Chapter 16 Sam #3
When he looked at me, I stepped forward and lifted myself onto my tiptoes to give him a kiss. He responded immediately, his arms encircling my back as he held me to him.
Eventually, I drew away. “And as much as I would like to kiss you all day, it looks like I’ve got some coffee to make.”
It looked kind of like the model of coffee machine my gram used to have, and I’d watched her make enough coffee on enough Sunday mornings before church that I should have been able to operate this old thing in my sleep.
“Let me try it?”
“Sure.” He stepped back but rested his hand on my ass as I bent over for a closer look.
I leveled a mock glare at him over my shoulder. “I need to concentrate. Did I distract you?”
He shrugged. “You’re always distracting.”
I liked this Kyle. This emotionally available one.
I liked the other Kyle, too. The man of few words who just looked imposing and untouchable.
But this Kyle, this man in front of me, was very definitely mine.
I returned my attention to the coffee machine and wiggled my ass slightly as I did. Kyle’s fingers tightened and he groaned quietly.
I grinned. “See… You just want to press this button here, make sure the mug is in place like so…” I reached and adjusted the position of the mug.
“Flip this switch and…” I waited until the machine made a lazy chugging noise, spluttering to life for the first time in God alone knew how long. “Voilà! Coffee is coming.”
He caught me to him.
“Is coffee the only thing that will be coming this morning?” I caught my breath as I dared ask him the overly bold question, then determinedly looked him in the eye so I could style it out.
He chuckled. “Hmm… Now there’s an idea that hadn’t occurred to me.”
I pressed against him and wound my arms around his neck. “You’re having an idea?” I shifted against him. “Wait… You carry your ideas in your pocket? I think I can feel it.”
He laughed and shifted away. “Well, you should probably drink your coffee, but we do need to stay in, although I don’t want to wear you out.”
“Are we staying in to hide from Esmé?” A sizzle of fear flickered through me at the thought of Esmé in a rage. I probably wasn’t strong enough to deal with that just yet.
“Mostly to make sure nothing changes with you, really.” He kissed my forehead.
“But I feel great.” The words were the truest I’d ever spoken.
Behind me, the coffee machine hissed in either relief or satisfaction as it finished brewing my coffee. Could also have been a sound of defeat.
“But you might not always feel great.” Kyle’s mouth formed a grim line, and a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. “We don’t know if your body will try to shut down.”
“Wait… that happens?” It made no sense. I’d never felt better.
“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his scar, tracing it back and forth. “Yeah, turning is risky. I’ve…” He hesitated. “I’ve gotten it wrong before.”
“You’ve… you’ve turned other people?” My throat dried even though of course he’d turned other people. It wasn’t like he was a monk before me.
I reached for my coffee, my movements deceptively casual, and took a sip after saying, “You had a mate before?”
Kyle spluttered like he was the one who’d just taken a drink. “What? No.” His denial was so shocked, so emphatic, that I didn’t deny it.
I watched him over the rim of my mug, so I didn’t need to talk. I didn’t know what to say.
“No. I mean, I loved Camille, but she wasn’t my mate.
I thought… I thought I loved her, anyway.
But I… I fed too much. And when I tried to turn her, she.
.. it… didn’t…” He floundered. “It didn’t work, or her body rejected it.
I’ve seen bodies reject the change. Nic’s mate, Leia, he didn’t think she’d make it through.
I’ve —” He gestured at me. “I’ve never seen this. ”
I laughed. “This? You mean me?”
“I’ve never seen someone do this well. I don’t… I don’t…” He shook his head.
I took his hand, placing my mug on the counter before I moved to stand next to him.
“You know what? I’ve been a thrall for a while now.
And it’s not like Esmé has been the most careful owner.
I’ve been chock full of vampire venom for all that time.
Maybe I’ve built up a resistance to it? That would make sense, right? ”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” His stubble rasped as he scratched his jaw. “I’ve never dealt with —” He stopped again.
“A thrall?” I supplied. “It’s okay to say it.”
“But you aren’t a thrall,” he said. “You’re my mate.”
Those words sent a sharp spike of pleasure through me. “I know.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “But I was a thrall and that means I might be making the transition easier than most, right?” I put a new mug under the coffee machine spout. “Coffee for you, too?”
He nodded. “Sure. Look, I’ll ask Nic about the venom resistance thing. Maybe you’re right. Maybe your system already knew how to handle it. But Nic will know for sure, or maybe he can find something in his Book of Gray. That’s like a lore or history thing. I don’t know. I don’t have one.”
As his coffee started to perfume the air, he told me a little about Nic and his family. About how their long history meant they had a wealth of information to draw on.
“Nic was even a born vampire,” he finished as I handed him his steaming mug.
“Can you tell me more about them in bed? We can take our drinks in there?” Sitting curled up to him and listening while he talked seemed like the perfect way to spend our day together, especially if Kyle wanted to keep as close an eye on me as he said he did.
He glanced at me and winked. “Sounds great to me.”