by Nina Bangs
Donna filled the silence between the two men. “Don’t put yourself down, Taurin. You kept the faith with your brother by trying to bring the person you believed killed him to justice. Now you’ve got to let it go and live for yourself.”
“How?” Taurin stared at the ceiling, and Eric could see him battling to contain the emotion that would shame him. Too bad vampires couldn’t cry. Taurin needed the release. “I don’t know how to live for myself.” Left unsaid was that maybe he didn’t want to live for himself.
Taurin needed time for his sorrow to turn to anger at his brother. It would happen. It was already happening for Eric. Focusing, Eric removed the shield from around the bed. “You can start by working at the castle until you’ve paid me back in hard labor for the aggravation you’ve caused me.”
What the hell was he saying? Taurin had tried to kill him. Brynn and Conall would tear a strip off him for this. But damn it, he couldn’t handle the silent scream of Taurin’s anguish. And beyond all other reasons was the friendship he’d once shared with Dacian. He’d do one last thing for that friendship and then call it even. He’d give Dacian’s brother a chance at life.
“Do I still have to keep a shield across the door, Taurin?” Eric hadn’t glanced at Donna yet to see how she was taking everything, but she’d been strangely quiet.
Taurin shook his head. “You’d really let me work here?” He seemed astounded that Eric would offer him a job.
As well he should. In fact, Eric was pretty astounded himself. It must be Donna’s civilizing influence. His Viking and Highlander ancestors would be twirling in their graves if they were dead. They weren’t, and if he was smart he’d never let them find out about this. “I’m not doing you as much of a favor as you think. Holgarth will be your boss. That qualifies as revenge.” He stood and started to turn toward Donna but then paused. “You’re strong enough to hunt now. One rule. Never near the castle.”
Taurin nodded. “Sure.”
Eric glanced at Donna. She looked like she wanted to say something. He shook his head as he guided her toward the door. They needed to leave Taurin alone to grieve for his brother, because in a way Dacian had died again in Taurin’s heart today.
Once out in the hallway Eric turned to Donna. “I’d better go tell . . .” His words stalled as he saw the expression in her eyes. He wasn’t quite sure what emotion shone in her gaze, but whatever it was, he knew it was good for him.
Without warning, she grabbed a handful of his hair and dragged his head down to hers. “You are a big, beautiful, wonderful man. I’m so proud of you for offering Taurin a job.”
Eric barely had time to register her words before she covered his mouth with hers and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. He opened his mouth beneath her lips and invited her in. She teased and tormented with her tongue, stroking and retreating, but finally giving in to her growing excitement by tangling her tongue with his.
Eric’s desire surged along with the hunger he was finding it harder and harder to control, the one Donna couldn’t accept yet. He fought the change even as he moved away from her.
“This thing between us . . .” That sounded weak. “This need I feel for you is pushing me to the edge. I’ve always been able to control the change even with a woman I wanted.” He shook his head and smiled. “But you? You’re something else, talk-show lady.”
He saw his own arousal mirrored in her gaze, but then she glanced away. “I’ll know when it’s time. You will, too.” She looked back at him and returned his smile. “But know one thing, vampire. You’re my hero today.”
Her compliment made him feel better than he had any right feeling, especially since now he had to go down and tell the others that he’d offered Taurin a job. “I’d better break the news to the bloodthirsty mob below. I guarantee there won’t be cheers of joy all around.”
“I’ll go with you.” She clasped his hand and pulled him onto the elevator. “We can track them to their den and lay the happy news on them. You can bully them with all your immortal-power stuff, and I’ll talk them to death. We’ll make a deadly duo.”
He laughed. “They won’t have a chance.” Funny how she could make a confrontation he was dreading into something almost fun because they’d be doing it together. Every cautious gene passed down from his Viking and Highlander ancestors was vibrating a warning. He was enjoying her way too much.
Once they stepped from the elevator, they didn’t have far to search for the others. They were standing in the hotel lobby outside the castle jewelry store.
Holgarth, dressed as usual in his blue robe and conical hat, looked suspicious. But then Eric suspected Holgarth came from his mother’s womb suspicious. When the midwife slapped his bottom, he probably turned her into a toad before fixing his skeptical gaze on Mommy.
“I assume you’ve resolved your problems with Taurin.” He cast Donna an assessing glance. “Although Donna looks much too cheerful for any blood to have been spilt. I hope you’re aware that every day Taurin stays in that room the owner is losing money.”
Brynn glowered. “Tell me you took care of him, Eric.”
“I took care of him, but not the way you hoped. We got things straightened out.” May as well get it over with so everyone could be mad all at once. “I offered him a job in the castle.”
“Like hell, you did.” Conall’s cheerful reception of the news.
“Umm, Conall?” Donna’s smile was sweet and really scary. “You’re a great warrior.” She widened her eyes to demonstrate how much she admired that in a man. “You defeated and killed your greatest enemy in battle. How did that make you feel?”
“Like a man.” Conall wasn’t dumb, and Eric could tell he sensed a trap.
“Personally, I haven’t experienced the feeling. Of being a man, I mean. But I bet it doesn’t get much better.” Donna’s smile widened right before she struck with the speed and deadliness of a cobra. “If you could go back to that moment when you struck your enemy down, would you do it again?”
Eric could see the memory of Morrigan’s curse and all that came after flood Conall’s eyes.
“Ummhmmph.”
“I’ll take that as a no.” Donna’s smile never wavered.
“My, my.” Holgarth dipped his head to Donna. “I’ve always found that women have a certain facility with language and logic that most men lack. It makes up for so many other shortcomings.”
“Sexist pig.” She smiled while she said it.
Brynn entered the fray. “Let’s get back to Taurin. He tried to kill you, Eric. How can you look past that?” He hadn’t learned much from Conall.
Donna glanced at Eric. “Can I take that question?”
“Go for it.” Eric had his fair share of male pride, but he wasn’t stupid. Why argue with Brynn when he had a talk expert to do it for him?
“Brynn, remember the night you offered your body to me?” Donna’s voice softened as Brynn looked away from her.
“Sure. But what’s that have to do with Taurin?” Brynn looked uncomfortable with the topic, but he wasn’t going to back down.
“What if I’d kneed you in the groin without giving you a chance to tell your story? How would you have felt?”
His brief smile eased a little of the tension. “Since you’ve never personally experienced being a man, words couldn’t describe the pain.” He held up his hand to indicate he wasn’t finished. “I know that’s not what you were asking. It doesn’t matter how I would’ve felt, because the two situations aren’t the same. I didn’t try to kill you.”
“I didn’t know what you were going to do. You offered sex, you took off your shirt, you came toward me and scared the hell out of me. It would’ve been scream first, groin second. In that order. But I saw what was in your eyes, so I didn’t do either. I saw that same look in Taurin’s eyes, Brynn.”
Without conscious thought, Eric felt a possessive growl forming. Yeah, like he possessed any part of Donna. He sat on the growl.
Brynn looked disgusted. �
��Point made. He can fill in wherever we need an extra body. But the first time he shows me any fang . . .”
“Off with his head.” Donna sighed and turned to Eric. “Guess that was the best we could hope for.”
Holgarth chuckled. Really chuckled. Eric could count on one hand the number of times he’d witnessed that phenomenon.
“You are a delightfully renewable source of entertainment, Donna.” Holgarth rocked back and forth on his heels to emphasize how entertained he was. “Physically weak and ineffectual, you defeated two immortals by talking them into a corner. And because I feel a need to somehow celebrate your victory, I’ve decided to mentor Taurin. I’ll teach him everything I know.” He paused in his rocking. “That would truly be impossible, though, because I know so very much. But I’ll do the best I can with him.”
Eric gauged Donna’s exact degree of outrage and stepped in to save Holgarth. “Taurin couldn’t learn from a better teacher.”
“He’d be better off dead.” Brynn’s muttered contribution to the discussion.
“Poor Taurin.” Donna sounded sincere.
“What’s that old saying about whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? Taurin can see if it’s true.” Conall’s input.
Holgarth merely sneered at their pitiful attempts to insult him. “Now I really must have a go at irritating the men setting up the great hall for the Vampire Ball. So many to annoy, so little time.” He turned away.
As the others wandered away, Donna looked up at Eric. “Did you hear him? Physically weak and ineffectual? Maybe I should practice breaking bricks on his scrawny chest with my bare hands. Why hasn’t someone murdered Holgarth?”
“I’m sure they’ve tried. Many times.” He guided her into the jewelry store for a cooling off period. “To celebrate your triumph, I’m going to buy you something special.”
“You don’t have to do that. The rush I got is enough.”
Eric grinned. No matter what she said, he recognized the avaricious little gleam in her eyes. Eight hundred years of experience with women had taught him that the sight and smell of jewelry triggered something primal in women from every age.
“I wouldn’t mind having that jeweled dagger, though. Just flashy enough to please Sparkle, and classic enough to satisfy Asima. Oh, did I tell you that I want it so that I can slash Holgarth’s pointy hat into shreds? It would be bonus points if his head was still in it.”
Some were more primal than others. “Forget the dagger. Come over here.” She followed him over to a showcase filled with smaller pieces. None of them had prices, because customers who bought these pieces didn’t worry about the cost. He pointed at a necklace. “I want you to have that dragon.” The first time he’d seen the dragon it had reminded him of his figurehead. He wanted to give her something that would connect her to his past. And he was almost ready to admit to himself why that was important.
He motioned the shop’s owner over. “Gina, could we see the dragon?”
Donna accepted the small dragon, her eyes wide with awe. “Eric, it’s beautiful.”
Watching her face light with joy over the dragon, he wanted to tell her how beautiful she was in that moment. But he’d never been much for extravagant compliments. He spoke with his body. And his body had held its tongue for too long.
“It was created by an old Irish silversmith who lives in County Donegal. He never attaches his name to his work because he claims that the mythic creatures simply use his hands to free themselves from the silver. Legend says he can breathe the soul of the creatures he fashions into the metal. He used only a single diamond for the dragon’s eye because it’s a Viking dragon, born of snow and ice. No rubies or emeralds to warm it up.” The dragon had fascinated Eric from the moment he noticed it and Gina showed him the card telling its story. He’d wanted to buy it, but had kept putting it off. Now he knew he’d been waiting for Donna to come along. It belonged to her.
She sighed as she traced the intricate details with the tip of her fingernail. “As much as I love this, Eric, I can’t accept it. A piece of jewelry like this is a one-of-a-kind, and it probably costs as much as you earn in two months.” Donna didn’t try to hide her regret as she handed the dragon back to him.
He closed his fingers around the dragon and imagined its warmth after resting against the base of her throat. “You really need to get to know me better, talk-show lady. I’ve had eight hundred years to accumulate more wealth than I could spend in another eight hundred years. I live and work here because I enjoy it. I like being around Brynn, Conall, and”—he grimaced—“even Holgarth. And it isn’t often I get such a kick out of buying something. So don’t ruin my fun.”
She laughed. “Since you put it that way . . .”
Eric tried to hand it back to her, but she stopped him. “The Vampire Ball starts at nine. I want you to come to my room then and put it around my neck yourself.” She slid her fingers across his closed hand. “That okay with you?”
“Sure.” The emotion shining in her eyes left him a little uncertain. Not a feeling he’d experienced too often in his long life. “Want to get something to eat at the restaurant?”
“Sorry, I can’t.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m only going to have time to get a sandwich and take it back to my room. I have a date with a dress to be delivered by my Fairy Godhags.”
He watched her walk away. Fairy Godhags? Maybe there would come a time when the Castle of Dark Dreams was too weird even for him.
18
Donna did the tough stuff first. She called the powers that be in New York to tell them she was using a week of her vacation time. After assuring them she’d have warm bodies to take her place each night, she called said warm bodies to make sure they were available.
That finished, she thought about calling her family. She didn’t. Fine, so she was a cowardly worm. They’d expect her to comment on their lives—she always did—but what advice could she offer when her own life was so . . . unique right now?
So she ate her sandwich, took a shower, caught up on her e-mail, and then watched TV for a while. Major concern. Would she have a dress to wear to the ball? Had Sparkle and Asima destroyed each other as they fought over material, hemlines, and necklines? She examined her nails for impending breakage. Sheesh, Sparkle was rubbing off on her.
When the knock finally came—they knocked, they actually knocked—she rushed to open the door. “It’s about time. I . . .”
Her words stuck in her throat, so she swallowed them before she choked. Sparkle and Asima didn’t even say hi as they rolled one of the hotel baggage carts into her room. Sparkle wore her barely there black dress and Asima had on her diamond collar. Their dress collaboration hung from the cart’s crossbar. It was covered in plastic so she couldn’t get a look. A variety of boxes filled the rest of the cart.
“Turn the TV off. We don’t want any distractions.” Sparkle started unloading the boxes onto the floor, bed, and bureau.
“Get your makeup mirror and sit here at the desk. We’ll work on your face first.” Asima leaped onto the desk.
Donna turned off the TV. “Don’t I get a peek at—”
“No. And I speak for both of us.” Sparkle carried a case over to the desk and opened it. The case was filled with makeup. “This will transform you into young, ethereal, and gorgeous.” She seemed to realize how that sounded. “Not that you aren’t already all of those things, but we’ll just build on that fantastic beginning.”
Donna had to admit, Sparkle lied with panache. “You guys sure are serious about this stuff. Jeez, you’re not even smiling.”
“We had to work together on your dress. Why would we be smiling?” Asima studied Donna before turning to Sparkle. “She needs a light base to give her a delicate glow.”
“No. She’s a strong woman. She needs a darker tone to give her an earthy sensual look.” Sparkle rooted through the cosmetics.
“Eye shadow that’ll make her eyes look all smoky and mysterious.” Asima peered into the case.
“Brown mascara.” Asima was looking a little pissed.
“Black mascara to make her eyes pop.” Sparkle had a militant gleam in her eyes.
“Pale shiny lipstick. Her mouth should have a full wet look.”
“A vivid red lip color that makes a powerful sensual statement.”
Asima hissed at Sparkle. “We need classic beauty that’ll make Eric want to protect and cherish her.”
Sparkle gave an exaggerated sigh. “We want a hot sexy babe who’ll make him want to drag her off to his bed.”
“You want her to look slutty like you.”
“Damn straight. You want to turn her into a prissy tightass.”
As Sparkle and Asima’s “discussion” disintegrated into virtual bitch-slapping, Donna calmly chose the makeup she wanted and put it on. “Okay, makeup’s done. What’s next?”
Blessed silence fell for the few moments it took for the combatants to stare at her.
“It’ll do.” Asima glanced away.
“Yeah.” Sparkle transferred her attention to Donna’s hair. “All tousled and sexy.”
“Sleek and elegant.”
Donna thought about her choices. “Sorry, Asima. I feel like tousled and sexy is me tonight.”
Asima sulked. Sparkle looked triumphant while she helped Donna achieve the perfect tousled-and-sexy look.
For the next fifteen minutes Sparkle and Asima fought over nail color, panty color, and whether to wear or not wear a toe ring. Donna turned the TV on again.
“Shoes next.” Sparkle opened several shoe boxes and then stepped back for Donna to look. “I’d recommend these black sandals. Black is always sexy.” She picked up the sandals for Donna to examine.
Asima came out of her funk long enough to disagree. “I think those metalic silver sandals with the ankle straps would fit your look for tonight.” She jumped from the desk so she could put a paw on her choice.
