Amaliya pulled her tank top down over the slight curve of her stomach and looked at Samantha curiously. Samantha knew that look. She was being sized up. Her outfit that had seemed so cute earlier felt girlish and stupid under the gaze of the sultry woman before her. Hugging Cian close to her, she kissed his forehead and enjoyed the feel of his arms around her.
“Why haven't you fed, baby?” she asked softly.
“I fed her,” he answered in a quiet voice, and his body slightly stiffened.
Samantha looked toward the dark-haired girl now rummaging through a bag laying on the floor near the couch that Samantha had totally missed.
“She can't feed herself?” she questioned, her tone sharper than she would have liked.
Cian drew back and rubbed his stubbly chin. “She is new. She doesn't realize how often she has to feed. ”
Samantha watched her fiancé's gaze follow the woman as she slipped out onto the wrap around balcony and she felt her stomach tighten with worry.
“So, you're going to teach her? Or just keep feeding her yourself?” Trying not to show how upset she was, she began to make the bed for him. If she let him, he'd just leave it a mess and lower the walls.
“Teach her,” Cian answered in a peeved tone.
He walked away to the small guest bath where he kept his toothpaste and an electric toothbrush. He was always conscious of his gross breath. Samantha was pretty sure it was from drinking blood.
Wrinkling her nose, she fluffed up a pillow and watched his cute ass as he disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. He was more uncommunicative than usual and it was not making her happy. Sorting through the covers and getting them layered correctly, she kept glancing toward Amaliya out on the balcony. She was out there smoking and talking on a cellphone.
“Cian, she's smoking,” Samantha complained loudly.
“What?” He reappeared looking grumpy, but he came over and helped her tuck the covers in.
“She's smoking!” Samantha pointed and frowned at him. “You know how much I hate that. You remember how I worked hard to help get smoking banned in the clubs. ”
Cian looked over at Amaliya in a way that made her vastly uncomfortable. It was almost as if he was embarrassed to look at the other vampire. “Who could she be talking to?” With a frown, he headed over to the door that lead onto the balcony.
Flinging up her hands, Samantha felt more agitated than before.
Cian slipped outside and shut the door firmly behind him.
Roberto came into view dressed in khaki pants and a red button down shirt. With a slight smirk, he stopped to watch the two vampires out on the balcony.
Samantha did not want to deal with him and made herself busy smoothing out the comforter. When her hand came away with one long black hair, her brow furrowed even more. Holding her hand up she saw the raven hair had a golden tip and she looked sharply toward the balcony.
“She's blond,” she hissed.
“So are you,” Roberto reminded her.
“She dyes her hair. She's fake!” Samantha knew she sounded like a shrew.
Roberto smiled even wider. “Feeling threatened?”
“You shut up. ”
She shook her hand until the hair fell off her fingers and she wiped her hand on her too cutesy skirt and stomped over to the secret panel and popped it. Typing in the code, she heard the gears shift and the huge walls descended with a soft boom.
Crossing her fingers over her breasts, she stared out onto the balcony where Cian was kneeling before Amaliya. The female vampire was seated on one of the wrought iron chairs with her feet slung up on the railing.
“I picked out those chairs for me and Cian. Not for her to sit out there and smoke!”
“This,” Roberto said with glee “is going to be fun. ”
“Asshole. ”
***