Downright cackling and nearly unladylike, Lizzy finished the story. “I can’t believe I almost forgot about that. It was a struggle to get that kid to wear clothes, lord knows why. His little penis was jiggling about as he ran, and he was growling the most fearsome battle cry, insisting that he was ‘unstoppable.’”
“Okay, okay.” Bennett’s dimples were deep as he fought between laughing and defending himself. “I was ready to be a hunter long before my DNA let me accept the gift.”
Nudging his side, Adair grinned. She leaned back and said so only he could hear, “I hope you haven’t outgrown the look. Call me old fashioned, but I gotta say, I’d love to see you in nothing but leather and steel.”
Biting his lip, he splayed his hand over her thigh and squeezed. His breath a warm rush, a whisper over her skin, he murmured in her ear, “Be careful what you wish for. I was determined to show those vampires who’s boss.”
After a few more stories, her abdomen sore from laughing so much, Adair poured another round of wine for the table.
“You were born in the sixteenth century? You must have so many stories,” Lizzy said.
“Immortality is not for everyone. Seeing firsthand when history repeats itself, or when it is remembered incorrectly, can be incredibly disheartening. It’s like my hands are tied.”
“Even in my hundred years, I have observed as much. It would be easy to give up.”
Adair let an easy smile pass her lips. “I suppose. But with a hint of patience, it can be a journey. Always a new adventure to be had.”
Bennett drained the last of his wine and linked his hand with Adair’s under the table. “Adair seems to find a thrill in even the smallest of details, which is why I think she never tires of this life. Someday, maybe she’ll tell me about all the occupations she’s worked.”
She shrugged. “Not as many as I’d like. Nothing that risks my discovery, nor anything that involves sunlight.”
Before his mother could respond, Bennett said, “Wait a sec. Mom? You haven’t touched your wine. Isn’t this from one of your favorite vineyards?”
Lizzy and Jonathan leaned into each other and beamed. Jonathan spoke up, “Actually, we came to Paris to celebrate. We have been trying for nearly a decade and are finally expecting a sibling for you. Two, actually.”
Grin spread from ear to ear, Bennett raised his glass. “Why didn’t you say so? And twins? Holy shit, that’s practically unheard of for hunters. Congratulations.”
Her smile weak as the others toasted, Lizzy sighed before speaking. “I wanted to say sooner, but, when I realized you were changed, and you won’t be able to…”
Bennett chewed his cheek. “Don’t. This is not what I planned, but I am accepting. I’m going to be a big brother, what could be better? I am so thrilled for you. I am godfather to little Skye. However long I have on this planet, the average lifespan of a demon hunter, a vampire’s eternity of loneliness, or a few days until I’m squashed by Tromos, I have plenty of life and love around me.”
Heart shattering for him, Adair’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes welled with heat and she rubbed her hand over his thigh, leaning in and placing a light kiss on his jaw where his muscle tensed in contrast to his words and smile. He laced his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand.
Quiet, but calm, plates empty, cozy from wine and memories shared, they eased out of the restaurant and into the night. A frigid gust chilled her to the bone, but she needed it. A wake-up call. Or something. As he had a decade ago, he was making her yearn.
Tires squealed behind them. In front of them. From the side.
A snarl from the alley.
The street, moments ago blissfully empty on the winter night, was now flooded with her estranged brethren.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Blayk snickered as he stepped into the light. He snuffed out a cigarette under his boot, the smoke huffing from his nostrils like a furious dragon as he exhaled.
Bennett stepped out in front of the others, pushed his shoulders back and smirked. “Missed me?”
“Actually, I’m here for her.” He glanced to Adair.
At Bennett’s side, Adair cocked her hip out and rolled her eyes. “Since when did you stoop to becoming Calloway’s errand boy?”
Lizzy moved to her side and snarled, “You’re not taking her.”
A dozen vampires filled in behind Blayk, another dozen circled them, more filtering out of the cars. Adair scanned the street for an escape, but knew the fight was inevitable.
Reaching for the nearest of them, in a blink, Bennett snatched a vampire by the shirt and tugged him close, then snapped his neck and theatrically dusted off his hands as the vampire dropped to the ground.
No one moved.
Bennett tilted his head to the side, the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Don’t make it so easy on me. Who’s next?”
