A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(61)

There was a playful flicker in his jade eyes, one that invited me to entertain his sparkling curiosity. But I was here to investigate, and, given my personal ambitions regarding GASP, I didn’t want to be distracted by his flirtatious demeanor—as flattering and cheek-warming as it was.

“So, you last saw Sienna downstairs, in the garden, you said?” I asked, changing the subject once more as I looked out the window and noticed the manicured hedges and flower gazebo. Garden lamps had been lit by the servants and cast their yellowish light through the night, while fireflies twinkled between the trees flanking the property.

Vincent was cute, I had to give him that. But his sister was missing, and every second counted—and that alone left a hint of suspicion in the back of my head, as he should’ve been a lot more focused on that than me.

“Yes,” Vincent replied, as if snapping back to reality. “I saw her last down there, writing in her journal. It was early afternoon, if I remember correctly.”

“Did she seem happy, sad, worried?”

“Serene, I suppose. I only got a glimpse of her face, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

“What about the journal? Where is it?” I asked, glancing at the gazebo and noticing the drawers beneath the built-in bench.

“I left it down there, in one of the drawers,” Vincent said. “She had a few books and notebooks down there all the time. She loved spending her mornings and afternoons in the garden.”

“I’d like to go check it, too,” I replied. “And I’d like to speak to the servants again, as well. Particularly those who were here on the day she disappeared. Are they around?”

Vincent stared at me for a minute, a mixture of fascination and warmth in his eyes, before he nodded.

“I’ll escort you downstairs, then call them out. Not a problem.”

I turned to walk out of the room, and Vincent joined my side, his hand touching my lower back for a split second, enough to make my spine tingle. I had a feeling that he couldn’t really control himself, that he was interested in me. He seemed genuine and kind, and downright flirtatious.

Maybe I’d disrupted him. Maybe he’d spent the past few days worried sick about his sister, and I, despite my actual job of finding Sienna, had provided him with an unexpected distraction. I’d find out at some point. First, I had to find out what had happened to his sister.





Avril





(Daughter of Lucas & Marion)





“What’s this about? Are you trying to get some alone time with me?” Heron grinned as I pulled him into Sienna’s study.

Even with that self-assured smirk, I still found my temperature rising.

“No, wise ass,” I shot back. “I needed us to get away from him so we can get you closer to one of those Imen to do your mind-bending trick on them.”

“Sheesh, just trying to lighten the mood here,” he replied, feigning frustration and making me chuckle.

The study itself was as beautiful as the bedroom, its walls dressed in massive bookshelves, fully stocked with leather-bound prints of whatever the Exiled Maras had been reading for thousands of years. There was a writing desk in the middle of the room, and plush seating mounted by the large, shuttered French windows. For a species that didn’t do well in the sunlight, they sure loved their windows.

I heard Fiona and Vincent in the hallway, and motioned for Heron to be quiet so I could listen. They went downstairs and headed outside, meaning that the coast was clear for us to approach one of the Imen servants.

I moved toward the door, but Heron’s hand caught my wrist.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the tension between us,” Heron said, his voice lower than usual, making my skin tickle. “I know I was rude to you yesterday, and I feel like I have to apologize again. I’d hate for us not to get along because of my dumb mouth.”

I stilled, turning to face him. His pained expression poked my heart.

“I spent a long time inside Azazel’s dungeon,” he continued. “I didn’t think I’d ever get out of that cage. I didn’t think I’d be free again. I’m still sort of readjusting to civilization, if that makes sense… And I honestly meant no disrespect toward you. I’ve had females of all species throwing themselves at me since I’ve been out, and I’ve enjoyed the attention. I was under the impression that you’d react the same if I came on to you, and that was my mistake. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re hot, and you’ll probably get me in trouble one day, but I have nothing but respect for you and for the way you put me back in my place last night. It was an eye-opening moment for me.”

I blinked several times, not having expected him to say all this out loud. I’d guessed it already, but it was different to hear it from his mouth. I gave him a nod and a half-smile, hoping I’d help relieve some of the tension I, too, had sensed between us.

“I know, I kind of figured it out myself last night. Don’t worry. There aren’t any hard feelings, Heron,” I said slowly. “It’s okay, really. I appreciate you wanting to reach out like this. Thank you.”

“Also, well done on that slap.” He grinned. “I can’t help but appreciate a woman who can hit me as hard as you did. It made me feel all kinds of hot!”