by Amanda Perry
Levi chuckles. “Yes, exactly. Speaking of food...” He rolls over and slides off the bed. “If you aren’t tired, you must be starving. We should get you something to eat. You haven’t had enough lately.”
He holds his hand out for me and I take it eagerly. Butterflies take flight in my stomach when his hand envelopes mine. I’m like a giddy teenager with her first real crush. I know that Levi declared I’m his mate but I still didn’t fully understand what he means. Deciding to not worry so much about the whys, I allow the stupid grin trying to overtake my face. I can’t help it, he has an effect on me that no other guy has ever had before, including Jimmy Kowalski.
Scolding myself for being such a girl, I try to act semi normal as I let Levi lead me to the kitchen. “How about I make you a grilled cheese and a bowl of soup?”
“That sounds delicious, but I don’t mind making it. There’s no reason you need to wait on me,” I offer, standing right next to him.
He laughs and ruffles my hair. “Silly girl. I enjoy taking care of you. Please allow me to do this one small thing for you.”
His eyes are pleading and his mouth is downturned in a sad exaggerated pout. Laughing at his display of silliness, I hop onto one of the stools and sweep my hand, gesturing to the stove. “You may serve me.”
“Would you be more comfortable sitting at the table, or better yet, go sit in the living room and prop your feet up.” Levi doesn’t wait for me to respond before he is pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator. With his back turned toward me, he throws over his shoulder. “Afterall, you are still recovering.”
“Levi.” I giggle a bit at his concern. “I’m fine. My headache is gone. I want to sit here and keep you company while you cook. Is that okay?”
He doesn’t respond with anything more than a grunt. Who knew grunting could be sexy?
Soon after he starts cooking, the whole family has made their way to the kitchen. Looking at the time on the stove, I realize it’s a few hours before dinner time. I slept for most of the day! I hope that doesn’t mean I’ll stay up all night. Then again, maybe I would fit in better if I stayed up all night with the demon family. This thought has me giggling again at my own joke. It draws the attention of the entire room and I clear my throat in an attempt to cover up the laughter.
“Sorry,” I mumble, looking at my hands that are rested on the counter in front of me.
“Stop apologizing, Julianne,” Nikki insists, plopping into the stool next to me. The others all take a seat at the dining room table. “You shouldn’t be sorry for being yourself.”
Nikki and I haven’t talked much, but I find myself really liking her. She seems like a genuinely good person—or demon—and I like that she doesn’t feel the need to hold back on what she’s thinking.
“What were you laughing about anyway?” she asks, an easy grin on her perfect face.
Blushing, I try to speak quietly so no one else can hear me. “I just thought about the idea of staying up all night with demons. It sounded funny because aren’t you all supposed to sleep all day and be up at night?”
A booming laugh behind me has me jumping and spinning on my stool. Brecken is standing there holding his side and laughing so hard, I wonder if he is going to fall over and possibly hurt his stupid butt. It wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.
“It wasn’t that funny,” I grumble, turning my back away from Brecken and his laughter.
“That’s a myth, love,” Levi murmurs close to my ear, causing a shiver to make its way down my spine. “Most of the things you have heard about us are probably not true. We are demon shifters, not vampires. It’s different.”
Leviathan comes around to set some food onto the table and Nikki and I move to join the others around the table. Remus comes in soon after with more food, followed by Joseph. Joseph hasn’t said one word since I arrived. I wonder if he’s upset that I’m here. He looks more nervous than anything so maybe that’s what’s wrong.
Shrugging off my thoughts about Joseph for the time being, I wait for the rest of the family to sit down and start filling plates. Then I address Leviathan again.
“So, you can go in the sun?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Leviathan nods. “Yes, and before you ask, we do not sparkle.”
“Bummer.” I smirk, delighting in the grin that overtakes Levi’s face.
“Garlic and holy water?” I ask, going back on topic.
“We love garlic.”
“Turning into bats?”
“Nuh uh. Though, we do have wings. I’ll take you on a flight sometime.”
I’ll need to work up the courage to tell Levi I’m afraid of heights before he tries to play airplane. With my luck, I’d scream bloody murder and he’d drop me from five hundred feet up.
“Can you take pictures and see your reflections?” I ask, passing a bowl of food to my left as it’s sent around the table.
“Another vampire thing,” Nikki answers for Levi, as he is busy chewing. “We can and do take pictures and use mirrors.”
Tilting my head in thought, I try to remember any more myths I have heard. “Sleeping in a coffin?”
“You were just sleeping in my bed, love,” Levi chuckles, sending me a sexy wink when my gaze meets his.
I will not blush. I will not blush... Damn it!
Suddenly a thought occurs to me and I gasp at the idea. With wide eyes I look at all of the suddenly concerned faces around the table. “You can’t read minds, can you?”
Remus snorts, Brecken laughs at me again, Levi smirks, Abe chuckles, even Joseph cracks a small smile, and all of the girls dissolve into giggles.
“No, Julianne.” Abe smiles happily at me. “We can’t read minds or control minds. Myths about us are very exaggerated and a lot of them are only true of vampires. Though, that one is reserved for fiction only.
There is one thing you likely do not know. We sort of age, and what I mean by that is a born demon shifter’s physical appearance ages until we appear to look middle aged. The process is much longer than your human aging however. One year of aging for you would take us one hundred years.”
“I guess that makes sense.” I nod with a brave face, while inside I’m completely stunned. “Levi said that you stop aging when you are fully mature. So, I guess that would be middle aged. No wonder you and Mary look too young to have grown kids.”
“Thank you, dear,” Mary chirps, giving me a warm smile. “I use great face cream.”
I laugh at her silliness and finally start eating. I’m starving and before I know it, I’m finished with my second plateful. Levi and the rest of the men get up and start clearing the table after I take my last bite. I hadn’t realized they were waiting on me to finish.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take so long,” I tell them, getting to my feet to help clear the table.
“Just sit down and relax, love,” Levi instructs, taking the dishes from my hands. “I will be in when the cleanup is done.”
“Are you sure?” I gesture to the mess on the table. “I don’t mind helping.”
Leviathan leans in and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. “We have this under control. Go rest.”
Unable to argue with him and completely in a daze from a simple forehead kiss, I follow the girls into the living room and take a seat on the couch, waiting for Levi. All of us chat idly for a bit, waiting on the guys to finish, though I’m not sure what we’re waiting for. I wonder if they always do things as a family like this. It reminds me of my parents and I could really get used to it.
A phone ringing in the kitchen draws my attention and I watch as all of the girls go silent and worry begins to cover their features. It’s obvious they can hear whatever is going on in the kitchen. Their heads are tilted, ears pointing toward the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper, not wanting to interrupt too much by speaking louder.
Suddenly the men come rushing past the room toward the door, and the women follow. Levi detours to the living room and comes straigh
t to me. “Something is happening at the gates. We need to figure out what it is, so please stay here. You’ll be safe inside, okay?”
I nod numbly and watch indecision cross his face. He doesn’t want to leave me and I don’t want him to go. I already care deeply for him. It’s an odd feeling, but not unwelcome. Finally, he comes to some sort of decision and, before I can blink, his mouth is on mine in a searing kiss that leaves my lips tingling and butterflies going crazy in my stomach long after he turns and walks out the door after his family.
16
It takes several long moments for my mind to function normally again after the Black family leaves the house. When I can finally think, my mind starts to race with a million different thoughts. From the kiss from Leviathan to what could possibly be so urgent the whole family had to attend to it. My hands shake and my mind spins in circles. I need to do something before I lose it completely.
Deciding to bake my worries away, I head to the kitchen and rummage around until I have the ingredients to make a few different muffins and cookies. A radio sits on the counter, in the corner, and I take advantage of it. I scan the stations until I find a song I like and crank up the volume to drown out my horrible singing voice. As I’m mixing and measuring and wiggling my hips to the beat, I finally allow my mind to wander.
Levi just kissed me! Did I like it? Did he like it? Am I a bad kisser? Does he think of us as a couple? Is that too high school for him? What do I even want? Do I truly like him in that way? Is this weird, mystical bond between us the only reason he kissed me?
What about where they all just went? Should I go help? What if something happens to Levi? The thought makes my heart twist painfully and the urge to rush after him grows strong.
No, Levi told me to stay put. It’s likely demon business and I’d be of no help in that situation. Or I guess it could have to do with the robbery. Are the people at the gate the same ones that tried to set me up? Who would do such a thing? I don’t even know anyone around here. My aunt and her friends are the only ones who even know I exist. I have no friends at school, and the teachers ignore me because of my good grades. No one at work paid attention to me unless it was to fire me.
A sudden thought occurs to me and I drop the measuring spoon in my hand. What if my aunt knows the people? What if it’s one of her horrid friends that came over to the house. They could have seen me as an easy target. I should really talk to Aunt Lauren about this, but I don’t want to go home.
I like being here, it makes me feel safe and happy. Sure, I was scared out of my mind at first, but now I’m smiling and eating good food and the family is being so nice to me. Still, I need to find out who set me up and if Lauren knows anything about it. I decide to talk to Levi later about possibly heading home for a night. That way I can have a conversation with my aunt about her choice in friends.
Before I know it, four hours have passed since the Blacks left the house. It’s the middle of the night, but I know they are going to be hungry. We had eaten dinner early so I’m just finishing up the chicken fajitas I made for a late second dinner and pulling the last of the chocolate cranberry cookies out of the oven. I turn around to place the hot pan on the only available counter space left. Movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention and I glance over to see everyone standing around the kitchen with mixed expressions of shock, exhaustion, confusion, and elation. They startle me so bad I nearly drop the pan and my spare hand shoots out as a reflex to catch it.
“Ouch!” I drop the pan quickly on the counter and rush to the sink, running the small burn under cold water, switching off the radio as I go.
Leviathan is by my side in less than a second. “Are you all right, love?” he asks, inspecting my hand as I run the water over it. His arm wraps around my waist, his front pressed against my back. The tingly feeling from his earlier kiss returns.
“Yeah, you guys just surprised me that’s all,” I assure him.
He drops his head to my neck and inhales deeply. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” My voice is shaky and breathy. To distract myself, I shut off the water and grab the dish towel draped over my shoulder to dry my hand.
Levi pulls back to allow me access to the towel and my brain once more. He frowns at my hand. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” The burn is already blistering, but it won’t be too bad. “Is everything all right at the gate? I was worried.”
“It’s all good, Pipsqueak,” Remus answers, eyeing the cranberry orange muffins closest to him. “Did you want to open a bakery while we were gone?”
Blushing, I look down at my feet. “I stress bake,” I explain quietly. “I wasn’t sure when you guys would be back so I thought I would make a treat. The chocolate chip cookies finished so I moved on to the strawberry banana muffins and then I changed it up to strawberry chocolate chip muffins. After I finished those, you still weren’t back so I made some white chocolate cranberry cookies and cranberry orange muffin.” As I explain to them what I have made, I point out each kind of baked treat.
“You didn’t have to make all of this, Julianne,” Mary tells me with a big smile. “But thank you very much. You’re right, we are starving. Before we indulge, let me get started on a quick snack for us, I’m sure you are just as hungry as we are.”
“Oh,” I stop her from moving forward. “I just finished making something for a sort of second dinner.” Her eyes widen in surprise at my admission and I quickly try to correct my wrong doing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you wanted to make it. I just wanted to help somehow.”
“No! That’s amazing dear. I’m very thankful for the help. What did you make?” she asks, heading to the slow cooker on the far end of the counter.
“That’s actually breakfast for tomorrow,” I explain, walking over to her. “It’s banana French toast. It cooks overnight on low and it’s ready in the morning. I didn’t think anyone would want to cook in the morning after such a long night. I made fajitas for tonight though. The table is already set and everything is ready to go. You all have an amazing stock in the fridge and pantry, but I’m afraid I used a lot of it today. I’m sorry about that.”
“She stays,” Brecken growls around a muffin. “Welcome home, Little Gem.”
I giggle at his antics and watch as the rest of the family file into the formal dining room. Levi stays behind and I realize his eyes have not left me once. It’s starting to make me nervous.
“Did I overstep?” I murmur, digging my toes into the floor. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Strong arms are suddenly wrapping around my waist and lifting me so that I’m nose to nose with Leviathan. My arms wrap around his neck for extra stability and I use them to hold myself close to him.
“You are amazing, my love,” he whispers, resting his forehead against mine. “Thank you for staying up and doing everything you did tonight. I’m sorry we were gone so long, but we were running a safety check around the property.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask again as he sets me down and I try to calm my racing heart from being so close to him. I wish he’d kiss me again like he did earlier. “Did something bad happen?”
He studies me quietly for a moment, clearly trying to decide if he should tell me the truth or not. Finally, he lets out a frustrated sigh and nods. “The guards at the gate said the Ashford clan had sent a few of their members to talk with us. By the time we got to the gate they were gone and we were trying to hunt them down. We had no luck though.”
“Oh,” is my brilliant response to his confession.
Levi chuckles, then pulls me in for a quick hug. He kisses the top of my head before mumbling against my hair. “Come on, love. Let’s go eat so I can have some of those cookies. They smell almost as delicious as you.”
I ignore his last comment as I allow Levi to pull me toward the dining room. He stops just before we enter and turns to me, whispering, “By the way, you should dance like that more often.”
I’m bright red as he pulls me the rest of the way into the room where we all eat a nice meal and chat about nothing important. No one mentions the Ashford clan again so I can only assume it isn’t a big deal.
17
The following morning, I wake before the rest of the family comes out of their rooms. If they’re not asleep, I wonder what they do all night. The house was quiet and calm through the night, so it isn’t like they threw a party. I tossed and turned most of the night thinking about my aunt and what I would say to her. I didn’t end up with anything good. I couldn’t very well walk into her house after being gone for a week and say, “Hey Aunt Lauren, do you know any crazy people who would try to get me killed by stealing from a demon family?”
Chuckling silently at the visual of her reaction to that, I throw the blankets off and head for a shower. Levi had given me more of his clothes to wear to bed last night, so I’m going to have to put them back on after. Walking around in clothes that are too big for me is fine, but I should probably grab some of my stuff from home if I’m going to be spending more time over here.
While brushing my teeth, a thought occurs to me. What if they don’t want me to stay? What if they’re just being polite and want me to go home and get out of their hair. I haven’t felt wanted like I do here since my parents died. I don’t want to abandon that yet. I like the Black family, and I have such strong feelings for Leviathan that I want to explore further. He claims we’re mates, destined to be together. That doesn’t exactly mean he wants me around though. He could reject me and send me packing. Maybe having a human mate means he drew the short straw. They said it’s taboo in their world. He could want to get rid of me as soon as possible to avoid any ridicule from his kind.
With a frustrated huff, I decide to put on a pot of coffee and check on the banana French toast. After all, I’m ready for the day and have nothing else to do. By the time the kitchen begins filling up with people, I have the table set and the orange juice and coffee on the table. I smile and give a soft good morning to everyone as they come in.
