2. Chapter Two
Chapter two
Benji
“You are being let in on a secret,” Lysandro said. “One that you can’t even tell Rafe or Sadie about.”
I squeezed his hand, thrilled beyond belief that he was touching me like this, touching me when it didn’t have anything to do with him drinking my essence. “I know. I understand how important your privacy is. I promise.”
He nodded. “Thank you. We’re headed to a small town on the Jersey shore.”
Excitement bubbled up inside of me. We were going to New Jersey? “Near the ocean?” I asked, praying that he said yes.
“Yes. My house is a block away from the ocean, but from my attic balcony, you can see it perfectly since my house faces east.”
I bit my lip, trying hard not to bounce in my seat, but this was like a dream come true for me. Not only had I finally escaped the city that had never been kind to me—with very few exceptions—but I was going to be near the beach. “Pinch me,” I said, holding my arm across the seats.
My companion startled. “Why on Earth for?”
“Because I must’ve died, and I’m going to heaven.”
Lysandro’s lips twitched before breaking into a small grin. “That’s such a humorous thing to say to someone like me. Heaven.” He tutted. “I’m glad you’re happy, though.”
“Happy? I’m thrilled. Now go ahead, pinch me.”
Snorting, he took his hand off my leg and pinched the skin on my wrist gently between his cold fingers. “There. Do you believe you’re still alive now?”
I’d caught him taking side-eye glances at me, so I took a chance and batted my eyelashes playfully. “I do, and I’m thrilled, but I’ll be even happier when you put your hand back on my leg.”
He hesitated for a mere second before resting his palm back on my thigh.
I hummed in contentment, dropping my hand back onto his and deciding to soak up the drive—since I hadn’t actually even been in a car very many times, and never for a car ride outside of getting from point A to point B in the city.
“Benji, we’re here.”
Sitting up quickly, I rubbed my knuckles into the corners of my eyes. “I fell asleep?”
“Mhm, which isn’t surprising. This is normal sleeping time for humans, after all.”
He hadn’t picked me up at my apartment until after midnight, and it was…I glanced at my watch. “Wow. It’s already two AM. I’m sorry. I wasn’t very good company.”
“You were better company than you know,” Lysandro murmured as he slipped out of the SUV.
Annoyed at myself, but so pumped about this new adventure, I got out and stopped, staring at the awesomeness in front of me.
A narrow two-and-a-half-story Victorian shore cottage stared back from the glow of the yard lights shining on it.
The main part of the house was cream, but the overhangs were pink, and the attic gable had a blue and green pattern.
It was freaking incredible. But confusing.
“Is this your house?”
As he picked up my suitcases, he tilted his head quizzically. “Of course. Is there something wrong?”
“No, no,” I said, in case my actual thought offended him. “It just looks so big for a man who lives by himself. You do live alone, right?”
He quirked his right eyebrow. “Of course. But now you’re here, so this will be your house.”
My dreamy sigh almost escaped me. My house with Lysandro.
Did this mean we’d finally do something physical?
I sure hoped so. My hand hadn’t gotten a workout like the last several months since I was a teenager.
Nor had my dildo, for that matter. Coming from Lysandro drinking my blood was cool, but coming from him touching my body would be incredible.
I followed him up the path to the front door where he balanced my suitcases and unlocked the door.
He leaned in and set all my stuff down immediately inside the entryway, then waved a hand to usher me in.
“Please feel free to sleep in whichever room is most to your liking. I had a couple of kids from town stock the fridge and cabinets, so you should be all set.”
As I passed him, walking in, he took a step back. “Where are you going?”
“I have other accommodations elsewhere, as well.” He smiled gently. “This place is all yours, Benji. I hope you’ll make it your own and enjoy it.”
Sputtering, I choked out, “You’re leaving me here? Alone?”
Lysandro stroked a feather-light touch down my cheek. “It’s perfectly safe here, I promise. I’ll be back tomorrow. I know you like libraries, so I have a surprise for you.”
Before I could say another word, ask him where he’d be, how long until he’d be back, or plain just beg him to stay, he disappeared off the porch and into the night, leaving me here alone.
Tears stung in my eyes as I stared helplessly into the night, hoping that he’d return. How could he abandon me in a town I’d never been in on my first night here? I’d had such hope that this was it, that me coming here, us living together, would take our relationship to new places.
There’d been whispers around Velvet Vein for weeks that Damien had said I was Lysandro’s consort.
I didn’t know exactly what that meant for vampires, but I knew Lysandro didn’t have a harem waiting for him at home or anything, so I’d taken it to mean that I was special.
Something more, but maybe I’d misread the whole situation.
Admitting defeat and acknowledging that he was indeed gone, I backed into the house, shutting the door and resting my forehead against it.
Only then did the quiet stillness around me become noticeable.
Where were the sounds of cars driving by or the occasional sound of someone yelling or a group laughing?
The feeling of truly being deserted propelled me into motion.
I needed to check all the windows and doors and make sure everything was locked up and secured.
I didn’t know this town or the people here.
Lysandro might think this place was safe, but he was a freaking bloodsucker.
As a human, frail in comparison to him, and very much capable of dying, I couldn’t take chances.
I’d checked the sliding locks on all the windows in the living room and was headed for the kitchen when my surroundings finally infiltrated my panic. “Holy shit.”
Lysandro’s home was nothing less than a burst of vivid colors and patterns.
It was literally the most whimsical place I’d ever been.
It was like stepping onto the set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or entering the studio of an artist who covered their canvas by flicking all the color palettes for reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples off of their brush and onto the surface.
It was…holy fuck, it was magical. Mr. Dark and Mysterious was an eccentric, quirky, flamboyant character in hiding. A giggle escaped my lips, breaking out into a full boisterous laugh. Screw where Lysandro lived. The true secret was this.
My annoyance at being left, and my fear of being alone in a new place, all disappeared as I set to exploring.
For every colorful painting on the wall, for every paisley or checker print, and for every artfully-styled throw blanket and pile of pillows arranged on the couches, recliners, and beds, my undying infatuation for ancient, scary Lysandro the vampire transformed into a deep fondness for this paranormal being, this vampire, who’d created such a lovely home.
Lysandro
Opening the door quietly so as not to wake Benji, I slipped into my house on Belflower Lane.
Blurring away at the speed I had, I’d known he didn’t see me scale the white oak out front and watch him as he stood at the doorway, tears in his eyes, hoping for my return.
It had taken all of my resolve to stay hidden instead of coming in and spending his first night with him.
He’d thought it had been sweet of me to give him a week to tie up his affairs, and to a degree, I had done that for him, but it had also been for me. I’d needed time to come to terms with him knowing my truth.
There were people who were part of the supernatural—witches, mystics, and Dreamwalkers—here in Willowhope who knew, of course, but they had no connections to the vampire world.
They knew no others, and if any encroached on my territory, they’d be dispensed with before any of my friends here ever interacted with them.
With Benji’s ties to Velvet Vein, which also happened to be the main headquarters for the Vampire Syndicate, I was playing with fire.
Since it had been such a late night for Benji, I moved quietly down the hallway to wait in the living room. He’d wake up soon enough—
Something hard and sharp slammed into the back of my head, shattering on my skull, and I spun, fangs and talons at the ready. In my own home, I’d been unprepared for an attack, so I’d been careless in paying attention to my surroundings.
Pale as a ghost, Benji screamed and sprinted toward the stairs.
“Benji, wait,” I said, running past him and stopping on the center stairs, holding my hands up in a mollifying gesture. “Benji, it’s me.”
He backed up until he hit the wall, shaking his head. “It’s impossible. You can’t be…” He trailed off, then whispered, “You can’t come out in sunlight. You’d burn up.” He shook his head harder, like he was trying to clear his mind. “I don’t understand.”
“I know this seems unusual to you,” I said in my most soothing tone, desperately hoping that I wouldn’t have to put him in my thrall to keep him from hurting himself.
It wasn’t that I had a problem doing that when one deserved it for their evil deeds or when it became necessary for the safety of my kind, but I never wanted to do it to him. I never wanted him to doubt his autonomy when he was with me.
“Lysandro?” he asked, sounding confused and perhaps a little hurt. He looked adorably rumpled this morning with his hair all wild from sleep, in only a pair of bright blue boxer briefs.
What had I been thinking coming in so early? I should’ve waited, made sure he was dressed. A mostly naked Benji was the last thing I needed to see. “It’s me. Good morning.” I smiled gently, reassuringly.
He squeezed his eyes closed. “I don’t understand.”