Blood Double (God Wars #1)(14)

"So I won't cook when I go to The Line again?"

"I don't want you to go back to The Line. In fact, I'm begging you to never consider it again." He was speaking metaphorically—we both knew that.

"A second turn. That means I'm a half-child, doesn't it?" I looked up into clearly concerned gray eyes.

"Yes. I'm surprised you knew that."

"Gavin gave me information on a comp-vid and told me to read all of it. Half-children are only mentioned once in all of that. It said they're rare."

"They are very rare. I hope you don't mind that I volunteered to be your second sire. Merrill wanted to do this, but I beat him to it." Adam was smiling again. Nobody had smiled that much at me in well, forever.

"You're a good man. Why would I mind?" I shook my head. "Gavin hated me from the beginning."

"Hate is a strong word," Adam said, patting my fingers. I was currently holding onto his arm as tightly as I dared—I was shaky and concentrated my efforts on staying upright.

"Gavin didn't want anything to do with me."

"Sweetheart, do you know that for sure?"

"Yeah. I know it for sure," I nodded. I'd seen it every time he'd stood in front of me.

"Thank God." Trevor spoke first and rose from his seat at a huge kitchen island. "Baby, are you all right?" Kooper Griff, who sat next to Trevor, nodded at Trevor's words.

"I'm okay," I whispered, shocked that he'd called me baby. Nobody called me that. Had never called me that.

"She's shaky as hell," Adam said, telling everyone present what I was trying my best to hide. Several sat around the large island—it wasn't just Kooper and Trevor. I recognized Kiarra and Merrill; I'd seen them in Adam's reading. Reading Franklin, Shane, Tomas and Trace made me dizzy, but I did it.

"Here," Trevor took my arm and led me to his seat. That's how I ended up between him and Kooper, while breakfast was served.

"I heard you were vegetarian. I am, too," Kiarra offered a smile. She was beautiful, with waist-length, white-blonde hair. She and I were having eggs and fruit.

"Eat as much as you can," Kooper coaxed as I lifted my fork. I understood now that Adam's blood hadn't only enabled me to walk in daylight. Trevor, grinning beside me, accepted a plate of food as well.

"Somebody's not just vampire," I patted Trevor's hand. I might have known that about him if I could read him. He and Kooper were still just as unreadable to me as they'd been the first time we'd met.

"I have to keep up appearances," he smiled. "Can't have the locals thinking Sheriff Trevor is more than just your ordinary vamp."

"I'm glad," I said, dipping up eggs and working to keep my hand steady at the same time. Who says I can't multitask?

"You should have called me last night," Trevor said quietly, and then he put gentle fingers on my spine and rubbed careful circles there. I almost dropped my fork.

"I thought about it," I said, working to keep my breaths from coming out in shaky spasms—Trevor's hand was creating a sensation I'd never experienced before. As for his statement; I'd considered calling him—I'd turned his card over and over in my fingers before deciding he had no influence over Gavin or any other part of my life. I'd made my way to The Line after that.

"You can call me, too, you know." Kooper weighed in on the situation. "I'm glad they removed the disguise, by the way."

"Did they?" I hadn't noticed and hadn't asked.

"We'll talk about that later," Adam promised. "While you're with us at NorthStar, you'll be yourself."

"Where is NorthStar?" I asked. Kooper took the opportunity to place a croissant on my plate. They'd just come out of the oven and the cook was smiling at all of us as he handed out baskets of rolls.

"Avendor," Adam said. "On the Southern Continent. We own the second-largest gishi fruit grove, here."

"Gishi fruit?" I hadn't heard of it.

"Only a hair away from heaven," Shane spoke for the first time. "And the most expensive fruit you'll ever taste. It only grows here and on Kifirin. It's the volcanic soil and tropical rains that make it taste so good."

"The ice cream is heaven," Kooper agreed.

"I love ice cream," I sighed.

"Eat your eggs, sweetheart," Adam nodded toward my plate. I dipped in obediently.

*

"We have somebody you might be able to help us with," Kooper said later, as I was led to a sitting room surrounded by glass windows. Adam's home at NorthStar was situated on a hill and through the tall windows I could see groves of dark-green fruit trees below. Gishi fruit trees.

"What do you mean?" I sat on a comfortable sofa between Kooper and Trevor. They each held one of my hands in theirs, as if they were afraid I might get away. My cheeks remained in almost constant flush at the attention I was receiving. Kooper's thumb was gently stroking my hand, and I had to force myself to concentrate on what was being said instead of what I was feeling.

"Do you know who Teeg San Gerxon is?" Trevor asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "He's the Founding Member of the Campiaan Alliance." I'd done my homework.