The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) (8 page)

That almost sounded like a compliment on her figure. She cut a bit of cake with her fork. “High metabolism like most of…us.” She wasn’t sure if using the word
supernatural
in public was okay. “And I suppose your first choice of sustenance isn’t cake.”

He gave a little laugh. “No, not quite. But that’s not to say I don’t partake on occasion. Although those occasions are rare. I prefer moderation in all things.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Why? Because I seem like someone who doesn’t know how to enjoy himself?”

She sipped her chocolate, watching him. “You said that, not me. I was going to say because you seem like a person who favors control above all else. I respect that.”

His brows lifted slightly. “You do?”

She nodded. “Did you think I was going to give you grief about it?”

A moment passed before he answered. “Yes. My brothers both do. Delaney does. Even my grandmother now and then.” He sighed and looked out the window. “I sometimes feel as though I spend more time defending the way I’ve chosen to live my life than actually living it.”

She snorted softly. “I understand that more than you know.”

“And how is that?”

She cut another bite of cake, but didn’t eat it. “I’m a valkyrie who’s become a librarian. Most of my kind take very different career paths.”

“Like your sister.”

“Exactly like Jenna.” Tessa ate the cake. It was good. Not as good as the drinking chocolate, which was extraordinary, but nice enough. She swallowed. “What is it about your life that your family doesn’t agree with?”

He shrugged and twisted his ceramic mug until the handle was at a right angle to his spoon. “I tend to avoid gatherings and social events as often as I can. I prefer to stay at home. With my books and my work and the pursuits that I enjoy. I live a simple life and that’s the way I like it. But I have often been told that I am boring.”

“I’ve heard that a few times myself.”

He lifted his mug. “Here’s to boring, then. Perhaps Evangeline will believe we are a couple after all.”

She clinked her cup of chocolate to his. “Maybe she will.”

He sipped his coffee. “Let’s hope.”

“What’s your goal for this dinner with her? I know you want her to see that another woman finds you desirable, but what else? You must want something more than that.”

He stared into his mug, going silent.

She stabbed another little square of cake she’d cut with her fork. “You don’t have to tell me, but it would be helpful if I had some idea of what the end game is.”

“I want…” He sighed. “You will think me ridiculous.”

“You don’t know that. And why do you care what I think anyway?”

He lifted his head. “Because I’m going to be your boss.”

“That hasn’t happened yet. And if you don’t tell me, I won’t know how to help you.”

His mouth bent with frustration. “I guess I want her back. As much as I wish that weren’t true, it would be the simplest solution to everything.”

Tessa narrowed her eyes. “You really want your ex back? Just being honest here, but I don’t understand how that would be the simplest solution to anything unless you’re trying to drive yourself crazy.”

He smiled briefly. “It’s complicated.”

“She is your ex, isn’t she?”

“Not technically, no. There was never any formal divorce. She just…left.”

“How many years ago?”

He frowned. “Nearly three hundred.”

She failed to hide her surprise. Talk about carrying a torch. “There has to be a statute of limitations on that sort of thing.”

“I’m sure there is. But the marriage isn’t really the issue. I am Evangeline’s sire, something the vampire council takes very seriously. When you cause another to become immortal, things change. A sire must protect those they turn to the best of their ability. And so, I am responsible for her. And I will be until the day one of us ceases to exist. Unless she signs dissolution papers. Which I doubt she will ever do.”

“Do you still feel married?”

“I feel…” He paused. “More like a parent with a prodigal child. Hmm. That’s the first time I’ve put that thought into words, but it’s true. It also sums up why it would be easier to have her back. So I can protect her. That is, more easily than I do now.”

She understood the desire to protect and assist those who needed it. That was another trait of being valkyrie. Although for a valkyrie, it was more about those who were worthy of protection, not a sense of responsibility. That was probably a big part of why she’d agreed to help him. It was in her makeup. Finding the right book for a person was the same thing, just on a much smaller scale. “And if she doesn’t want you back? Not saying that’s going to be the case, just curious what you’ll do then.”

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I don’t know. I’ve spent my years waiting for her to return. I always knew she would. I never wanted to think about if she didn’t. But she has, and she claims to want us to be together again. All I need from dinner is for her to realize she’s going to have to make me want that too.”

Tessa nodded. “You want her to work for it. To make up for all the time you’ve spent waiting.” She smiled. “You want to make her pay a little too, don’t you?”

A glimmer of something lit his eyes. “Does that make me an awful person?”

“I think it makes you shockingly normal.”

He smiled and laughed a little, giving her a glimpse of his fangs. “I can’t say I’ve been called that very often in my life. Thank you for doing this. I confess I judged you harshly at first but I see now that you are an intelligent woman and very capable of carrying out this charade. You’ll make an excellent addition to Harmswood.”

“Thank you. I certainly hope I get the job.”

“Unless this thing goes horribly wrong, I rather think you’ve earned the job just by being a part of this. You’re certainly qualified. And I think we’ll work very well together.”

“Well, that’s good to know. And appreciated. I hope this all works out for you the way you’d like.” She drained the last of her chocolate. The sugar rush was almost instantaneous, but so were the images of her and Sebastian working well together. Images she was sure he hadn’t intended to create. Images that had nothing to do with work.

She cleared her throat, desperate for a new topic. “With that in mind, we’d better dig a little deeper.”

Sebastian nodded, slightly distracted by the flush of color in Tessa’s cheeks. “We should dig deeper, I agree, but are you feeling all right?”

“Yes, why?”

“You look flushed.”

She laughed nervously. “Probably just the sugar rush. It tends to do that to me.”

“I see. Well, looks good on you.” A new thought hit him. “Say, would you like to get a drink?”

“I just had one.”

“I mean an actual drink. An adult beverage.” The desire for a glass of whiskey had hit him hard and with a kind of rare pull he almost never gave into. Perhaps he was changing as a person after all, because this new impulsive side of him was certainly not something he’d experienced before.

“Oh. All right, I suppose I could have one.”

“Not much of a drinker?”

She bobbed her head back and forth. “I prefer to remain in control of my faculties.”

Which confirmed his earlier thought about her. “I can understand that, but one won’t hurt, will it?”

She made a face that was a cross between a smile and a grimace. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“And yet, you just had cake.” He smirked. “Isn’t having dessert before your meal breaking some sort of rule?”

“Yes, but, well, I was hungry and there wasn’t much else to choose from but sweets.”

He put a hand to his chest. “Barely engaged an hour and already I’ve failed you. How about some dinner, then? To go with our drinks.”

“Okay. That would be great. You have a place in mind?”

“I do.”

And ten minutes later, they were walking into the Poisoned Apple, the local pub. Or the nearest thing to one. It wasn’t a place he frequented often, but neither was any other place in town. He’d heard Delaney mention it and her taste was decent enough.

He slipped the hostess some cash to get them a good table quickly. Unlike his brothers, he wasn’t as well known and couldn’t trade on his name as easily to curry favor, but he was fine with that. Privacy was more important to him.

They were seated at a booth in the back corner. It was quiet, unlike the bar, and secluded enough to feel like a safe space to carry on a personal conversation. He looked at Tessa as the server greeted them. “What would you like to drink? A nice red?”

Her mouth curved up on one side. “Beer.” She glanced up at the server. “Whatever lager you have on tap will do.”

The waitress nodded. “And for you, sir?”

“The best whiskey you have. Neat.”

“I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

As the girl left, he leaned toward Tessa. “I hadn’t expected you to drink beer.”

“What did you think I’d order?”

“White wine? Or maybe a wine spritzer. But definitely not beer.”

She laughed. “It’s a valkyrie thing. We have fairly simple, rustic tastes.”

“Simple and rustic now seem the least two likely adjectives I’d use to describe you.”

She smiled and went a little shy at the compliment, which was oddly endearing. Then he realized she probably didn’t get many compliments. The thought that she was being underappreciated by those around her bothered him.

She smoothed the edge of her placemat. “We should work on our stories.”

“Our stories?”

She nodded. “How we met, how you proposed, those stories. They seem like things your ex will ask about.”

“Ah, yes, very good. I’m sure she will. We ought to figure out what we want to eat first. I’m having the steak, I know that much.”

“The sirloin?”

He scoffed. “Not hardly. The aged porterhouse. It’s the only choice if you like steak, which most vampires do. It’s one of their specialties.” At least that’s what he’d heard from Hugh.

Her gaze slid down the menu until she found it. No doubt she was looking at the price. It was the most expensive choice. “That’s a lot of meat.”

“You can take the leftovers home to your sister. Proof that I fed you, in case she asks.”

Tessa smiled. “Okay. Oh, that reminds me. I should text her that I’m eating out.” She closed her menu, pulled out her phone and sent the message. After she tucked her phone away, she gazed at him, her line of sight going right through him. “Where on earth would we have met? You said you don’t like to leave the house.”

“Easy. We’ll say we met at one of my grandmother’s social functions. She hosts them all the time. Balls for all sorts of things. Charity events. Whatever the town needs. I think it’s one of her best ways of gleaning gossip. We’ll say you were there as a guest of your sister.”

Tessa nodded. “That works, but we should be specific. Which event?”

“How about the Black and Orange Ball? While it’s not actually a charity event, it is one of the most popular things that happens around here. It’s the Halloween party my grandmother’s been throwing for years. It’s a huge deal. People come from all over to attend. It’s a perfectly legitimate way for us to have met as I am forced into attending every year.”

“Okay. Where is it held?”

“My grandmother’s estate.”

“Any chance I could see that tomorrow? Just to have a sense of what it looks like?”

He hesitated. “That would mean bringing my grandmother into this and I’d prefer not to do that. I have pictures from past events I can show you though. As for Elenora, well, she has an intense dislike for Evangeline—”

“I’d be surprised if you said otherwise. Most grandmothers are pretty protective.”

“Mine is no exception.” He grimaced, thinking about what Elenora would do if given the opportunity to confront Evangeline in person. “What else do we need to work out?”

Tessa bit her lip. “Well, we’ve only been seeing each other since the end of October and we’re already engaged? You don’t seem like you’d act that quickly.”