Free To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 by Jackie Ivie

Okay?”
    “Rain-check?” She used another unfamiliar term. He frowned slightly.
    “Exactly. Look. I’m traveling to one of the busiest cities on earth and I’m a mess.”
    “You look beautiful.”
    “You need to put me down. Okay?”
    It didn’t sound like an option. So Takeshi set her on her feet and removed his arms. Reluctantly. He then took a step backward. He instantly felt as if a Himalayan wind had brushed across him. Chilling. Solitary.
    “All right. Good. Next item of business - I’m going to go make use of your fantastic shower. I hope you have something presentable I can change into afterward. Other than silk pajamas, that is.”
    “I have everything you need.”
    “You have women’s clothing?”
    “Yes.”
    “In my size?” Her eyebrows lifted.
    “Yes. Size four. American.”
    “Close enough. I suppose you have my shoe size, too?”
    “ Hai. Size five. Also American.”
    “I suppose you have American styles, too?”
    “Uh.”
    That one he couldn’t answer with any certainty. Not for this plane. He’d bought women’s clothing over the centuries, when something caught his eye. He’d told himself it was for the same reason he bought anything. Collecting. Asset maturing. Selling. His acquisitions had come first from markets, then shopping centers, and then he’d purchased items over the internet. He hadn’t known he’d been preparing for his mate. He should have.
    “I’ll just look in the closet for myself. Okay? I sure hope you have something...a little formal. I don’t want to show up at the airport looking like an Asian concubine.”
    “You do not look like one now.”
    “Right. Hold that thought. I’ll be back.”
    “You will return?”
    He probably deserved the look she gave him. She didn’t answer, either. She simply walked to the door. And he let her.

CHAPTER NINE
    She really liked this shower.
    Actually, she could grow fond of the entire bathroom...except the mirror had clouded over or something. She couldn’t seem to get a clear reflection. She’d thought it was the lighting, but no matter where she aimed the fixture she couldn’t quite see herself. It wasn’t a real problem. She didn’t wear cosmetics, and she could do her hair blind-folded. He didn’t have any hairpins, however, so she settled for weaving a long braid down her back, finished off with a dental floss bow.
    Stay in reality, Christine. Keep everything on the physical plane .
    Right.
    Reality.
    Takeshi really liked things dim. The bedroom suite had the same dawn-like glow as the main cabin. He really favored black, too. The carpet was black. Furnishings. The linens. And when she opened the dual closet, it wasn’t difficult to figure out which side was his. There wasn’t any shade in there except black.
    The other side contained a stunning array of paradise hues. All kinds of fabrics. All sorts of fashion. Why...if she wasn’t mistaken, he even had what looked like a fringed and beaded flapper gown from the roaring twenties or thereabouts. Lots of floor-length gowns that looked appropriate for black-tie events. Ceremonial kimonos as well as another yukata. She selected a light-blue, brocade sheath. Plain yet sophisticated. The dress skimmed her figure as if it had been tailor-made.
    That was disconcerting.
    The shoes adorning a wall of shelves were even more disquieting. She actually wore a size five, narrow. Very hard to find. She usually had to special order them. And yet, here was an entire selection. In exactly that size. Everything was dreamscape perfect. Orderly. She might have to reconsider her sanity level here. That was scary. She decided to rain-check any sanity check-up until after her talk with Takeshi.
    Ah . Takeshi.
    Christine sighed, even as she told herself it was stupid. This wasn’t a dream. Dreams didn’t leave painful places on her neck if she touched them. Little bruises on her hips where he’d held her. A bout of shivering from just the memory of their lovemaking.
    Oh... baby