Emily quickly averted her eyes, grabbing for a dish towel. She wrapped it around her hand to hide the spreading blister. “I’m all right, Stephen.”
“You burned yourself,” he said. He reached for her hand. “Let me see.”
She pulled away. “I’m fine. I was warming some blood, and I dropped the kettle. That’s all.”
“You could’ve put it in the microwave for a few seconds.” He bent over, picked up the now-empty kettle, and set it back on the stovetop.
Emily kept her eyes locked on the sink in front of her. “I don’t like the way it makes the blood taste, and I’m not entirely comfortable discussing this with you while you’re naked.”
Stephen laughed and shook his bare butt at her. “Why? It’s not like you haven’t seen my ass before.”
Movement from the doorway captured her attention. Janet Klein, Stephen’s girlfriend, entered the kitchen wearing one of his T-shirts and holding a tissue to her neck. She passed a pair of faded jeans and a cell phone to him.
Emily’s gaze met her son’s. “You were much younger then and not so—”
“Impressive?” He smiled as he stepped behind the island so she only saw him from the waist up as he dressed.
Heat rose in her face. “I was going to say ‘healthy.’ ”
Janet tapped his chin as she yawned and then staggered to the nearby bathroom. Stephen wiped away the thin trickle of blood with a finger and promptly stuck it in his mouth. A shudder passed over him and his sky blue eyes began to bleed over to dark amber.
Emily checked the burn on her hand. It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. The skin around her thumb and index finger was bright red and throbbed with every beat of her heart. She’d suffered much worse though, and knew from experience that the burn would heal completely within a day or two.
“Got a text message from Alex,” Stephen said, drawing her focus to him. He leaned against the island, elbows supporting his upper body as he read from the small screen. “Varik pulled some strings and convinced Damian to reinstate Alex. They’re on their way to a crime scene.”
“What kind of case is it?”
“You heard about that missing girl?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it.”
“Oh, good. The sooner Alex can focus on something besides this inquiry, the better.” Emily realized how callous her statement sounded and rushed to correct herself. “I don’t mean it’s good a girl is missing, but that she’ll have something else to think about for a while.”
“I know what you meant, Mom.” He laid his cell phone to the side and ran a hand through his disheveled golden curls. “I just wish she wasn’t determined to shack up with Varik at the same time.”
“Don’t start, Stephen.”
“I can’t help it. I don’t trust the guy. Besides, Alex wouldn’t have to worry about an inquiry if Varik hadn’t shown his ass up here in the first place.”
The loathing Stephen had for Varik wasn’t news to Emily. He delighted in complaining about his sister’s relationship at every turn.
Sighing, she used her unburned hand to check the temp of the test tube still soaking in water. “I really wish you would give Varik a chance.”
“Why should I? The bastard nearly killed Alex—twice—and bound her to him against her will.”
“It wasn’t like that and you know it.”
“You didn’t see what he did to her, Mom. He practically tore her throat out and left her lying on the floor to die. She would’ve if I hadn’t shown up when I did.”
“It wasn’t his fault. He was injured and the blood-hunger was too much.”
“He’s a killer!”
“That was a long time ago and he was just doing his job.”
“I don’t understand why you keep defending him,” Stephen growled.
Janet returned and stopped short when the vampires ceased their conversation. She nervously covered the bite on her neck with her hand. “I, uh, I’ll come back for coffee.”
Emily removed the test tube from the water and watched Stephen’s eyes track his girlfriend down the hall to the master bedroom they shared. Once the door closed, she said, “I defend Varik because Alex is in love with him and needs him, especially now. I would do the same for you if Janet’s family ever turned on you.”
“Janet doesn’t have a family. Her parents are dead and she’s an only child.”
Sympathy for the girl stabbed Emily’s chest. “I didn’t know.” She ripped the stopper from the test tube and upended it, draining the blood.