time I see his face.”
“You control your anger much better than I would. I’ve killed others for crossing me in much less nefarious ways than what the Martins did to you.”
“I know, and I think it’s time to remind you murder is messy. If we bury any more bodies on our property, I’m going to have to resurrect them only so we can burn their remains.”
Lucas chuckles. “Fuck, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
A woman in a power suit at the table next to us raises her hand, getting my attention. Shit. Did she overhear that? We were talking quietly, and I think anyone would assume we’re joking even though we’re totally serious.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help notice those people bothering you,” she starts and glances at the woman she’s seated with. “We’re lawyers, and we might have something here.” She angles her chair toward us and looks over at where the Martins were seated. “Do you know who that man was?”
Keeping up my pretense, I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”
“That’s Senator Martin,” she whispers. “And we’ve been gathering information from human-vampire couples like you.”
“Information for what?” Lucas asks.
“A discrimination lawsuit.”
“Are you tired, my love?” Lucas asks. We just got back into the car after leaving dinner. The food was amazing, and knowing Nancy and William Martin were staring at us the whole time, fuming over my lack of reaction, was the cherry on top.
“Not yet, surprisingly.” I pull the seatbelt over my lap and turn up the heat. “Is Eliza working tonight?”
“She should be. It’s a weekend, and the Taproom is always busy.”
“Want to go see her?”
“You want to go to a bar?” Lucas asks incredulously.
“Yeah, I’m really craving something hard on the rocks.” I shake my head. “That sounded dirtier than I meant it. And yeah, we can go see her. I haven’t been there in a while, and I can get another sparkling water with cranberry. And maybe some lime. That sounds refreshing, doesn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Lucas chuckles. He leans over and kisses me before heading in the direction of the bar. It is busy, but we get lucky like usual and find someone pulling away right as we pull up. I pull on my hood and put on my gloves, preparing for the short walk.
Lucas wraps his arm around me, and I look up, smiling. “Thanks for taking me out. It was really nice getting out of the house and out of my own head, if that makes sense.”
“It does, and I’m glad you had a nice time. We should do this more often.”
“Yeah, for sure.” I rest my head against him. “Now if I can only get Kristy and Evander to finally admit their unrequited love for each other and then we can double date.”
“Have they ever expressed feelings for each other?” He looks at me dubiously.
“Yes.”
“Feelings of love or sexual desire.”
“I’m sure,” I go on. “And I’m sure they just haven’t realized how much they’re meant to be. Come on, you have to admit it would be perfect. My best friend and my brother together forever. We’d double date and it would be fun.”
“Please tell me you won’t go slipping your friends love potions now.”
“Ohh, thanks for the idea!”
Lucas shakes his head, and I laugh. “Love potions don’t work, do they?”
“No, you can’t make someone love you. You can make someone think they do, but those feelings are obsessive, and they can turn dangerous. People do crazy things for the ones they love, and they tend to go completely homicidal when they’re forced into a fake obsessive type of relationship. But if all they need is a nudge in the right direction…”
“Don’t make me take your cauldron away from you.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
We laugh, and Lucas opens the door for me. The bar is busy tonight, with a live band playing. Eliza’s behind the counter, making drinks, and looks up as soon as we walk in. Moving at vampire speed, she finishes serving the customers and comes over.
“I can smell the magic coming off you from across the bar,” she tells me. “You’re like a walking Happy Meal for vampires.”
“Let them try and lay a fang on her,” Lucas says, and I roll my eyes. Vampires are stronger and faster than me, and a vampire Lucas’s age could easily best me, but I think I’ll take my chances with them.
Eliza’s perfectly lined lips move into a smile. “It’s good to see you two. What are you doing here…in a bar…when you’re