The same way I know the other things, I see them from your memories. Her voice was soft and beautiful, almost loving. Certainly caressing. It nearly stopped his heart and took away his breath.
“Do not drink coffee or eat any human food. You have recently undergone the conversion, and your body would not simply rid itself of the contents. Instead, you would feel tremendous pain.” He could not allow such a happenstance. It was difficult enough to watch her endure the things outside of his control.
Jaxon watched him place the tray on the counter. “So tell me what you don’t want me to know. Who were those men, and why did they come here?”
Lucian dumped the contents of the coffee mugs into the sink and rinsed them out. “What does it really matter? They are gone, and I doubt they will return.”
“It matters if you placed yourself in danger for me.” She touched his arm because he wasn’t looking at her. Lucian was always so straightforward.
He looked down at her hand against the thickness of his arm. She held quite a bit of power in such a delicate hand. He covered her fingers with his palm, holding her to him, keeping the physical connection between them. “They are human, Jaxon, and I am of ancient blood. It would be difficult for me to place myself in a position of danger. I have knowledge and skill and gifts far beyond their capabilities. No, I did no such thing.”
“But they were a threat to me.” She made it a statement.
“We are leaving this house, honey. I do not wish to have any of your belongings lost to you, should there be an intruder while we are away, so I will remove the things you value highly and place them in the sleeping chamber. Antonio will keep an eye on the house while we are gone.”
“Those men were a threat to me,” she insisted stubbornly.
He transferred his hand to the middle of her back, applying pressure to move her out of the kitchen. “We have only the night to make this departure. We must find a place that will be safe from the sun and one that is easy to defend. The idea is to lure those who wish to pursue us into a trap, not to get caught out in the open.”
She went with him, fitting easily beneath his shoulder as he moved, her walk matching the rhythm of his. “We can talk while we’re moving my things.”
“Persistence is not always a virtue, Jaxon.” He tried to sound stern, but he admired the way she was able to figure things out for herself.
She grinned up at him teasingly. “Of course it is. It’s the only way to find out things you’d rather I didn’t. So they threatened me. How in the world were you able to turn them into such sweet men with only money instead of mayhem on their minds?”
“I took their blood.”
She blinked several times in amazement. “But I didn’t hear anything. And I was right behind you. How could you accomplish so much so quickly? They were all in different rooms. You can’t possibly be that fast, can you?”
“Yes, I can, if I sacrifice elegance for speed. I am an ancient, honey. It is easy enough to do such things. By the time you came up the stairs, I was already in control of them. It was easy enough to plant the story in Barton’s mind and instruct the other two to believe and remain silent.”
“Why? Do you know why they want me dead?” She was gathering up the few treasures she had. Photos of her mother and brother. Little Mattie’s favorite blanket. Her fingers automatically rubbed at the thin material lovingly. It was obvious to Lucian she did it often.
He swept a hand through her hair. “After his death, it was one of the few things that gave you momentary comfort.”
She brought the blanket to her face and inhaled deeply. She could still catch Mathew’s scent after all these years. “He was so little, so funny. His eyes would dance with such mischief when he was trying to be a joker. He was so cute, Lucian. Sometimes I can hardly bear to think of him. It still hurts as much as if it just happened. Everyone said time would ease the pain, but when I think about it, it’s still sharp and ugly and so terrible I can’t breathe.”