“Please, come in,” Penelope said, slipping around Obsidian and motioning toward Bijou. “It’s cold out here. We’re about to sit down to the morning meal. Would you care to join us?”
Kaj met Obsidian’s gaze, clearly seeking his permission, and received a nod in return.
Eclipse stayed back as the vampires started toward the house. Before Kaj passed, he held out his hand to Eclipse.
“Good to see you again.” His voice was the equivalent ofno harm, no foul. Clearly, he forgave Eclipse for the mental intrusion earlier.
Relaxing his stance, Eclipse took the proffered hand. “Likewise. Been a long time.”
“Probably should’ve called, huh?”
“Always a good idea.” Eclipse held out his hand for Kaj’s keys. “With the sun coming up soon, you’ll be staying.”
Kaj smirked. “You won’t get an argument from me.”
Eclipse turned to Gryffyth, tossed the vampire’s car keys. “Put the vehicle in the garage.”
Gryffyth nodded while Eclipse led the way into the house.
They’d made it as far as the kitchen before theheurospcurrently on duty, including Phillip and Jeffrey, nearly plowed Kaj over in their attempt to greet him. Seemed the vampire had made quite the impression on those who maintained the mansion during his previous stay.
“Quite a fan base you’ve got,” Eclipse said when he managed to extricate Kaj and lead him into the dining room.
“They’re a good crew,” Kaj noted, sounding almost as though he’d missed them while he was gone. “I see you’ve upgraded your digs since I was last here.”
Eclipse followed the male’s eyes as they scanned the interior of the new mansion they’d erected to house them all more comfortably. “It works for us.” He motioned for Kaj to precede him into the dining room. “Let’s eat, shall we?”
Several of thefiestreighwere already there, each of them getting to their feet and greeting Kaj with smiles and handshakes. Introductions were made, and before long, everyone currently in residence had joined the party, dragging Kaj into the fray.
Standing just inside the door, Eclipse leaned closer to Obsidian. “I take it you didn’t know he had a daughter.”
“Not a fucking clue.”
Eclipse studied the pretty female, who was being introduced by Penelope. Now that he really looked at her, he saw the remarkable resemblance to her father. Same onyx hair, same green eyes. He pegged her to be in her mid-twenties, though he could’ve been way off. Like angels and Fae, vampires didn’t physically age past twenty-five. However, there was an innocence about her, one that was usually chipped away by the hardships of life, privations he wasn’t sure she’d seen just yet. Considering the vampires had been put on Earth to protect the humans from the supernatural created by Lucifer, they were fighting the same battles the angels were. It was easy to detect those who’d been at it a while from those who were too young to have seen all the horrors.
“If this isn’t a social visit, what brings you to my front door?” Obsidian asked, motioning Kaj to a table as everyone split up, positioning themselves at the tables around the room.
Eclipse moved with them, remaining on his feet while Obsidian pulled Penelope’s chair out. The three of them waited for her to take a seat before taking theirs. Although he suspected Kaj had intended to occupy it, Eclipse snagged the one that would keep his back to the wall, giving him an unobstructed view of the room.
“I heard whispers you’d mated,” Kaj explained as he relaxed in the chair, snagging the white linen napkin from the table. “Thought I’d check it out for myself. Congratulate you in person.”
Obsidian’s face glowed with pride when he said, “I most certainly did.”
Kaj nodded at Penelope. “It’s a pleasure to meet the female strong enough to keep our boy in line.”
A round of laughter sounded from around the room, the peanut gallery clearly listening in.
“She’s strong enough to keep usallin line,” Eclipse said, lifting his glass in a mock toast.
Kaj grinned at Obsidian. “Lucky bastard.”
Obsidian’s eyes locked on something across the room, causing Eclipse to glance over to his left.
“She can join us if she’d like,” Eclipse told Kaj when he noticed Bijou taking a seat at an empty table.
The vampire exhaled heavily. “She’s shy. And stubborn.” He winked at Eclipse. “Kids.”
Eclipse laughed though he couldn’t relate at all. Until recently, he’d had very little interaction with anyone who hadn’t hit a century mark or ten.
