Not one of them had mentioned it, but I was sure they wanted time when they didn’t have to share me. I had to do better about giving them what they needed since they all made such a point of doing it for me.
He reached for a small remote control mounted on the wall and pressed a button, a panel in the dome instantly sliding up with a mechanical whirring sound. Stars came twinkling into view as I watched.
Wrapping an arm around me, he pulled me close so I could rest my head on his shoulder. Contentment washed through me as we stood in silence staring at the stars. I’d seen these same ones from my home, but this was the first time the sight of them didn’t make me feel lonely.
At the reminder that both Noah and I called the Pacific Northwest home, a thought came roaring to life. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but your thoughts are loud. You’re curious about something. What is it?”
“Well...I was just wondering.”
“Yes?”
“Your family lives here...”
“Is that a question?”
“In America...”
“Obviously.”
“But your accent is British.”
He laughed. “Oh, that. Well, we have homes scattered across the continents. I’ve spent as much time in London as I have here. And besides my mother, everyone else in my familyisBritish. The accent’s authentic, I promise.”
I let out a theatrical sigh, pretending to wipe my brow. “Well, that’s a relief. I was prepared to write its obituary so I could mourn it properly.”
“Minx,” he growled playfully, tipping my chin up to steal a kiss.
Breathless, flushed, and hearts pounding in unison, we pulled apart to resume our star-gazing positions.
Looking up as I was,I didn’t see exactly what he did next, but soft romantic music filled the space around us.
“Dance with me?” he asked, sweeping me into his arms.
I recognized the song instantly, laughing as Adele’s lyrics registered. “A little on the nose, isn’t it?”
“So what if I’m crazy for you? Love is the sweetest madness.” He spun me away, then pulled me back in, dipping me low and kissing me. When our lips parted, he whispered, “You’re the only thing I need, Sunday. The wonder of my world.”
“You’re more than I ever hoped for. Before I met you, my world wasn’t just small—it was microscopic. Your love has given me an entire universe of new experiences. You bring me to life.”
We danced until the song ended, then kept going in the silence, not caring that there wasn’t music.
I rested my cheek against his chest as we swayed together, watching the stars until my eyelids drooped and I began fading.
“Come on then. Bedtime for the human.”
“I’m not human.”
“You are. Until you can shift again, you’re the most human of us all.”
“Fine. Take me to bed, Mr. Blackthorne, you stodgy vampire.”
He let out an affronted noise. “Oi, who are you calling stodgy?”