Page 85 of The Vampire's Mate

Although I had to admit, I did feel a little better—but it had nothing to do with his kisses, and everything to do with his presence. I only drifted off after he slid in and pulled me close, completely undoing me with a single soft kiss to my temple. His hand in mine, knowing he was right beside me, was all that I needed.

Chapter 30

Christmas Eve

’Twas the night before Christmas,and all through the house, not a creature was stirring—except for the Husky who might die if he didn’t get any pizza.

I’d just woken up from a mid-afternoon nap, and followed the sounds of voices and the song of Carlos’s people to the kitchen where he was in an all-out fight with James over the box on the table. Hannah sat there, happily eating her slice and watching in amusement.

I winced when Carlos’s pitch notched even higher. How it wasn’t hurting James’s sensitive ears, I had no idea. “I don’t think this is a fight you’ll win, babe.”

James threw me a scowl, then turned to hide the grin on his face. “Cujo didn’t wake you, did he?”

I shrugged and joined Hannah. “I’m awake regardless. Now give me that,” I said, making grabby hands at the food. “I’m starving.”

Hannah slid the box my way and I grabbed a piece from it.

“I’ll get you a plate, you heathen.”

“I don’t need a plate!” I garbled around a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni.

One was placed in front of me anyway.

It had been almost two months since our latest vampire-related adventure. My concussion faded rather quickly, save for the tiny pink scar that hid perfectly behind my hairline. My nose healed and thankfully, the snoring that came with it hadn’t stuck around. My car was totaled. Obviously the whole thing had been a trap, but for insurance purposes, the other driver ran a red light and insurance paid out for it.

Kian was in the hospital for four weeks, but was eventually released with a clean bill of health. He was still recovering, and sported a few new scars on his back and stomach. Gabriel was right not to let me remove the stake, otherwise Kian would have bled to death. He left his job at the restaurant after tensions arose when he couldn’t do much of the physical work he’d done before the… “accident,” as we were calling it. We’d told Hannah he’d gotten hurt in a second car accident that day. It sounded a lot better than “your boyfriend got involved with a clan of vampire hunters and got stabbed by a wooden stake. James made sure that Hannah forgot about the events leading up. We hated keeping the truth from her—especially with Kian knowing all the nasty parts of the supernatural—but I wanted to protect Hannah from it all as much as possible.

Luke surprised us all by stepping up to help, sitting with Kian when Hannah couldn’t and even going so far as to cover Kian’s bills while he was recovering. James, the saint that he was, agreed to protect Luke without hesitation—so long as he proved himself tobothof us.

Hannah’s voice brought me back to my thoughts—and James, who was walking back into the room after answering the front door. “Hey, you,” Hannah said, accepting a kiss from Kian who’d appeared over her shoulder. He was getting better, but I noticed his slight wince when he straightened again.

“You couldn’t convince Luke to join us?” I asked, stealing a second slice of pizza. I knew he’d dropped Kian off, since Kian hadn’t yet been cleared to drive.

Kian shook his head. “I tried. He said it still doesn’t feel right.”

James saved the situation from getting awkward. “Is Shiloh coming?”

I shook my head. “They’re spending Christmas in Houston with their family.”

James smiled. I was thrilled for Shiloh. Despite loving it in Salem, they missed their family. It was without a doubt the Christmas bonus James gave them that paid for their trip.

I peeked inside one of the grocery bags sitting on the table. “What kind of cookies are we bak—ow!”

“Knock it off,” Hannah scolded me. “Your Christmas present is in there.”

“Oh, so it’smyfault you waited until the last minute to wrap it?”

“I’m sure it is somehow,” James muttered.

“Hey!”

Hannah laughed, and the knowing look that James threw me across the table told me that was his intention all along. He stood, unpacking the cookie ingredients from the bag. Hannah snuck away to finish her wrapping, and Kian and I finished our dinner.

Though it was something I never knew I wanted to see, the image of James and Hannah smiling and laughing together made my heart swell. Instead of the butterflies I’d grown accustomed to, a warmth started in my chest and spread throughout my body.

Occasionally, I snuck licks from a spoon or some dough from the bowl before it went into the oven. Once the cookies were cooling on wire racks, we all convened at the table with tubes of icing and sprinkles. Hannah sat between me and Kian, while James sat across from us.

When Hannah handed over a bag of green icing, a sinister idea formed in my mind. “Hey, Han, you’ve got something on your face.”

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