“Maybe we should do this later.”
“Now, Cesca, you don’t want Jo-Jo to feel like he failed as your teacher, do you?”
I glanced at Jo-Jo’s embarrassed expression. “No.”
“Plus,” Saber said, leaning close and whispering, “it would be hot to levitate during sex.”
My knees went a little weak, and I had to clear my throat, but I was suddenly motivated. Highly motivated.
“Bring it on, Jo-Jo.”
My flight instructor nodded. “Okay, Highness, have you ever flown by accident, without meaning to? Or come close to flying?”
I shook my head, but Saber contradicted me.
“Yes, you have. You flew into my line of fire when that killer captured you in March.”
“That was jumping, Saber, not flying.”
“You hovered.”
“I did?”
“You did.” He pitched his voice low and sexy again. “Now jump for Jo-Jo so we can all call it a night.”
For the record, white vampires might jump like NBA stars, but this white vamp can’t fly. We worked for twenty minutes, and I did have some success. I never figured out exactly how, but I finally managed a leaping hover about six inches off the ground that lasted for all of three seconds. Still, it was a toss-up whether Jo-Jo would be funny before I could fly.
Good thing we took a break when we did. Though Jo-Jo tried not to let me see his frustration, he’d slapped his forehead during the lesson so often that the wound Marco had inflicted with the silver knife was now red, raw, and seeping. Saber sat Jo-Jo on a barstool on my patio and peered at the cut by the porch light.
“What have you been putting on this, Jo-Jo?”
“Antibiotic ointment.” He winced when Saber carefully probed the wound.
“Cesca, where is that special salve I had made up for you?”
“That smelly stuff I haven’t had to use yet? It’s in the first aid kit.”
“Would you mind sharing some with Jo-Jo?”
I smiled and trotted into the house. Anything to get out of flight school for the night. When I’d been shot during the French Bride case—on two occasions, no less—Saber had insisted that I keep some anti-silver salve on hand. I’d argued that none of the bullets had been silver, but he gave me two one-ounce jars anyway. One I kept in the car, the other in the house. I didn’t know where he came by the salve or what was in it, but I hoped Jo-Jo had a weaker gag reflex than I did.
I grabbed some gauze pads and white medical adhesive tape for good measure and dropped everything in one of the plastic bags from Publix I saved to line trash cans.
When I handed the bag to Jo-Jo, he frowned and peeked inside. “Highness, why does a vampire have a first aid kit?”
“Because she has human friends.”
“Ah, that would explain it.” He stood and gave me a little bow. “Thank you for the medicine. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“What for?”
“More help with his act,” Saber answered, almost too quickly.
I let it pass because Jo-Jo left, and Saber murmured his pet name for me against my ear.
“Princesca, ready to come fly with me?”
We didn’t levitate in bed that night, but we did soar to the moon and stars a few precious times. In the afterglow, with our legs still tangled and our breathing returning to normal, I snuggled my head into the curve of his shoulder.
“It just gets better and better with you,” Saber murmured, his hand lazily caressing my hip. I kissed his chest. “Glad to hear I’m holding your attention.”
“You hold more than my attention.” He paused and turned to face me in the light of the candles scattered throughout my bedroom.
“What would you think of me moving to St. Augustine?”
I pulled back enough to see him without my eyes crossing.
“You could be based here instead of in Daytona Beach?”
“I can now. Since the Vampire Protection Agency is federal, they’re reorganizing. All former slayers who want to stay on the job as special investigators will be federal employees instead of working solely for each state.”
I took that in for a minute. “Is there a chance you’d be transferred out of Florida?”
“Some, but it’s not likely. The powers that be know we’re familiar with the vamps in our areas. Moving us around could create more problems than leaving us alone.”
“Wow, a federal reorganization designed to be more efficient instead of less? I thought that was unconstitutional.”
“Ha-ha, funny girl. If I buy my own place in St. Augustine, would you feel like I’m crowding you?”
“You couldn’t crowd me, Saber. St. Augustine isn’t that small a town.”
“It might be with Triton and me both here.”
I frowned and propped up on my elbow. “You’re not jealous of Triton, right? You know there’s nothing between us other than an old friendship. Emphasis on the old.”
“I’m not jealous. Not exactly. But I don’t understand why he came back, left you that dolphin charm you said he used to wear, then vanished only to send you another charm and a warning.”
“He’s turned into a drama king?”