Teddy’s eyes flew to the counter she’d slammed with her fist and they widened in horror. Sometimes she didn’t know her own strength.
But Cormac was all smiles and pleasantries. “I reminded my life mate about her temper, Nina. I did. I told her, Nina’s going to be mad when she sees what you’ve done in a fit of rage. But she was all, ‘Nina-Schmina. I ain’t afraid a no ex-vampire’,” Cormac teased, chucking Teddy under the chin with a giggle worthy of a schoolgirl.
“Tattletale,” she accused from the side of her mouth as Nina ran her hand over the very distinct fissure marring the beauty of the marble, a frown on her face. “Wow, traitor. Why not just roll the bus back over me for good measure? What happened to sacrificing your life for mine?”
“Oh, I’m not there yet, lady. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever be there enough where Nina’s concerned.” Then he grinned as he made a run for the doorway.
“I’m going to kick your ass, Vitali!” Teddy yelled, running after him, only for Cormac to catch her around the waist and carry her back into the living room, laughing in her ear.
And it was just another moment she could chalk up to feeling right. For now, that would have to be enough.
Cormac stood just outside one of the many turrets in Castle Nina, looking out over the skyline, the gloomy clouds gathering, mashing up against each other in an attempt at another snowstorm.
The forecast called for a possible twelve inches of precipitation, making their plans for a sting on Stas and his crew slow going.
How they were ever going to pull something off as daring as Wanda had suggested made his pulse pound in his ears. It put everyone at risk, but it especially put Teddy at risk.
He found he didn’t like that much. In fact, he didn’t like it at all. That bond, that connection she’d mentioned was real. He felt it, too. No, it wasn’t love, but it wasn’t just chemistry either. It was multifaceted, full of a kaleidoscope of muted colors as yet undefined, but ever-moving and in the process of creating shapes he knew would imprint on his heart.
He just didn’t know why or how. It made no sense, but it was just like Teddy said, as logical as knowing your limbs were still attached.
This nonsensical feeling had deepened today in the kitchen while she’d defiantly told him she wasn’t going to grovel for his forgiveness. He’d been pretty angry about her lie. But he’d also been angry because if she were lying, it would mean she wasn’t really his life mate.
Instinctually, he knew she was telling him the truth about why she’d lied, and as she’d talked, he’d watched her beautiful lips move, her soft cheeks fill with the color of her anger, and a fragile thread had spun, attaching itself to him.
At first, he’d meant it when he said they should put this life mate thing on the back burner—there really were more important things to worry about than how they’d work out their love lives. Yet, that had changed as she explained what her mother told her.
Now, he wanted to gather her up and test out those plump lips—see if they felt as good against his as he predicted. Tug the braid from her hair and run his fingers through the glossy curtain, mold her to his body, run his hands along every curve.
But there was Toni to think of, and that thought kept him in check. She couldn’t ever come back if this wasn’t resolved. He wanted to see her, hear her voice, know she was safe and, above all, happy. From the way the women talked, she sure sounded happy.
“Hey. What did we tell you about big windows, targets and bullets?” Marty asked him from behind, giving him a pat on the back.
He turned around to find her smiling up at him. “Sorry. Lost in thought, I guess. This house, er, castle is really something. I was admiring the view from way up here.”
“It is beautiful. My little girl Hollis loves coming here to play with Charlie and Grandpa Arch. They pretend they’re princesses and Arch is their knight in shining armor. It’s the cutest thing ever.”
“The tight-knit network you ladies have created is to be admired.”
“We have our kinks,” she responded, her voice distant and laced with a sprinkle of sadness.
“You mean the kink who goes by the name of Nina?”
She flapped her hands in a dismissive gesture, pasting a smile on her face. “I’m sorry. I’m being maudlin, Cormac. I was just thinking about our children, which made me think of little Charlie and how she’ll…” Her voice hitched and then she shook her head. “Forget it.”
“You were thinking about how Nina won’t be around for Charlie because she’s no longer a vampire and her little girl is still a paranormal?” He’d thought a lot about that, too. Was his life eternal? Or just extra-long? Would he outlive everyone around him?
He hadn’t found the answer in the romance novels he’d read—each author had a different take on immortality.