CHAPTER TWELVE
There was nothing worse than getting fired from your really good job just because some demon was stalking your house 24/7.
On one hand, Eva didn’t have to worry about house supplies and food because her fridge and cupboards were already filled with at least a month’s supply. They solved the blood issue by having Malena express deliver a box that would last Raz, Peter, and Ana a week—something that Raz didn’t like at first, as he was adamant he only took animal blood since a few years ago. Considering his injury and the fact that his stomach organs were almost ripped out of his body, he had no choice but to comply and let Eva take over.
He wasn’t injured for long, though, a testament to just how fast a vampire could heal. Within four days, Raz was as good as new, and he once again took over the daily house sweep while she planned out the escape routes. Since the demon’s presence was still lurking around, they couldn’t escape yet—not that Eva wanted to. It was a last-minute resort, as Eva decided to take a stand first and fight before she fled.
This was her home, and no demon was going to drive her away.
The kids, however, weren’t as contented as her to stay. By the third day, they were growing impatient, and it reflected in different ways. Peter complained a lot, from feeling too hot to wanting to go out and get some fresh air. He was pretty insistent that he could protect himself from some demon, and Eva knew Peter didn’t comprehend the full danger of the situation they were in.
Ana, in the meantime, was broodier and quieter than ever, closing in on herself while she looked on outside. Her eyes noticeably went red from time to time, but she didn’t say a word or complained.
On the fourth day, when it looked like Ana was on the verge, it was Raz who took her aside and told Eva not to worry. Raz and Ana disappeared for a little bit upstairs, and when they were back an hour later, Ana was noticeably calmer.
“What did you do?” Eva asked.
“Gave her some of my blood,” Raz replied. “It’s not as tasty, but it’s good sustenance.”
This happened every night since then, with Raz alternating between Ana and Peter and teaching them control. It wreaked havoc on Eva’s nerves, and she found that there was only one solution to ease it down: by baking her heart out.
She started with bread in the mornings, filling the house with its scent and actually making the kids forget about their current quarantine, since they loved her bread. Then she also experimented with cakes and pies, keeping the quantity minimal so she’d have more reason to bake the next day. Nights were for cookies, which were her personal favorite. She loved to eat them fresh from the oven, when they were still hot and moist in her mouth.
As she baked, thoughts filled her mind. How long was the demon going to stay outside? She only had a glimpse of the beautiful woman, but even she could tell that there was something not normal in the vision, particularly around the eyes, which had no pupil and were purely black. Then there were the claws, which were irregularly long and not like the elegant ones she’d seen once or twice in shifters.
Other than the demon, what was she going to do about Ana and Peter once Raz was gone? Would they be able to live normally within the human society? Would they lose control? She now understood Michael’s aversion to involve them in his life. At first, she thought he just didn’t care. But now Eva realized that maybe Michael cared a little too much.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Eva paused from scooping some dough onto a tray. She looked up and found Raz leaning against the kitchen archway, his arms folded in front of him. He was wearing the spare clothes she found from an ex-boyfriend: jeans that were the right size and a dark blue shirt that was a bit loose on him. It didn’t matter, because he still looked like he could walk into any party and be the center of attention.
She tried not to notice his good looks and tried to focus on the matter at hand.
“How are they?”
“They’re good and sleeping.”
Eva nodded, relieved. “How are you?”
His brown eyes were steady on hers, and for some reason, it made her hands still. He nodded back. “I’m fine. Thanks to you.”
The sincerity in his tone, and the lowness of it, got to her. He always looked at her like that—just a little intense, just a little soft, and it had her insides going in a whirl before she could stop it. Frustrated, Eva broke the gaze first and turned around, affecting a casual tone as she placed the tray in the oven and set the timer. She then went near the kitchen sink and began taking out more ingredients as the nerves came back.
Bake and forget. Bake and forget.
“I owed you one when you saved my life back then,” she said. If she kept talking, maybe he’d get bored and go away. “And when you saved the kids from that vampire. Granted, you’re a vampire, too, and I usually don’t trust your kind, but you’ve saved our lives twice now, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Not hearing any response, she turned back around.
She froze.
Raz was no longer in the archway, but near the kitchen counter and still watching her. It had her mouth going dry and her heart beating a mile a minute, and Eva realized that if she kept staring, she was going to end up doing something she would sorely regret.
Like touch his face to see if it was as warm as his hands.
And maybe kiss those sensual lips that beckoned her to have a taste—
Eva gulped, and Raz’s eyes followed the movement. She turned back around and stood on tiptoe, trying to gather her bearings as she reached up to the cupboard above her.
“So yes, thank you. My brother must have meant a lot to you.”
Silence filled the space, but he responded after a few seconds. “He was a comrade. We just went on missions together. Actually…he kept the kids a secret.”
“Why?”
“Probably to protect them,” he admitted.
“And did it protect them?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out,” Raz murmured.
Warmth filled her back, and Eva belatedly realized that it was Raz. In what felt like slow motion she reached out for a can of peaches up in the cupboard, then his hand was brushing it as he reached out, too. The movement pressed his front to her back, and her breath hitched as he slowly took the can and placed it on the sink. His hand settled beside the can, palm lying flat on the sink tiles. His other hand did the same to her other side, essentially trapping her in place.
She felt him inhale behind her, then exhale. His breathing wasn’t quite as steady, and his suddenly lower voice sent a shiver down her spine.
“You shouldn’t keep turning your back to me,” he muttered.
“Why?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Because I shouldn’t trust you?”
“You shouldn’t,” he agreed.
“But I do.”
“You shouldn’t,” he repeated, tone harsher this time. His warm breath settled at the nape of her neck, and it was all she could do not to whimper. “Your neck distracts me too much.”
Oh.
Vampire instinct.
“You’re a vampire. You want to suck my blood. It must be normal.”
“No.”
“No?” she echoed.
“I don’t want to suck your blood.”
A vampire didn’t want to suck her blood? Was she supposed to feel insulted or something? Eva tried to figure out what to say, but his presence was much too distracting.
“So if you don’t want to suck my blood, then I don’t know why I’m so distracting—” Her words ended in a gasp when his hands suddenly settled on her waist, turning her around in a split second. The strength it took to do it so quickly had her heart thundering in her chest, and her eyes widened as she found herself face to face with him, their mouths just inches away.
“I keep wanting to kiss your neck,” he said, his voice soft and seductive. “I keep wanting to, and it’s been incredibly difficult to control myself.”
Out of all the things he could have said, that was the last thing she expected.
Attraction sizzled between them, hot and potent. The image of his mouth on any part of her skin, particularly her neck, flashed in her brain and made it short circuit as something scorching settled in her belly. She watched his eyes darken, then watched as he visibly tried to control himself this time. Then he made a fraction of a step backward, telling her he wasn’t going to pursue it because he knew the dangers.
But she was tired of being cautious.
It was Eva who used her hands to pull him back, using whatever strength she had in her.
It was Eva who closed the distance between them.
And it was Eva who stood on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against his, damning all consequences in the process.