in like a delicious cup of hot chocolate. He retreated, standing behind me, resting his hand on my shoulder. His desperation to show his connection with me warmed my heart, but still made laughter bubble in my belly.
“Pack up as fast as you can,” I ordered her.
She dashed up the staircase as Arrick and I took a seat in the living room to wait for her return. “Make sure you tell your mom!” I called out after her, not sure if she’d actually do it or not.
“You seem happier,” Arrick commented as he locked eyes with me.
“And you seem nervous.” I winked and wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
“I… I… I have no intentions to…” he pointed to the second floor of Liz’s house as if pointing at her directly, stumbling through his words like a panicky school boy. A small laugh popped from my lips like bubble gum.
“Calm down.” I pushed his hand back down and held it in mine. “I’m just teasing you. I’ve just never seen you act like this before.”
“I’ve never seen anyone act like her before.”
“You can’t tell me that every human girl you’ve ever met hasn’t fawned over you in the exact same way.”
“Not to that extreme.” He sighed, letting his stiff posture finally rest against the back of the couch.
I waved it off. “Liz has always had a flare for the dramatic. Besides, she has had a thing for vampires since we were kids. You should see all the posters on her bedroom walls. It’s like a shrine for every hot, eligible vampire in our entire region.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” He grimaced at me. “I just don’t want you to think that…”
“I would never think that.” I twined our fingers together and pushed my newfound positive emotions into him. It was nice feeling happy and letting go of my anger. I knew it wouldn’t last forever, but I could at least enjoy it while I could. I knew Arrick would never do anything to betray me, and neither would Liz. Sure, she’d flirt like a professional until the end of time, but that’s all it would ever be. She’d never do anything to spoil our friendship. Besides, as soon as we got back to the palace she’d have more than enough vampires to keep her eyes off Arrick. That thought brought a smile to my lips. I wondered which would catch her eye most.
To my surprise it only took Liz thirty minutes to stuff four designer suitcases, and two shoulder bags. She’d also managed to throw on some seriously short shorts, and an oh-so-low cut pink blouse. Normally I’d make a comment about her attire; tell her she was overdressed, or that she’d give guys the wrong impression, but not now. I had a completely different view of the human body and what was beautiful or too risqué. Sure, Liz would have looked stunning in jeans and a knit sweater, she didn’t need to be so revealing but it was her personality. If she liked to show off her flesh, more power to her, although it would hold a whole different meaning where we were headed than it ever had before. Maybe I should warn her.
“All set?” I asked when Liz dumped the last of her bags by the front door. Arrick had already stepped out, popped the trunk with the gadget on the key ring and was prepared to load her things. Perhaps it was the fact that sunrise was only a couple hours away, or did he want to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t notice Liz drooling over him?
“Pretty much.” She spun around with her hands on her hips, looking at her bags like she had x-ray vision. “If I forget anything I’ll just borrow it from you.” Her eyes sparkled with mischievousness.
“Since when have you ever wanted to borrow anything from me?” I asked, leaning against the banister while Arrick grasped the last two bags and carried them to the trunk. His muscles didn’t strain in the slightest even though I’m sure those cases were pushing one-hundred pounds.
“Good point!” Liz winked at me as she headed for the door.
“Wait a second.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her back in. “Did you talk to your mom?” I bit my tongue, hating how much I was sounding like a mother myself. Liz was eighteen and technically she could do whatever she wanted to, with or without her mother’s permission. I just wanted to avoid causing any more chaos than