Page 12 of The Night Runs Red

“Only the dark kind. I made myself sick on the regular stuff when I was a kid and haven’t been able to look at it the same.” My mom and I had stayed up late to watch a movie, one I’d begged her to watch with me even though we’d both seen it a million times. I’d gorged myself on every candy bar I could find and threw up for the rest of the evening.

He smiled briefly before walking to the pantry and reaching for something on the top shelf. I couldn’t help but stare, watching his muscles contract as he extended his body. It should have been illegal to look that damn good, but here he was in front of me in all his glory.

He’s not who you should be staring at, my mind scolded. I looked away before he caught me, though I felt the blush heat my cheeks. He said nothing if he noticed, but I’m sure he did.

Jasper turned and slid a cup across the counter to me. It was fresh hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The rich, dark aroma filled my nostrils, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from groaning.

“I hope you like it,” he said, making another for himself. “It’s my specialty.”

I took a sip, savoring the flavor dancing across my tongue. “Not much of a cook, huh?”

He shook his head. “Gods, no. I burn bread. But this recipe has stayed with me since I was a child, and I would like to think it makes up for my lack of culinary skills.”

Jasper walked over and sat beside me, watching me closely as I held the mug close to my lips. “Do you always make this for women you find wandering around the house at five in the morning?”

He tossed his head back in laughter, wrinkles creasing the skin around his eyes. “I may have tried it a time or two before, but it has never been quite like this.”

I held up my mug and clinked it against his. “I respect your tactics, sir. They are certainly effective.” Jasper momentarily stilled at my words, and I realized what I’d said too late. “Not that I mean to imply you were hitting on me! That would be inappropriate, and there’s nothing inappropriate about sharing hot cocoa with my new husband’s bodyguard.”

My eyes snapped close as I wished I was anywhere but here, especially as he laughed. Jeez, Calia. Real fucking smooth.

“Technically,” he drawled, “I’m your bodyguard for now.” I lifted one lid to see him smiling back at me. He leaned over and bumped my shoulder. “And for the record, I knew what you meant. But I couldn’t resist watching you dig yourself into a bit of a hole.”

“You ass!” I yelled, smacking his shoulder with the back of my hand. “That was embarrassing!”

“Only for you. I quite enjoyed it,” he joked, reaching forward and swiping a glob of rich cream from his mug and popping it in his mouth.

“Am I interrupting something, wife?”

CHAPTER NINE

Rion’s voice fell over me like a bucket of ice water, chilling me on the deepest level. Especially as I turned around to see his seething gaze flicking between the small space separating me and his best friend.

“Fucking vampyres,” I muttered, hating their stealth. Living with them would be harder than I thought.

Jasper didn’t move, but I pushed away as if we were doing something wrong. Which was silly, I knew that, but I could also admit there was something not entirely innocent in the way Jasper looked at me, nor in how I felt when he did so.

What was it about him that had butterflies flitting around in my stomach? I knew nothing about him and had barely spoken to him for more than an hour, but I felt comfortable with him around, nevertheless.

But now, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible. I should never have left my room; I should have trusted that first inkling that I wasn’t alone. But I’d never listened to my gut, no matter how badly I needed to.

Jasper shrugged his shoulder and brought the mug to his lips for one last gulp, staring directly at his friend. “Not at all, Rion. I found poor Calia wandering about this large house earlier.” He drew his eyebrows together, conveying a silent message to his friend I wasn’t privy to before leaning back on the stool. “She didn’t know where the kitchen was since she wasn’t given a tour.”

“I was going to give her one this morning. I assumed she had everything she needed when we parted ways last night.” Rion responded, his voice tight. “If I had known she wanted one before I retired, I would have done so myself.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, offering no further explanation. Rion didn’t care if nightmares kept me awake every night, that they were filled with demons with no faces, and there was no sense in bothering him about my past. Even if the way he was studying me had me wondering if he knew about it anyway. “And I didn’t want to spend my time staring up at my ceiling, waiting for the sun to rise, so I decided to find something to occupy my time. We ran into each other in the foyer, and Jasper was kind enough to help me.”

Rion’s posture straightened as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. He looked like he’d never gone to sleep; the top three buttons on his white shirt were unbuttoned, the beginning of a deep scar barely visible. His hair was tousled, looking like hands had been running through it for hours. Had they been his own? Or had he already occupied his time with another woman?

“Go back to bed, Calia,” Rion growled. “You have a long day ahead of you.”

I opened my mouth to object, but Jasper intercepted and placed a hand between my shoulders. Rion tracked the movement, but if he cared, he didn’t show it. Disappointment coursed through me as I tried to figure out why I wanted him to in the first place. “Come, Calia. Let me walk you back,” he said, offering a listless smile.

“Sure,” I whispered, letting Jasper move me past Rion. His hand shot out to grip my arm when I tried to side-step him, forcing me to stop. We lingered in a stalemate which forced us to either clear the air or allow the tension to build. He opened his mouth, and I waited for a cutting remark that never came. Instead, he cleared his throat and moved to the side to let us pass. “Goodnight, Calia.”

The absence of his words told me everything I needed to know.

Jasper nudged me forward, and I didn’t object as he guided us out of the kitchen. The silence stretched between us as we trudged up the stairs and back toward my room.

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