Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Etta’s eyes lit with mischief as Amos stiffened. “Because there’s nothing to tell,” he said firmly.
“Really?” Etta asked in a tone of perfect innocence. “But what about the time you stayed out too late with your new telescope? ”
“Aw,” Chloe murmured fondly. That wasn’t embarrassing, it was adorable.
Etta’s attention shifted to Chloe. “He was out in the middle of nowhere in central Illinois when the sun came up. He had to break into a nearby car so he could go into his daysleep in the trunk, where the sun wouldn’t get him p>
“Etta,” Amos growled.
“ -and, unbeknownst to him. When he woke up, he was in Wichita p>
Etta and Fran descended into delighted cackles while Amos glowered at them.
“Should’ve checked the plates before you broke in,” Fran teased.
“I wasn’t exactly in a position to be choosy about my accommodations,” Amos replied with wounded dignity.
Chloe couldn’t help but giggle. Amos shot her a betrayed look, which only made her giggle harder–which set Etta and Fran off again.
“Ooh, Amos!” Etta sat up, eyes bright with mischief. “What about the time you p>
“Etta, so help me God, I will buy Fran a lifetime supply of Clamato juice if you don’t shut your trap p>
Etta shot him a glare. “You wouldn’t p>
Chloe looked between the two of them, lost. “Uh… what p>
Fran grinned sheepishly. “I have a weakness for the stuff, but Etta hates how it makes my blood taste. I don’t go out of my way to drink it, but if it’s offered p>
Chloe wrinkled her nose. “Of all the things to have a weakness for, yours is Clamato p>
Fran shrugged. “It’s kind of a nostalgia thing. I drank it a lot when I was a kid–it was always in the fridge. My mom said it was healthy. In hindsight, I think she just liked making Bloody Marys with it p>
Chloe tilted her head from side to side, weighing the possibilities. “Maybe it is healthy. I mean, apparently it’ll protect you from vampires p>
Etta and Amos both gave her a wounded look while Fran cracked up.
“So, darling,” Etta said to Amos when Fran had subsided. “When are you going to present Chloe to the Council? ”
Amos snarled at her, a sound so sudden and vicious, it was like it had been torn from his throat. Etta hissed back at him, a furious scowl on her face. Chloe stared at them both, shocked and uncertain.
“Hey,” Fran said lightly, “Both of you chill out. You’re freaking Chloe out p>
Their expressions shifted from anger to mortification. Both of them straightened, trying to restore their dignity.
“I apologize, Chloe,” Amos said, “I didn’t mean to frighten you. He reached out, taking her hand and squeezing it.
“Yes, please forgive us,” Etta said, the antiquated quality to her accent becoming just a little more prominent as she gave Amos a quelling look.
Caught Naked By My Aloha Neighbor! Now I’m His–No Escape.
Chapter 136
“It’s terribly rude to behave like that in company p>
Amos sighed. “I’m sorry. Etta. It was a defensive reaction p>
She frowned. “Defensive of what? A potential bloodmate has to be approved by the Council before you can claim her
“It’s a stupid formality.” Ames argued. “They can’t do anything about it if I claim a bloodmate without their approval thy wordpr through that pointless dog and pony show p>
Etta’s expression softened. Gently, she said, “Amos, it’s not for your benefit. It’s for hers p>
He started to respond, then hesitated. He glanced at Chloe and the ire faded from his expression. The stiffness eased from his spine. Looking back at Etta, he nodded. “You’re right. I know you’re right p>
“What’s for my benefit?” Chloe asked.
When Amos didn’t immediately respond, Etta explained, “The Council interviews potential bloodmates before approving a union as a way of ensuring that the human is a fully willing partner and hasn’t been coerced or enthralled p>
Chloe blinked. “Oh, well, I mean, we don’t have to do that if you don’t want to,” she told Amos. “I’m obviously here willingly
“No.” Amos said. “Etta’s right. We should go before the Council p>
Chloe forced a smile. “It sounds… intense p>
“Oh, no, honestly, it’s nothing,” Etta said. “Amos is just an anti–social recluse p>
Amos scowled at her. Etta made a ghoulish face back at him. Fran covered her mouth, smothering laughter.
“It’s not bad,” Fran said, a hint of laughter still in her voice. “But, fair warning, the older vampires get, the weirder they get p>
Neither Amos nor Etta refuted the claim.
Chloe glanced nervously between them. “Uh, is that something I should expect p>
“From me?” Amos asked.
Chloe nodded.
“I hope not. The older vampires are… eccentric… but not because they’re old. Well, not directly. It’s just, they spent the vast majority of their lives in very different social norms from today p>
Etta snorted. “That’s a polite way of putting it p>
“They’ll be condescending to you,” Fran warned. “For being a human bloodmate and not a turned vampire. The old vamps–like, really old–turned their mates into vampires rather than keeping them human. They think vampires are superior to humans p>
“But there aren’t many of those dinosaurs,” Etta said. “Anyone turned after, hmmm… what did Angelique say p>
“After the Black Death,” Amos supplied.
“That’s right. Most everybody turned after the Black Death aren’t so snobbish about humans p>
Chloe tried not to choke on her drink. “What year was the Black Death? ” she asked faintly.
“Somewhere in the fourteenth century?” Etta guessed. She waved vaguely. “It doesn’t matter. Those throwbacks are easy to ignore. What’s important is that there’s a Council hearing two weeks from Friday p>
1 Tove Lie–No Freame
AdminJ