The Vampire's Accidental Wife (Nocturne Falls Book 8)

by Kristen Painter

  “Good evening, Master Ellingham.”

  He was the perfect butler for Elenora. Tall, thin, and snooty. Julian wondered why she didn’t keep him around full time. “Evening, Wentworth.”

  The man backed up, opening the door. “Your grandmother is expecting you. She’s in the library.”

  “Thank you. We can find our way.”

  His mouth thinned to a narrow line that was almost a frown. “Very good, sir.”

  Julian shook his head as he escorted Desi deeper into the mansion. He snuck a glance at her. She was all smiles and big eyes. “Having fun already, hmm?”

  She nodded. “Having a butler is pretty fancy. But in a house like this? Seems normal.” She glanced at one of the enormous oil paintings in the hall, then her gaze drifted to the spectacular crystal chandelier overhead. “This place is incredible.”

  “Glad you like it.” He paused at the library doors. “Ready?”

  She stared at the doors a moment, then smoothed down the front of her dress. “Yes.”

  He opened the door. Elenora was on her chaise talking with Alice. “Hello, Grandmamma.” He nodded to the old witch. “Alice. How are you both?”

  Elenora rose, her gaze briefly touching him before moving on to Desi. “Very well.” She held out her hand. “You must be Desdemona.”

  Desi shook Elenora’s hand. “I am. It’s an honor to meet you.”

  Elenora’s eyes narrowed as she took Desi in. The ring did not go unnoticed. “And you, my dear. I hope it remains that way.”

  Desi shot Julian a look. He’d told her this wasn’t going to be a cake walk. “Grandmamma, you’re forgetting Alice.”

  “Ah, yes.” Elenora turned. “This is Alice Bishop, my dear friend and assistant.”

  Desi nodded at her. “Nice to meet you, Alice.”

  Alice sniffed. “Mm-hmm.”

  That was Alice, Julian thought. Such a sparkling conversationalist. “We should have some wine,” he suggested. “I know I could use a drink.”

  “Excellent idea. Wentworth?” Elenora called. She sighed. “Where is he?”

  Then the sounds of the front door opening filtered in, followed by a lot of chatter. Julian froze as he recognized the voices. He somehow kept from spewing the stream of curses dancing on the tip of his tongue, but he knew his anger was clear in his eyes. This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted to happen. “Didi.”

  She looked at him, feigning innocence. “Yes, my darling?”

  “Did you invite—”

  Hugh pushed the library doors wide. “Hello, brother. I hear you have some news to share.”

  Desi watched with great interest as two very handsome men and two very beautiful women (one with a baby on her hip) streamed into the room. They all exchanged greetings with Alice and Elenora, who took the baby and cooed at him like she’d lost her mind. It was funny, really, to see the woman who’d been so stiff and formal suddenly chattering on in baby talk and making silly faces.

  It humanized her, an odd thing to think about a vampire, but with that small change, Desi didn’t feel nearly so intimidated by the matriarch.

  Now the others who’d come in…that was a different story.

  The two male vampires were in a deep and slightly contentious conversation with Jules that included sideways glances at her every so often. His brothers. She could see the resemblance, but she also recognized them from the pictures on Julian’s dresser.

  But that photo hadn’t done the two women justice. They were about as perfect as women could get. The one with the baby was clearly a vampire. The other, a striking blonde, Desi wasn’t sure about. Some kind of supernatural for sure, but nothing she could pinpoint.

  “Desi?”

  She turned to look at Jules and smiled like she hadn’t a care in the world. “Yes, love?”

  Anger snapped in his eyes. He hadn’t said anything about meeting the rest of his family, so this had to be a bit of an ambush. “Come meet my brothers.”

  “I’d love to.” She walked over, mentally getting her game on. Charming men were no big deal. Usually. And if she could do that, maybe it would help defuse the situation. She didn’t like that Julian’s grandmother had done this to him. Well, if it was some kind of test, Desi intended to pass.

  She looped her arm through Julian’s, fully prepared to bring the happy wife to this party if that’s what it took. Especially since these two in front of her were clearly sizing her up. “Hello, Julian’s brothers.”

  Jules pointed at the men in turn. “This is Hugh. He’s married to Delaney there next to our grandmother. And thanks to his procreation skills, he took the burden of grandchildren off the rest of us. That’s his son, George, that Elenora is currently Eskimo kissing.”

  “So nice to meet you, Hugh. Your son is adorable.” She shook his hand. “And I’ve heard tremendous things about you.”

  “Have you?” Hugh gave Jules an incredulous look.

  Julian sighed. “And this is Sebastian, the eldest of us. His fiancée is the pretty but deadly one, Tessa, who’s speaking with Alice. Tessa is a valkyrie.”

  So that’s what the blonde was. How interesting. Desi took Sebastian’s hand as he reached out. “How great to meet you. Jules says you’re an absolute financial genius.”

  He seemed surprised that she knew that. Or that Jules would refer to him as a genius. Either way, it felt like a victory to throw him off guard. “Well, I don’t know about all that…”

  She kept it up. “He says you’re a whiz with numbers.”

  The barest hint of a smile appeared on his face. She considered that another win. “Handling the family finances is my job.”

  The two men called the women over and more introductions were made. Thankfully, Tessa and Delaney didn’t seem to have an ounce of judgment in their eyes. In fact, they were looking at her with a mix of curiosity and admiration. And maybe the tiniest bit of pity. What exactly did they think about Jules to look at her that way?

  Wentworth appeared at the library doors and, with great seriousness, announced, “Dinner is served.”

  The group moved forward, led by Elenora, who’d yet to let little George go. Tessa and Delaney hung back by Desi as Jules went off with his brothers. He glanced at her, his expression asking if she needed saving, but she waved him on.

  Delaney spoke first. “How on earth did you manage it?”

  “Manage what?”

  “To pin Julian down,” Delaney answered. “Sweet crispy crackers! He’s the biggest playboy I know. Or was, obviously.”

  Tessa nodded. “Sebastian could not believe his little brother had settled down. He was convinced you were a witch and you had him under a spell.”

  Desi laughed. “Nope, just your average neighborhood vampire.”

  “Hah! You’re not average, that much is clear. So come on, how did you do it?” Delaney shook her head. “You must have done something no other woman ever has.”

  “Well…” Desi thought about it as they walked through the house. She couldn’t tell them the truth about how she and Julian came to be married. At least, she was pretty sure that wasn’t something he’d want her to share. “He pursued me pretty hard, but other than that, it was a fairly standard courtship.”

  “He pursued you,” Tessa clarified.

  “Yes,” Desi said. “Took me a while to say yes to going out with him, but he eventually won me over.”

  “That’s it,” Delaney said. “You must have been the first woman who didn’t fall into his lap with an adoring smile thinking he was everything right with the male species.”

  Desi’s brows lifted. “Is that what usually happens? Actually, never mind. I’ve seen him at work being the VOD. I know how the women look at him.”

  “Well,” Tessa said. “However it happened, welcome to the family.”

  “Yes,” Delaney said. “It’s about time that one settled down.” She shook her head. “And don’t worry about Elenora. She’ll give you a hard time, but she did that to all of us. Just stand up for yours
elf and you’ll be fine.”

  They walked into the dining room, another utterly impressive space.

  “Thanks,” Desi said. She liked her new sisters-in-law. Too bad they weren’t going to like her very much when they found out about the divorce. Poor Jules. She had a feeling his family was going to come down hard on him when the truth came out.

  Place cards marked everyone’s seats. Desi found her spot between Jules and Elenora, who was at the head of the table. Sebastian was at the other end, flanked by Alice and Tessa. Next to the valkyrie was Delaney, then Hugh. Little George was squeezed between them in a fancy mahogany high chair.

  They all took their seats, then a young woman in a black and white uniform served wine. Desi hadn’t been to a dinner party like this in ages. And she’d never been to one with this much strain in the air.

  Jules was still fuming about his brothers showing up. Desi couldn’t help but be upset by that. Regardless of what the future held, tonight they were a team. She smiled at Elenora. “Jules didn’t mention what a large gathering this was going to be.”

  “Oh?” Elenora said. Her diamond and pearl earrings could have fed a small nation. “It must have slipped my mind.”

  Julian snorted as he lifted his wine glass and took a substantial drink.

  Desi kept her smile on. “I hear ginko biloba is good for that.”

  Elenora looked over the rim of her glass. “Good for what, dear?”

  Desi picked up her own wineglass. The aroma was fruity and gorgeous. “Memory loss.”

  Someone muffled a laugh at the other end of the table.

  Elenora’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

  Hugh lifted his glass. “To Julian and Desdemona. May their love be as immortal as they are.”

  “Here, here.” Sebastian raised his glass and everyone around the table joined him, although Desi noticed that Elenora was slow in doing so.

  As everyone drank, Desi swore she could feel the annoyance rolling off Jules. He still wasn’t over the family ambush, that was certain. She reached under the table and patted his leg. They’d get through this.

  Of course, he’d be the one left behind to deal with the fallout of their breakup. She wondered if there was a way to soften that blow for him.

  The girl who’d brought the wine returned along with another woman, and dinner was served. Rack of lamb with mint chutney, roasted fingerling potatoes, spring peas, and honey-glazed carrots. The food was incredible, and thankfully, occupied Julian’s family enough so that very few questions got lobbed at Desi.

  There was also some talk about a new housing development, Pumpkin Point, but after the family had spent a few minutes on that, the questions turned back to Desi.

  “Speaking of real estate…” Sebastian looked at her. “Do you plan on keeping your place in Las Vegas?”

  “I…” She wasn’t sure of the right way to answer that.

  Julian laughed. “Of course she’s keeping it. The Skye Towers is a great investment.” He grinned. “And speaking of things that get better with time, how is my darling nephew, Delaney? I can’t believe how much he’s grown.”

  As Delaney and her husband launched into a full report on the child, Desi smiled to herself. Apparently, asking new parents about their child was a sure way to change the course of any conversation.

  It wasn’t until coffee and dessert, a gorgeous coconut cake from Delaney’s shop, that the focus shifted back to Desi again.

  Sebastian led things off. “Now that we know why Julian has been spending so much time in Las Vegas, I must ask what it is you do out there, Desdemona.”

  She sliced into her cake with the edge of her fork. “I have my own show, called Vamp. It’s a standard Vegas show in that there’s lots of magic, pretty dancing girls, a few exotic animals, and some great special effects.”

  “Vamp?” His brows pulled together. “As in a femme fatale or…”

  “Yes, a femme fatale. Who also happens to be a vampire.” She smiled. “It’s very Nocturne Falls in that way.”

  Julian put his fork down. “She’s a vampire pretending to be a human pretending to be a vampire. It’s exactly what we do here.”

  “Clever,” Delaney said. “Maybe you could move your show here? Or are you thinking about moving to Vegas, Julian?”

  “We, uh…” Jules looked at her.

  “We’re working all that out,” Desi said. She forked up a big bite of cake. “This cake is amazing, by the way. I love coconut. And the hint of lime is perfect.”

  Tessa nodded. “I agree. This might be my new favorite.”

  “Thanks.” Delaney smiled. “It’s something I’m trying out for summer.”

  Desi finished the bite she’d just taken, sensing an opening. “Do you sell it at your store?”

  “I do.”

  “I haven’t been to your shop yet, but Julian said it’s a very popular spot. How did you get into baking? Have you always wanted your own shop?”

  Delaney happily answered and once again, the conversation was no longer about Desi. And when Delaney was done, Julian pushed back from the table and tossed his napkin onto the plate. “Thank you for a lovely evening, Grandmamma, but Desdemona and I should be going.”

  “So soon?” Elenora shook her head.

  Julian slanted his eyes at her. “We’ve been here for nearly three hours. That’s not soon. And we have a lot to do.”

  He stood to help Desi with her chair and his brothers got up as well.

  Then George started fussing, and Delaney scooped him up. “Poor thing. It’s a little past his feeding time. We should really go too. But it was a perfect dinner, Elenora. And so good to meet you, Desdemona. We must do lunch. You, me, and Tessa. We’ll leave the boys at home. Except for George, he doesn’t count.” She kissed his fat cheek. “You’re still sweet enough to join us, aren’t you Georgie-boy?”

  “Oh, please bring George,” Tessa said. “He’s my favorite of all the Ellingham men.”

  Sebastian hmphed, but Tessa ignored him to tickle George’s tummy.

  Desi frowned. Lunch out meant Delaney must be able to daywalk just like Julian. Could they all? And why had she assumed Desi could do it too? Desi had to know more. “You talk like the sun isn’t an issue.”

  “It isn’t,” Delaney replied. “Not with one of the Ellingham amulets. Or hasn’t Alice made you one yet?” She clucked her tongue. “Elenora, don’t be stingy. We can’t have Julian’s wife stuck inside all by herself.”

  Desi’s mouth came open. She’d seen the amulet that Jules wore. Now she realized Delaney had one on a bracelet at her wrist. And so did Elenora. The men were in suits, so if they had one on too, it was hidden under their clothing.

  Then she realized the room had gone very, very quiet.

  Julian finally broke the silence. “Hugh, Sebastian, I need to talk to Grandmamma alone.”

  His brothers answered with a nod and a grunt and by ushering the women out.

  As soon as they’d left, Desi found her voice. “I take it the amulet isn’t something I’m supposed to know about.”

  “There is no amulet,” Elenora replied. “Delaney doesn’t—”

  “Oh, come on, Grandmother.” Julian sighed in frustration. “Obviously, there’s something that allows us to daywalk.”

  Elenora’s eyes sparked with indignation. She put her hands on the table and leaned forward. “This is not open for discussion.”

  “Really?” He glared at her. “Because two days ago, you said you’d give Desi one. Now you’re not?”

  “Two days ago, you hadn’t filed for a divorce,” Elenora snapped back.

  He growled. “It would be nice to live in a town where personal business stays personal.”

  The tension was suffocating. Desi hated being the reason for it. She held up her hands. “Whatever this amulet is, I don’t want one.”

  They both looked at her.

  Julian shook his head. “Of course you do. What vampire wouldn’t want protection from the sun?”


  She glanced at the ring on her finger. “Jules, this is obviously a family thing. And since my position as your wife is about to come to an end just…don’t worry about it. I’ve managed two centuries without the help. I’ll get along just fine.”

  Elenora’s brows shot up. “Wise woman.”

  Julian scowled at his grandmother.

  Desi lifted her hands higher. “Please, don’t say another word about it. It’s not my business and I certainly don’t want you two cross at each other over it.”

  Elenora gave Jules a rather smug look. “It’s too bad you couldn’t manage to keep her. She’s the best one you’ve brought around in a long time.”

  Desi rolled her eyes and turned toward the older woman. “Julian has nothing to do with why I’m divorcing him. Nothing. The blame is completely mine, got it? I don’t have the capacity to love him in the manner he deserves.”

  She stabbed a finger on the table. “And he does deserve to be loved. So much. He’s the most incredible man I’ve ever met. He’s kind, and funny, and generous, and doesn’t take himself too seriously like a lot of vampires I know, plus he’s gorgeous and sexy and smart. He’s a total package.”

  She tapped that finger on her own chest. “I, however, am not. I come with more baggage than a Vegas hotel could handle. Not to mention, I’m narcissistic, self-centered, overly ambitious, cold-hearted, and only concerned with what’s best for me and my life.”

  “Des…”

  She glanced at Julian. “You know it’s true.” She pushed her chair in and looked at Elenora again. “It really was nice to meet you, and your home is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I don’t have any hard feelings toward you or any of your family. In fact, I’d love it if Julian and I are able to remain friends when this is all said and done, but even if we can’t, you won’t have a thing to worry about from me. Your daywalking secret, whatever it is? Totally safe with me.”

  Elenora didn’t have an instant response for that, and Desi didn’t care. She smiled at Julian. “I’m ready to go home.”

  “That was…very you.” Julian laughed softly as he turned out of Elenora’s drive. “By which I mean perfect and amazing. You might have actually convinced her that your knowledge of the amulet isn’t a threat.”