I chuckled, eyeing him now. A lot had changed for him in a very short space of time, and I wanted to make sure he was okay with it. I mean, him drinking my blood had been the last resort of the desperate, and now here he was with an entire city of vampires looking to him to guide them.
“You do want this, don’t you? Leading the vampires and all? I’m a little worried that you think you don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t,” Ethan said placidly.
“Of course you do. I’m sure there are a whole bunch of vamps who genuinely want the job. Just give it to one of them.”
“I could do that, but then I’d have to leave. They couldn’t rule comfortably knowing a far stronger candidate is still residing in the city. And I don’t want to leave, Tegan.”
I studied him a moment. “Well, maybe it’s a good thing. They always say that reluctant rulers are the best kind. You aren’t in it for the benefits or the lavish lifestyle. It means you might actually focus on what’s important instead of your own selfish interests.”
“That’s a good theory. But it could also go the opposite way. The fact that I’m reluctant might mean I’ll intentionally fuck up the job.”
I smiled at him. “I don’t think you’d do that. You’re too much of a perfectionist. It would just irritate you to do a half-assed job.”
He grinned at me. “Is that a compliment?”
“A roundabout one. That’s the best you’re going to get from me.”
He kissed me tenderly on the cheek, and I finished eating my pizza. There was plenty left, but I decided it would do for breakfast in the morning. If I was going to be staying here with Ethan, I’d really have to see about stocking his fridge and pantry. Human food wasn’t very plentiful in vampire houses.
I squealed when his arm reached under my knees, and he lifted me into his arms.
“Come on, Sunshine,” he whispered in my ear. “Let’s see what we can do about those blue balls of yours.”
I laughed as he carried me to his bedroom.
Finn
I woke up in the early hours of the morning because the bed was shaking. Glancing to my left, I saw Alora convulsing beneath the covers, and a surge of panic gripped me.
Rising onto my elbow, I put my hand to her forehead. She was hot and clammy with sweat. Alora mentioned this might happen while she slept, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch her. The convulsions that wracked her body looked painful. I wondered what premonition she was seeing. Would she be able to see the future of the city and what was going to become of us?
Would Theodore keep us trapped in his bubble forever? Or would we all be dead before the week was through?
One thing I knew for certain was that I had to make contact with Tegan. I had to know the choices Cristescu was going to make for his vampires. Would he spur them to kill or encourage them to live peacefully?
After a couple of minutes, Alora stilled and her breathing returned to normal. I lay awake on top of the covers, my hands clasped above my head and my mind on high alert. Too many ‘what ifs’ filled my head, making it impossible to get back to sleep.
Once seven o’clock hit, I got up, took another shower, and got dressed. Alora woke up just as I was sitting at the foot of the bed lacing my boots.
“Morning, Goldy. Did you sleep well?” I asked.
She sat up and rubbed at her head as though it ached. The robe she slept in was hanging open a little, showing me the round curve of her cleavage. I quickly averted my gaze and she must’ve realised she wasn’t decent because she surreptitiously covered herself, wrapping the robe tighter around her body. Great, now I felt like a pervert for looking at all.
“I slept okay, but my skull is pounding,” she replied as she rubbed her head again. She paused and glanced at me. “Did I … did anything happen while I was asleep?”
I nodded. “You had a vision. At least I think you did. It was just like you said it would be. Your body shook with convulsions. Do you remember anything?”
She grimaced. “I always do, unfortunately.”
“And?”
A small smile shaped her lips, and it transformed her features. She was already gorgeous, but the smile made her beautiful. “What? You think I’m going to tell you? I hardly know you, Finn.”
Okay, so she had some sass in her. Good. “You know me well enough to share a bed with me,” I shot back.
“Yeah, well, my options were pretty limited,” she replied as she climbed from the bed and felt her way to the bathroom. A minute or two later, I heard the shower come on.
I went out to the minivan and drove to the nearest shopping mall, which was a couple of miles from the hotel. I stocked up on necessities for everyone and bought Alora something to wear that was a little less conspicuous than a floor-length evening gown. I opted for some leggings and a couple of T-shirts and cardigans. I also threw in some socks, tennis shoes, and underwear, though I wasn’t even going to try guessing her bra size.
Small boobs were easier to guess than big boobs, and Alora could be anywhere from a double D to a G. I loved how this was what my brain decided to focus on, instead of how I was saddling myself with yet another damsel in distress. I was sure a psychologist could have a field day with me. Always trying to save females because I couldn’t save my mother and sister, the only two who really mattered.
When I got back to the hotel, I dropped off the bag of clothes I got for Ira. The poor bloke couldn’t keep going around in jeans that barely covered his calves. When I reached my room, I found Alora sitting by the dresser, attempting to blow dry her long hair with one of those tiny hotel hair dryers. I dropped the shopping bags down on the bed.
“I bought you some clothes. I went as generic as possible because I don’t know your exact sizes.”
Her eyes drifted back and forth as though trying to spot me. She must have pinpointed my location because her gaze stopped where I stood by the wall.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispered, her voice aeons away from the sass she gave me earlier.
“I wanted to. Besides, it looks like I still have some work to do to show you I’m trustworthy.”
Turning off the dryer, she set it down on the dresser and made her way over to the bed. She latched onto the bag and slipped a hand inside.
“You’ll have to tell me what’s what,” she said quietly.
“Oh, right, yeah,” I replied, slapping my head dumbly. Taking the bag from her, I pulled out a pale, yellow T-shirt, navy leggings, and a black cardigan. Next, I grabbed a pair of knickers and some socks.
“So, these are leggings, and this is a T-shirt,” I told her, placing one in each hand and feeling like an idiot. I had no idea how to treat a blind person. “And, uh, here’s some clean underwear,” I went on throatily. “You can go change in the bathroom, and then I’ll help you with the rest.”
“Thanks,” she answered, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she seemed touched by how I was assisting her. She walked into the bathroom but left the door open.
“At Michael Ridley’s,” she said, talking to me from the other room, “I always had maids to dress and wash me, so I never learned how to deal with my blindness. Most people would have little tricks to get by, but I haven’t had the chance to learn any yet. I feel so clueless.”