told me,” he said. “She told me she could read my thoughts.”
“I see,” William said grimly. “And what did you say in reply?”
“I told her to never let another vampire know she could do such a thing.”
“You must see what I mean. She possesses skills that don’t belong to a human and that is bound to attract the wrong sort of attention,” William said. “Olivia is curious, outspoken and above all, determined. It’s inevitable that she will run into trouble.”
Josef snorted into his glass. “I can understand why you had to have her,” he said. “Must be a delightful change of pace from your monkish existence these last few years. Still, I am surprised you would choose to step back into the Council’s affairs. You were determined to leave humans to their own devices.”
“Yes, I was. And like all men, I was drawn back in because of a woman.”
“Understood,” Josef said, refilling their glasses. “But there is one thing I don’t understand. Just what do you suspect she is, if she isn’t altogether human? Witch? Fairy?”
“Possibly,” William said thoughtfully. “I expect we’ll learn the truth very soon.”
****
CHAPTER 35
I woke up early the day after the election and decided to do nothing for the first few hours. I didn’t meet Josef at the studio. I didn’t read my email, or make any telephone calls. Instead I went downstairs in search of William, who had spent the night. I managed to lure him away from a copy of E.E. Cumming’s poetry and into the shower, then back to my bed for several hours of lovemaking. Afterwards he left me lying in bed, returning a few minutes later with a cappuccino. The morning left me deeply satisfied. My body felt spent, worn out by my lover. My house felt like a home, the aroma of warm espresso and sex filling the air.
Of course, given my habit of worrying, I immediately began to wonder what would happen after we married. I didn’t want to leave my little house, but I was inclined to let my vampire husband stay in his home, which was better designed for his survival. Perhaps we would rent mine and keep it in the family until we could find a use for it. I had no idea where Josef slept; I suspected it might be inside his school. Perhaps he would enjoy living here. There would be no children to inherit my home—not unless a miracle of science occurred.
It seemed best not to dwell on those kinds of details. There was no assurance I would have either longevity or a child with a human man, so I counted my blessings for having found someone to love, someone who returned my feelings, for that, too, was not something anyone could be assured of in this world.
I said goodbye to William around noon and went directly upstairs to throw on my workout gear and take a leisurely run to Ocean Beach. At the shoreline, I lingered briefly despite the cold to stretch under a clear, blue sky.
When I returned home, I returned the phone calls and emails that had been pilling up all day. I spoke with Levi several times, helping tie up loose ends and organize next steps. Patrick and Maggie were his staff members now, and I was eager to give them some responsibility to help arrange his move to Congress.
Fortunately, Levi had been a member of the House of Representatives once already, so his transition was not as disorganized as it might have been for a genuine freshman. When I hung up the phone for the last time early that evening, I felt confident that things would go smoothly.
My work concluded, I drew a bath and gave myself a facial, listening to a new playlist I’d made on my iPod. Without the pressures of a campaign, I was free to indulge in the little rituals that women enjoy, scrubbing and buffing until the skin on my body felt smooth and taut. Slowly, I began to feel human again. I dressed, pulling on a pair of wool capris along with a sequined tank top and leopard-print ballet flats. To stay warm, I planned to wear a wool pea coat over my clothing for the walk to The Moss Room, where Gabriel had arranged for our celebration.
Lily showed up at my house at 6 pm, about an hour before we had to leave for the victory party. She walked through the door wearing a similar outfit, but her pants were wide-legged