“You didn’t want me to be human,” Lee surmised.
Danny shook his head, and it was easy to see he was frustrated. “I didn’t want to watch you age. I didn’t want to think about you dying. Rhys has the protection of his Fae nature. Yes, he can die, but he’ll probably outlive me. At the time I assumed one day Evan would marry a vampire and live a companion’s life, which would also mean she outlives me.”
But she wouldn’t because she was in love with Fenrir. Fenrir, the wolf king, who was looking at two hundred years or so if he merely lived a normal werewolf life-span. Which he likely wouldn’t. He was so much stronger than any other wolf that I had to believe he might live longer, too. A companion lived a human life-span without regular vampire blood from her partner. It was part of the exchange. Though Danny had fed from Dev the night before, he’d opened a vein and we’d both had a sip. The king’s blood kept Dev and I young and healthy, protected us from injuries.
I would need to make sure Evan took her father’s blood from here on out. I hoped she didn’t fight me on it.
“What about my childhood made you consider that I could be a…” Lee went a little pale. “It was Mia. I clung to Mia when I was a child. Like you clung to Mom before you turned. I loved Mia. Even when I was a kid, even before I knew what it meant, I loved her. Because she was a companion.”
“It’s more complex than that.” Yes, it was ironic that I was the one making that argument since in the beginning I’d stayed away from Daniel for that very reason, for the idea that our love for each other was a trick of biology. “Yes, you’ll always be more attracted to a companion, even before you can see her glow. But that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t real. I assure you, your dad has met companions he didn’t fall in love with.”
“Lee always protects Evan first,” Rhys admitted quietly. “It’s one of the reasons I split us up when I can. Lee can be even more unreasonable about Evan than Fenrir is.”
Fen had gone quiet. More than that, he’d stopped eating.
“I’m glad to know Lee has a reason for being an asshole.” Evan had a smile on her face but it was tight and didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “It also explains why he’s the most reckless of all of us. That’s part of it, right? The latent vampire tends to be reckless.”
“Only if there’s a companion around.” Daniel winced slightly. “I think in the beginning it was about Mia, but if he’s reckless now it’s because he’s been raised around them. There are several here at the base. Simply being around companions—even ones he would have no sexual desire for—would spark the urge to walk the night.”
“But there are reasons not to,” Dev pointed out. “The good news is, you’re in control, Lee. You can make the decision. It might be good to talk to some vampires.”
Lee waved that off. “I talk to vamps all the time. Let’s kill me and get going.”
“Lee, you’re still young and you look it. Your dad turned at twenty-one and he had trouble for that very reason.” Though Daniel never had real trouble getting into a bar since he used his mental powers to get the bouncer to let him in. It wasn’t like he was drinking the liquor or anything. But I was grasping because I didn’t think my other arguments would sway him.
“You haven’t even had children yet.” Dev gave him the argument I didn’t think would work.
“I don’t want kids. Trust me. There’s enough of our DNA out there in the world,” Lee argued. “I’m sure Rhys will eventually spread his Fae seed all over the place, and Evan will spit out lots of little wolves. I can be their vampire uncle.”
Danny put up a hand. “Stop. You’re going to take time to think about this. You cannot turn today.”
“I wouldn’t,” Lee protested. “I promise that I’ll let you guys make a big deal out of it. We should have a ceremony or something. I will definitely wait until Evan and Fen get back. We can talk about how to do it, but you have to understand I’m not going to change my mind. I want this. I’ve wanted it my whole life. And I’ll be a better fighter.”
“You’ll be half a fighter because you’ll be dead during the day.” Fen put his napkin down. “We’ll have to carry you around the way we do Sasha. You won’t be able to do anything while the sun is out.”
“We can’t know that,” Lee argued. “It depends on the class. I could end up being a daywalker if I’m an academic.”