She relaxed into him.
Yes. He had her. All of her. His.
Finally.
Until the sun falls from the sky.
“So, uh…” she broke into his thoughts when he didn’t speak, “are we actually going to speak? Or are we going to stand here staring at each other?”
Lucien relaxed then grinned and told her, “I could stand here and stare at you for some time, sweetling, but I suppose we should speak.”
At his grin, she relaxed deeper into him. At his words, even deeper and her face went soft.
He liked that. All of it.
And all of it was his. Only his.
Until the sun falls from the sky.
He drew in breath and addressed the matter at hand.
“At home are my children, Julian and Isobel. My mother, Magdalene. My father, Etienne. And Julian’s mother, Cressida.”
She looked into his eyes with interest until the last. When he mentioned Cressida he saw something cut through her features before she wiped her face blank. And what he saw cutting through features he did not like. He did not like that she felt it and he did not like that her feeling it meant he felt it as well.
“Leah, sweetheart, what we had was a very long time ago,” he assured her and this was true, for mortals. For vampires, seeing as he ended the physical side of his relationship with Cressida only fifty years ago, it was not.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“There is nothing there,” he told her.
“Then why is she at our house?”
Our house.
Until the sun falls from the sky.
“I mean, um…” Leah went on, “I don’t know how vampires roll but the ex isn’t normally in on surprise family visits unless that family is a little bit weird.”
Lucien again grinned. “Vampires are the same way.”
“Well then?” she prompted.
“Cressida is…” he searched for a word, “unusual.”
Her eyes slid away and she muttered, “Great.”
His arms gave her a squeeze and he regained her gaze.
“It is your home, Leah,” he dipped his face closer to hers and stated, “Our home. She will respect me in it and I will make certain she respects you.”
He watched her brows draw together. “She wouldn’t?”
“Cressida is unpredictable.”
“Great part two,” she again muttered.
“I’ll need you to have patience with her, my pet. And I’ll need you be cautious around her. She will attempt to goad you. Take the high road.”