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“Well, that was a thought worth hearing. I take it that you will welcome me back into your bed?”

My blush, if possible, gets darker, but I nod. It’s foolish, but I want to actually have sex with him. And not in spite of his story, but because of it. I feel closer to him than I did before, like I understand this strange, ancient vampire a little bit better. I’m definitely in trouble.

Julian says, “Well, ma souris, there’s no time like the . . . ”

His words are cut off by a knock at the door.

“What?” snaps Julian, obviously annoyed.

“I’m sorry, Commandant,” comes Gaspard’s muffled voice. “But you are needed, immediately.”

Julian growls low in frustration before looking back at me. He quickly kisses my forehead and says, “I’m sorry, Andi. I suppose we’ll have to take a rain check. Go back to sleep, if you can.”

I nod, his words reminding me that I'm exhausted and barely got any sleep. Julian climbs out of bed and heads to the men’s clothes closet, before opening it and rummaging in it for a new shirt. That reminds me that I had questions about the strange closets of clothes.

“What are these closets for?” I ask. “Why all the clothes in all the sizes?”

“They are for guests,” he explains smoothly while pulling on a dress shirt. His muscles move and ripple as he works, leaving my mouth dry and my pussy wet. He is an excellent specimen of a man. “In case they soil their garments and need a change of clothing, or arrive unexpectedly and don’t have clothing with them.”

“But formal wear?” I ask, a little amused.

“Vampires tend to be a formal set. Some of us come from more formal times, after all.”

That all makes sense. Julian does up his final button and looks at me across the room. His expression is pretty unreadable before he finally says, “Sleep now, Andi. I’ll wake you later.”

“What about rehearsal?” I question, even as I obey him, slinking down into the covers, my head on my pillow. I am tired.

“I’ll take care of that. You need the day to recuperate after your ordeal. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Bruno understands.”

A slight moment of pity moves through me as I think of Bruno having to go toe-to-toe with Julian, but it’s only a moment. At the end of the day, I’m glad to be getting some rest and still being able to keep my job.

The door closes behind Julian, and I close my eyes, everything fading to black.

Chapter 22

Julian

I exit the room to find Gaspard waiting for me, looking as serious as usual.

“What was so important that I needed to be interrupted?” I ask, annoyed. I finally had Andi right where I wanted her, sweetly shy but ready and willing. The goddamn house better be on fire to have pulled me from her bed.

“Garnet is back,” my second says simply. “She brought the witch.”

Ah, this is important. Finally, I can begin to get some answers. “Any trouble?” I ask.

“None. Apparently, she came willingly. She was waiting for them on the porch.”

“A seer?” I question.

“It would appear so.”

I hold back a shudder. I hate dealing with seers, the most powerful subset of witches. They have a way of discomfiting even the most seasoned Other and are not always right in the head. Looking into the future, with its many possibilities, will do that to a person. But if this seer can tell me about Andi’s origins, I will deal with her.

“Where is she?”

“Your office. We thought that would be best.”

I nod. “You’ve done well, as has Garnet. Arrange for generous bonuses for yourselves.”