Page 63 of Origins of Eternity

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“Zara, love, come in,” Cassia said when she opened the door. “How did it go?”

Zara walked into the house and straight into the salon.

“They’re together,” she said. “In for the night, I think.”

She sat on the sofa.

“Would you be a dear and bring us a drink?” Cassia said to a woman who had just walked into the room. “Another of those willing humans,” she added when the said human left. “Her name is unimportant, but I haven’t fed from her since she arrived. I saved her for you if you’re hungry.”

“Where’s Amy?”

“She’s upstairs with Gigi and Miranda.”

When Zara lifted an eyebrow, Cassia laughed.

“They’re talking to her about being a vampire, not having sex with her. She’ll come around, though. It might be in a week, a year, or a decade, butshewill. They always do.”

“Not everyone is into the same sex, Cassia.”

“Zara, darling, when you have forever to live, existing solely in the ways that best conform to society isn’t much of an option. Society changes, after all. You and I can now walk down the street holding hands, if we’d like. Yes, we might get some stares and maybe a random comment here and there, but try being as old as me. I’ve lived through all the times I couldn’t even look at a woman fondly because that would mean someone could find out and try to hang me or, perhaps, burn me at the stake. Imagine their surprise when I don’t die.” Cassia winked at her. “Now, what else did you see?”

“They made out on the street. It looked like Iro had a bag of food. She went to the market, but I didn’t follow her inside, obviously.”

“She’s cooking for her,” Cassia stated and appeared in deep thought as the human walked back into the room and set down two glasses of wine in front of them. “Thank you, dear. Now, would you mind? My friend Zara here could use a little snack.”

The woman held out her wrist, and Zara saw a few old, scarred bite marks. She looked back up at the woman with concern.

“Youwantthis?” she asked.

“Yes, I love it,” the woman replied. “Cassia found me and told me that if I wanted to turn, she would consider it if I spent time learning here first.”

“We need to make sure she’s a good fit for what I have planned,” Cassia said and picked up her wine. “Go on. Drink up.”

“What exactly do you have planned?” Zara asked and took the woman’s wrist into her hands.

“With my Iro, of course, I might need a few more spies who can keep an eye on her and won’t draw any suspicion. You’re a vampire now. If she’s focused enough, or if you get too close for too long, she’ll figure it out. I don’t need that, so I have a human spy, too.” She pointed to the woman just as Zara bit into the warm flesh. “She can be there whenever you’re busy. And, Zara, I’d love it if you’rebusyfor the rest of the night. Perhaps, with me and maybe Gigi and Miranda.”

Zara sucked and growled as her eyes stayed on Cassia’s elegant gray ones while the blood dripped down the woman’s wrist and onto the hardwood floor. Cassia sipped from her wineglass but then set it down and nodded. The human gave her her other wrist without a word, and Cassia bit down. The woman gasped, and Zara looked up to see if she should stop, but the woman looked happy, almost euphoric.

“You should know that she’s also someone I fucked before you got home,” Cassia said when she stopped and wiped her mouth. “We had fun, didn’t we, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” the woman replied.

“Do you want to do that again?”

“Yes,” the woman gasped.

“Good. Then, leave us. You and I can talk about your reward later,” Cassia told her.

Zara withdrew her teeth from the woman’s wrist to let her leave and wiped her mouth before shifting into Cassia’s lap quickly, earning a big laugh.

“Now that you’re fed, want something else?”

“Yes,” Zara said. “Can you look like her again?”

“Ah, I see.” Cassia leaned back on the sofa. “You saw something tonight that angered you.”