Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

I quickly close the front door behind me, not wanting to burn Eliza with the sun, and unclip Scarlet’s leash. She runs through the house to get a drink of water from the literal mixing bowl we filled for her last night. I brought over leftover dinner from last night to heat up to eat and follow Scarlet to go get it.

“Oh my god.” I hold my hand up, blocking out Eliza from view. She’s in the living room, wearing lingerie. “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She gets up. All I can see is her feet as she comes closer. “It’s perfect timing, actually. I need you to take photos of me.”

“In that?”

“Some in this, and some naked.”

I lower my hand and take the phone from her outstretched hand. “I don’t know how Lucas would feel about that.”

“You’re seriously going to let a man dictate what you do?” She pops her hip and puts a hand on it, standing in a classic Eliza pose.

“Never, but he is my husband, and we have a mutual respect for each other.”

“Would you mind if Evander asked him to take photos of him?”

I don’t want to think about that too hard and get the image in my mind. Evander and I aren’t related by blood, but he’s my brother. “I guess I wouldn’t care. I trust them both.”

Eliza goes back to the couch and lies down, putting one arm above her head. She’s ridiculously pretty. “I’ve seen your tits. It’s only fair you see mine. Come over to this side. The lighting is better.”

Shaking my head, I go around the couch and take a few pictures. Eliza changes positions, posing like a model each time.

“Who are these for?” I ask.

“Myself.” She unhooks her bra and lies back down, covering her nipples with her fingers.

“That’s pretty fucking cool,” I tell her. “Very empowering.”

“I suppose. I look good because I’m pretty,” she states matter-of-factly. I wonder if she was this confident before she met Lucas or not. He flat-out told me he’s aware he’s good-looking as well and doesn’t see the point in being modest. Why downplay what everyone can see? He has a point, yet it’s still such a vampire thing for him to say.

“And if anyone is lucky enough to pique my interest for more than a few nights, they might get one.”

“Didn’t you go on a date recently?”

“I did.” Eliza bites her lip and pauses for another few photos. “She was decent in bed but a boring conversationalist.”

“Was she human?”

“Yes. I like to feed while I fuck.”

“So does Lucas,” I add, moving a few feet to my left for a different angle on the next few photos.

“I’m aware. He’s the one who told me fucking is better when you’re feeding at the same time.” She sits up, taking her hands off her breasts, and goes over to the wall next to the fireplace, resting her hands against it and arching her back, looking at the camera like she’s not sure if she’s going to kill it or fuck it. Damn, she’s good.

“He turned you and left,” I start. “You had no idea what to do, did you? Or is it an instinct?”

“The blood lust is instinctual. I remember craving it without knowing why.” She tosses her head back, shaking out her blonde hair. I snap another few photos. “The first person I saw when I woke up was one of my sisters—the one I didn’t like.”

“And you killed her?”

“No. I let the bitch go. Didn’t even bite her.” Her hands fall to her sides. “I didn’t want to.” She turns around, and the expression on her face makes her look momentarily human. “As much as I couldn’t stand that cunt, I knew then it was the last time I’d see my family. Before I understood what I’d become, I knew I had to get away or I’d kill them all.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She waves her hand in the air and gets her Head Bitch in Charge look back on her face. “Only a few months after I turned, it came out that my joke of a father gambled away the family’s money. My marriage was arranged so our family could regain wealth.”

“What did your family think happened to you?”

“They knew. The British Army at the time had a secret division that solely went after vampires.”

“Right.” I hand Eliza back her phone and sit on the chaise lounge chair. Eliza picks up her bra, doesn’t put it on, and sits on the couch. “That’s why Lucas turned you. I never asked him why he sought out revenge like that. Until you, he was a loner.”

Eliza leans forward. “It took me nearly fifty years to get the story out of him. He had a friend, another vampire, old like him. And I know this friend had a sister and two brothers. They’d spent a few decades together before, like in the early thirteenth century, and then met up again years before Lucas turned me. They had some sort of falling out and Lucas left. The next day, the safehouse where the vampires were waiting out the sun was attacked by the Army. His friend was burned to death by the sun, and only a handful of the vampires nesting escaped.”