The Reluctant Vampire (36 page)

“I want regular reports,” Lucian barked, drawing Drina’s attention again as he pressed the button for the elevator. He then glanced back. “And I want the truth. Help her if you can, but if you can’t, I need to know about it.”

Drina nodded reluctantly, and his eyes narrowed on her.

“This is a temporary gig, Alexandrina. Elvi’s already raised and lost a daughter. She and Victor were happy when I asked them to be in charge of Stephanie, and I won’t take it away from them now. They make final decisions until it’s safe to put the sisters together again.” He didn’t wait to see how she reacted to that, but turned and led Anders onto the elevator. “I’ll have blood deliveries set up for you while you’re here.”

Drina let out a slow breath as the elevator doors closed, and then glanced to Stephanie and Harper. “Well, that went better than I expected.”

“Yes,” Harper said dryly.

Drina chuckled at his expression and glanced to Stephanie. “How are you doing?”

Stephanie forced a smile. “Good. Tired though. I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Well, there are three guest rooms in this apartment,” Harper said at once. “All of them have their own attached bath. Go take a look, pick which one you prefer, and have a nap, then we’ll figure out how to disguise you so we can see some plays and stuff while we’re in the city.”

“Plays?” Stephanie peered at him with interest.

“Yeah, I hear there are a couple good ones in Toronto right now,” he said easily. “And you’ll need a break from all the work Drina and I are going to make you do to try to learn to block thoughts.”

She nodded and started to turn away, then quickly whirled back and hugged Drina, mumbling, “Thank you for wanting to help me, and for my room at Elvi’s,” she added as she then hugged Harper.

Before either of them could respond or even hug her back, she was off rushing across the living room and away up the hall toward the bedrooms.

“Her room at Elvi’s?” Drina asked with confusion.

Harper smiled faintly and turned to slip his arms around her. “When I called about repairing the fire and smoke damage to Elvi’s house, I also arranged to have insulation, a wall of brick, and several different kinds of soundproofing and whatnot put in Stephanie’s room. I’m hoping that will help block thoughts and give her a quiet place to get away when it gets too much for her.”

“Oh.” Drina sighed and leaned against him. “You’re a clever man.”

“I like to think so,” he said lightly, rubbing his hands up and down her back. “I’m thinking I might do it to whatever room she chooses here too.”

Drina pulled back to peer at him with surprise. “But we’re only going to be here until the house is repaired.”

Harper shrugged. “I can afford it. Besides, that way she’ll be comfortable if we can bring her back to Toronto for visits. Elvi and Victor may be in charge when they return, but we can be the doting auntie and uncle figures who drag her off to the city for plays and shopping on occasion and give them a break.”

Drina nodded solemnly. “You’re going to be a good father.”

“I sincerely hope so,” Harper murmured, bending to kiss the tip of her nose. He then straightened, and asked, “I presume that means you do want children?”

“Yes,” she admitted. “Do you?”

“Definitely,” he assured her. Letting his hands slide to her waist, Harper lifted her up. When Drina instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, he began to carry her through the living room toward the hall Stephanie had disappeared down. “And where would you like to raise those children?”

“With you,” she said simply.

He smiled and paused at the start of the hall to kiss her, but then continued on, asking, “And where would that be? Where do you want to live, Drina? Your home and family are in Spain.”

“And your home and family are here in Canada,” she pointed out.

“Actually, my birth family are in Germany,” he said wryly, “but you’re right, Elvi and Victor and the others have become my family, and they’re here. As is Stephanie.”

“You consider me family?”

Harper paused, and Drina glanced around to see that they were halfway up the hall and in front of an open bedroom door. Stephanie stood in the middle of the room, her wide eyes on them.

“We’d like to consider you family if that’s all right with you?” Drina said solemnly.

“Oh, yeah!” She grinned. “Everyone needs family, and you two are pretty cool. Kind of annoying with your new-life-mate horndoginess, but still cool.”

The words startled a laugh from Drina, and she said, “So you wouldn’t mind if we settled in Port Henry or somewhere nearby and stayed a part of your life?”

“I’d like that,” she assured them quietly.

“So would I,” Harper said, and glanced to Drina. “You’re sure? Your family is in Spain.”

“You’re my life mate, Harper. And I love you. You are my family,” she said solemnly. “And so is Stephanie. My home is here now.”

His eyes widened, and he seemed to hold his breath for a moment as if savoring what she’d said. That breath came out as if he’d been punched when Stephanie said, “Well? Aren’t you going to tell her you love her too, Harper? I know that you do.”

He smiled wryly, and then turned to the girl to say, “I’ll tell her. Now go get some sleep. We’re going to nap too.”

“Oh yeah.” Stephanie rolled her eyes as she moved to the door. “I bet you’ll get
so
much sleep.”

Drina wrinkled her nose. “Maybe we should cut your hair. That might help disguise you.”

“No way!” Stephanie said at once. “Actually, I’m thinking a goth look might be a cool change. Black hair, black lipstick, maybe some purple or pink streaks like Mirabeau. Oh, and some chains and nose rings. I could really rock the goth look,” she assured them with a wicked grin as she closed the door.

Drina groaned as Harper started moving again. “She’s going to be trouble, that one.”

“No doubt,” he said with amusement. “But you can handle her.”

“I can, can I?” she asked wryly, as he carried her into his room and kicked the door closed.

“Dree, darling, you’ve handled pirates and prostitutes. You can handle one little teenager. And together
we
can handle Stephanie and ten more,” he assured her, moving to the bed and kneeling on the edge to lower her to it.

“We . . . I like that,” she murmured, as her back hit the bed, and he came down on top of her. And then her eyes widened, and she squawked, “Ten?”

“One at a time,” Harper assured her, pulling her upright with him so that he could remove her T-shirt. “Every hundred years or so as law insists.”

He had removed her T-shirt and bra as he spoke and now pushed her back on the bed and shifted down between her ankles to tug her joggers and panties off.

“So you’re going to have me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen every hundred years, are you?” Drina asked with amusement, as he tossed the last of her clothes aside and turned back to survey what he’d revealed.

“Oh no,” Harper assured her. “Barefoot and pregnant in every room
but
the kitchen. I am the cook in this household.”

“Hmmm.” She raised one foot and caught the hem of his T-shirt with her toes and began to lift it up his chest. “I don’t know. I enjoyed what we did in the kitchen the last time we were here.”

“Well, I am willing to make exceptions,” Harper assured her, helping her to remove his T-shirt, and then pausing as she lowered her foot to his lap and hooked her toes in the waist of his joggers to begin tugging at them. She couldn’t remove them with him sitting, but enjoyed the way he grew under her foot as she rubbed against him with the effort.

“Did I mention you have talented feet?” he asked, his voice a growl.

Drina grinned. “I have many talents.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute,” he assured her, catching her foot and lifting it to his lips to press a kiss to her toes. Harper set her foot down to one side so that he was between her ankles, and then shifted to his hands and knees to climb forward.

“Not going to take your pants off?” she asked, arching an eyebrow when he settled on top of her.

Harper kissed her until they were both breathless. He then broke the kiss and shifted lower to nuzzle her breasts, murmuring, “If I take them off, I’ll want to plunge myself into you, and I’m determined to make slow love to you this time.”

“Good luck with that,” Drina teased, and then gasped as his mouth closed over a nipple.

Harper swirled his tongue across the nub as he suckled, and then let it slip from his mouth and raised his head to ask, “Do you really love me?”

Drina nodded solemnly. “With all my heart,” she assured him.

He smiled, and finally said it. “I love you too.”

Drina slid her arms around him as he pressed up to kiss her again. When his tongue plunged into her mouth, she moaned and wrapped her legs around him again, pressing her heels into his behind to press him against her. She shifted her pelvis at the same time so that they ground together, his hardness against her soft moist center. Harper groaned and broke their kiss.

“Next time we’ll go slow,” he muttered, pushing his joggers down just enough for his erection to break free.

“Next time,” Drina agreed, and then gasped and clawed at his back as he filled her. They had a long life of next times ahead and she planned to enjoy every one.

For an early Christmas present,
turn the page for a sneak peek

at “The Gift”–

the next delectable vampire romance

from LYNSAY SANDS

Available November 2011

Katricia took her time closing bedroom doors, peering curiously into each room as she went. It was partially out of curiosity and partially to give Teddy some breathing room. She didn’t need to read his mind to know that he wasn’t comfortable with her. She supposed she’d come on too strong too fast, but hadn’t been able to help herself. The very fact that he might be her life mate made her want to test it. She wasn’t hungry yet, but then the only food around was in cans and boxes. There was nothing really to tempt her palate. Which meant the easiest way to know for sure was to kiss Teddy and see if she experienced the shared pleasure she’d heard so much about.

Unfortunately, it was looking like that might be a hard objective to achieve. Teddy didn’t appear to be comfortable with what he thought was their age difference. That seemed obvious to her from the way he’d quickly removed his hat and scarf and then turned, as if presenting some monstrosity to her. This was going to take some patience, which had never been Katricia’s strong suit. She was already struggling with the urge to simply walk out into the kitchen and jump the man’s bones. The only thing stopping her was the worry that she might give the poor guy a heart attack or something. That would be just her luck—kill her life mate with a heart attack before she could woo and turn him.

Grimacing at the thought, Katricia continued checking out the rooms. She found the one with Teddy’s suitcase and smiled faintly, thinking it was the room she would have picked too. It was the last on the left with the window overlooking the driveway, where he could easily look out to see who was approaching should anyone come up the driveway.

It was a good defensive position and his cop instincts were showing in the choice, she thought with a smile, before pulling the door closed and moving back up the hall. Her eyes widened slightly when she found Teddy kneeling by the fireplace, situating a couple of pots at the edge of the fire.

“What are you doing?” she asked curiously, moving up behind him to peer over his shoulder, but inching back a bit when she sensed him stiffening.

“Experimenting,” he said gruffly, straightening and stepping around her to get back into the kitchen. “Boiling water to make drip coffee and heating chicken soup. It’s not the usual breakfast fare, I know, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Clever,” Katricia murmured, watching from the fireplace as he walked into the kitchen and began to measure coffee into a filter.

“Hardly clever,” Teddy said with amusement, setting his coffee fixings aside and rifling through the box. “More like desperate. I’m useless without my java.”

“Java?” Katricia asked, warming her hands at the fire.

“Coffee,” he explained, and then said, “Since you’re over there, keep an eye on the soup for me, will you?”

“Sure,” Katricia said, watching him cross to the table to put on his hat and scarf.

“I’m going to go see if I can get my truck door open and the engine started so I can charge my phone,” he explained as he moved to the door. “If I can get the phone hooked up, I can call Marguerite and see if we can’t get the power back on.”

“Marguerite?”

Teddy paused to glance her way in surprise. Probably because she’d barked the word in her surprise, she thought, and grimaced to herself. Clearing her throat, she asked more calmly, “Who’s Marguerite?”

“Marguerite Argeneau, a friend. She arranged for me to rent this cottage. I want to call and find out who I should report the power problem to,” he said slowly, still eyeing her a little oddly. But then he shook his head and turned to walk out into the vestibule to put on his boots. He pulled the door closed behind him and Katricia stared at it, biting her lip.

She had a cell phone. It was in her pocket and had been since she awoke, and yet she hadn’t once thought of using it . . . not even to check on her blood delivery. That more than anything told her just how upset she’d been since finding she couldn’t read Teddy.

Muttering under her breath, she pulled out the phone, but then paused and simply stood there listening until Teddy finished donning his boots and stomped out of the cottage.

Katricia then turned to give the soup a quick stir before moving into the kitchen to peer out the window. Spotting Teddy by the door of his pickup fiddling with the lock, she quickly pulled up contacts on her phone and found her aunt’s listing. Marguerite answered on the second ring, her voice cheerful and happy as she said, “Hello Tricia, dear, how is your vacation going?”

“I can’t read Teddy,” Katricia blurted, not bothering with niceties.