Page 90 of Taste of Forever
“Sure.” I watched him cross the room, inhaling my soup.
Female voices then floated from the other side of the large double doors before they were pulled open. Three more peopleentered the greatroom, led by a tall woman with reddish-brown hair, gray eyes, and a self-assuredness in her stride. Our gazes locked and my brain clicked two puzzle pieces together.
I had been hearing her name and finally could put it to a face I recognized.
“Tavia,” I said, blinking with surprise.
“Hey, Heather.” She approached me with a warm, sisterly smile. “It’s great to see you again. You look better.”
“Thanks.” She had definitely been one of the women at Sapien trying to convince me that vampires were real.
“Do you remember Amy?” Tavia stepped aside, and a smaller woman with darker hair grinned at me.
My breath caught in my chest with shock. Amy had been an adorable, diminutive woman with an innate sweetness I couldn’t help but like. Now, she had small fangs and her blue irises were set in black. She definitely hadn’t had those features when I’d last seen her.
I recalled the blood bank employee who had walked me through the donating process. He’d had those same features and called himself a brusang, a human who had died and been given vampire blood.
“Yes. Amy, hi.” I cast my eyes away, realizing I’d been staring at her. “Good to see you. I’m…uh, sorry about…sorry for…”
Embarrassment swept through me as I glanced around for help. I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but it also felt wrong to not acknowledge the change.
“My death? Don’t worry about it, Heather.” Amy’s smile was sweet, though the fangs made it sharper. “I got a second chance as a brusang and life is good. No need to be sorry.”
“We’ll have to catch you up on what you missed.” Tavia rested her elbow on Amy’s shoulder. “I just couldn’t let my bestie go.”
“She’s everyone’s bestie now,” said the third woman, another brusang, coming up to squeeze Amy’s opposite shoulder.
She had straight black hair, blunt bangs across her forehead, and bright bluish-green irises that looked like jewels in black settings. “Hi, I’m Bea.” She extended a hand with a fanged smile that mirrored Amy’s. “No need to be sorry for me, either. I became a brusang twenty years ago.”
An awkward laugh escaped me as I shook her hand. “Well, that’s good to know. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Welcome to the best family in Sanguine.” Bea spread her arms and wiggled her fingers. “Where the men are annoying as shit, but at least they’re hot.”
“Hey, that’s mean!” Des called from the couch, then immediately straightened. “Wait, you think I’m hot?”
The women laughed as they settled around the island counter. Tavia took wine glasses and a corked bottle down from an upper cabinet. “You want some, Heather? We’re not getting smashed, just doing a little taste test.”
“You want to say yes.” Amy took a seat next to me. “Tav’s wine is the best. She’s going to create a monopoly in Sanguine.”
“Shut up with that nonsense.” Despite the protest, Tavia grinned to herself as she poured.
“Sure, why not?” I pushed away my finished bowl of soup and accepted the small pour from Tavia. “So, do you ladies have vampire mates too?”
“Technically, no.” Bea placed her chin in her palm as she swirled her wine. “I’m not attached to anyone at the moment, but I’m not exactly available either. My situation’s a bit complicated.”
“Sorry to hear that. I can definitely sympathize.” I copied her movement, creating a tiny, swirling tempest in my glass. “My situation until recently was kind of complicated too.”
“Because you didn’t believe in vampires?” Tavia teased.
I chuckled. “Never gonna let that go, are you?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll move on to something else eventually.” Tavia touched her glass to mine. “But once you do the mating ceremony, you’re going to live much, much longer. Soeventuallymight be longer than you expect.”
“Great,” I deadpanned, earning soft laughter from the women.
“Amy was mated a couple months ago.” Tavia grinned at her bestie over her glass and swayed her hips. “She’s in that honeymoon phase.”
A blush rose in Amy’s cheekbones. “You say that likeyourhoneymoon phase is over.”
