“I hope you’re right.”
“Don’t worry,” Nick said, his deep, accented voice pouring over me, “you’re in good hands.”
Oh, damn…
Chapter 6
Safely ensconced in my room, I sat curled up in the plush armchair by the window. Nick had allowed me to open the curtains a few inches so I could see the night sky. Cassandra had left several guards lurking outside.
Nick established a route in the large bedroom, slowly pacing the perimeter. Two of his stops were at each end of the wall of windows where he could peek out the curtains. Occasionally, he would stop to peer out of the opening by me, giving me another close-up of his delicious body.
We didn’t speak. I thought I’d get bored after a while, but apparently, he was entertainment enough for me. After Benjamin had checked in for the umpteenth time, I’d had enough of the silence.
“So, where you from Nick?”
“South Carolina.” He answered quick and smooth as if I hadn’t spent the last four hours watching him. The lack of awkward tension surprised me, especially since I tended to be the epitome of awkward.
“What brought you all the way to Washington state?”
“I just wandered here. Spent a few years as a lone wolf, searching for a pack. Wasn’t ‘til I met Chima that I felt like I’d found home.”
“You’re in Chima’s pack? I thought you were part of Bull’s.”
“Naw,” he said. “Bull’s pack is too feral for my likin’. Chima keeps a firm, steady hand on our pack. Creates a sense of stability and loyalty.”
“That sounds nice. I hope to feel that way someday.” I sighed, dropping my head back and closing my eyes. Visions of my cozy little house and my best friend, Mandy, played across the backs of my eyelids.
“Your clan not treatin’ you right?” Nick’s rumbly voice sounded much closer than it did a moment ago. I opened my eyes to find him standing behind my chair, looking down at me. When our eyes connected, I felt a faint pull, not nearly as strong as what I shared with Kat, but there nonetheless.
“I’ve only been a vampire a few days now,” I said. “Benjamin has been great, and Danielle and Julius are nice too. I guess it’s just going to take some time to get used to being a part of this world. Besides, I really haven’t had much of a family in a long while. Just my friend, Mandy, and I miss her.”
“Benjamin seems… protective.” He blinked, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. “Are you…?”
I held my breath, waiting for him to finish the question. When he didn’t, I mentally slapped myself for being clueless.
“Uh, nothing’s going on between me and him, if that’s what you’re asking,” I said, now feeling that awkwardness.
“I see. Does he know that?”
“Far as I know, yeah.” I sat up and twisted around to face him, dizzy from staring at him upside-down.
He moved to sit on the ottoman, and my heart sped up. After what felt like an eternity, he asked, “When we get settled, would you be interested in explorin’ this connection between us?”
I gasped. “You felt that? I thought it was just me.”
“It happens with the wolves. The stronger the initial connection, the more likely they are to become mates.”
“Oh. Well, I feel it, but it’s not nearly as strong as my connection with Kat. Kind of like the distant bond I have with Edgar.”
He nodded slowly, looking pensive. “Could be that your new bond is masking what you feel with me because, for me, it’s pretty damn strong.”
“Really?” I let out a shocked breath. “You might be right, but it could be a century or more before my blood bond lessens enough for me to feel a metaphysical connection outside what I have with her.”
“I’m a patient man, Mercy. I may not be immortal like you, but my lifespan will far outlast your blood bond.”
“Okay then,” I said, not sure I really had a choice or even cared if I did, “let’s see how things go.”
“Great.” He dropped his head back, then straightened and shook himself. His body seemed lighter as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“You been thinking about this the whole time we’ve been stuck in here?” I gawked at him.
“I’ve been mulling this over ever since we met in the limousine.” He leaned forward and grabbed my hand. The gentle strength of his grip warmed my heart, and I smiled as I looked down at our hands. This can’t be real. This kind of fairy tale stuff just doesn’t happen to me.
“How could you have known then? I didn’t feel anything, or at least, I don’t think I did. There was a lot going on…”
“When you looked at me after I shifted,” he said with intense sincerity, “I felt something click inside me. Like a puzzle piece that I’d been searching for finally fit. I’m sorry you don’t feel it like I do.”
“It’s okay,” I said, my chest welling up with emotions I hadn’t felt since I fell in love with my ex-husband. “I just hope I can return the feelings, and this isn’t all a big waste of time for you.”
He lifted my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss across my knuckles. “Mercy, darlin’, even if the connection fades, it still would’ve been worth it.”
Chapter 7
In less than a week, I’ve been turned into a vampire, yanked from my home, chased by hunters, met a queen, been forced into a new family, fought with hunters, met witches, gained new magical abilities, and possibly found a soul mate. Beat that.
Nick had tucked me into bed and stationed himself between the door and the windows. Benjamin resumed his place in the armchair, boots planted on the ottoman. With two protectors, I wondered about the turn my life had taken.
When Benjamin had come in to find us still holding hands and staring at each other, his face split into the biggest grin I’d seen on him yet. Nick had jumped up to resume his post and received a manly slap on the back. I just shook my head and laughed.
Now, with daylight on the horizon, I began to feel better about my situation, more accepting of it. With Benjamin and Nick watching over me, I almost felt safe. Almost. We still had a witch bitch to deal with.
That day, my dreams didn’t include a bear. Instead, a black wolf lay with me in the middle of a forest, snuggled up against my side. I didn’t feel alone anymore, or so frightened of the world as I’d felt for so many years after my divorce and my parent’s deaths. A part of me desperately wished for this connection with Nick to be real, and somewhere in the haze of my dream forest, someone else wished the same thing for me.
As soon as my eyes opened the next night, I searched for him but found a female guard instead.
“He had to get some sleep, so he can be at full strength for our move.” Benjamin was scrunched down in the armchair, his lower half draped over the ottoman.
I rubbed my eyes and yawned as I stretched my arms over my head. “How long before we leave?”
“Two hours, Miss.” The female guard watched me with eyes so dark, I couldn’t tell their color in the dim room. She stood tall and alert, like a slightly smaller version of Isabel. Her dark hair spiked out in short, unruly locks. Shapely curves held up a belt full of gear, and the straps of a shoulder holster ran over a snug tank-top.
“What’s your name?” I asked, admiring the way her skinny jeans hugged her long, thin legs. I might need to consider polyamory as part of my new lifestyle.
“Elena,” she said quickly in a Latin accent as she stepped up to the bed, her knees touching the edge. My breath caught in my throat, and I heard a quiet snort from Benjamin’s direction. “I’ve been assigned to your personal detail with Nick.”
“Really?” I dragged the word out, puckering my lips to prevent a goofy grin from forming. “How did I get so lucky? Uh, to get a personal detail, I mean.”
Light chuckles filled the room and I glanced over to see Benjamin with his head down, his bangs conveniently creating a curtain across his face.
Attempting to deflect, I asked him, “Did you get a
personal guard detail?”
“I’ve been at this a lot longer than you, Mercy.” He tilted his head up just enough for his hair to reveal one shining silver eye, his voice still full of mirth. “I’ll either be with you or with Edgar. He’ll have plenty of guards, plus our ever-watchful Kat. Although, she’s going to be doing double duty since your bond will keep her close to you. I imagine she’ll be mighty pissy for a while.”
I snorted derisively, then peered back up at my new guard. “Be prepared to guard me more from my own sire than any possible hunter attacks.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Miss.”
“Call me Mercy, please. I’m divorced and long past being a Miss.”
“As you wish.”
I ducked my head and grinned. Oh, this is going to be fun.
Elena backed away from the bed, allowing Benjamin to take her place. He held out his hand, but I waved him away, remembering my near-collision with the wall the night before.
“When are we going to get new clothes?” I slid out from under the satiny duvet and tried to smooth out some of the deep wrinkles from the bottom of my blouse that stuck out from my corset. How the hell have I managed to sleep in this thing? “Help me, please.”
I turned my back to Benjamin, and he deftly untied and loosened the laces. Laying the corset on the bed, I tucked my blouse back into my pants. After a quick internal debate, I left the corset off, tired of wrangling with it.
“We’ll see if Cassandra will stop someplace where we can get some fresh attire.” Benjamin held out an elbow for me to take, and Elena led us down to the dining room.
Like before, Heather sat at the head of the table. Kat, Edgar, Danielle, and Julius sat on one side, while Cassandra and her entourage sat on the other. Benjamin and I took our places on the Clan Martis side. The way Julius eyed Cassandra and her people, and the way they eyed him back, it felt like we were facing off for battle, not to break bread with each other.
“Good evening, Benjamin. Mercy.” Heather’s tone was quite stiff. The butlers brought in our meals from the kitchen instead of the buffet table. I wondered if they kept the donors hidden away for a reason.
“We were just discussing the travel arrangements,” Kat said, breaking the tension. Her light touch inside my head dampened my hunger, allowing me to casually enjoy my crystal glass of blood. “You and I will go in one car, Edgar and Benjamin will ride with Cassandra, and Julius and Danielle will be in the last. Our guards will be spread out between the three cars, mixed with Cassandra’s people.”
“I am the only one here powerful enough to shield without boundary wards.” She looked at me, but her words were clearly meant as a dig at Heather. “We must make a stop on the way to pick up two more of my coven, so they can shield the other two vehicles.”
“What are the chances of swinging by some place for new clothes?” I gritted my teeth at a spike of irritation from Kat.
“Oh, dear,” Cassandra said, gasping delicately. “You poor thing. Have you been wearing the same ensemble this whole time?”
I cocked an eyebrow at her pretentious demeanor. “It’s been a few days, but it’s not like I stink or anything. Just a little wrinkled.”
Benjamin guffawed while others chuckled or giggled. Kat and Heather remained stoic, which put me on edge.
“I wouldn’t mind a toothbrush and some paste for this blood breath…”
I swear Benjamin almost fell out of his chair. Julius bumped me with his elbow, grinning while Danielle laughed behind her hand. I felt waves of disapproval and looked down the table to see Kat and Edgar with their heads together, Heather watching them and nodding at whatever she heard.
Cassandra gave me a wicked grin, leaning over to whisper in the ear of a stocky, older man who sat beside her. I didn’t remember him from the previous day, but he appeared protective of her.
“George says he will arrange a shopping trip for us,” she said. “It will have to be quick. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course.”
Chapter 8
The seating arrangements in our car were awkward. I gulped in air as old anxieties reared their ugly heads when Cassandra’s guards forced Kat and me to scoot forward with our backs to the dividing glass. Elena sat beside me on the side seat with her body turned to face the other guards as much as possible.
When Nick pushed his way in, nearly yanking out a guard as he tried to close the door, I felt the tension flow out of my body. I leaned heavily against Kat. She smirked at me, half annoyed and half amused, so I mouthed a ‘sorry’ to her.
Elena switched sides, sitting beside Kat, and Nick took her place next to me. He angled his body close to mine, but in a way that created a barrier. Cassandra’s guards scowled at him, then turned to look out the windows as the cars began to move.
“I hear we’re going shopping,” Nick whispered. “Did you talk them into getting manicures as well?” He winked at me, half grinning.
“If I were still human, you probably wouldn’t come near me with a ten-foot pole. Being a vampire has some hygiene perks. You smell pretty good, not at all like a wet dog.” I raised my eyebrows in mock challenge.
“Well, I did use a towel to dry off after my shower,” he said. “We wolves don’t shake and air-dry like common mutts.”
My heart skipped a beat, worried I might have offended him, but his growing smile set me at ease.
We spent the next two hours in silence. Friday night traffic made our travel through the city slow and agonizing. I was ever so thankful to not be the driver, but my heart ached as we drove farther and farther from my home.
Finally, we arrived at a strip mall in a little town north of Seattle. The area around the shops appeared run-down, forgotten and distant from the bustling city to the south. Nick and Elena hovered close behind as Kat and I moved to join our clan.
“You have about an hour here, darlings,” Cassandra sang, leaning on George’s arm. “We’re going just down the road to retrieve the others. You’ll be safe here with my guards.”
I stifled a scoff and bit my tongue.
“Be careful, my dear,” Edgar said, giving her a shallow bow. “We will be quick.”
She nodded and climbed back into a car with George. Two of the cars drove off, leaving one behind with us, guarded by a bored, young guy. The rest of her people fanned out with two of them following a short distance behind us.
Chima and Nick went with Edgar, Julius, and Benjamin while Isabel and Elena stayed with me, Kat, and Danielle. If any of us had to try on clothes we would go into the dressing rooms two at a time, keeping one of our guards with us inside with each of us. Whoever was left out in the shop would have Cassandra’s guards nearby.
The five of us grabbed duffel bags, Kat and I holding the ones for Isabel and Elena.
“Why didn’t you pack before you came to Heather’s?” I asked Elena.
“I was already out on a job when I got the call. No time to go home and pack.” She snagged clothes at random, or at least it appeared random to me, and stuffed them into the bag hanging on my shoulder. I picked through items, still uncomfortable choosing stuff for my new, thin body.
“Here.” Kat shoved an armload of clothes at me, and I almost dropped everything. “These will fit you.”
“Shouldn’t I try them on?” I gaped at her, trying to decide if this was an argument I wanted to have. I might have been nervous about shopping, but I really wanted to have that experience of hanging out with ‘the girls’ and shopping until we dropped. Knowing it wasn’t possible, I shoved my disappointment away as Kat just stared at me with a cocked eyebrow and pinched face.
With a sigh, I hauled my clothing pile through the shop, grabbing anything that caught my eye as I wound my way through the racks. Elena bit back a grin as she watched me juggle more and more stuff as I went.
“Who’s paying for all this?” I turned to Kat, wondering why her pile of clothing was so small—and manageable.
“Hi,” the young woman at the counter smi
led brightly at us. “Did you find everyth—”
Kat had moved up directly in front of the woman, staring into her eyes. “Bag this stuff up, then charge a hundred dollars to this card.” Kat handed her a credit card. “After we leave, you will forget what we look like and believe we paid for everything.”
“That’s more than a hundred dollars worth of stuff,” I muttered to Kat as the girl began folding and bagging our items.
“We have limited funds,” she hissed. “I do not want to beg for money from her people.”
“But that’s basically stealing…”
“Let it go.” Kat glared at me until I looked away. Just add thievery to the madness of my new life. What’s next?
We made two more stops for toiletries and camping gear since we didn’t know what kind of supplies Bull had at the mountain camp. Kat performed the same routine in both places. Elena explained that by charging to the credit card, it appeared as if we actually paid, should anyone decide to check the video feeds. People are more likely to believe the cashier gave them unauthorized discounts than the idea that they could have been magically coerced into giving the items away, and the cashiers wouldn’t be able to defend themselves because they wouldn’t remember the incident.
As we exited the last shop, we rejoined our group, heading to the cars. Benjamin sported a sleek, leather trench coat, looking ready to be cast in the next goth vampire movie. The smug grin on his face made me bite back a chuckle.
Cassandra’s gang had returned and now stood lined up along the vehicles, waiting. George hovered nearby, but two gaunt, strung-out looking men flanked the haughty witch. They both leaned against the black cars, their pale skin practically glowing in contrast. Dingy clothes hung from their hunched forms, and they stared at us with glassy eyes.
“Welcome back, Cassandra,” Kat said, watchful and edgy.
“Thank you, dearie,” she sang in her high-pitched voice. “This is Everest and Hershel. They’ll be assisting me with shielding your people and building the wards at the camp.”
Moving Day (Vamp Tales Book 3) Page 3
