Shrugging, he leaned back, looking very attractive, confident, and young. “And when the chance arose for me to prevent Piscary’s children from being scattered, to take his well-structured, happy camarilla as my own and assert a claim on you and Ivy?” He hesitated, his attention traveling over my demolished kitchen. “It made my decision to retire very easy.”

My mouth went dry. He had retired to get closer to Ivy and me?

Rynn Cormel’s gaze returned to me. “I came here tonight to make sure you were intact, which I can see you are. Ivy said you were capable of protecting yourself, but I assumed her assurances were simply another one of her ways to keep me from meeting you.”

I glanced at the empty hall, things starting to fall into place. “That run of hers tonight was fake, wasn’t it,” I asked, but it wasn’t a question.

The vampire smiled, bringing a leg up to rest a foot on his knee. He looked really good sitting there in my kitchen. “I’m pleased Ivy was telling me the truth. I’m suitably impressed. You’ve been bitten more times than your skin shows.”

Again I felt uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t cover my neck. That was an invitation to look.

“You have very beautiful skin,” he added, and I felt a dropping sensation, quickly followed by a tingling surge.

Damn it, I thought, reining in my emotions. I knew my skin—less than a year old and hiding an unclaimed vampire bite—was like a steak dangling in front of a wolf. Unless the wolf was very well fed, he was going to go for it.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice a wisp of hollow sound. “I didn’t mean to make you uneasy.”

Yes, you did, I thought, but I didn’t say it aloud. I pushed from the counter, needing the false security of more space between us. “Are you sure you don’t want some coffee?” I asked, going to the pot to intentionally turn my back on him. I was afraid, but if I wasn’t obvious about it, he’d back off.

“I’m in Cincinnati because of you,” he said. “Piscary’s children owe you thanks for their well-being. I thought you should know that.”

My lips pressed tight, and with my arms wrapped about myself, I spun to him, ready for it. The chitchat was over.

“I heard about you and Ivy living together in this church and what she wants from you,” he said, and my face flamed. “If you can save her soul after her first death,” he continued, “it would be the most significant advance in vampire history since the live-video feed.”

Oh…that. I hesitated, embarrassed. This was not what I had expected.