Page 6 of Ouch! My Vampire Doms Don't Sparkle
“He’s already staked some guys up in San Francisco.Neve is worried.”
“Neve is always worried.”
“She has fucking excellent intuition, Will.You know this.Stop ignoring the problem like you always do.”
“I’m ignoring the problem because there is no problem.We’ll avoid Gaius like we did last time.His business isn’t our business.Our business isn’t his.We can coexist in the same city for as long as he’s here.”
“Do you even hear yourself?He travels with an army and leaves destruction in his wake.Always has.We know; we used to be part of that army.Or have you forgotten?”
I haven’t.On the rare occasions when I sleep, I sometimes wake up with violent, bloody dreams.The stain of death on my hands.The taste of it in my mouth.“He has evolved,” I say.“We all have.”
Xander makes a sound of disbelief.I don’t care if he’s skeptical.Gaius Black hasn’t bothered us in over fifty years.He has no reason to bother us now.
“What are you doing right now?”Xander asks.“It doesn’t sound like you’re inside.Are you hunting?”He sounds hopeful.
“I’ve just brought Autumn home from work.We’re going in now.”
“Fuck.”Xander sighs.
I wait to see if he’ll say more.He always has more to say.
But instead, my phone beeps several times.
Bastard hung up on me.
Autumn
A knot of uncertainty has formed in my stomach.I overheard quite a bit of Will’s conversation with Xander.It sounds like Xander is the worrier between the two of them, and Will is the more relaxed, carefree guy.
And Xander is still pissed that I’m staying here.
None of this is reassuring.
Will didn’t immediately fall upon me and fuck my brains out like I’d been hoping he would.He got me all aroused in the parking lot.I would’ve let him fuck me there—I wouldn’t have cared who could see.I wanted him that bad.
But his phone call with Xander switched Will from amorous to anxious…or angry?I can’t tell.He seems relaxed, but there’s a thoughtfulness to his expression as he stalks back and forth through the kitchen.
As soon as we walked into the basement apartment, he stated that I needed to eat.So now he is currently cooking, and it looks to be enough food to feed the entirety of San Esteban.The dishes smell divine.He rapidly spouted a bunch of Italian-sounding names when I asked what he was fixing.In a perfect accent of course.
“Do you speak Italian?”I ask.
“Ciao.”He grins, but it looks forced.
“Really,” I say.
“Yes, Autumn.I speak Italian.”
“Do you speak any other languages?”
He nods.“Primarily romance languages.But I also speak German, Luxembourgish, Thai, and Mandarin.I’m working on Japanese.”
“Wow.Have you been to all of those countries?”
He nods.“Nothing but time to travel.”
I’m jealous.I wanted to spend a semester abroad when I was in college, but Dale strongly urged me not to.He wasn’t in control of me, not technically, but he did control some aspects of my trust, and he was my only family.I lived in fear of disappointing him.That’s why I dated all those douchey guys he set me up with.
Never again.Even if he never sees justice, I’m never living with him again, never going to worry about disappointing him or making him angry.
