Sitting down to dinner a few minutes later was a more pleasant experience than Finlay had imagined. He was afraid that with Aaron and Megan's delay, the food was ruined by either over cooking it or reheating it. But as he finally took his seat and took the first bite, thankfully, everything was as good as perfect.
Finlay put a lot of thought into the seating arrangement of them all around the big, six-seat table. Finlay was careful not to put Megan too close or too far from him, settling for seating her next to him at the head of the table. And she couldn't stop glancing his way. It seemed perfect. Aaron sat beside Megan on her other side to make her feel comfortable, while Damian and Kaitlin sat opposite. It took a while for the conversation to flow casually, but eventually Megan participated and Finlay saw her feisty nature for himself.
Damian and Kaitlin's romance gave Megan hope as she listened to them discuss how they met again after such a long time apart. Finlay asked Damian whether they were going to tell her parents or wait until their relationship was on more solid ground.
Obviously, he knew enough about their world to know who was whom, what their responsibilities were, and the extent of their powers. It was enough to reassure Megan that there would never need to be any secrets between them. She wouldn't ever have to pretend. If she ever triggered her natural instincts to use a spell without thinking, or if she missed home and wanted Kaitlin to help her find a way to see her parents, she would be able to admit to Finlay just how she felt and why.
"Do you think if I asked Kate to go cut up the chocolate cake that Damian would go with her?" Finlay whispered softly. "If so, it won't take anything to get rid of Aaron ... then we can be all alone. What do you say?" Finlay asked, mindless of the ongoing conversation between Damian and Aaron about the latest hockey season.
"And why are you so desperate to get me alone?" Megan asked, smiling up at him teasingly. Her voice was soft and seductive as she let her hand slip, unnoticed, from the stem of her wine glass to his hand. He smiled, seeing the way she let her fingers slide over the back of his hand without thinking.
"You know, Kate," Finlay interrupted suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him curiously as he slipped his hand out from under Megan's to take a sip of his beer. "There's a very big, very addictive chocolate cake in the kitchen. Travis made it for you and I think he'd be a tad disappointed if he ever found out you hadn't taken the time to even try a piece," he explained mischievously. Her love of chocolate was obvious as she looked up at Damian, biting her lower lip as if to decide whether she should or shouldn't give in to the temptation. "Of course, you'd have to cut it yourself, put on the sprinkles and ice cream, and maybe add a little of that whipped cream you like so much. But then, with all that effort, I suppose it would be worth it." Finlay was tormenting her openly.
Damian laughed as he rose from his seat first, knowing that his friend wanted some time alone with Megan. He agreed that some time alone with the girl who won his heart sounded like a good idea.
Taking Kaitlin's hand, he nodded her forward and kept silent as he walked her into the kitchen, casually tapping Aaron's shoulder as he passed, letting him know that he wasn't needed as a chaperone for a while.
"Well, I guess I wouldn't say no to that either," Aaron sighed, getting to his feet. Megan blush at the fact that everyone seemed to know that they wanted some time alone. "You mind if I make a call first, I said I'd check in with Ray ... he's supposed to be setting up a room for Megan tonight, but the guy keeps putting it off, thinking she can do it herself when she gets back."
"I take it that football season is on again?" Finlay wondered with a smile.
"You know it. The boys are going to be pissed by the time we get back," Aaron explained with a note of fondness that made Megan wonder just how close they were, how long they had been living together, and whether they met by coincidence or through a "meeting of minds," as it were. "Vinnie got them a lot of beer and some vodka for their night off from watching the holy terror here, so they'll be making good use of it," he laughed with a shrug.
*****
Disappearing into the kitchen to give Finlay a moment alone with Megan was one thing, but Damian still had a job to do. As soon as he got Kaitlin alone in the kitchen, Aaron passed through to make a phone call in the hallway. Damian decided to broach the subject before they got interrupted by anyone else. Unfortunately, Kaitlin was so happy to be able to eat human food that she couldn't stop talking about it. She thought about what it was to be normal and not have to have to worry about being unable to eat in front of people. Damian had told her she could eat human food to her heart's content and never feel full, which was the only drawback. It had no sustenance for them, but he reminded her to go easy on it. Too much of it could still put the weight on them like a human, but he realized that she hadn't listened.
Aaron sauntered back into the room a few minutes later, whistling to himself after his very brief phone call, the only course of action available to Damian was to give Kaitlin a lingering kiss. Sure enough, it shut her up for two seconds so that Aaron wouldn't hear her admit that she was a vampire, and it gave him the message that they wanted a minute alone. He simply picked up the bowl of ice cream Kaitlin had dished out for herself and disappeared back into the living room.
"Don't talk so loud," Damian said, smiling down at her.
"I didn't realize that I was even talking out loud," Kaitlin admitted, gazing up at him adoringly, looking very much in love.
"You were, but it's alright. We just don't need Aaron figuring out what we are. Now, Megan ... is she a threat or not? Aaron says she's almost as powerful as you. Does she know anything and will she cause trouble for us?" Damian asked, getting down to business in a way that made her snap to attention.
She started thinking it through seriously, remembering his explanation that he was allowed to take her with him only because the elders asked him to. They weren't allowed to tell anyone of their relationship yet, at least not until they found Amelia. After all, he was supposed to marry her. Although it upset Kaitlin to a degree, she was smart enough to know that he didn't love Amelia, or at least, he didn't love her anymore.
"I don't think so. She has no idea what's been going on with me. No one has. They don't even know about you existing, except for her seeing you here tonight and Finlay telling her about it. And he's not a threat either. He's slightly illegal, but not a threat," she explained with a smile, licking the ice cream off her finger innocently.
"I hate to say it, but ice cream is even worse for a vampire's health than a human's, so you should avoid it," Damian said with a smile.
She pouted, having thought that she could have gorged on ice cream and chocolate forever without it affecting her. "Fine," Kaitlin said with a sigh.
"We should go. Finlay's infatuated with Megan and as far as I'm concerned, he can keep her if she's not a threat to us. I can get rid of Aaron easily enough to leave them alone together. That way everyone's happy," Damian explained. He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet before counting out a few bills and keeping them in his hand. "Why don't you go get your coat while I break the news to everyone?"
She kissed him lightly and headed down the hallway.
Damian ventured back into the living room alone, and he didn't think anyone would mind when he saw how close the two new lovebirds were to each other. Aaron sulked into the single armchair, playing with his ice cream instead of eating it. "Hey Finn, we're heading off. Katie's getting a little upset reminiscing about all the time we haven't had together, so I think I'm just going to take her home and let her sleep it off," Damian lied, putting on a convincing performance.
Finlay rose from his seat, but Damian stopped him. "Stay where you are, man. Enjoy your night with Megan," Damian replied, with a wink, then turned to Aaron. "Aaron, will you walk us out?" Aaron was suspicious, but Damian offered him fifty bucks to leave Megan alone with Finlay, then reminded him that he was missing the game and free beer. So he quickly shut up and did as he was asked.
YOU ARE READING
Runaway Girl - The Secrets of Avelina Chronicles 1
VampireA missing vampire princess. A soul fractured among five young human girls. One loyal vampire with a grudge. Can vampire soldier Damian set aside his personal feelings to follow orders? Can princess Amelia's soul be reunited in time for the meeting o...