Chapter 186 - At Home Is Better

It was quite a lot to drop on head of people in—I checked the phone—nine in the evening. Overall, I could understand Elena's position on the matter of secrecy, even though I disagreed with it. I even agreed with her position on the ongoing conflict between vampires and shifters—hell, if I wasn't hooked up with one such vampire, I'd probably support her wholeheartedly. Armed conflicts, as much as they seemed to be drawn to me, weren't my cup of tea.

But all of that was overshadowed by the realisation that struck me like a lightning bolt and washed away the weariness of the day better than a mug of the strongest and sweetest tea I can brew. It moved me to pull JJ away from the clutter of people in the main hall and to the nearest place where we could talk in relative privacy.

"JJ, we can finally go home and sleep in our own beds! Today, even! It's not too late yet," I exclaimed, still not letting go of his wrist, then paused. "Hey, when was the last time you slept at all? And you don't even have a bed here. It's even more important for you to get to one, then."

"It wasn't that long ago that you have a good reason to worry yet, ma chèrie." JJ let out a warm chuckle. "But I would be glad to leave this place. Maybe not as enthusiastic as you… But I doubt anything can compare with your youthful energy." He grinned and poked my cheek with a finger.

I jerked back on reflex and rubbed it. "You sound like an old man… or Ghost. Next you will say to get off your lawn, and someone with your face has no business talking this way." I shook my head in mock dismay, one that a moment later became real. "Damn, there's no transport work at this time of the day, I'm positive. I can't just ask Ghost to drive me around. I think he was with one leg in his bed already. It's gonna be a pain catching a car if I go that route… real pain for my wallet. And just in general."

"Ah, ma chèrie, maybe I do not have a power of flight, calling for wild beasts or turning into mist, but what sort of vampire I'd be if I couldn't at least do such a small thing as bringing you home from here?" JJ tugged my hand. "Come, you have to gather your things, as few as there are."

I followed blindly like a clueless lamb. "I'd be more bothered about not having any around if most of my clothing didn't look as similar as it is. Wait, bring me there? How?"

Instead of a reply, JJ lifted me in his arms. He moved so fast that my squeal of surprise and fear came out when I was already put into a princess hold.

"Just like this," he said, walking down the hallway, and I felt immensely glad that everyone was in the main hall or around it at the moment. "Except, of course, much faster."

"This is madness. Madness. Humans are soft, and fragile, and aren't made for vampire speeds, are they?" I grabbed his neck with both hands for balance. "Did you at least do that before?"

He laughed. "What if I said that I didn't?"

"You…" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You wouldn't risk my health like this. If you weren't sure that you can pull it off without harming me, you wouldn't even try. So you are just messing with me!"

This provoked another burst of laughter from him. "You got me. I have to admit my nefarious plans of teasing you with your fears of extreme speeds and accompanying them injuries, and gravely apologise."

I smiled, relaxing in his hold. That joking mood wasn't something I saw that often on JJ since the appearance of the demon, and the sight of his teasing smile now made my heart flutter. But then, when it didn't? I couldn't remember if there ever was such a time.

"Words won't be enough, JJ," I teased right back. "You will have to pamper me like a queen to make up for it. You can start with bringing me to my room."

"We are almost there, Your Majesty," he said, running up a flight of stairs, "I will help you with your luggage."

I both blushed and laughed at the way he called me—laughed because of the jovial mood, blushed because of the adoring look that accompanied it. It made me scramble for something else to mention and to think about, and I just found something.

"Hey, I have to tell Panda and Ghost that we are moving out, too. I think… Panda will be able to stay around even without me. Hopefully. Will have to ask Elena, I guess, but worse comes to worst, she can be Ghost's guest, right? I'm sure he won't be against it." I shifted in JJ's arms to pull out my phone. "Have to call her. She's still in the main hall, probably."

"Take your time, Your Majesty," JJ said, and carefully put me on my feet next to the door of my room. With one hand holding a phone, I unlocked the door with another, already listening to the beeps of the connecting call.

Panda didn't answer—which I was half-expecting, with how noisy it was down there—and I ended up leaving her a message. Ghost didn't even have a phone as far as I knew, so I asked her to pass the news to him, too. "Maybe we will be able to catch them on our way out," I said, finishing with the messages, and put my phone away. Thanks to JJ, most of whatever measly possessions I had around this place were already lying together on my bed. "But either way, I'm bound to meet with them tomorrow, here or somewhere else. So… Do you have everything, too?"