Hot Summer Bites: A Castle of Dark Dreams Novella (A Penguin Special from Berkley Sensation)

by Bangs, Nina

  What could he say to reassure her? Nothing. So he talked to the cat instead. “What’re you doing here?”

  The cat whipped its tail back and forth, still ticked at Kristin. “I was just hanging, so I thought I’d kill time watching you guys. I’d have more fun watching mold grow.”

  Kristin slipped into her shirt and crouched down in front of the cat. She ran her hands over its body looking for the wire.

  “Won’t find anything, but don’t let that stop you.”

  Kristin paled as she stood and turned to Taurin. “Nothing. What’s going on?”

  Taurin raked his fingers through his hair. Okay, one thing at a time. “Let me rephrase my question. Why the hell are you in the castle?”

  “Oh, that. I’m a messenger of Bast, Egyptian cat goddess of all things important, according to her. A while ago Bast sent another messenger, Asima, to the castle. Asima hasn’t reported in lately, so the goddess sent me to check on things. Seen this Asima chick around anywhere?”

  Kristin put her hand over her mouth. Probably trying to muffle a scream.

  “I might’ve. What’s your whole name? I won’t call you S.O.B., even if it fits.” Taurin kept an eye on Kristin. He hoped she wouldn’t have hysterics or race screaming up the stairs.

  The cat stared at him resentfully. He mumbled a name.

  “Again. Didn’t quite catch that name.” Taurin bared his fangs to hint he was losing patience.

  “Oh, hell. It’s Saffron.” He hissed the name.

  “That’s the S. How about the O and B?” Taurin relaxed a little as Kristin dropped her hand from her mouth and seemed to be listening to the cat.

  “My name’s Saffron Oregano Basil.” He growled low in his throat. “You laugh, you’re dead.”

  It was tough. Taurin wanted to laugh. Kristin just stared at Saffron with wide, unblinking eyes.

  “Okay, Saffron, you can leave now.” He wanted to be alone with Kristin. Not that he had any hope of picking up where they’d left off.

  “No.” Kristin’s voice was a little quivery, but sounded determined. “Who gave you that name? What are you? And can I have an exclusive on your story?”

  She glanced at Taurin. “I’m still in denial here, but just in case this guy’s for real, I want an interview.”

  Damn. He’d forgotten what she was. She recognized a sensational story when she saw it. The scariest part? If she accepted the shape-shifter as real, she might begin wondering about the reality of other nonhuman entities. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Don’t waste your time. He’s a fake. We have a remote hookup that makes it sound like he’s talking.” Was that possible? He hadn’t a clue. “He’s, umm, Snowflake, my cat.” Taurin glared at Saffron, daring him to deny it.

  Saffron wasn’t having any part of it. “Snowflake? What the hell kind of name is that? It’s as bad as Saffron.”

  He shifted his attention back to Kristin. “I’m real. Don’t doubt it. The deal is that goddesses are touchy. See, I made the mistake of telling someone I’d rather serve Sekhmet, the lion goddess of war and destruction. That’s a real man’s goddess. Major mistake. Bast heard me. She’s Sekhmet’s sister, and they have this whole sisterly competition thing going on. Bast got pissed and gave me this form. All her messengers take cat form, but hey, she could’ve made me a big old alley cat. I would’ve been down with that.”

  “And the name. Tell me about the name.” Kristin’s eyes glowed with journalistic fervor.

  Taurin wished she’d look at him like that. Fat chance after this. She’d run back to her room so she could load all her ammunition onto her laptop. Bummer.

  Saffron did a cat shrug. “Bast was in her herb garden phase when she named me. The bit . . . um, goddess, knew I’d hate it. At least S.O.B. is an in-your-face name.” He turned to look at the door. “I sense another messenger of Bast close by. Must be Asima. Talk to you guys later.” And he was gone.

  Much later, Taurin hoped. He glanced at his watch. Their fantasy time was almost up. Holgarth would be nagging Conall to go down and save the “fair maiden” so he could keep his schedule rolling right along. Hah! She needed saving like a tigress needed saving.

  “Look, the fantasy is pretty much blown, so why don’t I make it up to you by taking you to one of the other fantasies in the park tomorrow night?” He had to get out of here, because he couldn’t change back to human form while she was watching.

  Her steady stare told him a lot was going on in that beautiful head. All bad news for him. “You’re not surprised, are you? It’s like you deal with talking cats every day. Why is that?”

  Because Asima is underfoot all the time, and she never shuts up. Taurin studied Kristin’s expression. She bought Saffron’s story. Even so, he had to stick with his take on the whole thing or risk opening a door he couldn’t close again. “He startled me, but like I said, he’s a fake. They just started using him this week. And my reaction was part of the fantasy. Anyway, I’m a guy, and it’s a guy thing to make believe that nothing shocks us. Like if Bigfoot walked in front of a bunch of guys, they’d just wave and say, ‘What’s happening, dude?’” Did any of that make sense? Not too much.

  “Yeah, like I believe that.” But she did reward his effort with a tiny smile. Holding his gaze, she drew close. “Great makeup.”

  And before he could back away from her, she reached up and traced the shape of his eye with the tip of her index finger. Alarm flared in her eyes as she jerked her hand away from his face. Uh-oh.

  “I’ve gotta go now. Uh, I have to write down my thoughts while everything is still fresh in my mind.” She turned without waiting for his reply.

  Taurin watched her grab her robe from where it was draped over the fake iron maiden and scurry up the steps. Well, hell. Looked like he had a situation here. He followed her more slowly as he returned to human form.

  Sure, he could ask Eric to try to erase the event from her memory, but something in him didn’t want to do that. Maybe Saffron had a point. Asking another man to fix the mess he’d created made him feel weak. Yeah, it was probably a guy thing. And no, he didn’t ask for directions, either.

  A puzzled Eric met him at the top of the steps. “What happened? Kristin just tore past me like she’d seen a ghost.”

  “No ghost, just a friend of Asima’s.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “In cat form.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “He talked to her.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Yeah.” He walked away from Eric. Wouldn’t do any good to mention that Kristin had also traced around his eyes. From the look on her face, she’d realized he wasn’t wearing makeup or a mask.

  So what was he going to do? Maybe he’d find Saffron and rip off his fuzzy head.

  Chapter Three

  Kristin sat on the couch, staring at her laptop while she tried to make sense of what she’d just written. She’d wanted to get it all down while everything was fresh in her mind. Maybe freshness wasn’t a good thing. Maybe this story needed to age a little. It was a tangle of sex, shape-shifters, and vampires. No one would believe her. She didn’t believe herself.

  Okay, look at the facts. Taurin had shown up wearing just a swimsuit and a cape. Hello? Can we say dressed for an episode of Desire in the Dungeon? So, yeah, the castle seemed to be working on a sexual theme.

  Next came Saffron. Maybe the castle did have some really high-tech special effects, but until she had proof of that, she was taking the cat at face value.

  Finally, the part that bothered her the most. When she’d traced Taurin’s eyes, she’d found no evidence of a mask or makeup. No, she wasn’t ready to accept that reality yet. She’d sleep on it, and take a second look at the evidence tomorrow.

  Shutting down her laptop, she pulled on her nightshirt and climbed int
o bed. She tried to relax by rereading some of the info she’d gathered about the park. Every attempt she’d made to track down the owner of Live the Fantasy had ended with a door slammed in her face. Curious. Very curious.

  She read until her lids started to droop. But just as she reached for the bedside lamp, the door swung open.

  What the . . . ? She’d locked that door. Frantically, she fumbled for the phone to call for help.

  “Oh, for crying out loud, put the phone down. It’s just me.”

  Kristin dropped the receiver from nerveless fingers as she stared at the blue point Siamese cat that padded across the room and then leaped onto the foot of her bed. She tried to force words past the boulder lodged in her throat. “Me?” And why am I hearing you in my head?

  Even with limited kitty facial muscles, the cat managed to look annoyed. “I’m Asima, messenger of Bast. I realize I’m not the first messenger of Bast you’ve met tonight, but I assure you I’m much more civilized than that big white booby you met earlier. I’d never inject myself into a sensual moment between two people.” The cat sat and began to wash its face with one elegant paw. “Please close your mouth, you look silly.” She paused in her grooming to offer Kristin a pointed stare. “And I’m speaking in your head because I’m discreet, as opposed to Saffron, who never understood the whole keeping-our-existence-secret concept.”

  Kristin knew Asima expected a comment, but how could she think when her brain was filled with white noise? Well, maybe white noise along with an occasional silent shriek. Wait, had Asima read her mind? Unlikely. Right now her mind was putting out a series of random scribbles.

  “You’re probably wondering why I chose to use some of my incredibly valuable time visiting with you.” Asima didn’t need Kristin’s input. She was capable of carrying on a semi-intelligent conversation with herself. “I thought I’d better attempt some damage control. Eric could probably wipe your memory clean, but he really doesn’t like to do that if it’s not necessary. And you look like a reasonable woman.”

  “Wipe my memory clean?” The cat was talking in her head. In. Her. Head.

  “Mmm. I’m sure if you agree not to say anything about the beings who live in the castle, Eric won’t have to use his power.” Finished with her face, Asima glanced at Kristin’s closet. “Do you mind if I take a peek at your clothes? You can tell a lot about a person by what they wear.”

  “Beings?” Kristin was falling behind in this conversation.

  “Oops.” Asima put her paw over her little cat mouth. “A mere slip of the tongue. Forget it.” But the sly gleam in her blue eyes said she definitely didn’t want Kristin to forget it. “So can I look at your clothes?”

  “Uh-huh.” Kristin couldn’t force any other words past her frozen lips.

  Numb with shock, she watched Asima stare at her closet door. The door swung open and Asima disappeared inside. A few minutes later she emerged dragging a silky blue scarf behind her.

  “Would you mind if I borrowed this until tomorrow? I’m meeting Saffron for dinner, and this will set off my eyes perfectly.” Without waiting for Kristin’s permission, she padded to the door trailing the scarf behind her. “What wonderfully classic taste you have in clothes. Your casual things are stylish without being slutty, and I love the dresses you brought. If I were in my human form, I’d ask to borrow the white one.”

  A human form was good. Kristin would gladly sacrifice her white dress if it meant she could keep her sanity, because this whole scene was too bizarre to be real.

  “I’ll get this back to you tomorrow.” Asima dragged the scarf to the door that still stood open. She paused before leaving. “Give Taurin a chance. He’s a nice guy who’s had some bad breaks. Everyone needs something good to happen to them at least once every few centuries.”

  Every few centuries? While Kristin stared blankly, Asima padded into the hallway, her waving tail a satisfied question mark above her back. The door closed with a quiet click.

  Ohmigod, ohmigod! Clambering from the bed, Kristin rushed to the door, stubbing her toe on a chair along the way. Ow! Definitely awake. She was panting by the time she reached the door. Hyperventilating wouldn’t help anything. She checked to make sure the door was locked and then slid the chain across it.

  Why was she doing this? Locks wouldn’t keep Asima out. And what other kinds of “beings” roamed the dark halls of the castle? Beings that would think of a lock as a minor annoyance.

  Kristin stumbled back to her bed, fell onto it, and pulled the covers over her head. She lay there curled into a fetal position with her teeth chattering. Just great. The biggest story of her freaking career, and she was never coming out from under these covers.

  The first thing Kristin saw when she woke was the clock. Three o’clock. She groaned. She must’ve been exhausted to sleep half the afternoon away.

  Then she remembered—Saffron, Taurin, Asima, and Eric who could take away her memory if she proved not to be a “reasonable” woman. If she ran downstairs right now and found Eric, would he take his little pink eraser to her memory of last night?

  A loud pounding on her door distracted her from thoughts of Eric and erasers. The knocking was what must’ve awakened her. Who was on the other side? One of the castle’s many “beings”? Taurin? She ignored her sudden spurt of excitement. No chance. If he was what she suspected—please, please don’t let him be that—he wouldn’t rise until dark.

  Kristin mentally pushed aside the panicked shouts of her common sense urging her to pack her bags and get her tail out of town. She’d waited her whole career for a story like this. It had everything—sex, nonhuman entities, and a compelling setting.

  She crawled out of bed, pulled on her robe, and walked to the door. Yes, nonhuman entities. Somewhere during the sleepless early hours of the morning—it’d been seven the last time she’d looked at her clock—she’d accepted the reality of what she’d experienced. Except for Taurin. Now she had to deal with it.

  Kristin put her ear to the door. “Who’s there?” At least she knew it wasn’t Asima. Asima didn’t knock.

  “Banan.” Sexy male voice.

  “Are you a vampire?”

  Long pause. “No.”

  “How about a cat?”

  “No.” Sounded insulted.

  “Do you have all your clothes on?”

  A longer pause. “If that’s what you want.”

  With a huff of impatience, Kristin pulled open her door.

  After meeting Taurin and Eric, she wasn’t surprised to see another great-looking guy, but Banan was something more. He was scary. That, of course, lowered his rating on her personal hot-hunk scale.

  “I don’t see a pot of fresh-brewed coffee in your hand, so I assume you have the wrong room.”

  As tall as Taurin and Eric, he wore his khaki shorts and sleeveless T-shirt well. They showcased his broad shoulders and strong arms and legs. He was all lean, sculpted muscle.

  “Oh, I have the right room, Kristin.” He smiled.

  Uh-oh. Unease danced along her nerves. What was it about this guy? For a start, he had long pale hair that almost reached his butt. It should’ve looked lank and limp. It should’ve made him look sort of feminine. It should’ve made him look washed-out. It did none of the above. It just made him look scary. And sexy. Couldn’t forget sexy. His hair seemed to hold all the colors of the universe in each strand, and she had the feeling she would see them all if only she could catch him in the right light.

  He had the prerequisite sensual mouth that all hot guys needed in order to qualify, but his eyes . . . They were so dark she couldn’t see his pupils. And maybe her imagination was still overstimulated from last night, but Kristin could swear she was looking into the eyes of a predator.

  She rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead in the hope that the gesture would clear her thoughts. Banan was jus
t a guy with an unusual hair and eye combination. Spectacular, but nothing to send her into full retreat. Last night was messing with her mind.

  “And you’re here why?” Kristin met his gaze.

  He shrugged. “For whatever you want. We could take in a few of the fantasies in the park or go down to the beach. Get some sun. Play in the surf.” His lips lifted in another smile, exposing white teeth that somehow looked menacing.

  Oh, let it go, Hughes. He had great-looking teeth, normal-looking teeth. Taurin was the one with the chilling dental work.

  “Playing in the surf sounds great, but ask me again tomorrow. I overslept today. Gotta get moving on my story. I’ll stay in the castle for a few hours and interview people, try to get a feel for the place.” A lie. She wanted to be around when Taurin showed up. Before sunset. She hoped. “By the way, who sent you?”

  Banan studied her with those dark eyes. “Holgarth. Taurin’s showing you around at night, but he’s . . . busy during the day. I’m not.” He shrugged. “So here I am.”

  “Taurin’s showing me around? Who made that official?” There was something not quite right about this whole deal, beyond the talking cats and vampire thing.

  “Holgarth. He said if you’re doing a story about the park, you need someone to show you around.” He shrugged. “If you change your mind, I’ll be hanging down at the beach until dark.” He nodded in the direction of Seawall Boulevard, which separated the Castle of Dark Dreams from the Gulf.

  Kristin watched him walk away. Strange man. If she was serious about searching for sex, she should try to hook up with him and see where he led her.

  Not interested. The only one in the castle she wanted to hook up with was Taurin. A surprising revelation considering everything that had happened last night. He’d have a lot of explaining to do when she saw him, but she was open to being convinced that last night wasn’t what it had seemed.