"Hmm." Lucern grunted in agreement, but he really looked as if he would rather stay and take notes. He got reluctantly to his feet and headed for the door, approaching Etienne at the same time as Bastien. As if it were a shared thought--which it probably was--they each took him by an arm and dragged him to the door.
"Come along, little brother. You can show us the latest additions to your new game," Bastien said.
Etienne didn't protest. There was no use in doing so. Even being a vampire didn't help dealing with two overbearing brothers like Lucern and Bastien.
"Orgasms," Marguerite said as the door closed behind the men.
Rachel glanced at Etienne's mother. The woman--the much older woman, if she was really seven hundred and thirty-six years old--was smiling with wicked glee as she came to take Bastien's vacated seat. "You won't believe it."
Lissianna chuckled at her mother's enthusiasm, then explained, "Marguerite can explain better than I. I was born of vampires and never experienced a mortal sex life. But Mother started out human and was turned like yourself. According to her, the difference is mind-blowing." .
"I'll say." Marguerite ran her tongue over her front teeth and made an appreciative sucking noise. "I fainted every time for the first year."
"Fainted?" Rachel gaped. "The whole first year?"
"Oh, my dear!" Marguerite patted her hand. "The difference just can't be explained. It's overwhelming. You connect with your partner and experience his pleasure as well as your own combined."
"So, it's like twice the pleasure?" Rachel asked.
Marguerite shook her head. "More like twenty times. Somehow the blood increases sensitivity. Your sense of smell will be ten times better than ever, you'll be able to hear more, see farther, and you'll be extra sensitive to touch."
"Sex, twenty times better?" Rachel tried to wrap her mind around the idea but just couldn't. Perhaps it would have helped to have had more experience to draw on. Rachel hadn't expended a lot of time or effort on her social life the last few years. She had been engaged at University, but after catching her fiancé in bed with her roommate, she had concentrated most of her attention on work.
"Being more experienced wouldn't help, dear," Marguerite said sympathetically. "You'll understand once you've experienced what I'm talking about."
Rachel stared at the woman, uncertain, then cleared her throat and asked, "Did you just read my mind?"
"I'm afraid so." Marguerite bit her lip. "I am sorry. It's a bad habit. I'll try not to intrude on your thoughts in future."
Rachel shrugged. She'd just have to guard her thoughts. And she was more interested in other things at the moment. "Can I read minds now too?"
"Not yet. You'll have to learn to do it. There are many things you will have to learn."
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
Marguerite pondered. Rachel suspected she was trying to decide what wouldn't overwhelm her. Finally, the older woman said, "You'll find you're much stronger than you used to be. Quicker, both in body and mind. You'll be able to see better in the dark too."
"Like nocturnal predators," Rachel said.
"Yes. Your eyes will shine when light hits them in the dark, like those of a night animal."
Rachel raised her hand self-consciously toward her face and glanced from Marguerite to Lissianna. They both had silver-blue eyes. Etienne did too. "Are my eyes like yours now?" She hadn't really noticed when she'd looked in the mirror upstairs.
"More a silver-green color, dear," Marguerite judged. "The original color was green?"
"Yes." Now Rachel was curious to see.
She'd barely had the thought when Lissianna stood and moved to a purse resting on the bar. The blonde dug through it briefly, then turned back, a compact in her hand. Opening the compact, the young woman walked over. "I'm two hundred and two years old," she said, handing Rachel the mirror.
Rachel managed an embarrassed smile at having the unasked question answered, reminding herself she'd have to watch her thoughts around this family. Then she peered into the mirror to examine her eyes.
"Wow," she breathed. The concern over guarding her thoughts was quickly forgotten. Then she frowned. "This will be interesting to explain to my family."
Glancing up, she was just in time to catch the exchange of glances between mother and daughter. "What?"
Lissianna shook her head, but her smile was a little strained. "Claim they're contacts."
"Good thinking," Marguerite said. But the words were suspiciously hearty, and she got to her feet. "Now you should rest. You're tired."