“Stage the scene?” Sydney’s gaze swung accusingly to Kellan’s. “What is he talking about?”
“Shut up,” he said to Lucas, shooting him a warning glance. “What’s this latent vampire business?”
Cabinet doors slammed and drawers banged in Lucas’s wake as he put away his purchases. “Hard to tell you if I’m shutting up.”
Kellan heaved out a breath, even though he didn’t technically need to breathe. Two things always stirred him up enough to restart the habit. Excellent sex, and his ceaselessly annoying “little brother.”
Syd crossed her arms over her breasts. That hint of modesty pleased Kellan, because from her furtive looks at Lucas, he was the one making her feel shy. Good. Last thing he wanted was his girl to bare her wares to his best friend on a regular basis, even if the three of them had screwed like bunnies the previous night. “No need for him to talk about that, because I’m not a vampire.”
Lucas snorted. “Yeah, then how do you ’splain your urge for blood? That’s usually not a part of sucking cock.”
“You were listening?”
“Of course. I heard you lovebirds cooing all the way up the block.”
At the undercurrent in his lifelong pal’s voice, Kellan crouched to look into Syd’s eyes. Their dark depths churned, but she didn’t avoid his gaze. “Give Lucas and me a couple minutes. Please. After that, we’ll talk about anything you want.” He scooped a hand through her wispy dark bangs. “Are you hungry? There are Pop-Tarts in the cupboard.”
Lucas made another derisive noise in his throat. “Oh, he’s bringing out the romance now. Sharing his Pop-Tarts with his lady.” He opened a cabinet and jutted a thumb at the contents. “They’re like his frigging security blanket.”
Kellan’s narrowed his eyes at Lucas, but Sydney’s soft question captured his attention. “You don’t need to eat? Food, I mean?”
“No. But we can. It doesn’t hurt us. And it helps us blend.”
“Some of us have moved beyond our childish cravings for sugar, however.”
Kellan refused to engage in an argument. Not when Sydney was present, and not when he knew Lucas was spoiling for one to avoid his own legion of problems.
Sydney’s lips twitched. “What flavor?”
“Brown sugar and cinnamon. The only kind I like.”
“No wonder you taste so good.” Sly heat flared on her face, but she nodded and rose, dragging the sheet with her. “I’ll go take a shower before I eat.”
“We don’t have a shower. There’s a jacuzzi tub.”
She glanced at Kellan as if Lucas’s word couldn’t be trusted, and he nodded. “You’ll like it. It’s big and roomy with lots of jets.”
“That’s where we have our freaky vampire orgies,” Lucas added, smiling when she tossed her hair and sailed past him as if he didn’t exist. But he definitely watched her go, his gaze fastened on the sway of her hips.
“Damn, she is a sweet little package, isn’t she? Bet you can’t wait to lose your load between those cheeks. Let me tell you, man—” His words rushed out in a startled exhale as Kellan gripped him by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the nearest cabinet.
“If you ever, ever, talk about Sydney that way again—hell, if you even think those kinds of thoughts—I’ll open you up and leave you for the vultures on Route 93. Understand me?” Kellan shook him for emphasis. “Yeah, you had her last night. I hope you enjoyed it, because that was the first and last time.”
“She loved it. I even heard her tell you that before I interrupted your little tete-a-tete. I filled her in a way you can’t alone.” Luke grinned, baring his fangs. “Unless that magic wand of yours sprouts a twin.”
Kellan released him so fast he stumbled against the refrigerator. “She is my mate,” he said in an even tone. His friend clearly had even less sense than he’d given him credit for on prior occasions. “I allowed you to have her once, because she wished it so. It won’t happen again.”
“Your mate? C’mon. You were right. That couldn’t have been what last night was about. So you got a little hungry for blood.” Luke rubbed his jaw, not meeting Kellan’s eyes. “She’s just a coffee shop tart. A juicy piece you nibble on and toss back for the rest of the fish.”
Kellan ignored him. Right now, he had bigger concerns than Lucas’s rumblings. “What is a latent vampire? And how do you know about them? How do you know my mate is one?”
“My mate, my mate, my mate,” Lucas mimicked, turning around to slam a fist on the ever-present box of Pop-Tarts sitting on the counter. “Why should I care about your mate when you never gave a shit about mine?”
Ah, so now we reach the crux of the matter. Kellan cocked his head. “You’ve seen Emily.”
“Yes, I’ve seen her.” When he spun back, his blue eyes shone with more animosity than Kellan had ever seen from him. “We spoke while I was in the library doing some research. On vampires. On your horny little nympho. She helped me find what I was looking for, and then, finally, when I saw something in her eyes, she took one strong whiff of my coat. Do you know what she smelled?”
Pussy? Kellan didn’t voice the question, but wisely kept silent.