Page 93 of Taste of Forever
“Thank you, Blood ‘til Dawn, for keeping her safe.” Novak made his way down the stairs, his hand clasped around Amy’s.
“It’s an honor.” For once, Thorne’s voice didn’t sound like it was dripping with sarcasm. “She is of our clan as well.”
Hearing that surprised me at first, but it actually made sense. Amy and Tavia seemed as close as sisters, so it seemed naturalthat Blood ‘til Dawn considered Amy one of their own. That sense of belonging must have felt wonderful.
Novak’s eyes landed on me and gleamed with curiosity. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.” He came forward, his movements lithe as a cat’s. “I’m Novak, head of Blood and Truth.”
All at once, I felt very overwhelmed. It felt like I was being perceived by a prince of foreign nation.
“Ah, hello.” My voice shook slightly, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I kept them flat at my sides. “I’m Heather.”
Laith stepped up to my rescue, chin raised proudly. “Heather is my blood mate.”
Novak’s face broke into a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Really? That’s wonderful.” He slapped Laith’s arm with brotherly affection. “I’m so happy for you both. Please let me know if you’d like to use Jo, my chef, for your mating ceremony. She’s incredible. I’ll take care of all the food. It’ll be my gift.”
“Another mating ceremony?” Jo called from the kitchen. “Whether you hire me or not, count me in!”
“Thanks, Novak. That’s really kind.” Laith’s hands came to my shoulders and squeezed. “We’ll keep you posted. It’s pretty new, so we’re figuring things out. Heather is from the human world, you see.”
“Oh, fascinating.” Novak’s eyes returned to me. “Well, welcome to my home and to Sanguine. I hope everything hasn’t been too overwhelming.”
“Thank you,” I said, a bit floored by his graciousness. “Your home is beautiful.”
“I can’t take credit for it.” He chuckled. “My ancestors knew how to make themselves very wealthy. I’m just a nerd with a bighouse and very tolerant staff.” He drew Amy toward him and put his arm around her shoulders. “And a stunning blood mate.”
Amy rolled her eyes but her grin was entirely smug. “Heather is a scientist in the human world. She came along to offer help on the test results.”
“Really?” Novak’s interest returned to me. “What do you do?”
“My degree is in forensic chemistry,” I said. “I work in a lab that tests evidence from crime scenes.”
“Wow.” Novak crossed his arms and leaned toward me slightly. “One of my degrees is in chemistry as well, but I went the organic route.”
“Ah, that’s the smart-people chem degree,” I said. “I couldn’t get that far into the weeds. Not my bag. I just wanted to run tests and catch bad guys.”
Novak laughed, his eyes twinkling. “I don’t know about smart. I just had a lot of time on my hands. But I’m glad you’re here. We could definitely use a second opinion because some of the results have honestly stumped me.”
“Sure. I’ll do what I can.” I immediately began to relax. In contrast to the grandness of his home, Novak seemed genuine and humble.
I also couldn’t ignore the excited little thrill that lit me up. Puzzling out a scientific problem with a fellow nerd was one of my favorite pastimes. I loved the challenge and collaboration of it.
“Wonderful, thank you.” His gaze lifted to the surrounding vampires. Let’s get started, shall we? If you would all follow me.”
Amy slowly unwound herself from her mate. “I’ll be in the library.”
“Sounds good.” He beamed. “I’ll come down when we’re all done.”
Laith grabbed my hand as we all trailed Novak up the stairs. I glanced at his face and tried to gauge his mood. He’d beenpretty quiet during the whole exchange. He met my gaze with a lopsided grin and kissed my temple.
“I can’t wait to see you do your super smart science stuff,” he said, affection and pride in his voice.
“Really?” I didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but it took me aback. Justin always got annoyed when I talked about anything work-related, either to him or others in front of him. He’d said I made him look stupid.
“Hell yeah. It’s awesome that you know this stuff already, but if your knowledge helps us free Kalix?” Laith tucked me into his side, my shoulders fitting comfortable under his arm, and kissed the top of my head. “Blood ‘til Dawn will be in your debt. Forever.”
I hugged around his waist, my cheek finding a comfortable resting spot on his chest. “I’m not a miracle worker. Novak probably knows more than me, but I’ll do my best.”
We filed into a luxurious study filled with more dark, polished wood. A large desk sat in the center of the room. Directly behind it were French doors leading out to a cozy balcony.
