Lexi’s brow creased. “You’re expecting him to come after me if he’s still here?”
“I don’t expect him to. But I’ve noticed that he blames other people for his fuck-ups. It’s sort of his thing. In his mind, you’re probably the person who’s responsible for the situation he’s currently in. Also, it turns out that you look a lot like someone he has serious beef with, which could give him added reason to turn all his anger onto you. On the other hand, it might not. But I like to err on the side of caution, so I’d prefer that you have someone close by.”
“I’ll do it,” I quickly declared, making Sam and Jared’s head whip round to face me. I explained, “Lexi’s my vessel. She’s under my protection. I’ll be the one who watches over her.”
Sam’s brows lifted slightly. “I see.” She slid her gaze back to Lexi. “I’m assuming, then, that it’s okay with you if Damien acts as your guard.”
I went still inside, expecting Lexi to make it clear that she hadn’t yet agreed to be my vessel and perhaps even call me a presumptuous bastard. She wouldn’t be wrong.
“I’m fine with it,” Lexi replied, making relief blow through me. “I’m not sure I’ll truly need a guard, but I won’t object to having one.”
“Then it’s done.” Sam leaned back in her seat. “I’m going to suggest that you skip work tonight. Castor’s nest will be all stirred up. They’ll be worried that his actions will have them all banished from here. They might get the bright idea to talk to you and have you appeal to me and Jared to let them stay. I don’t want any of them bothering you. So rather than have a bunch of people watching your back at the club, it would be better to simply take you out of the equation. You have an issue with that?”
Lexi shook her head. “Do you need me to let Maeve know?”
“Jared and I will do that. You head to your place with Damien, or even to his place—whichever. Once we’ve pinned down Castor, we’ll let you know.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
(Lexi)
Dumping my purse on the sofa, I puffed out a breath. “Well that took me off-guard. It never even occurred to me to wonder if Castor would stick around, let alone head my way.”
Damien stalked toward me, his gaze intent on mine. “I won’t let him get to you if he does.”
“I believe you.”
“Do you?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”
“Good.” He combed his fingers through my hair. “You hungry?”
“I could eat a quick snack. I was about to go on my break when Jared came for me.”
Damien took my hand and led me into the kitchen. “Sit. I’ll make you a sandwich.”
I frowned. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re my vessel, remember? That means I’ve got to make sure you’re eating enough, or I can’t feed from you. I’ve been careful not to take too much blood.”
He was careful. He bit me often, but sometimes he did nothing more than take a quick lick and seal the wound. “I haven’t said yes to being your vessel.”
“Sure you have. You just didn’t say it aloud.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to truthfully claim that he was mistaken. “Whatever.”
He gestured at the island. “Sit.”
Perching myself on a stool, I watched as he pulled out ingredients and dishware. “Do you think Sam is right to worry that Castor could still be on the island?”
“I think she’s right to cover all our bases. Plenty of unexpected things have happened during my time in the legion. I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. I’ve known vampires to take unbelievably stupid risks just to get revenge or be spiteful. Humans seem to move on from things much faster, probably because they’re always aware that any day can be their last. But immortal creatures? They don’t have to worry about time passing them by. They don’t have that subconscious sense of urgency to get things done, make their mark on the world, and make peace with those they’ve wronged or been wronged by. They don’t have the ‘life’s too short’ mentality.”
“So they tend to cling to shit and hold grudges for long periods.”
Nodding, Damien slathered butter on a slice of bread. “Think of small kids who have no awareness of their own mortality. It can make them fail to appreciate many things and get too emotionally wrapped up in matters that seem so minor or trivial. Vampires can sometimes be that way. Sure, we can die. But it’s easy to forget that when you don’t age or develop illnesses or in any other way physically deteriorate. Especially since we can heal from most injuries pretty quickly.”
“I get it.” I hadn’t considered any of that before. It made me look at the current situation in a different light. “For me, Castor’s behaviour is nothing short of petty. But I tend to blow trivial stuff off because it doesn’t seem worth wasting my time on it. But if time isn’t something you need to worry about wasting, I guess you could become someone who got too hung up on petty things—even if only for the drama factor out of sheer boredom.” Watching as he slapped meat and condiments onto the bread, I added, “You’re not like that.”