Page 29 of Until Forever Comes
I flinched, already knowing those words were not a wise choice. Really, the man seemed to have no capacity to learn.
Miguel was across the room, leaning over Ralph, in the blink of an eye. “I told you not to talk about him that way!” He picked the vampire up by the throat and threw him across the wide, open space. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at that display of strength, and based on the shocked expressions on the other men’s faces, I knew I wasn’t alone. Miguel was bigger than Ralph, sure enough, but seeing him toss the man around as if he were nothing but a child’s toy was surreal.
My mate wove his fingers together and pulled his hands up, cracking his knuckles. “Consider that a final warning,” he said. “Next time I won’t be so nice.”
I didn’t say a word, just stood in place until Miguel got back to me and led me to the basement. He opened the door, waited for me to go through, and then locked it behind us. We walked together in silence and were halfway down the stairs when Miguel took in a sharp breath. “Crap, I didn’t even think about how dark it is in here,” he said as he wrapped his arm around my waist and slowed our progress. “Are you able to see at all, baby?”
I chuckled nervously, still recovering from the scene in the other room. “Yes, I can see fine.” I blinked and looked around, really focusing. “Actually, I can see much better than usual. I noticed it earlier and figured it was because I’d shifted, but I don’t remember my kin having night vision this good, even in wolf form.”
He furrowed his brow and I could tell he was giving thought to what I’d said. “That’s good,” he finally said. “Interesting, but good.” We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I noticed several containers on the small table I’d seen earlier. The papers that had been on it when I left were stacked neatly on the floor. “I got you some food,” Miguel said as he pointed to the table. “I’ll get this out too.” He tipped his head toward the bag containing the purchases I’d made.
Just thinking about eating made me salivate and my stomach growled loudly. “Sorry,” I said with a blush and wondered if he could see my reddened cheeks in the dark.
Miguel finished unpacking the bag, and then he tangled his fingers in my hair, pulled me forward, and planted a quick kiss on my forehead. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have seen to feeding you earlier.”
“It’s okay,” I said as I sat down. “I’m grown. I can take care of myself.”
I noticed his mouth twitching as he pushed some food in front of me. It was like he was trying to hold back a smile. I supposed it was sort of silly, getting defensive about my age with a man who’d been alive for over four centuries.
I sighed deeply. “Look, I’m never going to be as experienced as you, but I’m not aiming to drag you down. I’ll carry my own weight.”
“Hey.” Miguel cupped my cheek. “Nobody accused you of being a drag. I just meant that I’m counting on you to keep me fed now, right?” He pressed his lips to mine. “Seems only fair for me to return the favor.”
It was hard to argue with that logic so I grunted in agreement. He grinned again and pulled away. My stomach growled.
“Let’s take a break from the talking,” Miguel said. “You need to eat.”
My stomach growled again, effectively proving his point. I reached for some chicken and stuffed it into my mouth.
Miguel chuckled and sat next to me. “It’ll be easier once we move into one of my houses,” he said. “We can keep food stocked for you. We’ll be on a normal schedule. Everything’ll feel more settled.”
I nodded and kept eating. Once the first piece of chicken went down, I realized I was more than just a little hungry. Miguel watched me for some time, not saying anything, just looking at me with a small smile on his face, his eyes warm and expression relaxed. Eventually, he stretched across the floor and reached for the papers I’d see on the table.
“Keep right on eating.”
I paused midchew and looked at him, trying to gauge whether he was teasing me.
“No, really,” he said and then laughed. “It’s a pleasure to watch you. I haven’t really watched anyone eat in… a very long time.”
Not sure how to respond, I grunted again and kept shoveling food into my mouth.
Miguel pushed his chair back and managed to clear off a bit of space on the table. Between the edge of the table, his lap, and the area between the two, he was able to prop up the maps.
“All right, so while you’re eating, you can help me choose which piece of land to buy. I’ll show you the areas I think will work for a cemetery.”
We didn’t do things like the humans. Pack lands were more fluid. Shifters built their dens and shops with the Alpha’s permission, but, otherwise, we could choose our own location at any time. We didn’t buy land in advance and, actually, as I thought about it, I didn’t know if pack members bought land at all.
Plus, when our kin passed, we put them to rest in the woods, deep in the earth with the trees sheltering them. So I was having trouble following what Miguel was telling me about buying land today that would be used as an organized burial space for humans in the future. Sure, I was familiar with the concept of a cemetery and he’d explained why he liked living in them, but I still didn’t truly understand.
I swallowed down the food in my mouth. “You’re buying a cemetery so you can build a house on it?”
Miguel laughed. “No. It doesn’t work that way. We can’t build a house on a cemetery that already exists because the humans would notice. So when I hear that a city is at the planning stages of growth, I go in, buy land that will work for a cemetery, and then build it. That way, I can make sure that my living space—” Miguel paused. “—our living space, is part of the original design. We buy land now, and if the city’s plans work, businesses move into the area, which means more humans. A lot of humans in one area means a steady food source for vampires.” He angled the map in my direction. “The government is selling off all sorts of land in and around Kfarkattan, which is why we’re here. We pick a parcel or two, find someone to set up and run a cemetery, and make sure we build in a caretakers’ cottage or a large underground crypt.” His gaze met mine. “Does that make sense?” he asked.
Did it make sense? There’d been a whole lot of new things thrown in my direction over the past week. I supposed it made as much sense as the rest.
I shrugged. “As much as it could, I reckon.”
“Good enough,” Miguel said with a chuckle. He pointed at the map. “So the dark line is the edge of what they have planned to be the main part of Kfarkattan, and the shaded areas show the land that’s being sold.” He pointed to an area that was circled. “This is the first spot—”
