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“Wait, you went to the mayor’s wedding, didn’t you?” Alessandra asked. Her mouth formed a little “O” as she put the pieces together. She knew him well, and she also knew that he wanted Toni O’Neill. She’d probably known before he did. “Did you talk to her?”
No need to ask who.
Luckily, a distraction arrived just when he needed it. They all sensed her at the same time, Kenton flinching—Lawrence’s sister, Laria, was approaching. At least he hoped it was Laria. Vampires could sense one another from a distance, an ability the Cheld also possessed. It wasn’t so unusual for Laria to show up unannounced, despite the hour. The Henry Hutton Mansion had become a meeting place of sorts for them. But she hadn’t told him she planned to return to Stone Haven so soon. She’d left only two weeks ago to visit a friend in Montreal, a vampire she’d known for centuries.
This time she hadn’t even been gone long enough for him to realize he missed her.
“A welcome home party,” she said, striding into the room as if she owned the whole damn house, her signature high ponytail wagging from side to side as she strutted toward them. “You shouldn’t have. I’ve only been gone two weeks.” Turning to Mary, who had appeared right behind her, she grinned and said, “A red wine, please.”
He sat back down.
“Make yourself at home,” Kenton drawled, the sparkle of amusement in his eyes at odds with his deadpan tone.
Laria did just that, accepting her wine from Mary, still standing.
“I didn’t know you were coming back so soon,” Alessandra said.
“I wasn’t.” She took a sip of wine. “Mmmm, just what I needed. The flight was awful—”
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No.” Laria gestured to Alessandra. “Will you tell him to stop being such a worrywart?”
“As if he’d listen.”
“I just . . . kind of missed this place.”
Coming from Laria, the statement surprised him. His sister rarely stayed in the same place for long. Her wanderlust led her from city to city, exploring, roaming, living. Of course, none of them could live in a human city longer than a decade or—thanks to the modern wonders of plastic surgery and kale smoothies—two without people remarking on their perpetual youth, and their self-assigned mission of protecting the Cheld also required them to pick up and move.
Whether Lawrence liked it or not.
Still, he couldn’t shake the thought that Stone Haven was somewhere he could stay. Something about the place called to him. Alessandra had told him once that she’d felt the same way—she’d come for a teaching job and never left.
Which brought him back to the subject of that abandoned bank.
“Maybe I’ll ask the mayor about Davis—”
“Who’s this Davis?” Laria asked.
“Robert Davis. He owns the old abandoned bank in town.”
“Oh.”
Alessandra laughed. “Exactly. Join the club. No one has any idea why your brother is suddenly so interested in—”
“He’s not,” Kenton said, leaning back. “At least, not enough to come calling on a Saturday night. He was at that wedding with Toni.”
Laria’s eyes widened. “Ahhh, so that’s what all this brooding is about.” Unfair, really, given that she’d only just arrived.
“I don’t brood.”
“You most certainly do. Is she still with Tyler?”
He jumped up off his chair. “I need to feed.”
It had been nearly two weeks, and though he could hold out a bit longer, Lawrence suddenly felt an overwhelming need for blood. Despite the bitter taste in his mouth.
And he needed the real thing, the banked blood a far inferior second option.
