Page 59 of Thicker than Blood

“Did you not receive it? Let’s recap, shall we? Your knot showed up for the first time in decades, leading us to assume there’s something unusual about the mortal. You haven’t stopped thinking about him. You want to lock him away. You’re jealous and possessive over him. I suspect you’d kill anyone who touched him. Have I missed anything?”

“No,” I mutter.

“My conclusion is that the mortal is special, possibly supernatural, but whatever the case, he’s important to you. He may even change your life. If I were offering advice, I would tell you not to overthink, to allow your instincts to guide you, and see what happens. How’s that for clarity?”

“Like a bucket of bitter blood, but I appreciate your honesty.”

He stands, tucking in his shirt and zipping his slacks. “Come, my friend. Let’s get another drink and enjoy the debauchery around us. Tomorrow, we’ll face the problems the day provides.”

Rising to my feet, I nod. “Thank you.”

Lucius wraps his arm around my shoulders. “My pleasure.” He kisses my cheek, and I lean into him for just a moment. Lucius is the only being I feel safe enough to let down my guard with.

“A final word?”

I nod. “Go on.”

“The heart is as vast as our eternal walk. Just because you haven’t loved before, doesn’t mean you can’t. Accept whateverthe mortal brings to you. Embrace it. Be open to surprises. Even an old vampire can learn new tricks.”

“Is that the saying?”

“Something like that.” He chuckles, squeezing my shoulder. “Come on now. I’m parched.”

Maybe he’s right and there’s more to Geordi than I’ve realized. I suppose time will tell.

CHAPTER 17

Geordi

After driving back from Elias’s home, I sit in the parking lot of the lab with a sleeping Enyo beside me. He spent five minutes gushing over how Jagger turned him inside out then practically passed out. I’m kind of thankful. I want to talk about it, but I’m also messed up. I willingly broke a major rule, and I can’t say it wasn’t a thousand percent worth it.

I need to go up to the lab and figure out what’s going on with the vaccine that makes it wear off so quickly, but I’m not as motivated as I was. The less logical side of me, the one fascinated by lore and myth, is nudging me to dig deeper into things I generally block out. Like having sex with vampires.

Someone made the rule, and that someone must know how addictive it is, or else why would they have decided it’s dangerous?

Enyo stirs, blinking slowly as he realizes where we are. “Ugh. Dude. Why are we at work?”

“Because there’s work to do.”

“I don’t feel good.”

“You just need to rest, I’m sure.”

He shakes his head, sitting up slightly. “No. It’s something else.”

“I suppose it could be a side effect of the vaccine. Maybe you should go home.”

Enyo cringes as his face goes pale right before my eyes. “Yeah. I might hurl.”

“Come upstairs for now. You can lie on the cot in my office so I can keep an eye on you.”

He nods. “Yeah, okay. Good idea in case I turn into a zombie or something.”

“I really doubt that’s going to happen.”

“Says everyone in every zombie movie ever.”

I snort and open my car door. “Come on, you.”

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