The Rebel Queen (Outlaw #1) - Lexi Blake Page 0,44
sorry. I get upset when I think about what happened to him. Lee, you need to give this decision serious consideration. The reason I know you’re a latent is that I can sometimes feel it before death. I had an inkling when you were a child, though I wasn’t certain, which was why I never told your mom or your papa.”
“You could feel it when I was a kid?” Lee seemed to have sobered, finally starting to process the news.
“Not exactly,” Danny admitted. “It was more how you behaved. It was the connection I had to you. I was afraid it was me seeing what I wanted to see. I wanted a connection to you. I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You didn’t want me to be human,” Lee surmised.
Danny shook his head, and it was easy to see he was frustrated. “I didn’t want to watch you age. I didn’t want to think about you dying. Rhys has the protection of his Fae nature. Yes, he can die, but he’ll probably outlive me. At the time I assumed one day Evan would marry a vampire and live a companion’s life, which would also mean she outlives me.”
But she wouldn’t because she was in love with Fenrir. Fenrir, the wolf king, who was looking at two hundred years or so if he merely lived a normal werewolf life-span. Which he likely wouldn’t. He was so much stronger than any other wolf that I had to believe he might live longer, too. A companion lived a human life-span without regular vampire blood from her partner. It was part of the exchange. Though Danny had fed from Dev the night before, he’d opened a vein and we’d both had a sip. The king’s blood kept Dev and I young and healthy, protected us from injuries.
I would need to make sure Evan took her father’s blood from here on out. I hoped she didn’t fight me on it.
“What about my childhood made you consider that I could be a…” Lee went a little pale. “It was Mia. I clung to Mia when I was a child. Like you clung to Mom before you turned. I loved Mia. Even when I was a kid, even before I knew what it meant, I loved her. Because she was a companion.”
“It’s more complex than that.” Yes, it was ironic that I was the one making that argument since in the beginning I’d stayed away from Daniel for that very reason, for the idea that our love for each other was a trick of biology. “Yes, you’ll always be more attracted to a companion, even before you can see her glow. But that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t real. I assure you, your dad has met companions he didn’t fall in love with.”
“Lee always protects Evan first,” Rhys admitted quietly. “It’s one of the reasons I split us up when I can. Lee can be even more unreasonable about Evan than Fenrir is.”
Fen had gone quiet. More than that, he’d stopped eating.
“I’m glad to know Lee has a reason for being an asshole.” Evan had a smile on her face but it was tight and didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “It also explains why he’s the most reckless of all of us. That’s part of it, right? The latent vampire tends to be reckless.”
“Only if there’s a companion around.” Daniel winced slightly. “I think in the beginning it was about Mia, but if he’s reckless now it’s because he’s been raised around them. There are several here at the base. Simply being around companions—even ones he would have no sexual desire for—would spark the urge to walk the night.”
“But there are reasons not to,” Dev pointed out. “The good news is, you’re in control, Lee. You can make the decision. It might be good to talk to some vampires.”
Lee waved that off. “I talk to vamps all the time. Let’s kill me and get going.”
“Lee, you’re still young and you look it. Your dad turned at twenty-one and he had trouble for that very reason.” Though Daniel never had real trouble getting into a bar since he used his mental powers to get the bouncer to let him in. It wasn’t like he was drinking the liquor or anything. But I was grasping because I didn’t think my other arguments would sway him.
“You haven’t even had children yet.” Dev gave him the argument I didn’t think would work.