But though Xavier was the most powerful vampire and had the most responsibility, he’d always made time for her, even when she’d been a little kid. He’d always taken time to ask serious questions, like what was she studying at school, and was she going to university. And then, he’d tell her about events from his own life, especially once he’d discovered she might study history at university, and maybe even become a professor.
Of course, if she did teach at a university, it would have to be one close to home. Near her parents, of course, but mostly to Xavier. Because he was. . . . She heard voices and looked around guiltily. No one knew about her and Xavier yet. Not even her best friends. But they would after tonight, after he finally admitted she was old enough. She’d seen Xavier staring at her lately, caught him more than once looking at her in surprise, as if wondering when she’d suddenly grown up. She was tall and long-legged, with long, black hair that fell in big curls down her back. And she had tetas, too. Not the tiny ones she’d had at thirteen, but full-on breasts, like her mother’s.
She was still younger than the other women Xavier dated. Because of course, he had dated while waiting for her to get old enough. But he never kept one woman around for long. And for the record, none of them were more than a few years older than she was now. What did a few years matter when love was involved?
She scowled. A lot apparently, since once her breasts had gotten big enough to matter, he’d stopped hugging her when he visited her parents. Which didn’t happen as often as it used to, because Xavier had begun to host formal dinner parties instead. Parties with just the adults. She’d been angry about that at first, and then hurt when it seemed he was avoiding her.
But she knew his heart. He respected her and her parents, and was aware that they were annoyingly old-school when it came to courtship, as they called it. Talk about old-school. Hell, her mama and papa hadn’t even been alone together until their wedding night. They never discussed it, obviously, especially not with her, but she got the message. They hadn’t had sex until they were married, and thought she should do the same. Like that was going to happen. Hell, most of her friends had already gone almost all the way with their boyfriends. And the only reason she hadn’t was because her boyfriend was a badass vampire who apparently was just as old-school as her parents. Which made sense, since he was even older than they were. But when he’d dated those other women, they’d always spent the night, or even the day sometimes. And she wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d been playing cards and sipping wine.
But tonight would change all that. She could finally show him, once and for all, that she was a woman, and no longer a child he had to shelter from real life. And she was going to do that in the most convincing way possible—she was going to seduce him. She’d already set up everything in an old chapel deep in the forest that her friends all used as a make-out place. She’d been there once, too, with that boy whose penis she’d touched. They’d gone out with friends, but when he’d walked her home, they hadn’t taken the road. Instead, they’d walked through the trees and ended up at the old chapel. At least, that’s what everyone said it had been. It was so old that no one really knew. It was small, only one room, with crumbling walls and nothing but a makeshift ceiling that someone had fashioned out of tree branches. The cute boy had brought along a blanket, so she knew he’d been planning to take her there all along. And she’d known what he’d wanted.
He hadn’t gotten it, of course. And besides, that was history. Tonight was what mattered. She knew the chapel would be empty, because all her friends were at a big soccer tournament. She’d faked an illness to explain her decision to stay behind, and then made her plans. She’d arranged the chapel with a lantern, blankets, and a bottle of wine. She was even (gulp) naked under her jacket, so there’d be no need to slow down—no excuse to do so—once she’d begun her seduction. If she kept her hands in her jacket pockets, he shouldn’t notice until she was ready, and by then, the mood would be set. Xavier would confess his long-frustrated love for her, she would fall into his arms, and they’d make love.
She heard his voice first, giving Chuy some last-minute orders, probably based on something they’d discovered during their patrol. Just the sound of him made her smile and had butterflies dancing in her stomach. She couldn’t believe this was finally going to happen, that they were going to happen.
Waiting until Chuy had gone ahead to talk to one of the night sentries, she stepped out of the shadows and called his name softly. “Xavier.”
He spun at once, his beautiful eyes shining as they easily located her, despite the dark night.
“Layla? What are you doing out here alone?”
She was suddenly nervous. Her plan had seemed so simple when she’d devised it, and again when she’d been setting up the chapel earlier. But now, confronted with the sheer force of his presence, her hands trembled inside her pockets. “I um . . . there was something I thought you should see, but—”
His voice softened. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Her pulse raced at his tone, and when he reached out to touch her shoulder, she thought her heart would leap out of her chest. Emboldened by this show of affection, she said, “I found something, someplace in the forest, deep in the trees, that I think you should see.” A small voice inside her head sounded an alarm at this change in plans, from a straightforward seduction to . . . something else. A deception that Xavier might take very badly once he discovered it.
But it was too late.
He was already telling Chuy to go on without him, his arm held out wide in invitation, indicating she should lead the way and saying, “After you.”
“Yes,” she agreed, afraid if she said anything more that he’d hear her voice quake with nerves. The walk through the forest was quick and quiet. She’d already plotted out the best route to the chapel, and though he attempted once to ask questions about where they were going, she’d said only, “It’s not far,” then put her head down and concentrated on not tripping. She had her small penlight, which she kept aimed at the ground in front of her, as much to light her way as to avoid blowing out his night vision. She did that instinctively, something every child in the Fortalesa was taught, once they were old enough to understand. In a nighttime emergency, it was important not to get in the way of the vampires who might well be fighting for everyone’s life.
When the chapel was close enough that she could catch glimpses of it through the trees, she slowed, wondering if she should say something before they got there or—
“Is that the place?”
She jumped at the sound of his voice, but kept walking.
“That’s just an old shrine or something, Layla. It’s been there for . . . hundreds of years. From before I took over the Fortalesa.”