“I can’t accept an offer without knowing the consequences.” I started to remove his gift, but his hand stilled me. “I can’t accept this either.”
“I’m not asking for an answer now, only that you consider me.” He tapped the bangle. “This is all the protection I can offer until you decide. Please, wear it. It will keep you safe.”
From him went unsaid. The odds of another Last Seed wanting a piece of me were…incalculable.
“I can’t make any promises.” I would need a second opinion before I removed the darn bangle, let alone promoted it to daily accessory status. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. “But I will consider your request.”
“That’s all I can ask.” His quick smile was nice, tinged with triumph I didn’t understand, but not bone-meltingly irresistible. “Except… Might I still trouble you for that sandwich?”
“That I can do.” I set about preparing our meal, falling into the comfortable routine while my mind whirred. This gift must have been the reason Woolly allowed him entrance in the first place. Did that mean she wanted me to accept his alliance or take the gift and run? Times like these, I really wish she had writing skills above kindergartener level. “Was this the only reason you came to town?”
“No, I have other business matters to attend while I’m here.” He traced a vein in the granite countertop with his finger, and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that same touch on my throat. “Perhaps I could engage your services for the night.”
I burned my palm on the pan I was heating. “Come again?”
“You are a guide, yes?” He quirked an eyebrow. “I am not familiar with the area. I would appreciate someone with your qualifications to show me around town.”
“You’re a long way from home, huh?” At his puzzled expression, I elaborated. “Your accent.”
“Ah. Yes.” A grin told me he was well aware of how it affected the ladies. “I was born in Nizhny.” He corrected himself, “Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.”
I sliced a tablespoon of butter and let it hit the pan with a sizzle. “How did you end up all the way in Savannah, Georgia?”
“My mother passed away recently.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” His father was a made vampire, his mother human, for him to be an LS. Meaning that Volkov’s twenty-something appearance might be an accurate indication of his true age.
“We weren’t close.” He shifted in his seat to study the photos on the wall—all pictures of me and Maud, some including a somber Linus, and our escapades. “Not like it appears you were with your family.”
Family was a complicated subject for me, and not one I was eager to discuss. “Was Volkov House part of your inheritance?”
“Yes.” He returned his attention to me. “I’d heard stories of my mad relative and seen pictures of his home. When it passed into my hands, I was tempted to donate it to the town to be used for recreational purposes.”
“What changed your mind?” I finished browning the grilled cheese to perfection, plated it, sliced it horizontally and shoved the dish toward Volkov.
“A…situation arose. My mother was a woman of many secrets, and some were revealed after her death. Much like the house, I inherited other responsibilities as well.” A grim line flattened his lips. “I hoped that coming here might give me insight into what my obligations truly are.”
A small part of me wondered if that situation was me.
“I get that.” I pulled my bread from the toaster and slathered on the PB&J then cut off the crust. “Some responsibilities our loved ones leave behind are too large for us to shoulder alone.”
Surprise lit his features. “Just so.”
“About tonight—” If I had a lick of sense, I would tell him to buzz off and find another flower “—I have two late-late tours scheduled. I can’t break those engagements.”
Plus, I had to get Keet back in his cage and out of my bathroom, where I’d stashed him before bed. At least now he could hang in the living room near the windows overlooking the garden instead of being stuffed up in my room all the time.
“Are you available tomorrow?”
The way he said available made me think he meant something different than what rested on the surface. “Sundays aren’t usually as hectic, but I’m covering two tours for a friend.”
His chin dipped, as if he had expected the brushoff he apparently thought I had given him.
“What about Monday?” That gave me a small window to find answers about the bangle and arm myself with questions to ask about this proposed alliance of his. “We can do an early lunch in town.”
A smile overtook his face that caused my pulse to leap, bangle or no bangle. “Are you asking me out?”
I choked on my sandwich and stole his lemonade to wash it down. Pretty sure my response still came out as a gurgle.
“Your blush intoxicates, solnishko.” He lifted half his sandwich, bit into it, and let his eyes roll closed. A pleased rumble issued from his chest. “I want to repay your hospitality. We will meet Monday, and I will take you out for lunch.” He cut his eyes my way. “As you requested.”
“Okay.” I didn’t dare risk a longer response until I had drained his glass to the bottom. Thankfully, eternal life came with one heck of a boost to the old immune system, and I couldn’t catch anything from sharing. “I’ll pencil you in.”
“I make you nervous,” he observed.
Around him, I felt like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “You’re a stranger.” A vampire. “In my home.” Even if said home had invited him in.
“After Monday, we will have spoken three times. We will be strangers no longer. We will be…” his lips pursed, “…friends.”
A laugh welled up in me. “Sure.”
Once I showed him the sights and he realized I had zero powers or influence, he would lose interest and our friendship would crash and burn alongside his offer of alliance. I just hoped he let me keep the bangle as a consolation prize. Having experienced the helplessness of confinement behind iron bars, the misery of having my will suppressed, the horror of doubting my own sanity, I could appreciate an accessory that protected me from a fraction of the population at least. Volkov, whether he knew it or not, had given me a gift potent with symbolism as well as being practical for our future dealings.
“I hear your doubt.” He finished his sandwich with equal rapture. “I will prove to you I am a constant man.”
I schooled my features into a bland mask. Seeing him as a man was not part of the plan. Even his use of the word rang hollow. Made vampires often referred to themselves as men or women, a habit some of them never broke, but born vampires had been taught the trick as camouflage to make them harder to distinguish from their brethren.
Volkov was a vampire, and vampires—born or made—meant trouble for me. No matter how sincere those thunderous eyes blazed, I couldn’t afford to let biology lead me around by the nose.
The doorbell chose that moment to ring, a pealing sound as joyful as laughter, and I had a good idea who to expect. So it was no surprise, three minutes later, to find myself squaring off with Boaz over the threshold.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be awake yet.”
“I’m not a total laze about.”
“No, but you worked late.” He inhaled, and the groan he released made my stomach tighten. “Is that a grilled cheese sandwich with extra butter I smell?”
“Yes, but I’m out of cheese. And bread.” And I really didn’t want him to discover I was harboring a vampire.
“Don’t hide from me.”
“Hello? I answered the door. I’m standing here, talking to you.” My guest? Yes, well, okay. Him, I was hiding. “I haven’t been grocery shopping because of those late nights you mentioned.”
“Is there a problem?” Volkov purred over my shoulder.
I closed my eyes on a groan then squinted up at Boaz. “This is not what it looks like.”
“It looks like you’re cavorting with a vampire.” His gaze sharpened. “Are you out of cheese? Or is it O positive you’re low on?”
“Is this your boyfriend?” Volkov asked conversationally.
“No. He’s my—” I stalled out. “Neighbor?”