Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
But the second Gammy sees me, she’s on her feet.
“Oh, baby.”
She crosses the room in two steps and pulls me into her arms, holding me so tight my breath catches. Her shoulders tremble, and when she presses her face into my hair, I feel the dampness of tears.
“I was so scared,” she whispers. “I tried to call you yesterday and this morning. You never answered. And I thought—”
“I’m here,” I murmur, clinging back just as hard. “I’m okay.”
She pulls back, cupping my face with both hands like she needs to see me whole to believe it.
Only then does her gaze slide to Rook. Something complicated crosses her expression—relief first, then fear, then something like resignation.
“So, Rook,” she says softly. “You think it’s time we tell her?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rook replies.
“Wait…you know Rook?” I ask, looking between them, still trying to catch up.
“Not until a few hours ago, sweetheart, no. But I’ve known of him—and of his kind—for quite some time.”
“Vampires,” I say on a whisper, and it’s so tragically comical, even Rook has to hide his smile.
My grandmother, though, she laughs outright.
“Yes, dear. Vampires.” She eyes me knowingly. “Now do you see why I’ve been trying to get you here so hard so we could have a talk?”
“This is what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Well, I wasn’t pulling your leg, sweetheart.” Gammy sighs and nods. “But hopefully, you can see now why I thought it best that we have this discussion in person.”
I snort. “I probably would have had you committed.”
“Mmhmm,” she hums before jerking her thumb at the coffeepot behind her. “Make yourself a cup and sit down. We still have quite a bit to talk about.”
I move to do as I’m told, but Rook is faster—obviously—jumping up from the table, pouring a cup, and mixing in cream and sugar for me before I can even make it to the counter.
He holds it out to me slowly, and I get up on my toes to touch my mouth to his, grateful that he had the foresight to bring me here. I’m biologically comfortable with him now—clearly—but hearing the kinds of things I can only imagine I’m about to is still so much better from a familiar face.
Escorting me to my seat, he pulls out the chair and waits for me to get comfortable before taking the one next to it this time.
I don’t miss Gammy’s subtle smile or the satisfied way she hides her face behind her own coffee mug when Rook asks, “You good?”
I nod. “As good as I’ll ever be when my grandmother’s getting ready to tell me alien ships are waiting in the ocean to take us to another planet, and when we get there, we’ll be the king and queen of the society.”
Rook smiles, and I shrug. “Am I close at least?”
“No.” He shakes his head softly. “But I’m thoroughly entertained, and that isn’t easy, so good job.”
“Thanks,” I say smugly, sucking in a sip of the most divine coffee I’ve ever tasted. Rook isn’t only as fast as the speed of light, strong as a superhero, and so capable of producing orgasms I’m still walking funny—he’s a regular barista too.
“All right, sugar, time to get down to the hard stuff. As you know now, we humans are far from the only thing in this big world. It makes sense that we’d think so—what with how self-centered we tend to be—but we’re not. Not even close. Rook, his brothers—”
“Holland and the rest of the Fighting Fangs,” Rook jumps in to supply.
Gammy nods. “They’re all vampires.”
I nod self-consciously, still feeling wild for believing it all. “Rook told me.”
“Well, what they didn’t tell you about, I’m told, is another group of vampires you haven’t met—the elites.”
I grimace. “Let me guess. Untouchable money. Untouchable power.”
“Untouchable because no one ever sees them. They don’t show up in headlines. They don’t need names.” Gammy’s jaw tightens. “This group of vampires doesn’t believe they’re obligated to follow rules or a code or any of the worldly order of any of the others, and as such, they take what they want without asking.”
“What do they take?”
“Humans,” Rook growls. “Women. Like you.”
My eyes grow wide as they jump to Gammy, who’s nodding along slowly. She reaches out and grabs my free hand, and I put down my mug to sandwich her fingers with the other. “Women like me?”
“Our family is part of a royal group of humans, honeypie. A very powerful heritage known to Rook’s kind as the blood of the three.”
“Okay, yeah, I don’t like the sound of that at all.”
“Of course you don’t, baby. You’re a woman born of rebellious blood. Your mama—she was the same way.”
“What do you mean? Mom…Mom was part of this?” My voice shakes, and my lip quivers slightly.
“Think biologically, Ky,” Rook suggests softly, cupping my shoulder with his strong hand. “If you’re of royal blood, so was your mother.”