18. Claude

EIGHTEEN

CLAUDE

C laude felt inspired after holding baby Mai. He realized in a profound, incredible moment, that he and Leigh's potential relationship really wasn't about the two of them at all. It was about securing a harmonious future between two species who, historically, had not always gotten along well.

Tristan and Barbara had done their emotional labor about striking a balance between the two groups, as had Aria after mating with Trevan. Claude admitted to himself that he hadn't understood how Aria could mate with someone with wolf blood, but he had been judgmental. She had done something that no member of his kind could have. She changed the rules and told everyone to go with the road of progress or don't follow the road at all.

And they had followed suit—the majority of them anyway. There were always going to be outliers and agitators, like Kim, who recoil at the idea of any kind of growth. Aria had stood her ground because of her love for Trevan. And they'd held on long enough for the Wolfe family to climb on board.

He wanted to divulge his epiphany to Leigh as soon as he could. He asked her to go to dinner with him after leaving the hospital, once agreeing to stay in the guest house on the Wolfe family property. Leigh seemed thrilled by the idea of helping to care for Mai. She was also exuberant about the Wolfe family's embrace of him, a lowly vampire.

"I don't have anything to wear," Leigh said as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot. "I didn't realize I would be having a sleepover."

Her tone was playful and sultry. When he looked at her in the passenger's seat, she was biting her lip. Gold flecked through those delicious hazel eyes.

"I didn't either," Claude said, smirking. "How about we make a quick stop? Pick up a few things before having dinner."

Leigh squeezed her legs together with unbridled enthusiasm, nodding like a bobblehead. They stopped at a local drug store for a few overnight supplies—toothbrushes, soap, skin cream, and a packet of granola bars for some snacks. Claude picked up some wine, as well, while Leigh hunted briefly for some overnight wear.

To the vampire's surprise, she also bought a rather fetching dress for their dinner date. She dazzled in a canary yellow wrap dress that she'd purchased for only ten bucks at a thrift store next to where he'd picked up a nightcap.

It hugged the contours of her frame deliciously. She dabbed on some makeup that she'd had in her purse, and they headed out to dine. Claude loved the way her hand had rested on his lap as they drove into the small town, gleams of city lights hovering like fireflies in the dim.

They went to a bar and pub-type establishment that served synthetic blood for Claude, as well as human food for Leigh. It was vampire-owned, but Claude wasn't sure if they were open to wolves. Not everyone could identify them, but he thought that the second anyone saw Leigh in her tight-fitted dress, her muscles rippling beneath the thin fabric, they would realize it in a second.

But when they arrived, no one made any remarks. Not even a snide look or comment.

The two took a seat out on the patio where torchlight burned and stars flooded over the velvet skyline. The air was cool and comfortable.

But most importantly, Leigh looked happy. That was really all the vampire needed.

"Leigh, I need to tell you something."

Leigh had ordered red wine with dinner while Claude was served synthetic blood in a similar-looking goblet. They had teased each other on the merits of wine versus blood drinking.

"Yes, Claude?"

Leigh's expression had dropped from the jovial carefreeness to somber and concerned. Claude leaned forward, grinning, stunned by her effortless beauty.

"No, no, it's nothing bad, I promise."

He reached across the table for her. His fingers looked long and ghostly white under the canopy of blazing starlight.

She reached back for him, entangling her warm fingers with his.

"Tell me," she said softly.

Claude's mouth ran dry, and for the first time in his incredibly long existence, he started to feel terror. It was as cold as he was, ice water surging through his veins and sinking into the ventricles of his heart.

But he said what he wanted to. He needed Leigh to hear the truth. She was far too vital to him. As vital as the synthetic blood he drank.

"I was foolish, Leigh. I'm sorry for everything I said to you back at Embraced. I was so concerned that my feelings for you were selfish. I thought that putting you before everyone else was going to harm my kind. But clearly, I was wrong."

Leigh nodded along, listening with all of her attention focused on him. He felt like trembling in the presence of it. He knew it was sacred and special.

She squeezed his hand tighter, and he went on, feeling his entire heart spilling out of his chest.

"I didn't think that my feelings deserved to disrupt the natural order of things—my own perceived, selfish feelings. But holding Mai today made me realize that that problem doesn't exist at all. There are going to be a few who disagree, but all progress that has been made in history has been done with a few… roadblocks."

Leigh looked effervescent in the encroaching moonlight, her eyes as round as saucers, drinking in every word Claude was saying. He had never felt so seen in his entire life.

When she spoke, her timbre was whimsical and airy.

"I'm so glad you said that Claude, because I wanted to say something too."

She leaned forward, still gripping his hand like a rider holding the reins of a horse. Claude was moved by the immensity of her smile.

"This is all very new to me too. When I helped out at the Thirsty Wolfe as bartender and manager, I was supposed to keep an eye peeled for vampires sneaking in. I didn't like them, mostly because I was taught to."

Leigh closed her eyes and shook her head. She then grimaced like she'd tasted something sour.

"I feel terrible that I ever felt that way. It was really based on nothing. Meeting you has changed everything for me. Having a vampire in close proximity, and then to start to fall for one…"

Leigh swallowed, then her eyes swam open. To Claude, they looked like the most succulent honey-rich blend of Italian coffee.

"…It really shook my world, Claude. You really turned it upside down."

Her voice cracked mournfully, and Claude leaned forward even farther, his shoulders squared with studious ferocity.

"Did a vampire do something to you, Leigh?" he asked, edging the border of total chaotic rage. "Tell me. I will make it right."

Leigh shook her head and waved a hand through the air.

"No, no, nothing happened with any vampires. I was just told to watch out for them. I know that Aria took out the rotten apples, but it's just difficult to shake that way of thinking. I wanted you to know that before we begin, whatever this is..."

She trailed off and averted her gaze. Claude cupped his hands around hers as the flames of the torchlight danced beyond her head like a disembodied crown.

"Leigh, you don't have to be sorry about that," he whispered, tracing each digit of her fingers with his own. "I was raised to hate wolves too. I've been slightly more adjusted than you, only because of Trevan. Now I have you. And I wouldn't ask for anyone else."

Leigh returned to lock eyes with the vampire. Her crestfallen stare wore off, and the entrancing smile returned. It made Claude feel hypnotized.

He knew then that he would do anything to make the wolf before him happy.

"Thank you, Claude. I hope it isn't too much of a burden to help me out of that thinking. I want to be involved in your world. I really do."

"I know," he replied softly with a crooked grin. "I'm one of the good ones, Leigh, and I've found that you are too. Something is destined for us. I know it."

She laughed gently, then brought his hands to her lips. She grazed along his knuckle with her wet, parted plump mouth, then kissed each finger with a lingering passion.

Claude's cock hardened in his pants.

Leigh looked up at him over hooded, flirtatious eyes. Her gaze was dark and pulling him in.

"Do you want to finish up here and have me for dessert instead?"

Claude felt like the earth was going to split apart. His stuttering response made Leigh cover her mouth to conceal her hysterical laughter.

"Um, well yes, I don't think I've ever heard such a proposition before," he teased her back. "But yeah, that sounds perfect. You are my favorite meal, after all."

Once Claude had paid the bill, they headed back to the guest house in his car. There was a lot of thigh rubbing coming from Leigh as he sped through twilight. He saw that her pupils were big black moons, and her energy had morphed into a primal, feral sensuality.

It varied with vampires, but Claude knew that whatever blood was pumping through his veins, it was searing hot with thirst for the wolf next to him. The icy glass had cracked.