Page 47 of Newly Undead in Dark River

Judge rolled his shoulders, and I wanted to walk into his arms and never leave them. I didn’t think he was ever going to come back, but instead, he’d been doing what he said he would do right back at the beginning when I first met him. He was investigating my murder.

Did I think he was avoiding me at the same time? Duh, obviously. I wasn’t that much of a lovestruck fool.

He nodded solemnly. “It’s not usually a big deal, but it’s come to the attention of the Vampire Nation leaders. Tourist’s disappearing for days on end, then reappearing with no memories, dirty and suffering from anemia? The human authorities have put it down to drug-taking prepper cult because they looked like they’d been attacked by leeches. Apparently, humans can be stupid.” He raised an eyebrow at Tex, who sneered back, even if he couldn’t see the condescending look on Judge’s face. He could decipher tone just fine.

“Well, this stupid human found his missing person, so how about you go fuck yourself?” Tex growled out, and Judge’s lip twitched.

I was going to drown in all this machismo one day. Everyone dreams about how amazing a harem would be, but in all honesty, that's a fuck tonne of testosterone all day, every day. Quite frankly, I was considering quitting them all, and asking Angeline and Alice if they want to make their duo a trio.

Pity I liked dick so much.

Sighing heavily, I prompted, “The Vampire Nation?”

“They’ve sent out Enforcers to track down the rogue vamp. Word is that they are getting close too. No mention of you though,” he said, looking at Walker.

He shrugged but didn’t elaborate. “They didn’t need to know the circumstances of her turning. Neither Raine nor the town needs the scrutiny from the Leaders.”

They all looked solemn at the thought, Walker’s jaw clenching and unclenching rhythmically, and the muscle in Judge’s cheek ticking in a rapid, discordant heartbeat. The Vampire Nation must really be something, and I, for one, was glad to be a dirty little secret just this once. “Word from who, exactly?”

Judge just shook his head, and I raised both hands and flipped him off. Twice. It was juvenile, but next to punching him in the nose, or angry sex, it perfectly portrayed my feelings about his attitude.

He just grinned, that perfect, charming fucking lady killer smile. Okay, so maybe angry sex wasn’t off the table yet.

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Let’s talk about this over food. No point in Bert’s lasagna going to waste. This problem doesn’t need to be solved in the next ten minutes.”

Judge was still grinning at me, probably because the heat in my cheeks was matched by the heat in… other places. “Yes. Let’s eat. I’m starving,” he purred.

The way his voice growled out the wordstarvingmade my panties damp. Everyone in the room turned to me at once, noses twitching. Even Tex.

“He’s not talking about lasagna, is he? Jesus, Mika, how many boyfriends do you have in this boondock town?”

Brody laughed, and even Walker chuckled. I gave them all the evil eye. My face felt like it was on fire. I was waiting for my cheeks to melt off like overcooked mozzarella cheese. “I’m going to my room. Screw you bastards.”

Chapter Eighteen

Tex was getting restless being trapped inside my apartment all day. If I was honest, I’d been avoiding being alone with him for too long. It was too everything. Too sad. Too awkward. Too tempting.

But today, three days after he’d arrived in town, he was pacing around my apartment like a caged beast. Brody was out, and we were alone. And I was freaking out a little. I am woman enough to admit it. I still worried I would snap, and drink him dry, even though Brody assured me that was basically an impossibility because he was my mate. My freaking Mate. I hoped he was an ostrich because we’d both been sticking our heads in the sand about that little fact.

So I sat on the bench and watched him pace around the room in silence. I didn’t have the answers to the questions that burned on his face. “Want me to get you a sandwich or something?”

“No.” His words were short and sharp, like his temperament today.

“Want me to put the radio on?”

He shook his head again. “I want to go outside. Feel the sun on my face.”

I let out a mirthless laugh. “Don’t we all?”

His jaw tightened, and he began to pace more furiously. I sighed and wiggled off the bench. I had to do something. I walked to the old radio on top of the fridge and turned it on. I had it set to the classic, Golden-Oldies music station, also known as the only station I could get out here in the middle of nowhere, and the sound of someone crooning over the yowl of a trumpet blasted through the old speakers.

Tex stopped pacing, and I smiled. Even when he was an angry kid, raging against the injustice of being born blind, music could soothe him. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? We used to dance around his garage, sometimes like Fred and Ginger, and sometimes like we were in a mosh pit at a Guns’n’Roses concert.

Eventually, we’d end up in a giggling heap on the floor though. Even as an eight-year-old, Tex moved like music was in his very soul. I, however, had as much grace as a baby elephant in roller skates.

Still, they were some of my most cherished childhood memories. Walking across the living room to stand in front of him, I was hoping it was the same for him.

“Want to dance?” I asked, trying not to wince out how husky my voice sounded. It would help if he wasn’t so damn handsome.

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