I dreamed I was sitting by the lake where Jacobi’s statues of the dead stood. It was bright outside; the sun gleamed over the water lightly. I watched the still lake, noticing how the unmoving water made it appear like glass. When I finally looked up, I turned to see her standing where I knew her statue was that night I first saw it.

Adelaide was watching me with her head tilted, very much alive and no longer a statue. Her pale blue eyes were calm for once, not desperate for me to listen to an important message or in pain. Still, I felt she wanted something.

“I told him about the letter,” I said quietly, “There was no letter. I don’t know what else to do.”

She only watched me a moment longer before lifting her hand up and pointing in the direction of more statues. When I looked, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what she was indicating to. I glanced back at her and frowned.

“She’s waiting,” Adelaide’s voice called around me, as if they hadn’t come from her mouth but from thin air. I immediately went to ask who was waiting, but my dream fell away just as quickly.

I slowly woke without opening my eyes. I felt more comfortable than I had for a long time now and this alone made me reluctant to wake up further. I shifted in the bed I had awoken in and felt the hard muscles of another body next to me. Without hesitation, I rolled over and ran my hand over Xander’s chest, snuggling into him comfortably. He tensed immediately, but I ignored his surprise and breathed in deeply with content.

Where I was expecting that familiar mint with a hint of lavender to flood my senses, I was instead greeted with that earthy scent of the woods and an undertone of vanilla. I hesitated, tensing with uncertainty as a hand moved over my lower back to hold me against what I thought had been Xander’s form. My eyes fluttered open and I leaned my head back to look up at what I now recognized as Jacobi’s overly serious expression. My heart paused for a moment, appalled by my own stupidity.

I immediately attempted to remove myself from the situation, but Jacobi tensed into a solid prison, holding me still in his grasp. I blushed deeply, wanting to hide my face but definitely not choosing to do so into his bare chest.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed quickly, feeling my flesh being heated in each place his met mine. I noticed I was no longer wearing my dress, but instead was in what had been Jacobi’s shirt and my underwear. I honestly couldn’t feel any more embarrassed. “I thought you were…” I hesitated to continue, distracted by the look that flashed across his face.

“You thought I was Xander.” I didn’t answer, instead opting to watch his face curiously. While he was typically emotionless, I could notice a slight distinctive look in his eyes that I wasn’t used to seeing. He appeared… disgruntled. “Do you often crawl into his arms so willingly?” I blinked, confused by his question. And then I was slightly offended.

“What exactly are you implying, Jacobi?” I asked darkly.

“I know Aveline and Xander like their ménage à trois. You wouldn’t be the first.”

I couldn’t possibly get any redder than I was at that point. “They might have offered, not that it’s any of your business, but I’ll have you know I refused them each time,” I snapped, pushing my hands against his chest and kicking at him in an attempt to be released. What was up with people holding me prisoner when I’ve just woken up? “And unlike you they’re not rapists who fuck innocent girls until they’re broken leftovers. Let me go!”

I probably should have chosen my words a little more wisely because rather than releasing me, I was abruptly pinned down on my back with Jacobi on top of me. He held my wrists above my head against the bed, glaring down at me with relentless anger.

“You think I rape women?” My heart began to increasingly pulse in my throat in fear.

“It’s one of the first things you threatened me with,” I accused, squirming under him in a pathetic attempt to get away. Where was my hunter speed and strength when I needed them?

“I don’t participate in vile acts like rape, Elysia Monet,” Jacobi snapped angrily, “I was just trying to scare you.”

I scoffed openly. “You didn’t need any threats like that to scare me, Seamus Brion. You allowed Corentine to kill my neighbor, kidnapped me, and strung me up in a torture cell! Get off of me!”

“I thought you were a true vampire hunter. I thought you were trying to throw me off by faking your innocence. You don’t understand how dangerous you are to me,” He growled furiously. I paused in my struggles, peering into his face hesitantly.

“How dangerous I am?”

“It wasn’t luck that allowed your kind to kill off a majority of our Royals.” I frowned, knowing full well that I had no idea what it was that allowed “my kind” to steadily kill off the vampires over the centuries. “Fine. We’ll do a redo. We have time to kill anyway.”

I blinked in confusion. “Wait. What?”

“Go on a date with me. Now.” I was now convinced I was still dreaming; a very strange dream, but a dream nonetheless. But after a moment of telling myself to wake up, Jacobi was still hovering over me, holding me down on this guest bed on another coterie’s territory, asking… well, telling me to go on a date with him.

“I’m sure plenty of women find your bossy demands charming enough to go along with, but I don’t like being threatened into a date,” I stated stubbornly. I promptly looked away in a feeble attempt to ignore him.

“Go on a date with me, please,” He responded dryly. I ignored him further, convinced this was some form of a trick. “I don’t beg, Elysia.” When I still ignored him, I heard him sighed dramatically. “Fine. You asked for it.”

Suddenly, I felt his hands release my wrists easily before moving under the shirt I was wearing. I gasped and blushed, immediately reaching to struggle and remove him away from me. Before I could ask what he was doing, he brushed those evil fingers over that demonic spot from Hell. I screeched, laughing abruptly and screamed again before struggling viciously under him.

In between laughing, I cried out, “NO! Stop!” I arched my back, trying to escape the attack on my ticklish nature. “Okay! Okay, I’ll do it!” I gasped, panting once he halted his assault. He held me by my sides, watching me curiously for a moment too long. I squirmed uncomfortably.

“You’re…” Jacobi hesitated, and then hardened his expression. “I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes. Your things are with the Eastmunds.” He promptly released me, moving away quickly from the bed. I paused, watching him as he opened the closet door where his unpacked bags sat waiting for him on the floor. When he turned to look at me over his shoulder, a chill trailed over my skin at the intensity in his features.

“Twenty-nine minutes,” He told me pointedly. I tilted my head curiously, but pushed myself from the bed and made my way out of the room. It was only probably three steps into the hallway towards where I knew Aveline and Xander’s temporary room to be that I realized I was only in Jacobi’s shirt and my panties. I paled and bolted towards their room, knocking on the door in mortification.

When Xander opened the door, I tried to immediately push past him and into the room but he blocked the way easily with a raised brow.

“Let me in, Xander,” I demanded, crossing my arms sternly.

“Where were you all night, little tiger?” He asked me knowingly, that charming smile gracing his face. Obviously whatever Aveline did after I left them helped ease his mind about the humans Noland had murdered. I was so glad I missed out on the rehabilitation event.

“I said, let me in!” I tried to muscle my way past him again, but he held me back. He was obviously enjoying my embarrassment. “I was with your Master, you jerk! And I need to put on some clothes…” I hesitated, knowing how bad that sounded.

“Where’d your clothes go? Is that Jacobi’s shirt?” Xander’s questions were interrupted by a dramatic gasp. He was suddenly shoved aside by Aveline, who openly laughed at my currently state. I scowled deeply.

“Damn, Elysia, I didn’t think you’d go that far! Good job!” She pulled me into the room, which I was thankful for, but I continued to scowl at the both of them.

“I didn’t do anything! And why didn’t you tell me Adelaide was Corentine’s mate? I didn’t even think same sex mates were a thing,” I addressed Aveline begrudgingly. “All this time I’m sitting here thinking she was Jacobi’s mate; I looked like an idiot.” I pushed past Aveline’s stunned figure to find my bag and dig through all the too-revealing dresses in them.

“How’d you find out?”

“Bend over more, Elysia, we’re getting a great view,” Xander’s voice countered the serious tone of Aveline. I blanched and scooted around my bag so that I was facing them instead.

“You’re a pervert,” I accused Xander, who only smirked in response. “And Jacobi told me, obviously.” I picked out a dark blue halter top, casual cocktail dress. I glanced at the vampire couple, watching them for a moment before hesitating. Then I turned away from them and pulled off Jacobi’s shirt before beginning to pull the dress over my head.

“What exactly are you dressing up for?” Aveline’s suspicious voice was coming closer to me. I tried not to blush, but it didn’t work very well. Instead, I opted to ignore her and not look directly at them while I tried to mess with my deranged hair.

“Our little tiger is growing up, Aveline. Look, she’s rebelling. I blame your poor parenting,” Xander cracked, obviously pleased with himself. Aveline didn’t seem to be as pleased, so I finally turned my attention on her openly.

“I’m just embarrassed, is all,” I told her quietly, looking away bashfully for a moment. “Jacobi… he…” I suddenly didn’t know how to exactly state that the Jacobi Bryant was taking me on a date of some kind. It sounded too… silly and unrealistic.

“You can tell me, Elysia,” She smiled subtly.

“He’s asked me on a… date,” I choked out, wringing my hands in the fabric of my dress in anxiety. Both Xander and Aveline openly stared at me in confusion. I avoided direct eye contact and instead waited for their brains to process my statement. Then Aveline laughed at the absurd idea.

“Real funny, Elysia,” She responded, laughing again.

“Yeah, can you imagine Jacobi on a date?” Xander smiled in amusement before putting his hand over his chest and pretending to be Jacobi. He addressed Aveline. “Why, hello there, little lady. Let me pull this chair back for you because I’m so polite.”

Aveline gasped, raising her hand to her cheek. “You’re so kind, Mr. Jacobi! Let’s spend hours small talking about what you do for a living, but don’t think I’m going to give it up to you tonight. I’m a lady and ladies don’t kiss on the first date!”

“I would never,” Xander answered dramatically, “Let’s dance our night away and I’ll give you my number afterwards.”

“Of course, but I won’t call for at least a week. I don’t want to appear desperate,” Aveline held her hand out to Xander, who took it and began to twirl around the room while humming a horribly tuned song of some kind. I glared at them both during the entire show.

There was an abrupt knock on the door, which the laughing couple opened to reveal a fully dressed Jacobi who then slumped against the frame looking none-too amused. I felt my mouth go dry as his eyes traveled from Xander to Aveline and then landed on me heatedly.

Aveline raised her eyebrows in surprise. “And what are you here for?” Jacobi drew his eyes from my form back to Aveline carefully.

“I’m here for your human,” He looked at me again and shifted his head, indicating for me to come with him. I hesitated, still wondering if this was all some trap. If anything, it had to be a bad idea. But then I stepped past my vampire companions and held out my hand carefully, which Jacobi took with an impressive amount of ease. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her. After all, I’m so polite.”

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