“There are others?” She grinned at me. It was tentative and a little cruel, and I loved her for it.
“I’d be happy to show you.”
I saw her throat slide. “Don’t tempt me. Tonight anything from my ankles up is off-limits.”
“Noted, but pet, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.”
“If you want fruit, try the kitchen,” she said in a dry tone. “There’s no fruit here tonight.”
“About this evening…” I switched to the other foot, feeling smug to see her eyes were already drooping. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as watching her climax until she couldn’t stay awake, but it was something.
“Ummm hmmm,” she murmured dreamily.
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” she said, sounding even more tired than before.
“Sebastian said it was the first Rite.”
That got her attention. Her eyes snapped open. “You knew?”
“Not until after you were gone,” I said quickly, realizing my mistake. The last thing I needed was for her to think I’d sent her off to a vampire ritual unprepared. “Can you tell me about it?”
“Actually, I can. I left before anyone could compel me to never speak of it.” But she didn’t continue.
Maybe I’d asked the wrong question. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she said. “I mean, there were snakes and chanting and blood offerings.”
“Blood offerings?” I repeated. Darkness gripped me, threatening to take over.
“I didn’t get that far either,” she said, sounding mildly annoyed but not angry. “I wish they would have compelled me to forget everything that happened.”
“Was it that bad?”
“There were snakes,” she said forcefully. “Lots of snakes. On me.”
I would have to ask Jacqueline to tell me precisely what the first Rite entailed.
“I take it you don’t like snakes?” I guessed.
“Not anymore.”
I chuckled as I tucked her feet back under the covers. Thea turned on her side, wrapping her slender arms around a down pillow. I got to my feet, but before I could return to my chair, she blurted out, “Don’t. Sleep in bed with me.”
I took a few steps closer and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “You need time to think.”
She shook her head and reached for me.
“I will be right here.” I resumed my place in the chair. “And when you wake up tomorrow, I would like to take you on a date.”
“A date?” she repeated. “The last time you said…”
“A proper date.”
“What about all the parties we came to Paris to attend?” she asked. Did I detect a hint of hope in her voice?
“We have the theatre tomorrow evening, but we’re free until then.”
“The theatre? That sounds positively normal,” she said.
“It won’t be,” I promised. Nothing vampires did ever fell under that category.
Thea was quiet long enough I thought she’d fallen asleep, until she whispered, “There’s something you should know.”
“What?” I didn’t like the way she said it. Who knew what else went wrong this evening.
“Don’t be mad.”
I gripped the arms of my chair and waited.
She took a deep breath, then dropped a bombshell. “Your mother knows I’m a virgin.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
THEA
I woke to find Julian asleep in the chair. He was still dressed, and it looked like he hadn’t moved an inch during the night. I stared at him for a moment, trying to process everything that had happened in the last twelve hours. I’d been covered in snakes, his mother knew the status of my virginity, I’d been covered in snakes, and, apparently, I was Julian’s mate. Whatever that meant. Oh, and I’d been covered in snakes.
