How to Elude a Vampire (VRC Vampire Related Crimes #2) - Alice Winters Page 0,105
up to the little cabin in the woods, I’m oddly excited. I think it’s been so long since I’ve let loose and relaxed that the tension in me has been bubbling to the surface and finally, finally I have a chance to get away from it all.
I take a deep breath as I get out.
“Did you remember the keys?” Marcus asks.
“FUCK. I was so eager and excited that I—” I look over at Marcus who is dangling the keys between his fingers. “Oh my god, that’s so hot.”
“Me getting the keys?”
“Yes.”
“Clearly, I’ve been trying too hard then. If only I’d known I just needed to get you keys to turn you on,” he teases.
“That’s all it would have taken,” I joke as I hurry up to the door. I hadn’t realized how much I needed a break from everything until this moment. Marcus slips the key in the door and slowly turns it while looking me in the eyes.
“Did you like that?”
“It was a bit slow, if I’m being honest.”
“Oh… I thought if you were that excited that I unveiled my key, you’d like it better when I stuck it into a hole.”
I snort. “When’d you become a pervert?”
“You’re rubbing off on me, I think. I didn’t actually have an option.”
“Ah. That makes sense that I pressured you into being a pervert when you’re an ancient vampire who could outrun me with your legs tied together.”
“That’s very true. I’m glad you’re finally understanding the limitations of being a disgusting… I mean… human.”
“Uh-huh. Well, this human is amazing, in case you didn’t know, because I have a lake house.”
“Your father has a lake house.”
“That’s mine.”
“That’s not yours. What other things does he own that I don’t know about?”
“Five wives and a donkey.”
“How much of that is true?”
“He owns like three homes across the country. He acts much more human than most vampires and was able to pretend to be human for many years. So he hit it big in the oil industry and just filled his pockets with money. He then poured that money into investments that continued allowing his wealth to grow. Like right now he doesn’t have to work, but he mostly just watches over the companies he’s grown. What about you? What’d you do to get rich?”
“Um… I became a police officer.”
I snort which makes him laugh.
“I didn’t go the industrialization route. I just… floated along and did whatever struck me at the moment. I mean, I have money, but nothing like Orin. You’re probably disgusted by my quaint little home after living in luxury.”
“Did you not see the place I lived in when I met you? I paid for that myself and it was half the size of your place. Orin would buy me a mansion in a heartbeat, but he also told me that he thinks it’s important that we learn how to manage our own finances and grow as a person. It’s real boring when he talks about that type of stuff. But if you want a mansion, Orin’ll buy one for us real quick!”
“No. I like my house. I like it even more when you’re in it,” he says as I hit the lights on, illuminating the cabin. While we haven’t been here in a while, Orin has a cleaning company keep track of it, so it looks recently lived in.
“I remember the first time we came here, I was blown away. I thought having a second home was something people only did in the movies. I was used to barely even having a home and then suddenly we had this giant mansion that I felt like I’d get lost in. I was allowed to eat anything in the fridge at any point. I could watch TV without having to go to the neighbors and stare through their window when they weren’t looking.”
“I’m very glad you found Orin. I’m afraid you wouldn’t have turned out as happy as you are if you hadn’t.”
“What? I thought that disgusted you! You were all ‘Disgusting human with human emotions and human happiness needs to fuck off.’ Remember?”
He ignores me as he walks over to a fireplace. “Wow. Fireplace.”
“Remember?”
“I used to have to start a fire every morning, and I hated it so much. I debated throwing Claude into it on more than one occasion.”
“Don’t distract me by fun stories of you torturing your brother. You know I love those,” I joke.