by AE Jones
* * *
Talia stared at the closed door in disbelief. What had just happened?
Misha plopped down in his recliner and chuckled. The rumble grew into a full belly laugh.
She scowled at him. “What’s so damn funny?”
He wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Talia. I cannot help it. I’ve never seen Jean Luc run from anyone. He has faced down every type of supernatural crisis with unflappable grace. I often feel like an oaf beside him. But with you…” He chuckled some more. “Our fearless vampire has finally met his match.”
“What do I do?”
Misha stared hard at her for a moment, the levity leaving his face. “You want him, yes?”
“I…” Talia choked on her words. Could she trust Jean Luc?
“I see. You’re still not sure. When you come to the inevitable conclusion that you two are meant for each other, I will help you. We can work together to wear him down. He has spent many years on his own. He believes it’s safer to be alone. And he is stubborn, but Russians eat stubborn for breakfast.”
Talia smiled. “You eat everything for breakfast.”
“So I do. Now let’s strategize before he comes back home. Where are you staying?”
“Why do you want to know?” Talia asked, tensing.
“Because having you in close proximity might help in this case.”
Talia had been moving from one dive hotel to another, hoping to avoid whoever had searched her room. So far, her things hadn’t been touched again, but she wasn’t sleeping at all. Older vamps might be able to go for long periods without sleep, but she didn’t have that luxury yet. “What do you have in mind?”
Chapter 7
Forty minutes later, Talia watched the headlights in her rearview mirror as the sedan behind her crowded her bumper. She slowed down to let him pass. Why was everyone in such a damn hurry? She had agreed to Misha’s crazy scheme to move in and had gone to the hotel, collected her things, and checked out. Now, she was on her way back to the BSR’s office, but first she had to deal with the idiot driver behind her who was not taking the hint. She rolled down her window and motioned for the car to pass.
The driver finally pulled to the left and sped up. The car drove alongside her, but instead of passing, it stayed next to her. Talia glanced over but saw nothing through the vehicle’s tinted windows. Alarms sounded in the back of her brain and she slowed down. Finally, the car picked up speed and rushed past, zooming into the lane in front of her.
She unclenched her hands from the steering wheel and blew out a hard breath. The driver in front of her slammed on his brakes. Shit! Talia jerked the wheel to the left—into oncoming traffic. A semi barreled toward her, blaring its horn.
* * *
Two hours after his cowardly retreat, Jean Luc re-entered the house. Talia was gone, but her residual energy remained, and it bubbled under his skin, heating it. He ignored the sensation and searched for Misha, who was in the living room, pushed back in his recliner, eating pork rinds and watching a show with an orange car being chased by the police.
Misha glanced up from the TV and the right side of his mouth turned up slightly. “Did you get your errand done?”
“Yes. When did Talia leave?”
“About an hour ago, but she should be back here shortly.”
Jean Luc frowned. “Why?”
“I invited her to stay. She was going to sleep in her car tonight.”
“Why?”
Misha chuckled. “For a male who can speak seven languages, you’d think you could come up with another word. She gave up her hotel room because of the expense.”
“But Nicholas agreed to pay her.”
“Not as much as the bounty is worth, my friend.”
“She cannot take the killer in to collect any bounty.”
“I agree. So, since she is helping us, I thought the least we could do was offer her a roof over her head.”
Jean Luc gritted his teeth to keep his fangs from lengthening. “Where is she going to sleep?”
“The blue room at the top of the stairs.”
The one next to his bedroom. He glared at Misha, who ignored him, having turned back to his television show and pork rinds. The orange car jumped a ravine while the two police cars behind it crashed into each other. Misha chuckled again and reached for his soda. Jean Luc sighed and marched into the hallway. Why did he feel like he was careening off his carefully developed, safe course? He would control himself. He had to.
But when the door opened and Talia walked into the house, his careful control cracked. She dragged a duffle behind her. Her scent swamped him, but it was tinged with a sharpness he recognized as fear.
“Talia. What happened?”
“Nothing.” She dropped the bag and her hands shook. She jammed them into her pockets.
He stepped toward her. “What is wrong?”
She hesitated before speaking. “Someone tried to run me off the road.”
Blood surged through his veins, and he had to concentrate to prevent his eyes from turning red. “Are you okay?” The television silenced behind him and Jean Luc sensed Misha stepping into the hallway before he walked up next to him.
“I’m fine,” Talia answered.
“Did you get a look at him?” Jean Luc asked.
Before she could answer, Misha asked, “What about the car or license plate?”
She held up her hands as if to halt the interrogation. “I didn’t see him and the license was covered with mud. He was driving a Buick sedan.”
“Why would someone run you off the road?”
“I don’t know.”
Jean Luc reached for her. “Talia—”
She backed away from him. “Guys, I know you’re concerned, but I’m okay. Just tired. Where can I crash?”
Misha answered, “The first bedroom at the top of the stairs.”
She snatched her bag off the floor and maneuvered around Jean Luc. She took the stairs two at a time and had the door upstairs closed before Jean Luc could sort out his thoughts. She was not telling the truth. And he couldn’t protect her if she was hiding things from them, from him.
He glanced at Misha, who nodded. “Go get her, tiger. But remember, she might bite back.”
Jean Luc ran up the stairs and knocked on her door. After a few long moments of silence, Talia finally opened it.
He stepped in and got right to the point. “Why would someone run you off the road?”
She shut the door. “You’re like a dog with a bone. Or a vamp with a bag of blood.”
“Talia, please, let me help you.”
She sat down on the bed and stared up at him. “I think it might be the killer, or someone who works with him. The night I had the confrontation with the humans, one of them told me they’d been paid to hassle me. And someone broke into my hotel room and went through my things.”
“Why have you kept this a secret?”
“It wasn’t a secret. I just didn’t see the point in telling you.”
“Someone tried to kill you tonight, and you do not think it is important enough to mention?”
Her eyes sparked with defiance. “Kill might be an exaggeration. Most vampires survive car crashes.”
“Whoever is doing this might not know you are a vampire. You hide your energy very well when you are out in public. Or maybe he wanted to incapacitate you so he could behead you.”
She shuddered slightly. “Well, I told you about what happened, didn’t I?”
He was not getting through to her. “You are part of a team now. We back each other up and protect each other.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need your protection.”
He glared at her. “You have no say in this.”
She stood and strode to the door, jerking it open. “Just because you’ve been teaching me does not mean you can order me around.”
His stomach churned at her words. “I am confused. Misha and I only wish to help. Why will you not allow us to do that?�
�
“Help me? Or control me? I will never let anyone control me again. Is that clear enough for you?”
Chapter 8
What a difference a good night’s sleep made. Well, maybe not good, since she’d tossed and turned until three a.m. before falling into an exhausted stupor. But even a couple hours of sleep seemed to help her outlook. Once again, she had lost it with Jean Luc. Why she could not control her emotions around him was a mystery. But she didn’t have time to obsess about it.
Misha walked into the living room, and Talia laughed at his ridiculous outfit. He was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt that read “Demons Rule.” Where on earth had he found it? She pointed to it, eyebrows lifted.
He thumped his hand against his very broad chest. “There is a local high school whose mascot is a Demon. I snagged this at one of their football games.”
He handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s what I learned about the vamps. We actually got lucky. They live together. They have no priors, and they haven’t been acting any weirder than vamps normally act, so I don’t think they’re the ones.”
“We still should investigate them,” Jean Luc spoke from behind her. He walked into her line of sight and nodded slightly in her direction but without meeting her eyes.
“Agreed. You and Talia can follow that lead. I’m going to jazzercise this morning. Cassandra, the female demon, usually attends the class, and I’ll track her when she leaves. I couldn’t locate a current address for her.”
Misha walked around his desk and jerked to a stop. He stared, slack-jawed at the Rubik’s cube with its colors lined up perfectly. “Who…?”
Talia smiled. “I finished it for you, big guy.”
His eyes widened. “I have been working on it for a week.”
“Ten days, actually,” Jean Luc volunteered. “I do not understand why you could not figure it out. You do have a photographic memory.”
Misha scowled. “I had someone else mix up the cube so I did not see how it was changed. It would have been cheating, otherwise.” He winked at Talia. “You are definitely full of surprises, my dear.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? I have hidden talents.” She glanced over at Jean Luc. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn his eyes flashed red as he stared at her. But just as quickly, he looked away.
“We should go interview the suspects.”
While Jean Luc drove them to the townhouse the vampires’ shared, a list of questions ran through Talia’s head. Who was trying to kill her? Did they realize she was a vampire? Did she owe Jean Luc an apology? And why had he run off last night to begin with? Misha thought it was to escape her, but she wasn’t convinced. But at the moment, as Talia clutched the handle above the door, a more immediate problem jumped to mind.
“Why are you driving like a maniac?”
He slowed down slightly. “Misha tells me I drive too fast all the time, but I never take him seriously. He can be a bit dramatic.”
She loosened her death grip on the handle. “In this case, he’s not exaggerating.”
Jean Luc slowed down some more, and they rode for a few minutes until the silence threatened to choke her. “Listen. I’m…sorry about last night. I might have overreacted, but I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“After what you have been through, it is understandable.”
He kept his eyes on the road, so she couldn’t read his expression. She cleared her throat before changing the subject. “Are there questions I should avoid asking these vampires?”
“I would not start off with, ‘Are you ripping the throats out of humans?’” He turned then, his eyes crinkled.
“I’m serious.”
“You would speak to them much as you would a human. The only difference is the oldest vampire normally takes command of the situation. Based on Misha’s research, I assume both vampires are younger than I am.” Jean Luc pulled into the driveway. “So let me lead, s’il vous plait.”
“Since you asked in French, how can I refuse?”
When they reached the townhouse, Jean Luc rang the bell, and moments later, a female vampire opened the door. She was blond, with delicate features and blue eyes. Her expression suggested she was expecting someone, but it definitely was not them. Talia watched her closely, as Jean Luc had taught her. Her energy was light and her heartbeat sped up a bit when she glanced at Jean Luc. She lowered her eyes in deference.
“Are you Susanna?” he asked.
“Yes. How may I help you?”
“I am Jean Luc Delacroix, and this is my colleague, Talia Walker. We are from the BSR and would like to speak with you for a moment.”
She stepped back and gestured them into the house. “Of course, please come in.”
Jean Luc glanced around the room. “You live with another vampire?”
“Yes.”
“We would like to speak with him as well.”
Her heart sped up even faster. Why was she upset?
Jean Luc narrowed his eyes on the female. “Is he home?”
“Yes. I’ll…go get Adam.”
“It’s okay, Susanna. I’m right here.”
The male vamp walked into the room. He had stopped aging in his mid-thirties and had brown curly hair, which he left long and scruffy around his ears. His eyes were a light blue. So light they were almost silver. He stood next to Susanna and placed his arm around her shoulders. Her heart beat slowed down immediately.
Talia stared at him for a moment. There was something about him…but she couldn’t put a finger on it. It was as though his energy was muted. Like when she masked her energy, but in his case, powerful waves leaked around the edges. Talia concentrated, but she couldn’t hear his heartbeat at all.
Then Jean Luc tensed.
Adam leaned over and kissed Susanna on the cheek. “I think the jig is up.” He closed his eyes for a moment and the floodgates opened. Energy burst from him in a tidal wave, so vast and strong it took Talia’s breath away.
Jean Luc dropped his eyes and actually bent his head forward, as if bowing to the vampire in front of them.
Talia’s mouth fell open as she literally goggled.
“Talia!” Jean Luc hissed.
Adam chuckled softly. “Do not be concerned. At her age, she is like a kitten, and her curiosity will often win out over etiquette.”
Talia frowned. Why was he comparing her to a kitten? And what was he?
As if he could hear her thoughts, he spoke, “I am an ancient, pet.”
“A founding vampire?”
Jean Luc opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated until Adam nodded. “He is actually a sire of the founding vampires.”
God, how old was he? “Why are you listed as Adam Murphy age two-hundred and eight-five in our database?” Talia asked.
Jean Luc cringed next to her.
Adam smiled. “I like you, kitten. And you are right to ask the question. I try to keep a low profile. I left vampire politics behind centuries ago. Politics are for the young.” He pulled Susanna closer, and she beamed up at him. “I am quite happy living in obscurity.”
“And you wanted him to turn you?” Talia blurted.
Susanna’s eyes widened. “Of course, it is our way.”
Adam frowned slightly. “Who is your sire, Talia?”
Jean Luc spoke then. “She was turned against her will.”
Adam’s eyes tightened and he muttered in some language Talia didn’t understand. He stared hard at her, his silver eyes almost mesmerizing. “I’m sorry. This is difficult for you to believe, after what happened to you, but we’re not all bad.”
Talia wanted to believe him, a hard lump forming in her throat and choking her slightly.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to converse with Jean Luc. May I leave you with Susanna for a moment?”
Talia was confused by the quick change of subject, but she agreed.
Jean Luc and Adam walked out of the room, and Susanna gestured to the couch. “We’ll be more relaxed ove
r here.” They sat down, and she smiled at Talia. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No thank you.”
“Would you like to ask me any questions?”
Talia hesitated, but Susanna’s eyes were kind and her open expression genuine. “Why did you want to be a vampire?”
“I had a very hard life when I was human. No family, and those I thought were friends turned their backs on me when my husband threw me out of the house. Women were property then, and I had few options which would allow me to survive. I finally found work in a bordello, cooking and cleaning for the women there. Women who were in the same situation.
“One night, the madam came to me and said a very rich customer had seen me and wished me to spend the night with him.”
Talia leaned forward slightly. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t know what to do. The madam insisted I must speak with him at least. When I walked into the parlor that night, Adam was waiting for me.”
“And he swept you off your feet?”
“Hardly. He was a bitter, sarcastic ass.”
Talia laughed. “What happened?”
“He acted like he was God’s gift to women, and after a few minutes, I told him as much. I will never forget the look on his face. Shock, followed by indignation, and then he smiled wickedly and walked out of the room without saying another word. What had I done? I was hysterical, terrified I would lose my job.
“The next day, he came back to the house and asked permission to court me. When he finally told me what he was, I was surprised but not afraid of him. It was then that I knew I loved him, and he asked me if I wanted to be turned.”
“And he taught you how to be a vampire?”
Susanna shook her head. “No one can teach you how to be a vampire. They can explain our ways and help you assimilate, but you are a vampire the moment you are turned. Each one of us has strengths and weaknesses as humans and as vampires. We just need to embrace our strengths and work with them.”
