Sasha was standing in the corner of the small balcony smiling at us. We’d heard him coming up the stairs and had moved apart, but I was flushed and it was probably obvious we’d been kissing. Well, so what? That kiss had been even better than the first one. I didn’t really give a shit what Sasha thought, so I smiled back at him.
William looked at Sasha as if he expected some joke at his expense. Instead Sasha said, “Sinc is going to bed soon, so you need to get on the computer.” William nodded, leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, then walked past Sasha to head downstairs. I was happy he didn’t seem to be embarrassed to be caught with me.
Sasha and I stared at each other for a few moments.
“You don’t need the sex talk, do you?”
I laughed. “I’m seventeen, not ten.”
“There are a couple of things you should know. The good news is that you can’t get pregnant and you can’t catch diseases from a vampire. The bad news is that he’ll want to take blood and if you give it to him, he’ll want sex. You’ve already had his blood so you already have a strong connection. This could be a problem for Will. He’s just recently been given the freedom to take as much human blood as he needs, as long as no one is harmed, of course. He’s been doing fine, but in the heat of passion, with someone he really cares about, he may have trouble stopping. He wouldn’t be thinking with his head if you know what I’m saying. I’m asking you not to allow him to feed from you.”
His blue eyes burned into me with genuine concern. Hoping to learn more, I asked, “Would you tell me what happened to him with Eleanor?”
“He was her whipping boy. It’s amazing that he survived. If you want details, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”
“He said you and Heinrich saved his life.”
“We were also forced to dish out some of his punishments. He has a gentle nature and doesn’t seem to blame us.” He ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair. “If at any time you feel you’re in danger, make sure you call to me mentally and I’ll be here in a flash. I don’t want you hurt and I don’t want Garrett ending Will’s life either.”
I was shocked that he’d consent to me contacting him mentally. “Sure, but my mental abilities aren’t as strong as Jackie’s. Maybe we could connect now to see if we can.” I nudged him and then I was in his mind. Whoa. This was an old vampire with a lot of history and plenty of emotional pain. I pulled out right away, not wanting to delve into his private life. “Uh, okay, that’ll work.”
“See anything interesting?” His look could have melted steel.
I paused, then answered honestly, “Jackie might be able to help you.”
He turned away pretending to be interested in the stars. “I doubt it.”
“Whatever.” I shrugged.
He looked at me with a smidgen of respect. “Thanks for not whining to Garrett. I was out of line.”
“I don’t ever whine.” He snorted in disbelief. “Anymore.” I smiled.
“No whining allowed during training tomorrow.”
“Okay, captain. Is there anything else I need to know about vampires?”
“Will is a special case. Rick and I are kind of protective, so don’t fuck with his heart.” His eyes were wary. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of me or my feelings toward Will.
“I’m not one of those vamp groupies, in fact I’d never met one until Garrett. I really like William.” I couldn’t be angry with Sasha, since he seemed to mean well. He nodded, apparently satisfied. “I’m going to bed. Wake me up if anything happens.” I headed to my room, changed and crawled into bed, but my thoughts kept returning to William. I had a lot of trouble falling asleep.