Ready Or Not

The Best Way To A Vamp's Heart

**Theo**

"We're gonna be fine, sugar," I said softly to my shaking lover.

When I'd seen Daniel's phone this morning, I lost control of my mouth for a moment and I said something akin to, "Well. Fuck," before I reigned it in. It was already too late. Daniel'd heard and saw I was looking at the messages; putting two and two together is what he does for a living.

After bursting into the guest room and dragging my baby sister from bed, and then calling Lydia, I found myself literally sitting on his lap. I wasn't cuddling as much as I was using my strength to keep him still long enough to think. Before Anna'd woken up, he'd already thrown a week's worth of clothes into a duffel bag.

"Get off of me, Theo," he grunted, struggling. Thank god he was losing that newborn strength. I was once again a great deal stronger than he was.

"Not what you said last night, pumpkin-pie."

"I will shove you into a refrigerator and cement the door shut." He bit me. Anna hid a chuckle.

"Wouldn't be the first time, love." I was trying not to laugh. He was really upset. "Also wouldn't be the first time I've been questioned by the police. Not this century, decade, or year. What has you so worried, iubit?"

His body stopped struggling against mine, and he sighed. "Someone is going to want to put you in jail, baby. If not over this, then over something." I lifted his face toward mine. His eyes were so sad.

"Sugar, they literally can't. I'm not going to let myself get captured. Not again."

He tucked his chin down, so I pulled it back up, kissing his lips chastely. "I promise."

The arm of the chair groaned almost inaudibly under the miniscule amount of weight that was Anna settling in behind Daniel, leaning her chin on his shoulder. I smiled at her.

"We don't know that, Teodoro!" he huffed.

Anna reached down and took the hand I wasn't holding.

He deflated a little. "We don't know anything. Humans have only just begun learning about vampires, you think they haven't done some research? Wouldn't surprise me to know they had a lab full of house-bred vampires to study."

"That's ridiculous," I dismissed with a scoff.

Anna, however, grew still.

I went on. "There would still have to be a vampire to make vampires to study. None of us wants them to develop something that can hurt us. Who would volunteer for that?"

"There are all kinds of vampires, brother," Anna cut in, almost unsure. "Just like there are all types of humans. We wanted to kill my maker a few months ago. You and Lydia tried to kill yours. I don't doubt that there is a vamp or two willing to help push research along on a vampire weapon. Not just useful in human hands." She was looking at the floor, now. The weight of her realization resting itself on her shoulders and lips; her smile was gone.

The weight settled on me too as I looked into Daniel's eyes.

"Exactly," he whispered.

I didn't say anything. I just sat in his lap and held onto my love and my sister, waiting for Lydia to come home.

I myself wouldn't calm until all three of them were in my sight.

Anna nuzzled into Daniel's shoulder. "Theo isn't going anywhere, regardless, Daniel. He's done nothing they can connect him to."