do where we go from here.
“What I do know is that more and more vampires are getting hit by the wizards. Folks are getting nervous. I’m getting nervous. I’ve stepped up as my father’s successor, but if it comes out that I’ve got no power, they’ll see me as weak. So I feel like I have to try whatever I can, even if it seems completely crazy. And it does. I know that. At the risk of sounding dramatic: for the sake of our entire race, I need you to keep an open mind.”
She blinked. “But you’re the king whether you have a power or not. Being able to hurl lightning bolts or whatever doesn’t make you a smarter ruler.”
In a perfect world . He smiled slightly. “You’d think that, but you’d be wrong.”
***
Isabel groaned softly and rubbed her temples. She thought about her parents and the reasons why they had moved to Florida decades earlier. “Actually, no. I wouldn’t. I know our kind can be stuck-up about abilities.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“It’s why I’ve always lived in the human world.” She gestured vaguely. “Neither of my parents ever came into their power. They kept me away from the rest of our kind so I wouldn’t face the same kind of discrimination they had.”
“Ah… I was wondering.” He blinked, which seemed to highlight how incredibly blue his eyes were. He didn’t look the way she would have expected a king to look. She had seen plenty of the human royal families on TV, and he didn’t look a thing like any of them. Honestly, he was more like a cross between a bodybuilder and a frat boy. Lord knew Lexi had brought enough of both specimens home for Isabel to know what she was talking about. He was dressed in denim and leather, and she was fairly sure he carried a gun. He wasn’t scary, but he radiated strength and a touch of danger.
Very sexy.
“You know,” she said softly. “Even if I’m not on board with this, you are the king. You can do whatever you want, right?” A tremor went through her body at the mere thought of it. He was handsome, yes. But… well, there were an awful lot of buts.
“I won’t club you over the head and drag you out of here.” He smiled, warming his somber expression. “I guess I’m hoping maybe my wit and charm will be convincing enough.”
It was going to be hard not to like him if he kept saying things like that. Against all logic, she found herself wanting to touch him. Or lick him all over. But she’d had her fun at the club already, and she was pretty much sober now, so she didn’t really know what to do. This was the king. The king . The enormity of it practically made her brain shut down.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been wondering something, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there. Are you attracted to males?”
What? “Of course.” Oh. Right. The female she’d fed from. She could see how that might have looked to a passerby. She laughed again. Inexplicably, a tight squeeze in her chest loosened a little. “I guess you’re asking because of the human at the club?”
“You seemed pretty into her.”
Isabel squirmed in her seat again. “I’d had some red, and I needed to feed.” Heat crept over her face. “And besides, she was in a bad place. I could tell. Sometimes when I find a host, I try to make up for taking their blood by offering solace.” She drew a deep breath. That last part, well, she hadn’t even said that to Lexi. Why she so did now was a mystery even to her.
Thad frowned. “How do you know? About the female being in a bad spot?”
Isabel resisted the intense urge to squirm some more. It was a long story, and one she didn’t want to tell. “I’ve been through some rough stuff myself, and I’ve just figured it out over the years. Body language, stuff like that. Sometimes you just know. I figure if I’m going to drink their blood, I should provide a little comfort first, right? Lend an ear, rub their shoulders… that kind of thing.”
Now he was looking
“What I do know is that more and more vampires are getting hit by the wizards. Folks are getting nervous. I’m getting nervous. I’ve stepped up as my father’s successor, but if it comes out that I’ve got no power, they’ll see me as weak. So I feel like I have to try whatever I can, even if it seems completely crazy. And it does. I know that. At the risk of sounding dramatic: for the sake of our entire race, I need you to keep an open mind.”
She blinked. “But you’re the king whether you have a power or not. Being able to hurl lightning bolts or whatever doesn’t make you a smarter ruler.”
In a perfect world . He smiled slightly. “You’d think that, but you’d be wrong.”
***
Isabel groaned softly and rubbed her temples. She thought about her parents and the reasons why they had moved to Florida decades earlier. “Actually, no. I wouldn’t. I know our kind can be stuck-up about abilities.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“It’s why I’ve always lived in the human world.” She gestured vaguely. “Neither of my parents ever came into their power. They kept me away from the rest of our kind so I wouldn’t face the same kind of discrimination they had.”
“Ah… I was wondering.” He blinked, which seemed to highlight how incredibly blue his eyes were. He didn’t look the way she would have expected a king to look. She had seen plenty of the human royal families on TV, and he didn’t look a thing like any of them. Honestly, he was more like a cross between a bodybuilder and a frat boy. Lord knew Lexi had brought enough of both specimens home for Isabel to know what she was talking about. He was dressed in denim and leather, and she was fairly sure he carried a gun. He wasn’t scary, but he radiated strength and a touch of danger.
Very sexy.
“You know,” she said softly. “Even if I’m not on board with this, you are the king. You can do whatever you want, right?” A tremor went through her body at the mere thought of it. He was handsome, yes. But… well, there were an awful lot of buts.
“I won’t club you over the head and drag you out of here.” He smiled, warming his somber expression. “I guess I’m hoping maybe my wit and charm will be convincing enough.”
It was going to be hard not to like him if he kept saying things like that. Against all logic, she found herself wanting to touch him. Or lick him all over. But she’d had her fun at the club already, and she was pretty much sober now, so she didn’t really know what to do. This was the king. The king . The enormity of it practically made her brain shut down.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been wondering something, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there. Are you attracted to males?”
What? “Of course.” Oh. Right. The female she’d fed from. She could see how that might have looked to a passerby. She laughed again. Inexplicably, a tight squeeze in her chest loosened a little. “I guess you’re asking because of the human at the club?”
“You seemed pretty into her.”
Isabel squirmed in her seat again. “I’d had some red, and I needed to feed.” Heat crept over her face. “And besides, she was in a bad place. I could tell. Sometimes when I find a host, I try to make up for taking their blood by offering solace.” She drew a deep breath. That last part, well, she hadn’t even said that to Lexi. Why she so did now was a mystery even to her.
Thad frowned. “How do you know? About the female being in a bad spot?”
Isabel resisted the intense urge to squirm some more. It was a long story, and one she didn’t want to tell. “I’ve been through some rough stuff myself, and I’ve just figured it out over the years. Body language, stuff like that. Sometimes you just know. I figure if I’m going to drink their blood, I should provide a little comfort first, right? Lend an ear, rub their shoulders… that kind of thing.”
Now he was looking
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