The bed creaks. “But you said...you tookcareof her…”
“I saw to it that her body was properly handled by the mortician and that she was given a proper burial. Your sister was in no position to handle that emotionally. And with your rescue under way, it needed to be done quickly.” I look at Amber. “So you wouldn’t have had to handle it either.”
She rests her hands over her heart. “You did that for us?”
“I know my brother used to be a maniac. He used to tear bloodbags apart. He used to kill innocent people in the city. But he’s a good heart under all that menace. He only defended himself with Seline—that’s it. You have my word.”
I bow my head once more, preparing for whatever she was about to say or decide. She deserves the truth. And she deserves to have those false impressions cleared up.
“I understand if that still hurts you,” I add. “But it’s the right thing to do to tell you the truth. Just like I did with the Historical Society.”
“Excuse me?”
I shrug nonchalantly, trying to play off the whole thing. “Morgana turned redder than I’ve ever seen in my centuries alive, but the other two are fascinated by the connection we’ve formed.”
“But that... Wouldn’t they...? What about the other kingdoms?”
“Your sister set the stage. Quinn will likely endorse it. I think it’s time for change here at Nightworth.”
Her face lights up. She strides toward me and throws herself into my arms, whimpering as I cradle her just the way she likes. She climbs me like a tree and offers me her neck, whispering heatedly for me to bite her, to take some blood, to taste the combined lifeforce inside her.
How can I possibly say no to something like that?
Change is hard to come by with creatures of habit. I’ve proven to be stubborn myself in most cases, choosing the route of tradition and guidelines set by old fangs that barely interacted with humans aside from their daily feedings. I’m not trash-talking my ancients. I’m just saying that things can—and should—change at some point.
Times are different now.
My reflection distracts me from the large tome on the desk. Amber dances around the room in the background with a hammer in one hand and a set of instructions in the other. She’s been pacing for weeks now. She can’t seem to stop moving.
I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I flush with heat.Well, I know one answer to that question.
“It’s called nesting,” she claims while rushing past me. She pauses, spins around, and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Remember, I can hear your thoughts now. We’re connected.”
“Don’t remind me.”
She smirks while pointing to the book. “What’s that?”
“Our family tree. I used the Alard tree from the library to create a new base. While it doesn’t span back as far as what we saw in your mind, I feel confident we can find your ancestors somewhere.”
She smiles warmly. “If Aerial isn’t opposed, we can do a few more scans. And maybe we can ask Jasper. He has access to the historical archives in the Onyxias kingdom.”
Rage rises and falls quickly.
Amber arches her right brow and waves the hammer. “Don’t get mad about Jasper. We never even hooked up. How can you possibly be jealous of someone that I didn’t evenkiss?”
“Because you’re mine.”
I grab her waist lightly and yank her into my lap. The hammer tumbles to the ground with the instruction pamphlet fluttering after it. She squeaks, then erupts into a series of giggles as I nuzzle her neck.
“Feeding time already?” Her chuckles fade into a sigh. “I’ll call Sandra to come up. Or do you want Hallie today?”
“I just want you.”
She rolls her eyes while craning to reach the rotary phone on the desk. Though she’s not too far along in her pregnancy, she’s already showing a pouch that invites my hand. Inside her belly is something magnificent.
“Amber, please,” I beg between chuckles. “Stop moving for two seconds. Justsit still.”
“Or what?” She palms the receiver and holds it to her ear. “Yes, could you send Sandra up to Darius’s suite? It’s time for a feeding. Thank you, Fran.”