4. Consider My Home Yours

CHAPTER 4

Consider My Home Yours

E mery could not believe how this night was turning out. When he had followed the call of his shadows and invited Jelisette back to his home, he'd known there was something special about her.

He never brought other people here. It was his sanctuary and had been for years.

But she fit in perfectly.

There was something about Jelisette that made all of him pay attention. His shadows stirred, his heart raced, and his eyes followed her across the room.

He'd heard of vampires making connections like this, but he had never known it for himself. Never even thought it was possible.

He finished his drink as she stepped towards him.

"When I saw you across the lake, I felt… drawn to you." Jelisette's black eyes shone as she moved closer. "Do you… Did you feel it, too?"

It wasn't just him, then.

His lips twitched up, relief flooding through him. "Yes, I did." The gravel in his voice surprised him. Many things about tonight surprised him. He closed the distance between them with a few smooth glides, leaving his empty glass on a stack of books. "I meant what I said earlier. I never bring anyone here. "

"Not even those that you intend to spend some... quality time with?" The insinuation was clear as Jelisette asked the question.

Smirking, Emery shook his head. "No. I haven't done anything like that in quite some time."

He hadn't wanted to. In fact, until this vampire showed up tonight, he hadn't wanted to do much of anything at all. Even killing evil people, which used to give him some sort of satisfaction, had been growing tiresome. None of that remained in his bones now, though.

"Oh." Her red lips parted, revealing beautiful fangs. Between her long chestnut hair, her vampire-pale skin, and those fangs, she was stunning.

Every part of Emery tightened, and a growing sense of possessiveness grew within him. He wanted Jelisette.

The following words slipped off Emery's tongue before he could stop them.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

She stared at him, so he felt obliged to keep going.

"Not to… you know. Stay… as a friend. I like your company." Gods, was he a Fledgling? His typical eloquence was nowhere to be found right now. "Please."

He didn't know what had led him to ask the question, but now that the words had left his lips, they rang with truth. He wanted her to stay. For a night? A week? Eternity?

He didn't know.

Right now, all he knew was that he didn't want her to leave. The sunrise was coming, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't want to be alone.

Jelisette opened her mouth, then closed it again as her eyes swept over his.

Each second felt like an eternity as he waited for her response. His heart beat faster, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. Was this fast? Yes. Was it right? Also yes.

After what felt like several lifetimes, Jelisette smiled. Her fangs were on full display, and a glint of something dark entered her eyes as she held his gaze. "Yes, I will. "

Something that felt awfully similar to relief fluttered through Emery's stomach.

"Wonderful."

That night, they stayed up well into the early hours of the morning. They talked, drank, and laughed—all things he hadn't done in many, many years.

When the time came to sleep, each took a side on the bed. Neither touched the other and yet, when Emery woke the next night, he realized he'd had the best sleep of his life.

"I need to go home," Jelisette said when they woke up.

And there went the happy feeling in Emery's stomach. "Oh," he said. "Alright."

He had no reason to be upset about this. For the gods' sake, they hadn't even done anything. But he felt like she was leaving him behind.

"Not to stay there," Jelisette said. "But I need to shower and gather some clothes. Unless you don't want me to stay, in which case…"

"No." Emery sat up so quickly that the mattress bounced a little. "I want you to stay for as long as you want."

Preferably forever. It was fucking insane, feeling like this after such a short period of time, but he did.

"Okay." Jelisette shook out her hair as she rolled out of the bed and drew shadows from her palms. "Come with me?"

He took her hand. "With pleasure."

Jelisette's apartment was small but clean. Emery ran his fingers along the spines of the books in the living room. Two empty glasses were drying on the kitchen counter. The pair of vampires had enjoyed several bags of blood when they'd first arrived. Not nearly as delicious as drinking from the vein, but available and satisfying… enough.

Jelisette had gone into her bedroom to shower and pack, leaving Emery to explore. The space was clean, and there weren't any traces of anyone else here except for Jelisette.

That knowledge lit a glowing ember within Emery. They'd known each other for such a short time, but that didn't really seem to matter. He was inexplicably drawn to Jelisette. He rarely felt comfortable with others and usually kept strict barriers erected between himself and others. He didn't feel the need for those at all when it came to Jelisette.

A few minutes later, she exited her bedroom with a black suitcase in hand. "I'm ready," she said. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and she looked positively sinful in a crimson sweater and black pants that hugged her curves. She wore heeled boots that he was certain weren't comfortable, but they looked hot as sin.

Emery strode over, his legs eating the small space in three lengths, and he took the suitcase from her. "Need anything else?"

Jelisette took a look around and shook her head. "No. This is just an apartment. Nothing more." She ducked her head, a shy look that he hadn't yet seen taking over her features. "And I think… I'm more comfortable with you. If you'll have me in your cave."

"You can stay as long as you want," he said. "Consider my home yours."

He'd never lived with anyone before, not even when he was mortal, and yet there was nothing but a thrill of pleasure that went through him at the thought of this vampire staying with him.

A dazzling grin danced across her face. "Thank you, Emery."

She slid her hand into his, and that ember grew into a tiny flame. Fire was deadly to vampires, but there was nothing wrong with this heat burning within him.

If anything, it made him… want her more.

That night, they stayed in the cave and talked about everything and nothing. Emery told Jelisette about his life as a librarian, and she shared stories from her mortal childhood with him.

On the third night, Emery woke up with a smile on his face. He glanced over at the vampire sleeping beside him and sighed contentedly. He was… happy.

Fuck. He hadn't been happy in a long, long time.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, a week had passed. The last seven days had been the most pleasurable ones of Emery's entire existence, and they'd yet to do anything physical. Not that he didn't want to—gods help him, but Jelisette was starring in his fantasies every time he slept—but they weren't there yet. It didn't seem to matter.

At dusk on the eighth day, Emery woke to a raven's caw. He propped himself up on his elbow as the black bird flew into the cave, a piece of parchment in its mouth.

He plucked the missive. "Thank you."

With a caw, the bird left.

Emery unfolded the message, read the contents, and frowned. He'd expected something like this to happen, but he'd hoped a few more weeks would pass before it did. He was just enjoying his time with Jelisette so much. Unfortunately, evil never took a vacation, and neither could he. A man had to work, even a centuries-old vampire such as himself. Emery sighed and slipped the note under his pillow.

An arm's length away from him, Jelisette slept peacefully. She wore silky blue pajamas, the outfit far more fashionable (and expensive) than the sweatpants that he currently wore. Her hair fanned out around her, her eyes were shut, and her lips were parted just enough to give him a peek of one of her fangs.

Ithiar-damned beautiful.

A heartbeat later, Jelisette cracked open an eye. A smile danced on her face. "Hey."

Her voice was raspy when she first woke, and Ithiar help him if it didn't make him feel all kinds of ways. "Hi," he returned.

"Were you looking at me?"

He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. They'd been doing this all week—small touches, stolen moments here and there. "I was."

He couldn't help it. She was a siren, and he was called to her side.

"Did you like what you saw?"

"Gods, yes." Emery reached out and trailed a hand down Jelisette's face. Her skin was soft against his calloused hands, and she leaned into his touch. "How would you feel about taking a trip with me tonight?"

She cocked a brow and sat up, the blanket bunching at her waist. "Where do you want to go?"

"I have a… job." He ran his tongue over his fangs and puzzled about how best to say this. He didn't want to scare her off now. "You could say that my particular… abilities are required."

They had yet to discuss the fae that Emery had killed in the alley, nor had they talked about what he did for a living.

Jelisette's brows furrowed. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

Hoping he was choosing the right words, Emery paused before saying, "People are evil."

She snorted. "Yes, and the sun is deadly to our kind. These are both things I am well aware of."

He loved her sharp tongue. There hadn't been a moment of dullness all week. "True," Emery said. "In this case, I've been summoned to… deal with someone."

Her black orbs searched his. Every second seemed to stretch on for a lifetime before she nodded slowly. "I see."

Did she really?

"I'm going to kill them." Emery threw subtlety aside for the sake of ensuring she understood what he was saying. He pulled the missive out from under his pillow and showed it to Jelisette.

While she read it, he explained that Yvan Thorn, a renowned werewolf criminal, had been spotted in the Eastern Region. Thorn's crimes ranged from bad—money laundering—to horrific—crimes against children that would have even the most hardened of vampires or Death Elves sick to their stomachs. Emery's contacts had been hunting Thorn for months, and they finally found him.

When he finished, he sat back and waited for Jelisette's reaction. He studied her eyes, her lips, her entire body for a sign of what she would say. His heart thundered in his chest as he waited and waited.

Eventually, a smile crept across Jelisette's face. "Can I help?"

He blinked. Of all the things he thought she would say, that wasn't one of them.

"You want to help me… kill him?" Stunned, Emery had to clarify .

"Yes." Jelisette canted her head, and a dark glimmer entered her eyes. "I've always found bloodshed… invigorating."

Gods damn it, his entire body warmed at the heat in her words. This was a wholly unexpected—and delightful—turn of events.

"Yeah?" Emery hopped off the bed and stretched. "Well then, let's go."