“Then Harper should take you,” she shot back with satisfaction. “He needs to get out as much as you do. He hasn’t gone anywhere in more than a year and a half except a couple of times when Elvi and Victor pretty much dragged him out.”
Harper stilled, midchew, his expression becoming alarmed. “Oh, I don’t know-”
“Yeah, I know, you’d rather hide in the house and go back to nursing your wounds,” Stephanie interrupted. “But look how much better getting out today has made you feel.”
Harper blinked.
“I really think it would do you both a lot of good. It’s certainly better than acting like a couple of turtles.”
“Turtles?” Harper asked with a frown.
“Yeah, you immortals all pull into yourselves and hide out at home rather than even consider a social life.” She shook her head. “Seriously, I know you all have this thing about life mates and all, and I know you two aren’t life mates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, does it?” She glared from one to the other, and then said, “If anything, it should free you up to have more fun. Drina, you’re too old for Harper to read, and you’re also too polite to read him, so you could both relax around each other. On top of that, because you
She let that sink in, and then sat back in her seat, and announced militantly, “Maybe it’s because I’m new to this, but I plan to date like crazy before I settle down with any life mate. And you two should as well. You’re both lonely and miserable. What can it hurt to go out and let your hair down?”
Drina stared at the girl, amazement sliding through her. Stephanie was frighteningly brilliant. By saying they weren’t life mates, she’d just cleared the way for Harper to agree to an outing. And by saying that age was the reason Harper wouldn’t be able to read her, she’d eliminated the possibility that he might try to read her, find out he couldn’t, and panic. She’d basically just cleared away any protest Harper might come up with for spending time with her and freed him to do so if he wished without feeling guilty that he was enjoying himself when Jenny was dead.
“I do feel better,” Harper said quietly, and sounded surprised by the realization. “I guess this change in routine did do me some good.”
Stephanie nodded solemnly. “And really, you’d be doing me a favor. I’ll feel awful if the only thing Drina sees of Canada is the inside of Casey Cottage and the local Wal-Mart.”
“Hmm. That would be a shame,” Harper murmured, and then pushed his plate away and nodded. “All right. We’ll go dancing tonight at the Night Club in Toronto.”
Drina blinked in surprise. Toronto was two hours away. Shaking her head, she said, “No. I can’t be gone that long. I have to be back by bedtime for Stephanie.”
“Anders is on nights,” Stephanie reminded her. “I’m his problem then.”
“Yes, but we’re roommates so that no one can slip in and take you from your bed.”
“And so I don’t slip out and run away,” Stephanie said dryly.
Drina scowled. So much for Stephanie’s not knowing they knew about the possibility.
“It’s okay though,” Stephanie said quickly. “I’ll just snooze on the couch in front of the television until you guys get back. That way Anders can keep an eye on me, and you can still get out for a bit.”
“It’s set then,” Harper decided, glancing around for their waitress. “I’ll pay this and we can head back to the house. I need to call to have my helicopter come for us and-”
“Helicopter?” Drina interrupted with surprise.
“Harper’s mad rich,” Stephanie told her with amusement. “But then so are you.” She shrugged. “I guess when you guys live as long as you do, you eventually build up a fortune.”
“Not everyone,” Drina assured her.
“Whatever,” Stephanie said, standing up. “I have to pee before we go.”
Nodding, Drina pushed her chair back at once. Smiling at Harper, she murmured, “Thank you for buying lunch. We’ll meet you at the car.”
She waited long enough to see Harper nod before hurrying after Stephanie.
Chapter Four
There was a woman in the bathroom cleaning it. Drina offered her a polite smile and leaned against the wall while Stephanie tended to her business in one of the stalls, and then washed her hands at the sink. She followed silently as Stephanie then led the way outside, but as they approached Harper’s car and she saw that he hadn’t yet returned, she finally said, “Stephanie-”
“Please don’t,” Stephanie said quickly, turning to face her. “I know you’re feeling guilty about what you think is our manipulating Harper, but it’s for his own good. And we aren’t tricking him into anything. We’re just making him feel safe enough for his true feelings to grow without his guilt over Jenny’s death getting in the way.”
“But-”
“Please,” Stephanie pleaded. “Please don’t ruin everything. I like you. I like you both. The two of you deserve to be happy. Besides, I’ve had more fun today than I’ve had since-” She paused, a cloud crossing over her face before she ducked her head.
Drina sighed, knowing she’d nearly said before Leonius had attacked her, and wasn’t at all surprised. From what she’d been told, the girl had been pretty miserable since the turn, struggling with her losses and the adjustments she’d had to make. But this day had been one full of fun and laughter. For all of them.
Drina closed her eyes briefly, then reached out to rub one hand lightly over the girl’s upper arm. “I had a good time today too, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that.”
“I know,” Stephanie whispered, and then lifted her face to smile crookedly. “Your surface memories of the recent past are pretty grim. You put on a good face and seem cheerful and happy, but your days are spent hunting bad guys and mourning unwilling turns you have to capture or kill. And I know you struggle every day with feeling guilty that you have to do it. You think that if you’d just tracked their rogue sires down a bit faster, they might have been saved before they were turned, or at least before they were made to do something that marked them for death.” She grimaced. “It seems a pretty grim life.”
“It is,” Drina said quietly.
“Then why do you do it?”
She smiled wryly and shrugged. “Someone has to.”
“But it kills you a little bit inside every day,” Stephanie said quietly.
Drina didn’t deny that, but simply said, “It kills all rogue hunters a little bit inside every day. But for me. .” She sighed and said, “Maybe, just maybe, my actions have prevented one or two other young girls, like you, from going through what you are.” She smiled crookedly. “Surely that makes it worthwhile?”
Before she could respond, they both heard the restaurant door opening and glanced around to see Harper approaching.
“Sorry, I forgot I’d locked the car,” Harper murmured, hitting the button on his key fob.
“That’s all right. We just got here ourselves,” Drina assured him, moving to the back passenger door as Stephanie opened the front door.
“Thank you for lunch and for taking us shopping today, Harper,” Stephanie said moments later, when they pulled into the driveway at Casey Cottage. “I had fun.”
“I’m glad.” He murmured absently as he eased his car into the tight space on one side of the two-car garage.
Stephanie then turned in her seat to peer at Drina in the back, and said, “While you guys are out tonight, I’ll check the Internet and look for things for us to do tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Drina agreed easily, undoing her seat belt.
“Things to do tomorrow?” Harper asked, but the vehicle had stopped, and Drina was already slipping out, leaving Stephanie to answer. However, she got out just as quickly, and Harper followed, repeating the question as he closed the door. “What do you mean, things to do tomorrow?”
“Well, it wasn’t just that we needed warmer clothes and stuff that made us go out today,” Stephanie
