Free The Last Keeper by Michelle Birbeck

of etiquette are in this time . . .”
    “Rules were made for breaking,” he said, smirking.  
    He pulled me back towards him, not a breath of air between us, and placed my hands back on his shoulders. “Feel free to forget where you are with me anytime you wish.”
    “I may have to take you up on that.”
    “Ah, I did hear the horses.” Helen’s quiet voice broke our happy little moment a couple of seconds before she appeared in the doorway. “Oh! I’m sorry. I came to see if Ray was going to stay for dinner.”
    I looked up at him. “Would you?”
    “If we let my mother know, I don’t see why not.” He was flustered but smiled widely as he spoke.
    “How about I go and ask Sam to fetch her and we can all have dinner together?” Helen was looking for an excuse to leave, and her offer was the perfect one.
    “Thank you, Helen.”
    “Perhaps we should head into the house, as well?” Ray suggested, nervously shifting.
    “She knows better than to say anything. If she does, I shall bring up some very embarrassing childhood memories of her.”
    He laughed long and loud at that. It came in handy, being older than everyone else. Things like childhood stories were something I tried to remember. I never knew when I would need them, or when they could be used as playful blackmail.  
    “I was wondering about something. Why do you eat if you don’t need to?” he asked as we walked hand in hand back to the house.
    “Appearances and habit. If food is scarce, then I’ll forgo eating in favour of my family. If not, or the situation demands it, then I’ll eat. It’s also nice to sit down to a meal with my family on occasion.”  
    “Sam is on his way over to Mrs. Synclair’s house and Jayne is in the dining room setting the table,” Helen informed me when we walked into the house after stabling the horses.
    “Jayne?” I called. “Would you entertain Ray whilst I help your mother with dinner? He isn’t safe to be allowed anywhere near the kitchen.”
    “Can I talk to him properly now?” Jayne giggled, rocking back and forth on her heels as she spoke.  
    “Yes, but don’t scare him.” She would do her best to remember any scary story she could. Though I doubted they would affect Ray, I pleaded with her not to delve too deep into the stories she knew.  
    “I’ll try.”  
    Reluctantly, I let Jayne drag him away.
    She was an intelligent child, and she understood when to keep quiet about what I was. It was something that was instilled into all of our children—the need to keep our secret. It was as important to us as it was to the vampires. Only our reasons were different.
    Once we were alone, Helen took one look at me and said, “It went exceptionally well.”  
    She stood by the sink, leaning against the stone and wood, arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face. She’d known the answer long before I’d been willing to accept it.  
    “It did.”
    “No running. No screaming. Not even the smallest trace of fear. Am I correct?”  
    “Yes.”
    “You forget how well I can read people, Serenity.”
    “I know, but I still expected him to run for the hills, screaming all the way.” It surprised me how quiet my voice was when I spoke.
    “You deserve this, never forget that.”
    “I’ll try.”
    It wasn’t long before Sam returned. I heard the car coming up the street. The distinct sound of her engine telling me that it was ours.  
    “Jayne, dear, that’s enough for tonight. Ray’s mother is coming for dinner,” I told her, carrying in the first of the plates.
    “Can I tell him some more later?”  
    “Not tonight.”
    “Would I be correct in assuming that I cannot tell my mother?” Ray said, half asking, half stating.
    “I’m sorry. If it was safe for her to know, then I would tell her in a heartbeat. It’s best she knows as little as possible beyond the obvious.” My smile was a sad one
    “I understand. It wasn’t something that should be discussed over dinner.”