Page 52 of Vampires of Eden

My eyebrow lifts in confusion. “No?”

“No.” Casually, he glances toward the forest. Unspeaking.

I laugh. “Do you care to elaborate? You can’t make a statement like that and not say anything else.”

He surprises me when he shifts his body toward me, bringing his ankle up and over his bent knee so that his leg is folded. “Hear me out,” he says, as if he’s about to give a complex demonstration. “In my opinion, it’s not your responsibility to make someone else happy. You shouldn’t need to bedoingsomething in order to earn someone else’s love. Oliver should be capable of making himself happy. Or at least content.”

Folding my arms, I try to process this. Admittedly, I’m having a hard time. “So, I shouldn’t want to do things that make my partner smile? I can’t take them someplace special or give them something that I know they’ll enjoy?”

“Of course you can do those things. But you shouldn’t look at it as your role or purpose. If your partner is an unhappy person at their core, there’s nothing you can do to change that—and believing otherwise is foolish. You might be able to slap a bandage on the wound occasionally. Maybe provide a temporary anesthetic or distraction. But the work of truly healing and being content within themselves is theirs alone.”

I remember a particular moment with Oliver… a terrible moment where I took things too far in my pathetic desperation to becloser to him. Basically, I told him I’d do anything for him. That he could have whatever he wanted from me.

It still wasn’t enough. He told me that I didn’t understand and he was right. I couldn’t understand back then.

But maybe… I do now. Just a little.

I look up and Daniel watches me with an inquisitive expression. Waiting. I take a breath. “So… according to you, love isn’t about having ‘potential’ to change. Nor is it about making your partner happy. Then, what is it about, Daniel? What’s love to you?”

He sits up straighter as if the question surprises him. For the first time since we started this conversation, he breaks eye contact. “That’s a loaded question.”

“You keep telling me what love isn’t!” I say, chuckling. “Tell me what itis.”

Still looking away, he bites his bottom lip and frowns. I glance down and he’s subtly twisting his hands in the gap of his thighs.

“I think… love is mutual companionship and respect. You value someone for who they are—you delight in them and pay attention. Not because they fill a role or serve a purpose. But because you just… enjoy and support each other. No conditions or strings attached.”

As I listen, I try to imagine a situation like that in my mind. It sounds beautiful, but I can’t visualize it. There are no examples of anything like that in my life.

Actually… “Wait—so, for you, love is like what I have with Buffy.”

Daniel’s frown deepens. “Come again?”

“My cat,” I remind him. “Buffy. I value her for who she is and I delight in her. I respect her… She doesn’t fill a specific role or purpose, but I enjoy taking care of her and giving her special treats that I know she’ll like. It’s exactly what you’re saying—no conditions or strings attached for my love.”

Daniel’s nose is scrunched, not totally convinced. I chuckle because he looks kind of cute in this state of utter bewilderment.

“I mean, I guess?” he says, reaching up and rubbing his forehead. “I think vampire relationships are a bit more layered than this, and I don’t know how healthy it is to view your partner in the same vein as your pet but… Sure? I guess you have to start somewhere?”

Amused, I stand and stretch my arms up. “You’re pretty damn sharp about these things, Danny. A deep thinker.”

His pale eyes flicker up at me in surprise. He grins. “It keeps me sane.”

I want to ask him what that means, but it feels like we’ve been gone for a long time. I check my watch. “Should we head back? I don’t want Leoni to be pissed off.” Nor do I want her to fucking pinch me again.

“She’ll text if she needs us,” Daniel says, standing. “I wanted to see the path through the grove. Will you show me the conservatory?”

“Sure. It looks like there might be scary things lurking in there. Like a dangerous path in a sci-fi movie scene. A place to get murdered.”

Daniel snickers, stepping ahead and toward the misty trail. “I’m sure we can handle whatever potential danger awaits us. I predict no murders for today.”

I keep grinning like an idiot and that sparkly, warm and electric feeling courses all through me. It’s like my nature is excited about something. I’m due to feed, so maybe I’m malnourished? I’ll have half an Oliver bag once I get home.

“Alright,” I say in response, following his lead. “We’ve got this.”

CHAPTER 13

Daniel