"Yes." Lucern shifted, feeling terribly uncomfortable, unsure how to explain. In the end, he didn't need to.
"I think it's terribly sweet of you to name your characters after your family like that," Kate said.
Lucern gaped at her in surprise. Sweet? He wasn't sweet. What the—
"It's obvious you care for them a great deal."
"Er…" Lucern was feeling oddly trapped when a tap on his shoulder drew his head around. He found himself staring at Bastien and Etienne. Relief at the distraction made him smile hugely, which surprised them.
"We need a hand from both of you." Bastien's look encompassed both Lucern and Greg.
"Oh. Oh, of course." Luc turned to Kate as Greg got to his feet. "They need us. We have to go," he explained.
Kate nodded solemnly. "It's a guy thing, huh?"
"Er… yes." Luc stood, tossed a warning glare at his mother and sister, lest they say something else to put weird ideas in Kate's head, then followed his brothers away from the table.
The foursome crossed the reception hall, left through a door half-hidden behind a decorated beam, walked up a long, narrow hall, then exited through another door that led into the parking lot behind the building. Bastien walked along the row of parked vehicles to his van. Lucern didn't know what was going on until his brother opened the back doors and dragged a medi-vac cooler closer.
"I don't know about you guys, but with everything that had to be done, I didn't get to feed before the wedding today. I thought I might not be the only one with that problem, so I packed a picnic for us." Bastien popped the cooler open.
Lucern grinned at the sight of the blood bags packed in ice. Good old Bastien. He was always prepared. He would have been a Boy Scout as a child had they had them in those days.
"Oh, thank God!" Etienne took the first bag Bastien held out. "I was so busy rushing around, I didn't get a chance to feed. Neither did Rachel, I'm sure."
"I brought enough for everyone," Bastien assured him. He handed bags to both Lucern and Greg. "I'll bring the ladies out after we go back. I just didn't think it would be good if we all left en masse. The Argeneau side would understand, but the Garretts would be confused."
"Too true, my friend," Greg said with a shake of his head. "I'm still not used to all this." He gestured to the bag in his hand, then lifted it and stabbed his elongating teeth into it.
Lucern smiled as he followed suit. For someone who claimed the opposite, his brother-in-law did a fair imitation of someone who was comfortable with his new situation. Mind you, that might be different if the therapist had to bite people to feed, as in the old days.
The four men all fell silent as they emptied their first bags of blood. Bastien then pulled plastic cups out of the van and split two more bags between those four cups, and the men stood talking as they drank. It wasn't long before the conversation came around to Lucern's unwanted guest. Etienne was the one to bring it up, commenting that she seemed quite nice.
Lucern snorted. "Don't let her fool you. That woman is as stubborn as a mule. She's like one of those damn ticks, burrowing under your skin and staying there. She's burrowed her way into my home and just won't leave!"
The others all laughed. Greg suggested, "Why don't you just do some of that mind-control stuff Lissianna's trying to teach me—just get into her head and plant the suggestion that she leave?"
"Luc can't get into her head," Etienne announced with a grin.
"You've tried?" Greg asked Lucern with surprise.
"Of course I did. The very first night." Luc scowled and shook his head. "But she seems resistant to suggestion. I can't even read her thoughts. The woman's mind is like a steel trap." He sighed. "It's damned frustrating."
"Yep. And don't tell Mother," Etienne reminded him.
"Why not?" Greg asked.
Bastien explained. "Mother says couples shouldn't be able to read each other's thoughts, so when you come across someone strong-minded enough to block you out—which she says is rare—you should pay attention, they would make a good mate."
Etienne nodded. "So if she catches wind of this…"
"She'll be determined to put us together," Lucern finished for him. He immediately felt confused. The last thing he needed was his mother playing matchmaker and forcing him and his stubborn editor together. On the other hand, Kate was a hell of a game player. And she was attractive, and somehow she became less annoying the longer he knew her. He was even getting used to having her in his home. If he were going to be forced into marriage—
"So I wouldn't mention it to her if I were you," Bastien said.
"I'd have to agree with Bastien and Etienne on this," Gregory decided, looking at Lucern. "As much as I like your mother, she can be a tad persistent once she gets an idea into her head. If you don't want her interfering and trying to push you and Kate together, I wouldn't mention that you can't read Kate's mind."