Luc stilled in the act of raising his glass to his oh so gorgeous lips and regarded me, his eyes narrowed. He set the glass down and shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
“But you’re not a vampire, are you?” I persisted. I could barely believe I was saying the wordvampireout loud, let alone going along with the assumption they existed, but maybe I was proof they did. My gaze drifted to the utility room door and my mouth watered thinking of the blood fridge. Okay, I had to accept I was either seriously mentally ill and had been for some considerable time, or there was a more palatable explanation. I didn’t want to be sick, so being a blood-craving creature of the night was infinitely better, right? I still had my doubts.
Luc steepled his fingers under his chin, and said steadily, “I’m a wolf shifter. Technically I’m not human at all. I might have given you the impression I was part human, and I’m sorry I lied. I figured you had a lot to deal with, so I—”
“You’re a werewolf!?” Fuck, they reallywerethe stuff of nightmares. Even in high school, I’d been unable to suppress a shiver when classmates had discussed the latest film or TV show. Even the word raised a visceral fear in me.
I wasn’t aware I’d scooted my chair back until I saw hurt flash across Luc’s face. His expression quickly smoothed out, but I made a point of shuffling my chair back to the table and laid my palms on the scrubbed pine. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m…” I might as well be truthful. “I’ve always been kind of scared of wolves. I mean, they’re beautiful an’ all, but something about them makes me wary. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
A small amused huff. “No offence taken. Take more than that to upset me.” Luc divided the remainder of the wine bottle between our glasses, and took a measured swallow. “I’m not really a werewolf like you probably think of them though. The moon doesn’t particularly affect me, apart from how much I love its light. You do know they’re just myth, right?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” I wasn’t sure of anything right now. That certainly wasn’t what I’d grown up thinking. “So do you just turn into a wolf whenever you want?”
“Pretty much. I do have to consciously decide to shift though, and it is slightly easier at full moon. My emotions can influence the speed of a shift, but it’s not like Twilight; no changing in mid leap like a freaking superhero.”
“Taylor Lautner was buff as fuck in that film, even if he was a wolf man.” Oops, I said that out loud.
Luc cackled. “Did someone have a teensy teenage crush on Mr Lautner? Not what I’d expect after your confession about not liking wolves.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like them!” It seemed important to make that clear. “And I amstilla teenager, much as it pains me to admit it. But, y’know, wolf. Claws and jaws and—” I broke off with an apologetic shrug. “Huh, that rhymes.”
“Says the guy with deathly fangs who runs like the wind and could probably bench press Jason Momoa.”
I stared at him while his words sunk in. “When you put it that way…”
Luc was quiet for a few minutes. I toyed with my wine, then got up to rinse and stack the dirty dishes. When I sat back down, he had a pensive expression on his face. I nudged his foot with mine. “Penny for them?”
He gave me a faint smile. “Weird how myths persist long after there’s proof of the reality. What I’m hearing from you is that you’re scared of the legend but—” He hesitated, then cleared his throat. “—not scared of me. Is that right?”
“Yes, and no.” I continued when his eyebrows rose. “I’m not scared of you, I don’t think, but I’ll admit I now feel Ishouldbe. Call it a gut instinct, but I get the feeling vamps and wolves don’t naturally mix, amirite?”
Luc stood up and gestured towards the living room. “I want a more comfy seat.” When we were both settled, at opposite ends of the sofa, he said I was correct. “There’s evidence going back centuries that we’ve always been natural enemies, but there’s never been an adequate explanation as to why. Maybe at one point we were competing for limited resources.”
I winced as I realised blood banks were a relatively new invention. Feeding straight from the source involved so many potential pitfalls it blew my mind. I dragged my attention back to Luc saying, “But certainly in the past thirty or so years, there’s been a truce. In the name of watching each other’s backs in an increasingly hostile world. So that’s good.” He exhaled noisily, and got up to feed the wood burner some more logs. He glanced at me from his position on the hearth rug, his expression serious. “Any more questions?”
I had so many, my mind was whirling like a carousel. What I intended to ask was if I could watch him shift. What came out was, “Why do you think my real parents abandoned me?”
11
LUC
How on Earthcould I answer that? Charley was bleeding hurt from every pore, his blue eyes dull with pain. His arms had come up to encircle his bent knees, and even his hair seemed to droop. I wanted nothing more than to scoop him up, drop him onto the nearest flat surface and fuck him until he no longer had the capacity to think.
But I couldn’t ignore this. He wanted answers, and I was all he had right now. I chewed my lip while I thought, taking my time to make it look as though the fire needed my attention.
Eventually, I closed the tempered glass doors and turned to face him properly. “I don’t know, but I can guess.” His eyes flickered towards me from under silky lashes. I noted the sheen of unshed tears in their blue depths and my heart ached for him. To have lost the adoption lottery was bad, but thinking he’d been dumped had to suck balls. However, I wasn’t going to lie to him.
“Vampires aren’t renowned for their parenting skills. To be fair, they don’t often become parents. Like almost never, not in the way humans do. I wouldn’t like to call it a failing as there’s no genetic imperative to breed and therefore none to parent. You with me?”
Charley nodded. “You said my sire, not my father. That doesn’t imply much fatherly love.” He sounded bitter, and old beyond his years.
“Vampires do generally love their progeny,” I argued. “The ones they turn, from biting?” When I knew he understood, I continued. “Well, usually they can’t wait to claim them and guide them. Quite often fuck them. They’re hella possessive of them too. That’s love, of a kind.” It was often more like ownership, but I didn’t feel up to splitting hairs right now.
“I guess,” he sighed. “So what d’you think happened then?”
I came and sat next to him, sliding my arm around his shoulders in an attempt to be comforting. “Like I said, I’m only guessing, but either you were the product of a one night stand and your mother couldn’t deal with being a single parent, or…”
“Or?”
