Redson Read online

  Red lingered after he turned off the water, trying to dry in the tight space. He usually stepped into the bedroom area to do that but he didn’t think his guest would appreciate seeing him naked. He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door.

  The light in the kitchen had been turned on and the bed was empty. He stared at it, stunned.

  Emma had made his bed.

  It was kind of nice that she’d done that.

  The smell of coffee teased his nose, and he was in for another surprise. Movement had him turning his head to find her peering at him from near the fridge. She’d exchanged her T-shirt and panties for a long-sleeved sweatshirt and jeans. Disappointment hit—and he hated it. Because he’d wanted to look at her bare legs.

  “Do you mind if I cook us breakfast? You have cans of corned-beef hash and ketchup.”

  His eyebrows rose. “For breakfast?”

  She shrugged. “It’s good.”

  “I usually have it for lunch.”

  A cute little frown curved her mouth, drawing his attention to it. “You don’t have eggs and the only fresh thing you seem to have in the fridge is half a dozen steaks. Were you expecting company?”

  He shook his head. “I spend my weekends here in the warm months. I restock every time I come for the next week. I put them in frozen and they slowly thaw inside the fridge. I’m going to have to hit town for more supplies soon.”

  Another thought struck, and he winced.

  “Are you okay?”

  She’d noticed. He cleared his throat, holding her gaze. “Do you need any female stuff? You know…woman things? Is that time of the month coming?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have periods.”

  He gaped. “What? You said you were only forty. Humans don’t hit that thing until they’re older.”

  “You mean menopause?” Amusement flashed in her blue eyes.

  “Yeah. That.”

  “I live with a Vampire. Bleeding for days every month isn’t exactly a smart thing to do. I took care of it some years ago.”

  Red was horrified. “You had yourself sterilized?”

  “No!” She shook her head. “I take a shot every three months instead. I have some, but don’t worry. I don’t plan to be here that long. I always keep them with me since once a location is blown, we can’t ever go back.”

  “You don’t need a doctor to give them to you?”

  “Not with my grandpa and his ability to compel people into doing what he wants. He, um, talks doctors into giving me a supply of the shots to go, then wipes their memories. I get a two-year supply when we do it. It’s safer that way, rather than having to go through all the paperwork and creating new medical files every few months. I try to leave as little information about myself as possible. I told you…we were being hunted by Eduardo and the other Vampires from his nest.”

  She couldn’t get pregnant.

  He felt his dick respond and changed the subject quickly, to prevent the towel wrapped around his waist from rising. There would be no hiding his reaction if he didn’t think of something else. “How many Vampires are in this nest?”

  She shrugged. “We don’t know how many Eduardo is in control of these days. There used to be six in the nest when my grandpa ran things. They can be as small as three Vamps up to dozens. It depends on where they’re located, who their master is, and if they’re able to support themselves without drawing notice.”

  “You said they showed up at your home and your grandfather stayed behind? How many did you see?”

  She thought back. “At least ten were there. He did tell me through our link that Eduardo hadn’t created those Vamps. They were sent from the council. I’m assuming Eduardo just followed them.”

  “Your link?”

  “Um…it’s a Vampire thing. I was young when I began living with Grandpa. My mind didn’t have any natural defenses yet, and he trained me to pick up and send thoughts.”

  “You can mentally communicate with him?” The concept stunned him. “Only mates can do that.”

  “Mates?” Her lips parted. “Ewww! I’m not mated to my grandpa.”

  “VampLycan mates can do that,” he corrected. “Can you talk to him now?”

  “No. It only works in close proximity.”

  “How close?”

  “I don’t know. We can talk to each other in the house but he can’t send me a thought if I’m at the store, like he forgot to add trash bags to the list or something.”

  “It’s similar to a mated pair on distances. Can you feel what he does?”

  “Not really, unless it’s a super-strong emotion. I knew he was afraid for a split second before I fled the house, but then it was gone.”

  “I meant physical sensations. If he’s hurt, do you feel the injury?”

  “No. Just strong emotions like if he’s pissed or scared.”

  He smiled. “Mates have strong connections. They can send feelings through their bond but also physical responses.”

  “Really?” She looked surprised.

  “Mates are special. They have attributes that humans never will.”

  “Great,” she muttered, turning away. Her voice lowered further. “Another one.”

  “Another what?”

  She softly cursed before turning to face him again. “I forgot your hearing would be as good as my grandfather’s. It’s just that I’m tired of being treated as if I’m deficient because I’m so normal. At least I can enjoy sunny days without dying and I don’t have a tail.”

  Her feelings were hurt. He could see it in her eyes and hear it in her defensive tone. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Sure.” She shrugged. “Whatever. Do you want corned-beef hash or not? Can I cook? I’m always starving when I wake.”

  “Go ahead. Or give me a few minutes to dress and I’ll cook.”

  “I’ve got it, Redson.” She disappeared out of his sight. “I’m not totally useless,” she mumbled.

  He knew women were emotional, and he’d somehow just triggered her anger. He softly growled and decided to get dressed. There wasn’t a lot of privacy, but she would either watch or not. He turned his back, dropped his towel, and put on his jeans.

  Emma refused to slam the pan onto his little cooktop burner, despite her anger. It was a mystery why she’d expected Redson not to view her as a weaker species. Her grandfather had reminded her of that very thing at every opportunity, intentionally or not.

  It could be her attraction to Redson, causing that disappointment she suffered. He was massively hot, and taboo on top of it.

  She turned around to ask him where he kept his can opener. The sight of him bent, tugging up pants, and his muscular, beefy bare butt muted her.

  She spun, moving before she was caught gawking.

  Nice ass…and he doesn’t wear underwear. She also noted he was tan all over. That led to picturing him sunbathing nude. Stop, she ordered her imagination. He’s taken. Off limits. It’s a bad idea. Somewhere there was some VampLycan woman who’d probably claw her eyes out if she didn’t stop drooling over the tall hunk.

  It was a sobering possibility. She was part VampLycan, but she didn’t have their kick-ass abilities. As strong as she was, it wouldn’t be anywhere near equal to a full-blooded one. The fight would be a painful joke, not in her favor.

  She felt curiosity over the kind of woman Redson would be attracted to. She glanced around surreptitiously, searching for a photo. None were displayed.

  The can opener was nowhere to be found. Frustration rose. “Redson?” She turned, hoping he had finished dressing.

  She nearly smacked her face against his bare chest.

  “What?”

  She raised her chin. He was super tall, something she’d forgotten until he was inches away. “Where’s the can opener? It’s hard to cook anything if I can’t get the lids off.”

  He held out one of those big hands of his. Sharp claws grew from the nail beds as she watched in opened-mouth wonder.

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