Raven Mask (Camren) Book 2

Chapter 23

I rolled over yawning and got a mouthful of Lauren's velvety curls. Gently, I plucked the tresses out of my mouth and found a few of them were my own tangled strands. She was still out. Lauren slept (if that's what you want to call it) on her back. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Stereotypical vampire," I mumbled, placing a kiss on her cheek and slipping from between the cool satin sheets.

No, not all vampires sleep with their arms crossed like that. Lauren lays on her back a lot, but some mornings she dies holding me. I didn't like moving her when she was dead, and I didn't want her dying with her face near my neck, because that meant she'd wake with her face near it if I couldn't get away soon enough. A vampire plus a neck equals what? Therein lies my point.

The robe was at the foot of the bed, folded neatly over the wooden beam that mirrored the headboard. I picked it up, slipping it on. I needed some coffee and then a shower. First, I needed to find clothes to put on under the robe. I didn't feel like trying to play cover-the-peek-a-boos to keep from flashing anyone. Dinah was probably awake. The rest of the vampires would be just as dead as Lauren.

I didn't have any clean clothes, which gave me an excuse to rummage through Lauren's walk-in closet. It was decent-sized, with an obscene amount of silk. I found a pair of silk red pants with a drawstring and a matching button-up shirt and slipped them on, tying the drawstring and folding the waistband under so the pant legs wouldn't drag on the floor—a trick we short people learn early on in life. I ran the silken sleeve of the shirt through my hands, trying to decide if I wanted to wear it, then brought the material to my face, inhaling sharply. It smelled like clean detergent, but beneath that scent was Lauren's. I slid it on and grinned when it came down to my knees.

The kitchen was bright and sunny. Someone had drawn back the shades on the window in the dining room. I squinted into the brightness.

Dinah peeked out from the kitchen. "Pancakes?"

"Coffee," I mumbled, distracted by the strange reflection on the window. Once I could approach the sunlight without squinting I peered outside.

The backyard was just as huge as the front yard. I think both were too big to be called yards. Acres, maybe, but not yards. The sunlight bounced off the crystalline body of water where rocks were stacked neatly to create a beautiful waterfall that trickled into the pool. It was strange to see it uncovered so late in the year. Maybe it was heated. A beautiful gazebo was off to one side.

I turned to find Dinah standing patiently behind me holding a mug of coffee.

"Cream and sugar, right?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"No problem. You look very festive. It's still a little early for red and green, isn't it?"

She glanced down, looking at the pants, and gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "You raided Lauren's closet, didn't you?"

I took a sip, my shoulders easing with the first taste. The real cream and sugar she'd put in it blended perfectly with the coffee, not masking the coffee's flavor, but enhancing it.

"I didn't bring another change of clothes."

"You could've asked me for something. I'm closer to your size than Lauren is." She grinned, showing a row of perfect white teeth. "Though I have to admit, you look cute in oversized clothes."

I shook my head. I never understood how Dinah was always in such a good mood. Then again, she hadn't just woken. One of these mornings, I should jump up and down on her bed like a maniac while she was sleeping. That sounded like fun. I'd like to see how coherent and cheerful she was in the morning then. Dinah made me feel grumpy.