Page 39 of Inhuman Nature

“Language,” Rake said reflexively.

Shaun raised a brow. “Hell no?” he tried.

Rake nodded absently. He needed to process all the information, but his mind was scattered in a million different directions.

“I won’t hurt you,” Shaun stated. He was still standing on the opposite side of the room.

“I know you won’t,” DJ said. “I’m not scared of you. Maybe a little of your fangs, not gonna lie. But notyou.”

Shaun brightened, but remained where he was, separated from them. “Do you have questions? I’ll answer whatever you need me to.”

“Can you pick me up?” DJ asked, as if that was of the utmost importance.

Shaun laughed, surprise crossing his face. “Do you want me to?”

“I want to see how strong you are.”

“I can pick up something much heavier than you, DJ.”

“Prove it.”

Shaun glanced around the room. In a flash, he stood in front of their fridge, lifting it clean off the ground. He turned, eyebrows raised. “Does this satisfy your curiosity?”

“Yes, and I’ll need you to do that again sometime so I can hoover under there,” DJ said.

Shaun bit his lip, smiling tentatively, and placed the fridge back down. The faint clinking of glass bottles from inside was the only sign of Shaun’s exertion. A second later, Shaun was back, standing in the centre of the room. This time, Rake swore he saw the blur of his movement.

“You can’t eat or drinkanythingother than blood, can you?” Rake deduced.

“Only blood,” Shaun confirmed.

“And you needed to get in here via my invitation… to escape from the sun?”

Shaun looked impressed. “Correct and correct. Invitations from human residents are required to enter. The result of some old-timey curse a witch cast on us, or something like that.”

Before Rake could ask what the hell that meant, DJ chimed in. “I’ve got one!” he said. “Stake in the heart. Does it kill you?”

“Straight to planning my murder, I see how it is,” Shaun said with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t survive that, but then again, neither would you.”

“Fair, fair. I don’t plan on cosplaying as Buffy anytime soon. Her outfits are to die for, though. Nineties realness.” DJ proceeded to list his reasons for rating the vampire slayer’s wardrobe so highly. Rake half-listened as he studied Shaun instead.

Shaun was paying attention to DJ’s ramblings as if DJ was imparting sage wisdom, as opposed to spouting inanities. It was sweet and slightly unnerving now that Rake had got a glimpse of what Shaun was capable of.

Rake wanted to let them continue talking, but something occurred to him. And once he had a question, it was hard to keep it contained. “There’s something else I’d like to know,” he said.

Shaun made a ‘go on’ gesture.

“Howdidyou find outwhere we live?”

Chapter Ten

DJ

Shaun scuffed a toe against the rug. “I, uh…”

“Shaun, are you about to tell us that you Edward Cullen’d us?” DJ was aware that the tone of his voice might have slipped into screech territory, but he didn’t care.

“You did not just turn Edward Cullen into a verb,” Shaun said flatly.