Bijou had to wonder whether Blaz had done background checks on all family members or if he’d kept it restricted to the female before her. Even knowing what little she did about the male, she couldn’t imagine he hadn’t been extremely thorough in his investigations before setting up this meeting.
Luckily, said male strolled their way carrying one large ceramic mug and a bottle of water. When he passed over the coffee cup, Bijou smiled up at him, offering a thanks. He then cracked the lid on his water and dropped into the chair at her side. He looked bored and more than a little uncomfortable, but Bijou couldn’t imagine why.
“We were just talking about her family,” Bijou explained.
He nodded as though he couldn’t care less about that. When he peered back at Leilana, he said, “And your skill set?”
Way to get right to the point, Blaz.
He smiled, clearly acknowledging the words she’d projected in his head.
“I’m proficient in computers,” she said quickly, her eyes not quite meeting Blaz’s.
Bijou watched the two as Leilana continued to explain how many words per minute she could type, how she’d been trained in shorthand dictation. It wasn’t what the female was saying that had caught Bijou’s attention, however. No, that was reserved for the way Leilana was watching Blaz. Mostly when the male wasn’t looking, as though she was too nervous to meet his gaze head on.
Not that she blamed Leilana. Blaz was an incredibly attractive male. From the brush-cut black hair, to that enormous, incredibly built body, Blaz definitely drew the eyes of females. Bijou couldn’t help wondering what he thought of Leilana.
Then, as Blaz began rambling about computer crap, Bijou tried to imagine the pair of them as a mated couple. They would probably have beautiful offspring, she thought. Blaz with his nearly colorless irises—a rarity for vampires—and black hair, combined with Leilana and her bright blue eyes and blond hair. The male’s features would likely eclipse the female’s as far as coloring went.
Oh, what the hell was she doing? These two were not going to be a couple. They were both employed by the Alpha. Or they might be, as was the case with Leilana. But that was just like Bijou to ferret out their happily ever after. She’d been doing that for as long as she could remember. Didn’t matter who she was with, if they were single, she was constantly trying to pair them up.
Probably had a lot to do with the fact she’d thought she had found her own happily ever after with Reve. Then, as soon as he found out she was related to the Alpha, the male had turned his back on her, proving exactly how high he held her in his esteem.
Huh. Bijou realized that was the first time she’d thought about Reve in … weeks? Months? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t appreciate him bearing down on her conscience right then.
As she sipped her cappuccino and listened to Leilana and Blaz slip into technical computer terms, she realized for the first time that she had moved on from Reve, from the past she’d left behind when she’d found her father and they’d moved to Darkness. Despite the issues she was having with Oliver, she was, in fact, happy. Mostly. There were still plenty of times she missed her mother so much the ache in her chest took on a life of its own. But she was still able to function, forming relationships with those at the mansion.
“Bijou?”
She jerked her head toward Blaz. “Hmm?”
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask Leilana?”
Setting her cup down, she considered the female as she gathered her thoughts.
“Say you learned of a threat against the Alpha,” Bijou prompted. “What would you do with that information?”
Those bright blue eyes widened. “I would promptly bring it to the attention of the Alpha or his guards.”
“And if the threat came from one of your family members?” she asked, playing devil’s advocate.
“It would matter not,” the female said resolutely. “A threat, no matter who it might come from, cannot be ignored.”
Good answer, though Bijou wasn’t convinced the female would betray her family in that way. She got the feeling Leilana would want to do right by her Alpha, but she wasn’t so sure she would.
“Do you have an issue being in the presence of a large number of males at one time?”
“It’s not something I’m accustomed to, no. However, I would not have an issue with it.”
“Are you capable of defending yourself?”
“In what manner?”
“Against a threat. Should someone corner you, do you have the abilities to defend yourself?”
“If you’re asking whether I’ve been trained for combat, then no.”
“Are you opposed to learning basic self-defense?”
