Daughter of Night (A Daughter of Nyx novel)

Chapter Twenty-One

"Where is Nikolas?"

"He's finishing up."

"Fine. Let's talk."

"Humans don't like our kind." He shrugged. "Probably comes with the teeth and the fact that we eat them."

"Probably."

He watched her again.

"Is that what you wish to discuss? I might be able to explain further."

His laughter wasn't what she expected. It was thick and warm, so very inviting and she swallowed. She didn't need to share her attraction with anyone else.

'No, sweetheart. This is what I wanted to discuss. You are a human. You like them. And wrapping my brain around that isn't working. But whatever I can or can't comprehend, there is this fact. You were... sad when you thought they would die. You bled for a vampire. One you didn't know. You only knew he was important to Elliot, and you stuck your bleeding arm to his teeth. Willingly." He sat back and threw a leg over the arm of the chair, looking far more comfortable with the subject than she was. "That was incredibly stupid and incredibly selfless."

"What are you getting at?"

"It's simple. There is something going on here. Something that feels comfortable. I see how you look at them, and I don't see fear, much less horror."

She smiled. "You missed the early days."

Again, that silent watchful stare

"What did you do in your human life?" she asked.

"A lot of thing. I wasn't the nicest person and I've done some shitty things. Things that ended up with what you see now."

That was probably going to be as good as it got from him.

"I still feel fear, Caleb. Wouldn't I be foolish not to?"

"One of the things that I did in my former... occupation... was watch people. Observe them. Yeah, you get scared, but it seems to me, since I met you, that you are afraid of yourself more than you are of them."

"Nikolas maybe, but Elliot can still terrify me."

The smile on his face wasn't pleasant and he took a breath. "He's not here to tell me to shut up or to make me regret living, so I'll tell you this. In my observations, he's not the Elliot that I said goodbye to a while back. At least, not with you."

"I appreciate that information, though, I'm not sure what to do with it. But let's get back to the original conversation."

"Fine. It comes down to this. These bloodsuckers are my friends. As close as family, in a lot of ways. You care for them. I can't always be here and I can help make you stronger. I want you to bond with me."

That wasn't what she expected to here from the brusque vampire. "I—"

"I don't expect an answer right away. In fact, I fully expect you to turn me down. But consider this. From what I can tell, you don't know what's going to happen over the next few days. Have no idea how large the enemy is or where they are going to be coming from. You can—"

"I accept."

The words surprised her just as much as they did him. But again, it felt right. Something inside wanted him to be with her. It wasn't sexual. Wasn't desire. It was something better.

"Are you—"

"I said I accept. I don't need time to think about it. What you said makes perfect sense and I don't think you are doing this to put your teeth in me. You could have done that the other night. Instead, you chose metal. I trust you. But it goes beyond those things. You said it yourself. Something is going on, though I can't say what. And that something is a feeling of home, for me. I don't have to kiss you to feel it. I feel it by simply talking to you. I accept."