Shadows Strike
Page 38
Ethan gaped at her. “Heather!” They were supposed to ease him into things, damn it.
She laughed. “What? You think he isn’t going to recognize my furniture? He bought some of it.”
“I thought that chair looked familiar,” General Lane muttered.
Heather looped her arm through her father’s and guided him into the living room. “The vampires really did a number on my place, Dad. A lot of stuff wasn’t salvageable. And I’m head over heels in love with Ethan. So, instead of taking turns staying at each other’s home, we just moved my stuff in here and I live here now.”
Her father cut Ethan a glance.
Ethan’s palms began to sweat as his last hope of making a good impression began to slip away. “I’m going to marry her,” he blurted.
Heather grinned, enjoying his discomfort so much he feared her eyes would soon begin to glow with mirth.
Ethan sighed. “That’s actually why we invited you over tonight, sir. We were going to provide you with a delicious dinner, maybe some wine to relax you. Then I was going to tell you how much I love Heather and ask your permission to marry her. Your approval is important to me, so I was hoping to make a good impression. But your daughter, it seems, would rather watch me squirm.”
She shrugged, offering him an unrepentant smile. “I can’t help it. I’ve never seen you like this before. As I said, you’re cute when you’re nervous.”
Ethan glanced at her father to see how he was taking all of this.
General Lane looked back and forth between the two. “What about the whole mortal and immortal thing? One of you is going to age and the other isn’t. Won’t that be a problem?”
“Not anymore,” Heather answered. “I’m immortal now.”
Ethan bit back a growl and glared at Heather. “What is wrong with you? I thought we were going to ease him into things.” Both had agreed that such would be the best way to gain both her father’s acceptance and his approval of the changes that had taken place.
Her face scrunched up with apology. “I know. We were. But I trained hard today and I’m really hungry and that damned chicken smells good.”
Ethan bit back a laugh. Fighting and training at preternatural speeds and with preternatural strength did tend to burn a lot of calories and leave one feeling famished.
She shrugged. “I was kinda hoping to get all of the gasp and swoon stuff out of the way quickly so we could eat.”
Ethan did laugh then and drew her into a hug. Over her head, he smiled at her father. “She did train hard today.”
General Lane stared at them. “So she’s . . . like you? Heather is . . . ?”
“Immortal. Yes, sir.”
Heather stepped back and grinned at her father. “Check it out.” Her eyes flashed brilliant amber as her fangs descended.
How Ethan loved seeing her like that. It just made him want to pounce.
General Lane gaped.
“I know it’s a shock,” Ethan said tentatively. “But . . .”
He shook his head. “It isn’t a shock. It’s a relief.” Smiling, he hugged Heather tight. Then, releasing her, he pulled Ethan into a hug, too, clapping him on the back. “Thank you.”
Surprised, Ethan stared down at him as General Lane stepped back. “You aren’t angry?”
Still smiling, Heather’s father shook his head. “Hell no. I nearly lost her twice in one month. Three times if you count the big battle she helped you fight a few weeks ago. Now that she’s immortal, there’s far less chance of that ever happening.”
Heather grinned, her amber eyes lighting with mischief that did not bode well. “I’m super strong now, Dad. You want to see?”
Ethan threw up his hands. “No, no, no. No demonstrations. Not until you get your strength and speed under control.”
Heather bit her lip, expression chagrined. “Oh. I guess you’re right.”
General Lane cocked an eyebrow.
“There have been a few . . . incidents,” Ethan explained. “I didn’t transform Heather myself. I wanted her to be stronger than I am. So we asked Aidan, a three-thousand-year-old immortal, to do it instead. As a result, Heather has much greater speed and strength than I do.”
Heather nodded. “I can even tolerate some daylight.”
“She’s incredibly strong,” Ethan went on, “and hasn’t quite learned how to harness that yet, so . . . yeah. There’ve been a few incidents.”
Heather eyed her father sheepishly. “They had to repair the roof. Twice. And one wall.”
Her father shook his head. “Well, as soon as you gain control over it, I want a demonstration.”
“Done.” She grinned. “And I wasn’t kidding, by the way, when I said I was really hungry. Can we sit down to dinner now? Please, please, please?” She motioned toward the dining room.
Nodding, General Lane strolled toward the table.
Heather grinned up at Ethan. “You see?” she whispered. “Just like ripping off a Band-Aid. The faster, the better.”
Shaking his head, Ethan kissed her smiling lips. “You’re evil,” he murmured.
“Am I evil?” she purred. “Or naughty? Perhaps you should punish me.”
“Don’t tempt me, minx. Your father is in the next room.”
She brushed her lips against his. “You aren’t really angry, are you?”
“No. I’m too busy picturing you naked and tied to the bed now.”
She grinned. “I love you, Ethan.”
He stole another kiss. “I love you, too.”
Taking his hand, Heather backed away and tugged him after her. “Now let’s go get some of that chicken.”
Laughing, Ethan shook his head as he followed her.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Dianne Duvall
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4201-2982-3
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-2983-0
eISBN-10: 1-4201-2983-X