She gave him a grateful smile. “Yeah.”

He settled back in his chair. While she thought he might pelt her with questions, he didn’t. Instead, he watched her polish off the huge plate of food in silence.

Today, although he still didn’t look anywhere near seventy, he showed more of his age than usual. The way the lighting touched him showed the faint lines on his face and how the short hair at his temples was almost white.

Gradually the quiet in the kitchen sank in, and she sighed. When she pushed her plate away, he nodded to it. “Would you like more?”

“No, thanks, I’m stuffed.” She pulled her cup of coffee toward her and cradled it between her hands, savoring the warmth.

“I brought you a couple changes of clothes,” he told her.

“Thanks,” she said again. She searched his face. “Are . . . we okay?”

“Do you mean you and me?” he asked.

She nodded.

He gave her a smile that deepened the lines at the corners of his face. “We’re far better than okay. I’m really proud of you, Tess. You stepped up so much more than I thought you might. Thank you for caring about him, and for saving his life.”

So, okay. That happened.

She finally got Raoul’s approval when she wasn’t looking.

She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face, but it twisted and turned insouciant. “Well, I didn’t do it for you,” she said.

His smile turned into a grin. “But I’m grateful, all the same.”

She nodded and examined the contents of her coffee cup. “I sort of fell in love with him. I don’t want to talk about it.”

He burst out laughing. “I promise, it’s okay.”

“We’re going to work out a definition of it, together.” She looked at him sidelong and clocked the expression on his face. “Yeah, I don’t know what that means, either.”

He cocked his head. “I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about it.”

Her shoulders crept up toward her ears. “I’m just saying. We agreed I’m coming back to the estate, and I’m going to continue lessons with you. That’s all I know.”

“You made the blood offering, didn’t you?”

The memory of Xavier biting her while they tangled in bed seared her mind, and she angled her face away quickly to hide how her cheeks darkened. She nodded.

He laughed again, quietly. “Good for you. And I can’t wait to see how you move on the training floor now. You’ll be so much faster. I’m going to teach you good things.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She glanced back at him and grinned. “Now I might get a real chance at beating you someday.”

“Not for a long time,” he said gently. “But you’re very welcome to keep trying.”

She sobered. “Is there any news about . . . well, anything?”

He sat forward and propped his elbows on the table, sobering as well. “Julian has gone after Justine, and Evenfall is on lockdown. Nobody goes in, nobody comes out. The demesne is under martial law, which essentially means none of the heads of Vampyre houses can travel farther than ten miles from their homes on pain of death. That applies to Justine too.”

She felt her eyes widen. “How long will martial law be in effect?”

“Not long—at most a week or two.” He looked grim. “Since there was an attack on one of Julian’s progeny, who is also a senior member of the Nightkind government, right now, Julian can justify martial law, but it can’t last. The elder Vampyres will comply, but only up to a point. Right now we have a criminal on the loose, but if Julian doesn’t find Justine soon and if the elder Vampyres revolt, there’ll be civil war.”

Xavier’s voice came from the doorway. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Both Raoul and Tess turned and rose to their feet. Xavier had dressed in the most casual outfit she’d ever seen him wear, jeans and a soft gray, cotton shirt, and he had brushed and tied his hair back.

She held back as Raoul stepped forward to hug Xavier fiercely. After returning the hug, Xavier stepped toward Tess to give her a kiss. She saw with concern that he moved stiffly, without his usual grace, but his mouth on hers was firm and warm.

As he pulled back, he paused to look deep into her eyes, his expression warm and intimate. Gazing back, she saw the full knowledge of what they had done together, and an internal glow lit her from within.

He turned to Raoul. “Close up the town house until further notice. It’s just a precaution, but I would feel better doing it, at least until things blow over. Everyone based here can either take a month’s vacation, as long as they go out of state, or they can come back to the estate with us. Now that the five recruits are gone, we’ve got more space available.” He didn’t mention Marc, and neither did Raoul or Tess. “We can use the bedrooms in the main house, and of course, the guesthouse. There’s also Tess’s bedroom in the attendants’ house.” He looked at Tess. “You’ll stay with me.”

Maybe she should have bristled at being told what to do, but she was too happy to see him on his feet and being decisive, and besides, he was telling her to do what she wanted to do anyway, so she kept her mouth shut and simply nodded.

“It might get a little cozy.” Raoul gave a very Gallic-looking shrug and winked at Tess. “But nobody will mind. After all, we’re family.”

Family.

The word kept her warm, as she gathered up the bag Raoul had packed for her and went to shower and dress. To a person, all the attendants based in San Francisco chose to come back to the estate, and for several hours there was a flurry of activity as people packed and closed up the property. As a final touch, all the metal shutters were extended, so that the house was locked tight as a drum.

Tess pitched in and helped wherever she could. She got to see glimpses of the town house as she did so, and it was just as gracious and beautiful as the estate. Aside from the basement level, which held Xavier’s master suite and another capacious wine cellar, the house was really a mansion that was three stories tall.

Everyone was welcoming and friendly, but it was still a lot to take in, and she couldn’t help but think of how overwhelming it had been when she’d first started work at the casino.

This was so much better. This was worlds better. She would get used to it, and get to know everyone in time.