She let out a long-aggravated sigh and threw her legs over the side of my bed, tapping her heels on the floor in a rat-a-tat-tat rhythm. “The witch and werewolf factions want to get in on the council.”
“But it’s a vampire council.” My brows furrowed. “They have their own councils.”
I walked into the bathroom, going about cleaning my face and teeth.
“Exactly,” my mom said from the doorway, leaning against its frame. “You know, you keep your room a lot cleaner here than at home.”
I rolled my eyes before spitting toothpaste out in the sink. “I don’t have as much stuff here.”
My mom snorted. “You also don’t have a maid or butler here and yet you are able to keep this place relatively spotless.”
Throwing my toothbrush back in its holder, I stalked across the room. “I’m working.” I brushed past her, searching for my boots.
“Ahhh,” my mom drew out, “so you’ll keep your things picked up if it’s for work.” She laughed and pulled one of my hidden daggers from its hiding place, flipping it over in her hands. “You certainly didn’t get that from me.”
“We all know how good of a cleaner you are.” I huffed a laugh as I shot her a knowing look. “If Darren wasn’t around, you’d have broken your neck just breathing.”
The dagger came flying at my face. I stepped to the side, and the blade lodged into one of the poles of my bed frame. Blowing out a breath, I pulled the dagger loose.
“Can you stop messing with my things?” I put the dagger back where it had been hidden and then sat on the edge of the bed to put my boots on. “So, is that all you came here for? To give dad an ego boost?”
“Maybe I missed you.”
I glanced up at her from where I tied my boot. “You just saw me.”
“Well... maybe I had a bad feeling.” She smirked, blinking slowly, her almond-colored eyes like looking into a mirror. “Call it mother’s intuition.”
“You don’t believe in that kind of stuff.” I finished tying my other boot before setting it back down. “Why do the wolves and witches want to join the vampire council?”
Her smile dropped. “Some crap about how, since we control the Hunter’s Guild, we have too much power over the supernatural community.”
“That’s hardly our fault,” I argued, my tone pitching up. “You have a relationship with them. Neither the wolves nor witches have tried to even be polite to the hunters, let alone work with them. You should hear how some of them talk about Julian, and he’s their professor.”
“Spending a lot of time with him, are you?” She wagged her brows at me with a mischievous smile.
“We’re just teammates.” I rolled my eyes again, something I seemed to do a lot around her. Why was it that our parents always brought the child out of us?
“Sure you are.” She crossed the room, sitting next to me on the bed. “I’ve been out there, shoulder to shoulder with the hunters. I know how it feels when the adrenaline is pumping, emotions are heightened. Life or death can be a hell of an aphrodisiac.”
“Ew, mom,” I wrinkled my nose. “Stop.”
She lifted and dropped a shoulder. “I’m just saying Julian is an attractive man. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to get some late night ‘training’ in with him. I know I would.”
“Is that before or after hell froze over and my dads let you out of their sight long enough even talk to another guy?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” My mom giggled like a schoolgirl, a grin spreading across her face. “But in your case, you should do it. Life’s too short to let rules and procedure get the in the way of love.”
“Love?” I scoffed. “I thought you just wanted me to hook up with him. Now you’re pushing love? You can’t want both, pick one.”
“I’m your mother. Of course I want both.” She bumped her shoulder with mine. “Besides, I’m not stupid. I can see what’s right in front of my nose, even if you can’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked as she stood up.
“You know.” She smiled, strolling toward my door. Her phone rang. She pulled it out, putting it to her ear. “Yes?”
I leaned back on my hands, sighing. I wasn’t going to get much more from mom than what she’d already given me.
“The other councils have agreed to a meeting,” Antoine’s voice announced from the other side of the phone.
