Dead to the World

there quickly. Eric’s belligerence was dissolving into a muddle. He looked confused and lost, as unlike the hair-trigger avenger he’d been only a few minutes before as you can imagine.
    We were halfway home before Eric said anything. “Why are vampires so hated by Weres?” he asked.
    “I don’t know,” I answered, slowing down because two deer bounded across the road. You see the first one, you always wait: There’ll be another one, most often. “Vamps feel the same about Weres and shifters. The supernatural community seems to band together against humans, but other than that, you guys squabble a lot, at least as far as I can tell.” I took a deep breath and considered phraseology. “Um, Eric, I appreciate your taking my part, when that Amanda called me a name. But I’m pretty used to speaking up for myself when I think it’s called for. If I were a vampire, you wouldn’t feel you had to hit people on my behalf, right?”
    “But you’re not as strong as a vampire, not even as strong as a Were,” Eric objected.
    “No argument there, honey. But I also wouldn’t have even thought of hitting her, because that would give her a reason to hit me back.”
    “You’re saying I made it come to blows when I didn’t need to.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
    “I embarrassed you.”
    “No,” I said instantly. Then I wondered if that wasn’t exactly the case. “No,” I repeated with more conviction, “you didn’t embarrass me. Actually, it made me feel good, that you felt, ah, fond enough of me to be angry when Amanda acted like I was something stuck to her shoe. But I’m used to that treatment, and I can handle it. Though Debbie’s taking it to a whole different level.”
    The new, thoughtful Eric gave that a mental chewing over.
    “Why are you used to that?” he asked.
    It wasn’t the reaction I’d expected. By that time we were at the house, and I checked out the surrounding clearing before I got out of the car to unlock the back door. When we were safely inside with the dead bolt shot, I said, “Because I’m used to people not thinking much of barmaids. Uneducated barmaids. Uneducated telepathic barmaids. I’m used to people thinking I’m crazy, or at least off mentally. I’m not trying to sound like I think I’m Poor Pitiful Pearl, but I don’t have a lot of fans, and I’m used to that.”
    “That confirms my bad opinion of humans in general,” Eric said. He pulled my coat off my shoulders, looked at it with distaste, hung it on the back of one of the chairs pushed in under the kitchen table. “You are beautiful.”
    No one had ever looked me in the eyes and said that. I found I had to lower my head. “You are smart, and you are loyal,” he said relentlessly, though I waved a hand to ask him to quit. “You have a sense of fun and adventure.”
    “Cut it out,” I said.
    “Make me,” he said. “You have the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen. You’re brave.” I put my fingers across his mouth, and his tongue darted out to give them a quick lick. I relaxed against him, feeling the tingle down to my toes. “You’re responsible and hardworking,” he continued. Before he could tell me that I was good about replacing the garbage can liner when I took the garbage out, I replaced my fingers with my lips.
    “There,” he said softly, after a long moment. “You’re creative, too.”
    For the next hour, he showed me that he, too, was creative.
    It was the only hour in an extremely long day that I hadn’t been consumed with fear: for the fate of my brother, about Hallow’s malevolence, about the horrible death of Adabelle Yancy. There were probably a few more things that made me fearful, but in such a long day it was impossible to pick any one thing that was more awful than the other.
    As I lay wrapped up in Eric’s arms, humming a little wordless tune as I traced the line of his shoulder with an idle finger, I was bone-deep grateful for the pleasure he’d given me. A piece of happiness should never be taken as due.
    “Thank you,” I said, my face pressed to his silent chest.
    He put a finger under my chin so I would raise my eyes to his. “No,” he said quietly. “You took me in off the road and kept me safe. You’re ready to fight for me. I can tell this about you. I can’t believe my luck. When this witch is defeated, I would bring you to my side. I will share everything I have with you. Every vampire who owes me fealty will honor you.”
    Was