either of you with the request. ”
Enough of the drama already, I want this finished.
“Spit it out, Drew. I’ve got other guests I’d like to see to as well.”
He looks really unsure of himself now, eyes downcast, shifting his weight from one hip to the other in the chair. Good. I move to brush past him. My patience is running out and I think he senses it.
“I’d like to formally petition for entrance into your family, the McAndrews’ seethe,” he finally blurts. “Please consider adding my life to those who serve and protect you. I’d be a loyal addition and my previous seethe will give references on my character, if you desire.”
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that in a million years.
Shock registers on my face; I can see an image of myself mirrored back at me from his shiny black pupils. The reflection shows I actually have my mouth open like a gasping fish. Best to fix that now.
I close my mouth. Open it again and nothing comes out.
I try again.
“Um, okay, but I don’t really have a formal seethe. I prefer not to have one. Haven’t you noticed in your week here?”
“Yes, I have. I originally came to your inn to seek solace from an old pain. The peace of this oasis has enchanted me. I’ve been unhappy for a while and wandering for eighteen months. My family in Chicago, the Maggios, gave me permission to find a new seethe but none appealed to me. Until now.”
The questions in his cabin combined with his roaming of the property make more sense now, but I’m still not sure I know all there is to know about this man. Call me suspicious, call it trust issues, whatever—it has kept me alive for a long time and I’m not going to start doubting those instincts anytime soon.
My curiosity gets the best of me and I’m dying to know what his real problems are. I itch to reach out to touch him and Rafe knows it. I don’t have time to get distracted though. He grabs my hand firmly and pulls me back a bit from Drew.
Rafe speaks again on Drew’s behalf. “I think it is worth considering, Vivian. Do not answer too hastily.”
Shock again! I certainly didn’t expect that response out of Rafe. My head whips around and I stare into his eyes.
What am I hearing? You want me to take on more vamps here?
It wouldn’t be the first time I was around a bunch of spoiled prima donnas. After all, I am exposed to quite a few in our place of work, my dear.
His smug little rejoinder is an obvious reminder we do have vamps here all the time. It’s our livelihood, for crying out loud. I guess it never phases me because they are transients, but to have another one here in permanent residence seems a bit much to take on.
To allow one into our seethe means we have to discuss things as a group, it would no longer be just Rafe and I hashing things out. The idea of having someone here who may know what I can really do is a frightening prospect. To open myself up and let another vampire know I can control their thoughts and actions if I choose—well, it hasn’t worked well for me in the past.
Rafe chirps in to my panicked ramblings. That’s the past, my love. Take things a step at a time here.
The politics in a seethe are always a bitch to follow. I hate the backstabbing and the accompanying infighting. Which is why I haven’t gone off and rushed to fill the resort with other vampires who would live here permanently. I enjoy the lulls we get throughout the season. Right when I think a group has been here too long and I realize I don’t really like them, their stay is over and they go home.
The only thing keeping me calm with the upcoming vamp, Asa, coming to stay was the thought that it was temporary.
I reach out to Rafe’s mind. I need time to think. I can’t deal with this, not right now. Why is all of this happening at once? Don’t you question the timing?
Well, it does make his pointed questions to you in the cabin a little understandable.
I turn back to Drew. Slightly more composed now, I hope.
“I will need some time to think on it. This is a very unique resort, have you noticed yet?”
“Do you mean besides the obvious rooms on this floor and the screams