“Suron, Suron! Let’s go play!” One young child pulled on his shirt until he picked them up. I’ve never seen human children so comfortable with our kind, especially with the bright eyes of Suron. Then again, things had changed over the centuries.
“Hey, kids, let’s see if we can race these two fuddy-duddies to the cafeteria!” Suron winked at my mate, who was trying to hide a smile. Suron grabbed another child’s hand, pulling them to the community building.
“He’s interesting.” Her voice faded. “I never thought I would see such a happy-go-lucky vampire.”
“Ah, so you are racist.” Her eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing until I let out a laugh. Her facial expressions had me grinning like an idiot.
“I’m joking. Not your fault you haven’t been introduced to our diverse culture.” I rubbed my hand through my hair. She relaxed, her nervousness now fading. “You know…” I nudged her with my elbow, making sure that just our clothed bodies touched. I swear I could still feel the heat, but I knew I was kidding myself. “I never got your real name, unless you are going to stick with Nunya.” She smiled, dropping her head.
“I’m sorry, I was kind of an ass. You caught me in a rough moment.” She pulled her thumb to her lips, picking at the nail. Wincing, a drop of blood pooled far quicker on her skin than I would have thought. “Oh, shit.” She applied pressure. “I’ve got to go. It was nice to meet you.” She rushed as she turned away.
Stepping forward to chase her, Suron grabbed my wrist, halting me. Turing, I hissed at him, having him drop my wrist. Holding up his hands, he backed away. “Give her some space, man.” Suron smiled. “There’s a lot of layers to her, and you are only going to chase her away.”
“You’ve barely grown into your fangs and are giving me mating advice?” I snapped. Suron snickered, shaking his coppery hair.
“Hey, Sebastian!” my beloved called from down the street, breaking my heated gaze from Suron. My head perked up, listening intently. “It’s Christine!” Before I could come up with a reply, she rushed into the house.
Finally, Christine.
Suron gave me a strange grin as I turned back to him. “Listen, Christine is like an ogre.”
“What?” I snapped. The fuck does he think he is calling her a damn ogre?
“She has layers,” he drawled. “Please tell me you have seenShrek?” I raised a brow, curling my lip in disgust.
“Gods, it’s time to educate you on your beloved.”
Chapter 8
Sebastian
“Andthereisalsothis donkey.” Suron began laughing, shaking his head.
I paid him no attention. My mind was elsewhere. The urge to follow Christine back to her home and watch what bedroom she went into by the windows was so damn strong. I had to ensure she was all right, especially since she went into the house with many racist bastards.
She was here, though. She was here in this coven. I found her the same day I arrived. What were the odds of that? I grinned slightly, looking over my shoulder. Gods, wouldn’t it be great if she popped right back out of the house and walked down the cafeteria? She must eat sometime.
The phone buzzed in my pocket. Rowan had gifted me this contraption, and I spent most of my time in my room trying to work it. It was ‘the latest craze’ the humans had created. Having seen a few when I was on the road, I had questions about how they gazed into the window, falling into a mindless trance and watching cat videos.
It vibrated again. Pulling it out of my pants, a phone number appeared, and I slid across the green phone button and answered.
Who the hell wants to talk to me?
“Hello, it’s Christine.” The voice sounded feminine, but not of my mate. My mouth opened to reply, only to hear Suron giggling beside me.
“Dude, you got it bad.” He snorted. “You should have seen your face.” I growled, sliding the red phone across the screen. I wanted to choke him, but I just got here, and I wasn’t too sure about the rules of choking a vampire and leaving them in the dirt to revive themselves. “Aw, come on, man, lighten up.” He shoved me. Shaking my head, I pushed the door into the cafeteria.
“Gods, you both have the same boring sense of humor. You’re perfect for each other! Hey Darrin, throw me a bag, will you?” Suron raised his hand to catch a flying bag of blood. The bag had a straw attached, and he stuck it inside the silver-like opening.
Suron led me to a table in the corner. Vampires did their routine assessment, seeing who I was since I was new. Committing the new smell to memory. The couples that sat together only kept their eyes on each other. I longed for that. For so long, I never thought I would find someone, and here I was among the coven with the most mixed-mated pairs.
“All right, lover boy,” Suron finished his bag. “You may be pining and longing for Christine, but she has been through some stuff.” He pointed at me. “Now, I’m her keeper—” I hissed, grabbing his neck from across the table. His eyes widened, hands gripping my wrist that was held in a steady hold.
“Want to repeat that?” Suron shook his head, but my grip didn’t falter. “I-I—” Suron tried to speak, but Adaline stepped up to the table. Her dress swayed as she stopped examining both of us.
“Suron was asked to look over Christine.” Her voice grew soft. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Your heart is beating.” Her hands clasped together, then tickled her lips. “Christine is your beloved?”
I didn’t want the whole coven to know yet, it would be regrettable if everyone knew about my beloved, but with Adaline being the elder, it was wise. Clearing my throat, I let go of Suron.