Page 106 of How a Vampire Falls

Vivian rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Rhett, you take the anti-social cake.”

“More than civil,” Ryker said, and then he knew his hope. Leslie had said it best. “I’m hoping we can be good neighbors.”

“Absolutely,” Vivian said. “Thanks for making the first move. Wolves tend to play social defense outside their pack.”

“Not without reason,” Rhett said quietly.

Ryker had only the slightest idea what those reasons were. He looked forward to living here part-time and learning more. He nodded acceptance, and Rhett’s carefully blank face slowly relaxed.

After a long moment, Rhett nodded back. “Good neighbors sounds good to me.”

Ryker nodded. “Okay. Good.”

“But try not to wake my pack again in the dead of night for no reason.”

Ryker gave a low hum of acknowledgment, and the wolf’s eyebrows arched. His hearing must pick up at least some of the musical layers. Well, he didn’t bristle or growl. That seemed promising.

“Waking y’all was thoughtless, and I apologize.”

“Yeah, it was,” Rhett said. He waited a full beat, then gave Ryker another, final nod. “Apology accepted.”

“Now I’ll let you get back to your breakfast.”

Before he could step away from the table, Vivian said, “So, Ryker, will you be moving to Tennessee?”

“Part-time. And Leslie’s moving to Virginia part-time too. We both love our homes too much to let them go, and we’ll have the means to hold onto both of them.”

Vivian’s brown eyes brightened. “That’s great.” She cocked one eyebrow at Rhett. “Hey, wolf, why didn’t I keep my condo?”

“Did you want to keep it?”

She sat back in the booth, folded her arms, and studied Rhett for a long moment. Then a smile took over her face as though against her will. “You know… I didn’t really care.”

“There you go.”

Ryker wanted to laugh, but he didn’t know them well enough yet to show his amusement at their constant parrying. Funny how couples interacted so differently. Based on the easybody language between these two, conversations like sparring matches worked well for them.

He was heading back to his table a minute later, pondering what he and Leslie looked like from the outside. They weren’t verbal jousters, that was for sure. Maybe the words they’d found to describe themselves so far were still the best. Calmly happy.

“That went well,” Leslie said as he slid back into their booth across from her.

“It did, didn’t it? I’m glad I went over.”

“I was just thinking about it…about the life we’re going to have. Two homes to love, a little town and a medium-sized city, and a whole lot of people. Vampires, humans, wolves. It’s going to be so full.”

“Full in a good way?” he said.

“As long as you don’t forget I’m an introvert, unlike your whole family and most of your friends.”

Ryker reached across the table, and she set her hand in his. “My memory’s pretty flawless.”

“Good point.” Leslie traced a slow circle on his palm with her thumb. “So, that said… Yes, full in a good way. I love your friends and family, and I love your home, and I love exploring our culture for myself. The last few months, my life has gotten so much bigger. I guess yours hasn’t, though.”

“Hmm.” He sifted his memories, took stock of how it felt to be here with her now, ordering their favorites from the only open restaurant in town, knowing every inch of Harmony Ridge like the back of his hand, knowing this wise and beautiful woman had chosen to be his. “Not bigger. Slower.”

Leslie’s thumb went still halfway around the next circle. “Slower? That sounds disappointing.”

“Nah. The opposite. I catalogue scents in the woods now. I savor food on my tongue longer. I even remember to slake most of the time—before I get thirsty. That’s all you, Leslie.”

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