He lay the flats at my feet. I slid them on and then giggled as the shoes shrunk and conformed. I’d never had shoes that fit so well or were so comfortable. They were tiny little flat shoes with barely any sole, but they felt like I was walking on air.
“Good?” He grinned down at me.
“Will they go back if I take them off?”
He took my hand and led me out of the bedroom and down the stairs. “No, the clothing conforms to the first body it touches. The spell is a mixture of appeal and comfort. Everything you wear is personalized to you. But, if your body changes, so will the clothes.”
We walked out the front door and he paused to lock the deadbolt. “So, for children, the clothes grow with them?”
“Yes. And they are self-cleaning—one of my favorite updates. She only added that bit of magick last year,” he continued, leading her along the sidewalk back the way they’d come earlier. Back to what was obviously the center of the town.
“That’s why your clothes don’t smell from being next to my dirty ones?”
“Yes.”
“She could make a fortune. Why doesn’t she sell them everywhere?”
“Think about it. Most people try clothing on before they buy it.”
“Oh, I see how that would be a problem.”
“Calliope does sell things to tourists who stop in, and she has quite a list of very wealthy clients who travel to Sanctuary just for her designs. Her business singlehandedly funds about half of the town’s expenses, so we are very protective of her trade secrets.”
“Town expenses? She doesn’t own the shop?”
“She does, but all businesses in the town take only a small percentage for personal use. The majority of the profits go to the Castle.”
“The sex club?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“Doesn’t she resent having to give away so much of her money?”
He paused and turned to face me. “Most of the residents of this town were independently wealthy long before they got here. None of us needs money. Calliope is no different. She doesn’t care about the money. She cares about Sanctuary. We all do.”
“Is this whole town a cult of some sort? Are you going to fatten me up on fresh donuts and then slaughter me on that alter-looking thing in the center of the town circle?” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, but my anxiety quickly returned, roaring to life like a hornet’s nest.
A bellowing laugh rolled up from his chest and echoed across the nearly empty street. I noticed a couple of passersby glance in our direction and then continue on without pause. “You are the toughest little human female I’ve ever met. Scared to your wit’s end and just spewing honesty for honesty’s sake. Rose will adore you.”
I took a step back and tapped my foot on the pavement. His laughter gave me a little more confidence. “You didn’t answer my question.”
A wide grin split his face. “I apologize. No, we are not a cult. The town functions more like a family or army.”
That must be why they had titles, like Protector and Sentinel. It was an hierarchy within the town. They each had their role to play. “Will I need to learn to fight?” I wondered what or who they usually fought. If it was Others like Darius, I wasn’t going to be much help.
Erick grabbed my hand again and pulled me along the sidewalk. “Absolutely not. You are a guest.”
I dragged my feet and barely managed to pull him to a stop before we reached the café doors. “Erick, if I stay here in this town, I don’t want to be a guest. I want to have a purpose, too. Surely there’s something I can do to contribute.”
“Kjaere, you are worrying too much. Please let me get you some breakfast and introduce you to Rose. She can answer more of your questions.”
A sigh slipped from between my lips. I really did need to eat.
I didn’t want to leave Sanctuary. I would, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay, be with Erick, and pretend Kevin and the Djinn weren’t hunting me down to kill me.
He knew he’d won me over. Again.
The corners of his mouth turned up into a pleasant smile. I mentally fortified myself and nodded. I could do this. They were his friends. Garrett hadn’t turned out to be so bad, and neither had the witch who’d helped send Darius packing.
The door swung open and a petite woman stepped in front of it. Her long, black hair was streaked with bold shades of pink, blue, and white highlights. She had it fixed in a high ponytail on top of her head. “Are y’all coming in any time soon, or should we bring the poor girl’s breakfast out to the sidewalk?”
“Maven, this is Bailey,” Erick said, pushing me closer to the tiny woman.
The woman held out her hand, and I smiled down at her. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, but her energy made her seem much taller. Something else was a little different, too. Her skin glistened in the sunlight, like she’d bathed in something metallic.
I shook her hand and she grinned before yanking me inside. Erick hurried in after me. She dragged me behind her with surprising strength toward the front counter of the café.
“Rose, Erick finally showed up with his fair maiden. He’s completely smitten! I can see it in his eyes.”
“Maven,” he growled from behind us.
But the little sprite didn’t care at all. She pushed me onto an empty stool just as another woman came through the kitchen door. She had beautiful, creamy white skin and silky, black hair. Her soft brown eyes were kind and I instantly felt safe in her presence.
“Hush, Viking. You know that growly stuff doesn’t scare me,” Maven answered, giggling. “Raven! Come out here!”
I glanced back and saw him roll his eyes. For a few moments he was just a man being teased. Irritated, but entertained at the same time. He wasn’t upset with her, more like annoyed the way you would be annoyed by a sibling or a friend.
“Maven, stop shouting. You’re scaring the poor dear,” the other woman spoke calmly. She made her way around the counter and embraced me. “It is good to meet you, Bailey. We were fortunate that you met Erick when you did. Darius was an unforeseen complication. But, where are my manners? I am Rose. Welcome to Sanctuary.”
“Th-thank you.” I took a step back and bumped into Erick’s large chest. Relief flowed through my body at his touch.
“OMG! Maven, she’s so pretty!” A voice very similar to Raven’s cut through the noise of the café.
I glanced over Rose’s shoulder, shocked to see another tiny woman, identical to Maven in every way except her hair. Instead of white, pink, and blue streaks, she sported a black ponytail with shades of red, orange, and white.
What was with the crazy hair colors?
“I told you!” Maven squealed.
“Girls, please go tend to the kitchen. Corinne is in there all by herself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The sprites echoed together and darted away, disappearing around the counter and through the kitchen door, their streaked ponytails flowing behind them like living rainbows.
Rose turned back to me and I met her gaze. “Please forgive the girls’ lack of decorum. They have an overabundance of energy, but are two of the best cooks I’ve ever met. They are sweet and they do mean well. Even though they are about two-hundred years old, they still act like hormonal teenagers.” She smiled.
Two-hundred? “It’s fine. Really,” I answered, trying to wrap my brain around even more new information. They were Others as well, but what?
“Good.” She gestured to the empty barstool on my right. “Erick, why don’t you have a seat. I’ll be right back with some pastries and something to drink.”
“Are the two small women twins?” I asked, turning toward him.
He nodded. “Twin sisters. Pixies. They are a touch of crazy mixed with a little bit of everything else, but Rose is right. They mean well. They can’t help themselves. Anything new or shiny gets them all worked up. And they are fabulous cooks … so I’ve been told.”
“He has eat
en Corinne’s donuts, though. No one has been able to resist those. Not even a vampire,” Rose added, walking in from the kitchen with a tray. She placed a plate of several different donuts in front of me and Erick, a glass of orange juice, and one empty tumbler. “When was the last time you fed, Erick?”
He shook his head. “I’m fine, Rose.”
She snorted. “You don’t look fine. You look hungry.”
My heart skipped a beat. I picked up the juice and took a quick sip. Both of them stared at me as I swallowed.
Erick finally broke the silence. “Are you unwell, kjaere?”
“I’m fine. She … she said you looked hungry. How can she tell?” I studied his face, but couldn’t discern any noticeable change in appearance.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a frown tug at Rose’s smile. “You’ve already tasted her blood, haven’t you? What were you thinking?” She laid a knife on the counter and heaved a sigh. “I can feed him, but he’d rather have yours now.”
Mine? “Feed him … what? I …” So he did want to make a meal of me after all?
“Rose,” he growled under his breath.
“You drank from her. You started it, not me. When were you planning on telling her you’re psychologically bonding to her as we speak?”
“It happened so quickly, I was distracted and I didn’t think,” he snarled.
“You’re over a thousand years old, Thorson. You knew exactly what you were doing.”
“Hey, guys. I’m sitting right here. It was a tiny cut. More of a lick, if you could even call it that.”
Neither acknowledged me and their argument got nastier by the second, making me more and more uncomfortable. I took another gulp of my orange juice and then snatched a donut from the plate. If they weren’t going to talk to me, I could at least eat.
After one bite, I had to hold back a moan of pleasure. The sweet buttery bread melted in my mouth, revealing just a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. The frosting tasted a little like a mix between maple syrup and honey. Simply divine. I shoved the rest of it into my mouth, ignoring their quarrel.
Food was now my only concern. I was starving. The last thing I’d eaten was that tiny pack of animal crackers. And that’s all I’d had yesterday. I grabbed another donut and bit into the sticky, sweet bliss. A few moments later, I’d polished off all four and had gulped down the rest of the orange juice.
Honestly, I was still hungry. The alluring smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the kitchen. At home, my breakfast usually consisted of a piece of toast. An actual breakfast was a luxury I rarely afforded. Peanut butter and day-old bread made up eighty percent of my diet. The restaurant leftovers usually accounted for the other twenty.
“Let me get you a plate, Bailey. I’ll be right back.”
I glanced up from the countertop, surprised that Rose was talking to me. Her voice was calm and friendly, unlike the cold biting tone she’d been using with Erick.
I twisted in my seat and met his gaze. “Why is she upset with you?” I asked, once she’d gone through the door into the kitchen.
“She is right. I took without asking.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“You are right now,” he sighed, resting his elbows on the counter. “I’m the one who is feeling the bond already. I will always desire your blood now.”
“Why?”
“If we heal those we drink from, our blood links us together. Some vampires choose to feed only from other supernatural beings. Their blood is different and doesn’t create a connection. Not only did I taste your blood, but I used the smallest amount of mine to heal your cut.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning ... my blood is inside you now. I am linked to you.”
“What does that do to me?”
“I can sense where you are. If you are in pain or need help, I will know. I will protect you with my life, kjaere. You are part of me.”
I looked down at the counter, taking a moment to absorb. He’d bonded to me?
The door from the kitchen swung open, distracting me, and Rose returned, setting a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast down in front of me. I considered how easily I could scarf down the entire plate. I knew I shouldn’t, but over the years, I’d taught myself to eat when I could. Survival was everything.
“Thank you for the food.” I glanced up and met Rose’s gaze.
“When was the last time you had a full meal, dear?”
I stopped, the fork midway to my mouth. “A couple of days.”
She nodded. “We have plenty and you are welcome to come back for more anytime of the day. One of us is always up cooking.”
I thanked her again before I continued eating.
“Erick, we’ll talk more later. Do you want a drink, or …” Her voice trailed off as her weighted gaze fell back on me.
She seemed really concerned about the fact that he hadn’t fed in a while. It started to bother me, too.
“What happens if he doesn’t eat?”
“He gets cranky,” Rose answered, a smile returning to her face. “Staying sated gives a vampire good control. If they are hungry, they turn into a one-track record, only able to think about the thing they need.”
I glanced at the blade she’d laid on the countertop. “How does he normally eat?”
Erick interrupted. “I drink Rose’s blood or blood from one of the pixies. They cut their hand and fill a glass.” His voice was clipped and sharp, like he was disgusted at the very thought. How could one drop of my blood throw him off his norm?
“Because it was a really good drop,” a familiar male voice called out. The bell on the door rang as it closed behind Garrett. He walked in with a swagger that announced he was quite pleased with himself.
Stop reading my mind!
“You were the one asking the question,” Garrett answered, chuckling.
He and Erick exchanged a look I couldn’t decipher, but it didn’t enhance Erick’s mood at all. In fact, it made him even more agitated. So much so, I thought he would get up and leave the café without me.
I placed a hand on his thigh. He instantly turned his gaze on me and it softened. The sweet, sexy man who’d taken care of me in his bathroom this morning returned and some of the tension in his shoulders melted away. “The thought of cutting myself really makes me ill, but maybe … if it doesn’t hurt too much, you could just bite me and drink from my arm or something.”
His eyes widened at the suggestion and the entire café silenced. Even Rose stopped walking across the dining room with a tray full of food.
“Bailey, I can’t. Drinking from your vein is not something to take lightly. You can’t come back from it. Your people would label you a blood whore if I left the marks. If I heal the marks, that means you continue to be exposed to my blood, which will only strengthen the bond between us.”
The words stung. I’d always sworn I’d never let a vampire drink me for money. Erick had saved my life several times. It only seemed fair that I repay his kindness in the only way I could—with blood.
But now they were reacting to my words like the very act was something much more than just me providing a man with a meal. Why would being exposed to more of his blood be a bad thing? Bond or no bond, it was still just food to him.
Garrett rose from his table and crossed the room.
Erick’s leg twitched beneath my palm, but he didn’t speak.
Garrett leaned against the counter to my left. “It is more. By agreeing to do this, you agree to be his. The more of his blood in your veins, the stronger his claim to you in our world. You shouldn’t make a decision like this without knowing the facts. No one will think less of you if you turn him down and consider other options.”
A low growl rumbled in Erick’s throat and his muscles tensed beneath my hand. I knew what Erick held back. Garrett did, too. He took a step back, but didn’t leave.
He was interested in me. I could see the heat in his eyes. Garrett’s nostrils flared and he stared bac
k with an intensity I couldn’t match. Dropping my gaze to the floor, I shook my head. I wasn’t interested in him that way. No argument, he was more than handsome, but his touch and gaze didn’t light my body on fire the way Erick’s did.
I’ve made my choice, Garrett.
Looking back up, he held my gaze for a moment before muttering something unintelligible beneath his breath. Apparently, it hadn’t been difficult for Erick to understand. He leapt from his seat with a terrifying snarl and his fangs bared.
My heart stopped in my chest and I held my breath. No. No. No.
“Stop.” Rose’s voice cut through the noise and I tried to turn to look at her, but found I couldn’t move.
What the hell? I was frozen as if someone had paralyzed every muscle in my body. Erick and Garrett were the same, stuck in mid-air, just about to try and choke the life out of each other.
What had happened? What had such power over everything?
My question was answered when Rose walked up to the three of us and lowered the tray to her waist. If she was the only one moving, she was the one doing the holding.
“You will leave her alone, Garrett. Bailey belongs to Erick until she states otherwise. Blood or no blood.”
Belongs? Hell, I didn’t belong to anyone. I tried to speak, but whatever was holding us prevented that as well.
Garrett turned his gaze to mine.
I noticed the movement out of the corner of my eye. He’d heard my thought. Damn mind reader. The amusement in his eyes was infuriating.
Who the hell was he to think he could lay any claim to me? I hadn’t belonged to a man since my ex beat the shit out of me, and that wasn’t about to change. I might stay with Erick and grow closer to him, but I wasn’t “his.”
I turned my gaze toward Garrett, as far as my paralyzed head would allow.
And I’m sure as hell not yours to worry about!
He looked away. The amusement was gone from his sparkling eyes. He’d gotten the message.
Stay out of my fucking head, too!
As quickly as it’d washed over the café, the energy that locked us into place faded away. Garrett stomped out, slamming the door behind him. Erick stood and glared at Rose.
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 6
