keep me down.”
She couldn’t stop herself from grinning at him. Maybe the twinkle in his eyes was gone, but he wasn’t giving up. She looped her arm through his as Saxon led them back into the foyer and to the sweeping staircase. The mahogany banister shone in the light from the chandelier above. The domed ceiling above the chandelier displayed a painted mural of animals gathered in a meadow near a lake.
When they arrived at the top of the stairs, Saxon led them into one of the wings before stopping outside an open door.
“This will be your room, Raymond,” Saxon said. “When you feel up to it, you’re free to explore the mansion and the grounds.”
Her father glanced at his hands, and his cheeks reddened as he lifted a finger to his mouth. Her father had always taken good care of his teeth.
“We’re going to take care of you,” Saxon said as he rested his hand on her father’s shoulder.
Her father nodded, but Elyse suspected it would be a while before he felt comfortable enough to go out in public. Hopefully, they would be able to get him some teeth soon.
“Thank you,” he said to Saxon before turning to embrace Elyse. “Are you going to be okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes.” She looked over her shoulder at Saxon. “Can I have a few minutes with my dad?”
“Take all the time you need,” he said and strolled away to stand near the staircase.
When her father entered the large room, she followed him inside and closed the door. She walked past the austere, dark wood furniture and to the king-sized bed. Her father set his cane aside and sat on the bed before bouncing on the mattress.
“These vampires have much better accommodations than the last ones,” he said.
He was trying to sound airy, so she made herself chuckle as she settled beside him on the bed. “How bad was it?”
His smiled faded away. “How bad was it with you?”
“I wasn’t locked in a room.”
“You had a cabin; I had a room.”
“I kept all my body parts.”
“They took other things from you.”
Her gaze traveled to the armoire across from her. “They did.”
The clock on the wall ticked away the minutes as they sat together. Finally, she broke the silence. “I love him.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, and I want to join him.”
“You really want to become one ofthem?”
She turned to look at him. “Yes.”
His gaze searched her face as his hand went to his missing ear. “Elyse—”
“He’s not like them, Dad.Noneof the vampires here are like them.”
“But they could become like them.”
“Not Saxon.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he has me.”
