Fangs for the Memories
Page 17
“Oh.” Eyes wide, Nathan preceded Tom inside, then through the kitchen to the main dining area. “Um, hello.”
Tom’s eyes went wide too, when he stepped into the dining room. Dev, the imp, hovered over the long table wearing nothing but a frilly apron, coffeepot in his hand. “Wow. Hey, y’all.”
“Hey. Tanner found me a job. Coffee?”
“Please?” Tom knew he was staring. Knew it, but he couldn’t stop.
“Sure.”
“You want milk, Nathan?” Ed asked.
“Oh, yes.” Nathan beamed. Nathan followed Ed easily, leaving him with a lovely dark-haired lady and a sharp-nosed redhead.
They all pulled up more chairs, grinning at each other.
“Hello. I’m Rene. Thank you for your assistance earlier. You were a welcome sight.”
“Thanks for getting us out of there,” Dev added. “That bastard needed to die.”
Tom nodded, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “I made sure.”
“You did.”
Niani stared at him, nodded once.
“She doesn’t speak,” Dev muttered. “I sound like shit, but I can talk.”
“Do any of you need help getting somewhere? Or… I mean. I don’t want to upset anyone by blurting out the wrong thing….” Tom gave them all a sheepish look.
“Eh, the asshole summoned me from a demon realm. I’ll just stay here.” Dev winked.
“Tanner is letting us stay for a few days, to make some plans,” Rene answered. “I have to see if my business is still viable, see what my family has done.”
“Oh? What kind of business?” He leaned his elbows on the table, smiling when Nathan came back with Ed bouncing along.
“Magical junk. You know—mood rings, cursed toys, dancing shoes, a chair that vibrates, Zolton the Fortune-Teller.”
“How neat!” That sounded like so much fun. “Your family….”
“They think I’m dead, I’m certain.”
“What about you, Niani?” He wasn’t sure if she could write or sign or what.
She opened her fingers, the look sad, lost.
“She can come with me, if she wants. She’d be safe with me.” Rene smiled at her. “She can vet my boyfriends, hmm?”
Niani laughed, a soundless shaking of shoulders. God, he hated that an ogre could ruin so many lives.
“All of you are welcome to stay with us somehow,” Tanner said. He carried a huge tray of food. Ed left them, only to come back in with more. Eggs, sausage, bacon, what looked like maybe grits or steel-cut oats, fruit, potatoes. Bread, no doubt made by Carter. It was a feast.
Nathan brought the juice and the milk, a happy little sound on the air.
The imp looked at Nathan. “That’s a good, strong mate you have, wolf.”
“Yes,” Nathan agreed, easily.
Tom smiled, proud and pleased. They all dug into breakfast, even Dev settling on a booster seat to munch bacon and bread. This place was… wild and woolly and busy these days.
Good thing there weren’t many guests.
Heavy footsteps sounded, like concrete blocks being dropped on the floor. All of the former captives tensed, and all of them stared, wide-eyed, at the being who clomped into the dining room.
“Morning, Yardley!” Tanner said brightly. “Breakfast is on.”
“Smells good,” the gargoyle rumbled. “Where’s my girl?”
Glenda bustled out with more sausage, and damn if all her snakes didn’t start dancing and cooing.
Okay, that was horrifying and adorable, all at once.
Yardley kissed her square on the mouth, then laughed when her hair darted pecks at his face. “Coffee?”
“That’s me!” Dev popped up like a jack-in-the-box, a cup and carafe appearing in his hand.
Yardley blinked, leaning close to Dev. “Sorry. My eyesight sucks in artificial light. Are you an imp?”
“I am. You’re a gargoyle.”
“Yep. I guard a building in Denver.”
“I make coffee.” Dev held out the cup.
“Thank you. I really like coffee.”
Tom hid his smile behind his own coffee cup. They were a diverse family. “Tanner?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have a real estate agent? I need a den. Here. Close where we can visit, run, and hunt.”
“I might be able to help you there.” Tanner beamed. “I would love for you guys to stay close. Stay and chat after we eat.”
Nathan bumped shoulders with Tanner. “Thank you. I would miss you and Ed.”
“I know! Carter wants to be your friend too. Just at night.” Tanner roared with laughter.
“Carter is a blast to hunt with, mate. So fast. So different from us.” Tom bounced a little. “He can leap!”
Nathan chortled. “And Ed can fly.”
“And I can push down trees.”
Nathan stared at Tanner. “I bet that’s gorgeous.”
“It is.” Tanner flexed. “Dev, do you mind?” Tanner held up his cup.
“Not at all. I live for this.” Dev fluttered up and topped Tanner off.
They all grinned, even the very serious Niani. Ed would have her soaring and laughing in no time.
Nathan popped a bite of sausage into Tom’s mouth, the quiet song sure and steady inside him. They had a lot to learn about one another, and maybe even more to discover together, but Tom thought they had time.
In fact, he thought they had a lifetime.
TANNER snuck out on the big wraparound porch, just trying to catch his breath. It seemed as though everything was just a bit crazy. Maybe more than seemed.
There was a lot going on at the Dead and Breakfast these days. He really needed to schedule some time with Fallon so they could chat about it too.
Tom and Nathan were looking at land that bordered on his—which he loved. The idea of a friend at his right hand was perfect.
The others…. Rene had taken Niani with him and gone to… oh, where was his shop? Some weird name. Tanner thought he might have to go visit. Rene was supposed to email pictures. Looked like Dev was going to stay on and be the coffee guy. Now, if Tanner could just get him to wear pants….
And then there was Preston.
Tanner wasn’t exactly sure why Preston was still here.
As if conjured, Preston popped out the front door, looking around a little wildly. When he saw Tanner, he shook his head. “Man, Dev is relentless.”
“He’s a wee bit overcaffeinated,” Tanner acknowledged.
“Just a bit. It’s like he’s making up for all the time he didn’t have coffee and sugar.” Preston sighed. “Am I bothering you?”
“Not even a bit. Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Preston sat on the big swing, then rolled his head on his neck. “That was a bad one, that ogre.”
He growled deep in his chest. Bad was a bit of an understatement.
“I had to salt the earth, Tanner. There were so many….” Preston shuddered. “Look, I was wondering. Could I rent the back cabin for a few weeks? I think I need a cleanse.”
“You can have it as long as you want. You are always welcome here.” He meant it too. Somehow, weirdly, they were this odd little family.
“Thanks. Tom and Nathan are so tickled. It makes me glad.” Preston looked a little sad, though. Kinda like Tanner felt sometimes.
“Yes. Me too. I wish… you know….”
He wished it was him.
“Yeah.” Preston shared a grin with him, one of pure commiseration. “Between them and the vampkitty combo, it’s all about the love.”
“And Glenda and Yardley. I swear, I’m betting Dev finds love before this bear.” He didn’t want to feel sorry for himself, but he did. He wanted that—that connection, that need, that hunger.
“It will take…. You’d need a full-bore demon. I don’t know if you could house that.” Seriously, did Preston have to look so damn amused?
“Probably not.” Tanner just leaned back, crossing his hands over his belly, l
etting his eyelids go heavy, as was his wont. “It’s a good place, isn’t it?”
“It is. It’s the best place, Tanner. A healing place.” He liked that idea. A healing place for them. R and R at the B and B.
“Thank you. Stay as long as you want, Preston. I have the space.” Tanner was thinking maybe two more cabins, though. People kept staying….
Maybe an aviary with room enough for a few birds and their perches. Something easily cleaned up.
Maybe a nice big greenhouse so they could have fresh greens and tomatoes in the summer. Oh, berries. He could murder some berries.
He definitely needed to speak to Fallon face-to-face. The finance man would have a screaming fit.
Tanner couldn’t wait.
JULIA TALBOT lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full-time author, Julia is currently published by Dreamspinner and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com.
By Julia Talbot
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
#21 – Night of the Living Manny
DEAD AND BREAKFAST
#9 – Fangs and Catnip
#33 – Fangs for the Memories
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#23 – Catching Heir
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Now Available
Fangs and Catnip
By Julia Talbot
A Dead and Breakfast Novel
A romance worth fighting for—tooth and claw.
Solitary vampire Fallon Underwood gets all the social interaction he needs being the silent partner at the Dead and Breakfast B and B high in the Colorado mountains. Change is hard for Fallon, so when his business partner, Tanner, suggests hiring a new manager for the inn, he’s adamant that they don’t need help, especially not in the form of bouncy werecat Carter Hughes.
Carter is a happy-go-lucky kitty, and he loves the hospitality industry, so the D and B ought to be a great place for him. He falls for Fallon as soon as he picks up one of Fallon’s novels, and begins to woo the vamp with gifts. When Fallon finally succumbs to Carter’s feline charms, the results are unexpected, to say the least. Their mating will have irreversible consequences—for their bodies and their hearts.
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Coming in December 2018
Dreamspun Beyond #33
Lover Behind Enemy Lines by Liv Olteano
A Dreamcatchers Tale
True mates, together at last.
Claw—fearless leader of Seattle’s Team 32—has faced many dangers during more than a century and a half as a dreamcatcher. Yet nothing has ever scared him more than his obsession with Nathan Gallagher. Tormented by visions and dreams about the man ever since he first laid eyes on him, Claw now has to deal with living under the same roof with the object of his most ardent desires. And Nathan is so much more than a simple crush.
Brother of the caster who’s been plaguing Team 32’s area, and less-than-willing houseguest of the team after a strange break-in attempt, Nathan may hold the key to finally apprehending his sister and putting a stop to the havoc she’s wreaking on Queen Anne…. Meanwhile, Nathan’s wreaking some havoc of his own on Claw’s heart.
Dreamspun Beyond #34
Tit for Tat by JS Harker
Cold has never been so hot.
College sophomore Derek is busy working over his holiday break—but his shifts at the toy store are no hardship if they mean more opportunity to dream about the sexy new guy working as an elf in Santa’s Workshop. When his mother gifts him a bag of cookies, Derek regifts them to Flynn as an excuse to get to know him. Flynn has presents to offer as well, and soon they’re dating, with Derek finding out his comfort zone is bigger than he imagined.
But Flynn is hiding a secret—he’s really a winter fairy whose magic is bound to the season. He can’t stay in the mortal realm, and Derek doesn’t want to lose contact with his family. Can they find a way to hold on to each other when the snow and sugar plums melt away?
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Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Fangs for the Memories
© 2018 Julia Talbot.
Cover Art
© 2018 Aaron Anderson.
aaronbydesign55@gmail.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-835-5
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-008-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018940783
Digital published November 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America