“When I saw you across the lake, I felt… drawn to you.” Jelisette’s black eyes shone as she moved closer. “Do you… Did you feel it, too?”
It wasn’t just him, then.
His lips twitched up, relief flooding through him. “Yes, I did.” The gravel in his voice surprised him. Many things about tonight surprised him. He closed the distance between them with a few smooth glides, leaving his empty glass on a stack of books. “I meant what I said earlier. I never bring anyone here.”
“Not even those that you intend to spend some... quality time with?” The insinuation was clear as Jelisette asked the question.
Smirking, Emery shook his head. “No. I haven't done anything like that in quite some time.”
He hadn't wanted to. In fact, until this vampire showed up tonight, he hadn't wanted to do much of anything at all. Even killing evil people, which used to give him some sort of satisfaction, had been growing tiresome. None of that remained in his bones now, though.
“Oh.” Her red lips parted, revealing beautiful fangs. Between her long chestnut hair, her vampire-pale skin, and those fangs, she was stunning.
Every part of Emery tightened, and a growing sense of possessiveness grew within him. He wanted Jelisette.
The following words slipped off Emery’s tongue before he could stop them.
“Will you stay with me tonight?”
She stared at him, so he felt obliged to keep going.
“Not to… you know. Stay… as a friend. I like your company.” Gods, was he a Fledgling? His typical eloquence was nowhere to be found right now. “Please.”
He didn’t know what had led him to ask the question, but now that the words had left his lips, they rang with truth. He wanted her to stay. For a night? A week? Eternity?
He didn’t know.
Right now, all he knew was that he didn’t want her to leave. The sunrise was coming, and for the first time in a long while, he didn’t want to be alone.
Jelisette opened her mouth, then closed it again as her eyes swept over his.
Each second felt like an eternity as he waited for her response. His heart beat faster, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. Was this fast? Yes. Was it right? Also yes.
After what felt like several lifetimes, Jelisette smiled. Her fangs were on full display, and a glint of something dark entered her eyes as she held his gaze. “Yes, I will.”
Something that felt awfully similar to relief fluttered through Emery’s stomach.
“Wonderful.”
That night,they stayed up well into the early hours of the morning. They talked, drank, and laughed—all things he hadn’t done in many, many years.
When the time came to sleep, each took a side on the bed. Neither touched the other and yet, when Emery woke the next night, he realized he’d had the best sleep of his life.
“I need to go home,” Jelisette said when they woke up.
And there went the happy feeling in Emery’s stomach. “Oh,” he said. “Alright.”
He had no reason to be upset about this. For the gods’ sake, they hadn’t even done anything. But he felt like she was leaving him behind.
“Not to stay there,” Jelisette said. “But I need to shower and gather some clothes. Unless you don’t want me to stay, in which case…”
“No.” Emery sat up so quickly that the mattress bounced a little. “I want you to stay for as long as you want.”
Preferably forever. It was fucking insane, feeling like this after such a short period of time, but he did.
“Okay.” Jelisette shook out her hair as she rolled out of the bed and drew shadows from her palms. “Come with me?”
He took her hand. “With pleasure.”