He wiped his fingers on his pants. “Why do you ask?”
“I’ve never seen you litter a day in your life.” I reached out and held my hand to his forehead. “No fever. Are you the real Christian Poe?”
He leaned back on his elbows. “Blue’s suitor keeps himself busy. He’ll have it tidied up before dawn. Have you noticed he’s clearing out the property? Felled two dead trees just today. Gem ran out to stop him from cutting down the one she burned up. I guess that dead thing has a special place in her heart.”
“I know how she feels.” I mirrored his position, and we both gazed down at the distant campfire. “Does he really think pulling every weed is going to impress a woman like Blue? Would you do that for me? Clean acres and acres of—”
“Have you gone stark raving mad?”
I planted a kiss on his mouth, and his lips tasted sweet. “I’m with a Vampire. I must be mad.”
He growled sexily and leaned in for another peck. “Climb astride me and I’ll change your mind.”
I slid my hand down his body and cupped his growing erection. He hissed at the contact and lost that cool facade. I loved watching him crumble beneath my touch.
He pinched my chin. “Later, Precious.”
“Why not now?”
Christian eased to a sitting position, forcing me away. “We have company.”
I heard the footsteps in the grass before I recognized Blue in the darkness.
When she reached us, she put her hands on her hips and stared at the orange glow across the open field. “I swear to the fates, I’m going to castrate him before he’s done with this courtship business.”
Christian twirled a leaf between his fingers. “Why not just throw all the trash into the field? That’ll keep him busy.”
Blue grinned. “Sounds like a man after your own heart.”
I wiped the grass off my hands. “I say we give him a riding mower and a pair of shears.”
Blue shook her head. “If this is how Chitahs court each other, count me out.”
“Aye,” Christian agreed. “If he can’t bring you the head of your enemy, he’s not worth having.”
I gave Christian a long look. He was serious.
Blue captured a lightning bug in her hand. “Viktor has a new assignment for us. He’s looking for you, Raven.”
“I already know about it.”
A faint glow appeared between her fingers. “I thought so. I guess I owe you.”
“For what?”
“For putting my name in the hat.”
I snorted and stood up. “I don’t know what hat you’re talking about. I may have grown up around Shifters, but conducting an investigation with them is another matter. I need someone with finesse in that department. You’re not a wolf, but you know more about Shifters than I ever will.” I glanced up at the dark sky. “I don’t know if it’s a case worth taking, but I owe Ren for looking after my dad all these years. He’s done a lot of good things for us. He helped Crush get clean, and he made sure that I had someone looking out for me while my dad was in rehab. I don’t remember much about it, but when my dad got home, Ren popped in every night to visit. I guess he didn’t want Crush going through it alone. Anyhow, memories like that linger, and it wouldn’t be right to turn him away.”
Blue opened her hand and released the lightning bug. “You’re more like us than you realize. When I met your loner ass, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a girl who grew up around wolves.”
“And I wouldn’t have pegged you for a girl who went around kissing strange Chitahs.”
She glanced back at Matteo’s campsite. “Strange indeed.”
I offered Christian my hand. “Coming?”
“I already spoke to Viktor about the job. I think I’ll enjoy the fresh air for a while.”
I retracted my hand. “You knew we had the assignment and didn’t tell me?”
“Before you get your knickers in a twist, Viktor asked me to keep it private until he spoke with Blue. Thanks for the melon.”
“Hope you enjoyed it,” I said, heading back to the house. “You won’t be getting the other two I’d planned on giving you tonight.”
When we were out of Vampire earshot, Blue glanced back. “What made you want to get in a serious relationship in the first place? This job doesn’t give us that luxury, and besides, you’re always at each other’s throats.”
“We’re Vampires. Of course we’re at each other’s throats. That’s just our way. People who try too hard to please the other are just faking it. You have to do what feels natural.”
“So you like sleeping with one eye open?”
“That’s what keeps things interesting.”
We reached the mansion and entered through the side door, which Blue had left unlocked. Blue didn’t know how tender Christian was in private, how he would softly stroke my eyelashes and tell me about his world travels. Sometimes he just bored me to tears with facts about hippos while rubbing my feet, but those were the things I loved about him. Yet as close as we were, he was still a mystery. But I could see into the depths of his heart. Others didn’t understand our complicated relationship, but outside opinions didn’t matter. Christian gave me everything I needed: companionship, privacy, laughter, friendship, and one hell of a sex life.
Blue rounded the corner and gave me a quick glance. “What’s that grin about?”
“I was just wondering how long that Chitah plans to camp on our property. He might win your heart after all.”
“When pigs fly.”
“He might be your soul mate.”
She traced her finger along the wall. “I have no need for a mate. Keystone is my life.”
Hunter suddenly flew down the stairs and past us, a long string flapping from his mouth.
Wyatt appeared at the landing, fists anchored on his hips. “That’s it. I’m not going after him.”
“What’s with the string?” I asked, gripping the newel. “Did you convince him that he could fly like a kite?”
Wyatt jogged down the steps, drawing attention to his red socks. “He’s got a wiggly tooth. I told Shep to wrap a string around it and tie the other end to a doorknob. When he started to slam the door, he chickened out. I think he feels guilty about causing the kid any pain, but that tooth has gotta go.” He turned to walk with us. “When I was little, I knew a kid who choked on his own tooth.”
Blue rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Did you tell Shepherd that tall tale?”
“I’m not fibbing! It actually happened while he was riding horseback. I guess it freaked Hunter out, because he took the string off the knob and ran.”
“You told that story while he was getting his tooth pulled? Good job,” I said, smacking him on the arm. “Be sure to add that to your résumé. Hacks into computers and terrifies small children.”
“Just give him an apple,” Blue suggested, leading us down a hallway that passed the courtyard.
Wyatt shuddered. “He might swallow it. Then we’d have to fish it out for the tooth fairy.”
Blue sighed. “The tooth fairy is a human fabrication.”