Page 56 of Vampire Savage

“Are you sure you don’t need me to wait?” Simon asks as he eyes the streets nervously before looking up at the large, three-story French colonial style house dominating the block.

“I promise,” I assure him and press a kiss to his cheek. He blushes and I pat his shoulder. “I hope you know how much I appreciate you, Simon. Sometimes I feel like I’m closer to you than my father. I’m perfectly safe here, and I need to sort out the security contract with the Nightshades for the gallery. They’ll have a driver take me home when I’m ready.”

Simon makes a face when I mention my father, before adjusting his driver’s cap. “Someone has to worry about you, girl. If you change your mind, promise to call me?”

“I promise.”

He waits in the driver’s seat as I push through the white iron garden gate and hurry up to the imposing set of double doors that serve as the entrance of the Nightshade vampires’ clan house. Before, Lan took me through the underground private garage so it’s rather novel to ring the doorbell and wait.

Will Joséphine even be home? Maybe it’s a good thing Simon is still waiting.

Just as my thoughts begin to spiral into doubt, the right door opens. Joséphine, to my relief, is the one who answers and when she sees me, her expression morphs from mildly curious and blank into a warm smile.

“Ms. Foster,” she greets, her words welcoming even with her slight French accent. “How unexpected. You must come in.”

I turn enough to wave at Simon and he pulls away as I follow Landon’s mom inside. This time I take my time drinking in the house, and I’m surprised again at how many houseplants there are.

“If you are looking for Landon, I’m afraid he’s out working,” she says, closing the door behind me.

Like the first time I met her, she’s wearing a dark outfit that makes me think of the Victorian era with its collared neck, voluminous sleeves cuffed at the wrist, and slim bodice tucked into a high-waisted, floor-length skirt in black. It should look dated, but with her delicately lined face and gray hair pulled back into a tight bun, she looks regal and timeless.

Compared to her, my dark blue jeans and white cable-knit sweater feels too modern and casual. There was no way I was showing up to talk to Lan’s mom with his cum on my breasts and thighs, so I went home to shower and change before coming over.

“Actually,” I begin, shifting as the nerves return. “I was hoping I could speak with you? If you’re available, that is.”

“Oh!” Her smile grows wider. “Of course. Are you hungry? I can have something brought for us to nibble on.”

I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything, so I shake my head. “Thank you, though.”

She guides me through the connected rooms until we settle in one I haven’t seen before. It’s tucked away in the back of the house and smaller than my bedroom but filled with light from the large windows. There’s a small writing desk in one corner, and an antique-looking low couch set across from two matching chairs. Between them is a table in the same style, and the entire room is done in shades of pale pinks, lavenders, and creams. It’s feminine without being overwhelming or cliché.

“This is what Ambrose calls my own office, but I’ve never considered it a place of work,” she explains before sliding a phone out of her pocket. A moment later, she returns it as she sits on the couch, gesturing for me to sit beside her. “I’ve requested tea, since it will not do to have a conversation without refreshments. Now, tell me, child, what brings you here to see me?”

I set my Kate Spade tote down and tuck a foot under my thigh as I gather my thoughts. Joséphine exudes calm and motherly support and just being in this room that is so clearly hers has me ready to lay everything out at her feet.

“Landon said that I’m his mate.” I figure it’s best to get right to the point. She doesn’t say anything, waiting patiently for me to continue. “I have no real idea as to what that means. I thought about looking it up online but I don’t know if whatever I found would be accurate or not. I know I could just ask him, but he’s already told me he may never be able to love me, so I doubt he’d give an unbiased opinion.”

Joséphine snorts, shaking her head. “That boy has convinced himself that he’s a psychopath as they call it in modern times.” Before she can continue, she looks towards the door. “Ah, our tea.”

A young man in a suit similar to what Landon and the other vampires wear walks in carefully holding a large tray. He’s got sandy blond hair and his golden eyes tell me he’s a vampire, but something about his mannerisms tells me he’s younger than even me.

“Here you are, Mama Joséphine,” he says, his voice a soft tenor, as he sets the tray down on the table. It’s a full tea service, with delicate china and a plate of sandwiches and another, smaller one of the cookies I’d enjoyed the last time I was here.

“Thank you, Edward. That will be all,” she says, and after he leaves, she pours us both a cup. I decline the milk and sugar and note how she adds a generous amount of both to her own. She takes a long sip before facing me again.

“You know that Landon is my son, both by birth and rebirth?” When I nod she continues, an affectionate look in her eyes. Her love for her son is so obvious that a spike of envy lances my heart. “As a young man, he was full of life and joy. He had resentment for Ambrose, of course, because he blamed him for his father’s actions. I often wonder if Landon would have responded differently to Ambrose turning me if the incident never occurred.”

I cradle the porcelain tea cup in my hands, the china finer than even most of the social elite in Newgate. “By the incident, you mean the night my father’s orders got most of his fellow soldiers killed?”

“He’s told you? Yes, I mean precisely that. His head injury changed him, but I think it was also humanity itself that turned him so cold. Lan had always wanted to believe in the best of men, which is why he had such distaste for the man who raised me. Ambrose has never hidden that he operates on both sides of the law of man and morality.

“After I nursed my son back to health, I think the flames burned away any hope he had in his fellow men. I consulted the best doctors at the time, and I was finally told I must accept that this new Landon was how my son would always be.”

I reach out and cover her free hand with my own, squeezing gently. “It must have been incredibly difficult to face.”

She returns the squeeze and then takes another sip of tea before setting her cup and saucer down. “Cookie?” she asks, and I accept, unable to resist the chocolate chip and toffee treat.

“I only say this because he still believes himself a savage. I am not unaware of the brutalities my son has committed, nor am I oblivious to his enjoyment in such acts. Yet, I believe my son still has a light in him, dim as it may have grown. It is why he recognizes you as his mate, and it brings me so much joy that he’s accepting it.” Her soft expression turns puzzled as she studies me. “Though your scents are mixed, he has not marked you yet?”

---