Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,339

on it if you thought you were smart hiding away in the bathroom. It is not our first rodeo, as the humans say when it comes to protecting what is mine. I value my family’s anonymity greatly. It is very hard to keep my family a secret in a century that uses modern technology to capture history at the touch of a button and is shared worldwide in seconds. People are not afraid to believe in the stories they read. It would seem a great percentage of your female species want to be captured by a vampire, and love will conquer all. The world is not ready for supernaturals to be neighbors with humans, living in harmony.”

“How did you meet your wife?” I might as well milk the cow while it’s in front of me.

“She worked in a diner Henry dragged me to in 1956. The bacon was calling him. And that is all I am willing to say about my wife. But what I will add is true love can get found where you least expect it.”

“How old—?”

Aannd then I am happily resting my injured leg on the chair while Hemsworth cleans the gash before adding Steri-Strips while his friend, Lorcan, offers to wash my shirt clean of ‘Eau De Dumpster’ in the industrial washing machine, he found out the back.

I’m not in the mood for idle chit-chat after Hemsworth finishes, so I sit here shirtless while Hemsworth and Lorcan leave me alone to stare at the half-drunk glass of top-shelf whiskey while I wait for information on Queenie.

Every time I begin to think about climbing up the stairs to find Queenie and make sure she is doing okay, I convince myself to stay seated before I can even get to my feet.

Fucking strange.

Hemsworth carries on like nothing is amiss. I know how bright the guy is. He sure is acting oblivious to how different this couple is. At one stage, I could have sworn I saw Lorcan’s eyes darken, and some of his teeth looked sharper when he brought the First-Aid kit over to the table, but then he said something to me that I can’t remember.

I’m happy to watch Hemsworth use the ironing press, because yes, these two pals managed to wash, dry, and press my shirt while I enjoyed doing nothing.

My gut instinct is trying to tell me something, but I can’t seem to break through the fog to connect with the thought.

An hour later, Fern arrives in the bar, the doctor’s bag landing on the table beside me, and then she walks over to speak quietly with Hemsworth and Lorcan before returning to me.

“Fern, how is Queenie?” I stand ready to bound up the stairs to the third floor when I get the answer.

“May I call you Bradford?”

“Of course.”

“Please sit.”

And, of course, I do.

The woman is breathtaking. Her thick mane of hair cascades down her back, curled professionally to bring out that perfect wave. Her eyes are a color I can only describe as cerulean, with an odd black ring rounding the iris.

“Mr. King, would you mind not staring at my wife. I am very territorial,” he growls from several feet away. Fuck! I didn’t realize I was doing it. “It’s not entirely your fault; she is captivating.”

“Queenie’s attackers, although they roughed her up and stole her hair, she is otherwise well. She probably won’t remember anything due to the drug in her system, which is probably for the best. I have bathed and dressed her, and I found hair clippers in the other apartment to tidy her hair.”

“Thank you for coming over.”

“Now she’s sleeping comfortably. I cared for her as though she was one of my own children.”

“You have children?”

Fern laughs softly. “Don’t sound so surprised. We have five children.” And then, as though she thought she said something wrong, she adds on, “It’s date night, so my husband and I should be going.”

Lorcan has kept this stunning woman pregnant more than she hasn’t been because she only looks early to mid-twenties. She was popping them out young and carving out a sexy curvy fig—

“Mr. King. You are staring again.” Lorcan interrupts my rambling thoughts.

I didn’t think I was staring.

“Bradford, I’m a lot older than I look. I have good genes,” Fern tries to smooth my worry that he was having sex with her when she was only a kid.

I hear Hemsworth whisper, “Is he going to be all right?”

Lorcan whispers back, “His mind is strong—”

Fern is clicking her fingers in front of my