Nightwalker
Page 34
“I find that hard to believe with Wraiths,” Viève said wryly. “We do have a distinctive look.”
“Indeed you do. But someday you’ll have children and I’m sure they’ll look like full-bred Wraiths if their father happens to be a Wraith as well.”
“Oh, that will never happen,” Viève said dismissively. “No Wraith male will ever mate with me and so I will never have a full Wraith’s child.”
“You can’t say never. In species as long lived as we are surely at some point someone—”
“No. Never,” Viève said definitively.
“But your mother mated with a human…so it’s not impossible that someone would want to—”
“No. Just…trust me. The odds of a male Wraith wanting the likes of me are astronomical. I think they’d rather cut it off.”
It was blunt and crude, and it was clear she meant every word of it. This fair, pretty little Wraith honestly believed herself unworthy mating material. And probably not with just a Wraith. Viève’s low self-esteem ran deep. It radiated from her like a dark sun.
“Well then, it is their loss and I feel very sorry for them,” Marissa said, hugging Viève around her shoulders tightly.
It was very kind of her to say such things, but Viève understood it was just politeness. Still, it was nice to be on the receiving end of it.
However misplaced the sentiment might be.
Chapter 11
By the time Kamen returned to his rooms, he was completely exhausted. He had expended a great deal of magic that night and the sun had since risen outside of the polarized glass windows of the house. He was weary right to the bone, but he would not rest unless he had Viève well taken care of. “Where are Viève’s rooms?” he asked Jackson once he found him.
“She doesn’t have any,” Jackson said with bemusement.
“Why would you not give her rooms? Is she any less worthy than the guests I just brought whom you have situated comfortably?” he asked, his voice sharp with his mounting anger.
“Kamen, she is more than worthy and we tried to give her her own rooms, but she insisted on staying in your rooms with you.” Jackson frowned. “If you do not want her there then I will have her taken to her own rooms immediately. I figured we would sort it all out when you got back. Perhaps you should go and talk to her.”
“Yes,” he said absently. “Perhaps I should.”
He was more than a little stunned as he climbed the stairs toward his rooms. They had not discussed where she would be spending her days, but he found it hard to believe his shy little Wraith had just boldly decided she should sleep in his bed without so much as talking to him about it.
But as he entered the outer room of his suite, he was presented with something that must have made perfect sense in her mind. She was sleeping on the couch, a nice, tidy little bed made up of sheets and a blanket on the cushions. She stirred when he entered the room and then was awake an instant later, sitting upright quickly.
“I hope you don’t mind. If you do I’ll just get my own rooms. I just…the thought of being all by myself in this big house was a little overwhelming. Especially knowing that most of the people here don’t like Wraiths. At least I could be sure you like me a little. I thought so anyway. But I can move any time if—”
She broke off when he rounded the couch and came toward her. She braced herself, thinking he was going to kick her out and telling herself this had been a very foolish idea from the beginning. What had she been thinking? Just because they’d had one sexual encounter didn’t mean she had any right to commandeer his couch!
He reached out to grab her hand, then jerked her out of her makeshift bed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Shut up,” he said sharply.
She shut her mouth with a click. Tears welled in her eyes, more emotion from her human half, more weakness. She had known she was going to end up causing trouble somehow. She was famous for it. She never did anything right.
He swung her up into his arms so suddenly it made her dizzy. She was wearing a nightgown she had borrowed from the enormous wardrobe of women’s clothing they had in the house. Was he going to put her outside in nothing but this thin pink silk gown?
He took two strides and she suddenly realized he wasn’t heading for the door leading into the hallway, but was moving toward the one leading into his bedroom. It stood slightly ajar and he kicked the door open. The light flashed on and in four steps he was beside the bed and lowering her down onto the coverlet.
“Oh no! I can’t take your bed!” she cried. “Thank you for the offer, but you don’t have to be polite with me. I’m used to just—”
“I said shut up,” he said sternly.
She did. She fidgeted with the lace on her gown as he pulled the tails of his shirt free of his pants then unbuttoned the cuffs. He stripped it off, revealing a beautifully broad chest shaped with incredibly delectable muscles. Her mouth went dry, then began to water as she envisioned herself running her tongue over each and every one of those muscles. Wouldn’t that be nice?
His hands dropped to his belt and her eyes dropped with them. He kicked off his shoes as he worked his belt free. It slid off his waist, out of the belt loops of his pants. He curled it up and put it on the top of a nearby table. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.
“If you don’t want to sleep with me, now is your chance to say so,” he said quietly.
“You told me to shut up.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You may speak for this purpose. Do you want to sleep with me?”
Her throat went dry. “Yes,” she whispered. “But I didn’t think…that is, I’m not expecting you to do this.”
“That much is clear,” he said grimly. “Viève, you and I are going to come to an agreement.”
“What kind of agreement?” she asked as she watched him slide his pants down over his hips and thighs. He did this so slowly it was almost like a tease. But she knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
“You and I are going to agree that, until one of us plainly says otherwise, we want each other. And with that want will come some certainties.”
“Okay…”
“Indeed you do. But someday you’ll have children and I’m sure they’ll look like full-bred Wraiths if their father happens to be a Wraith as well.”
“Oh, that will never happen,” Viève said dismissively. “No Wraith male will ever mate with me and so I will never have a full Wraith’s child.”
“You can’t say never. In species as long lived as we are surely at some point someone—”
“No. Never,” Viève said definitively.
“But your mother mated with a human…so it’s not impossible that someone would want to—”
“No. Just…trust me. The odds of a male Wraith wanting the likes of me are astronomical. I think they’d rather cut it off.”
It was blunt and crude, and it was clear she meant every word of it. This fair, pretty little Wraith honestly believed herself unworthy mating material. And probably not with just a Wraith. Viève’s low self-esteem ran deep. It radiated from her like a dark sun.
“Well then, it is their loss and I feel very sorry for them,” Marissa said, hugging Viève around her shoulders tightly.
It was very kind of her to say such things, but Viève understood it was just politeness. Still, it was nice to be on the receiving end of it.
However misplaced the sentiment might be.
Chapter 11
By the time Kamen returned to his rooms, he was completely exhausted. He had expended a great deal of magic that night and the sun had since risen outside of the polarized glass windows of the house. He was weary right to the bone, but he would not rest unless he had Viève well taken care of. “Where are Viève’s rooms?” he asked Jackson once he found him.
“She doesn’t have any,” Jackson said with bemusement.
“Why would you not give her rooms? Is she any less worthy than the guests I just brought whom you have situated comfortably?” he asked, his voice sharp with his mounting anger.
“Kamen, she is more than worthy and we tried to give her her own rooms, but she insisted on staying in your rooms with you.” Jackson frowned. “If you do not want her there then I will have her taken to her own rooms immediately. I figured we would sort it all out when you got back. Perhaps you should go and talk to her.”
“Yes,” he said absently. “Perhaps I should.”
He was more than a little stunned as he climbed the stairs toward his rooms. They had not discussed where she would be spending her days, but he found it hard to believe his shy little Wraith had just boldly decided she should sleep in his bed without so much as talking to him about it.
But as he entered the outer room of his suite, he was presented with something that must have made perfect sense in her mind. She was sleeping on the couch, a nice, tidy little bed made up of sheets and a blanket on the cushions. She stirred when he entered the room and then was awake an instant later, sitting upright quickly.
“I hope you don’t mind. If you do I’ll just get my own rooms. I just…the thought of being all by myself in this big house was a little overwhelming. Especially knowing that most of the people here don’t like Wraiths. At least I could be sure you like me a little. I thought so anyway. But I can move any time if—”
She broke off when he rounded the couch and came toward her. She braced herself, thinking he was going to kick her out and telling herself this had been a very foolish idea from the beginning. What had she been thinking? Just because they’d had one sexual encounter didn’t mean she had any right to commandeer his couch!
He reached out to grab her hand, then jerked her out of her makeshift bed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Shut up,” he said sharply.
She shut her mouth with a click. Tears welled in her eyes, more emotion from her human half, more weakness. She had known she was going to end up causing trouble somehow. She was famous for it. She never did anything right.
He swung her up into his arms so suddenly it made her dizzy. She was wearing a nightgown she had borrowed from the enormous wardrobe of women’s clothing they had in the house. Was he going to put her outside in nothing but this thin pink silk gown?
He took two strides and she suddenly realized he wasn’t heading for the door leading into the hallway, but was moving toward the one leading into his bedroom. It stood slightly ajar and he kicked the door open. The light flashed on and in four steps he was beside the bed and lowering her down onto the coverlet.
“Oh no! I can’t take your bed!” she cried. “Thank you for the offer, but you don’t have to be polite with me. I’m used to just—”
“I said shut up,” he said sternly.
She did. She fidgeted with the lace on her gown as he pulled the tails of his shirt free of his pants then unbuttoned the cuffs. He stripped it off, revealing a beautifully broad chest shaped with incredibly delectable muscles. Her mouth went dry, then began to water as she envisioned herself running her tongue over each and every one of those muscles. Wouldn’t that be nice?
His hands dropped to his belt and her eyes dropped with them. He kicked off his shoes as he worked his belt free. It slid off his waist, out of the belt loops of his pants. He curled it up and put it on the top of a nearby table. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.
“If you don’t want to sleep with me, now is your chance to say so,” he said quietly.
“You told me to shut up.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You may speak for this purpose. Do you want to sleep with me?”
Her throat went dry. “Yes,” she whispered. “But I didn’t think…that is, I’m not expecting you to do this.”
“That much is clear,” he said grimly. “Viève, you and I are going to come to an agreement.”
“What kind of agreement?” she asked as she watched him slide his pants down over his hips and thighs. He did this so slowly it was almost like a tease. But she knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
“You and I are going to agree that, until one of us plainly says otherwise, we want each other. And with that want will come some certainties.”
“Okay…”
