So I was currently wedged into his tiny little coffin with my ass smooshed against his thigh and my shoulder digging into his neck.
Whoops.
I remembered going to sleep curled up against him in a more lady-like way. But ever since I’d been turned, I kept waking up stiff as a board with my arms crossed over my chest. It was easily the dumbest thing about being a vampire, and the list of dumb things was a quickly growing list.
Another item on the “why is this part of being a vampire” list was that my teeth got longer when I was turned on, not just hungry. Lucian said it wasn’t like that for every vampire, but he seemed to thoroughly enjoy how he could tell I was in the mood just by looking at my teeth. Personally, I felt like it took away some of my mysterious feminine charm.
Lucian let out a low sound, then stroked my hair. “What would I do without my lovely Cara jamming her shoulder into my neck all night?”
I shifted a little, trying to take some of my weight off him. “You could always get a bigger coffin. Or, you know, a bed like a normal person.”
“There are traditions,” he said.
“As far as I can tell, we’ve kind of made enemies of the whole vampire establishment. I feel like we might as well enjoy the perks of creating our own traditions.”
He grinned. “You raise a valid point. Maybe we could give sleeping in the bed tomorrow a try.”
“See?” I said, kissing his jaw. “You’re not an ancient, stuck-in-the-mud geezer. Not completely, at least.”
He rolled me over, putting me on my back as he held himself over me. “You weren’t complaining about how old I was last night.”
“Who said I was complaining?” I asked, flicking his chin.
Lucian’s eyes twinkled. “I love you.”
I smiled. “I love you too, but don’t change the subject.”
“You’re still sure you don’t want to try to find a way to become human again?”
“I’m sure that I want you. Forever.”
“What about your old life?”
I shrugged. “My old life? The one where I already felt like I was running out of time when I was only thirty? Being this way means I get as much time as I need to make my discoveries. And it means I get to have the guy of my dreams I never thought I’d find when I was finally done chasing my career.”
“The guy of your dreams was a couple hundred year old vampire?”
I shrugged. “I always thought older guys were kinda hot.”
He laughed. “Is that right?”
“Mhm. And you can stop asking me if I’m sure about this. I’m sure. My parents know the truth. My roommates know the truth. Anya knows I’m not dead, even if she doesn’t know why I disappeared. The guys found a new roommate to cover my rent. It’s all taken care of. All the loose ends of my old life are wrapped up tight, okay? And that microscope and centrifuge you ordered me should be here any day. What else could I ask for?”
“Sunlight,” he suggested.
“Overrated.”
“You say that now. Let’s see how you feel in a hundred years.”
The door to our room burst open. Vlad was standing in the doorway with his hairy belly hanging out and a bottle of liquor in his hand. He took a swig, then sprayed it all over our floor. “Slight problem. I need a conference in the kitchen.”
Lucian threw something within his arm’s reach at Vlad, who ducked it and gave us a thumbs up. “See you in a minute, then.”
I sat at the large dining table next to Lucian. Alaric, Seraphina, and Vlad were also at the table. There was a woman I’d never seen sitting beside Vlad as well. She had cat-like eyes, an aged kind of beauty, and a regal bearing.
Vlad cleared his throat. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like he’d actually run a comb through his unruly hair. “This is Ana Black,” he said a little shakily. “And she’s pregnant. I did it. I fooked her good. Put a baby in—”
“Thank you, Vladimir,” Ana said, cutting him off. “As he says, I am with child. And my isolated lifestyle will not suit a new life. I’ve asked Vladimir if my child could stay here with you all and he has graciously agreed. I’ve decided I will also move in with you all as well.”
Lucian made a choking sound beside me. “Just a moment,” he said, leaning forward like something inside of him had just given out. “Vlad got you pregnant?”
Vlad smugly brushed his shoulder. “You think Vlad convinced Ana to back us with words? No. It was his cock! His impressively massive, full-figured—”
Seraphina held up her hand. “Should we get a say in whether we want you to live with us? Or some baby in our lives?”