The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

by Kristen Painter

  “Back to the house then.” Hugh didn’t need to be told twice. He broke into a run, dodging branches and jumping fallen trees. He made it back to the house a minute before Stanhill and Merrow and met them on the back porch, car keys in hand. “I assume you’re going in quiet, no sirens.”

  Merrow nodded. “We don’t want to tip our hand.”

  “Good.”

  “You and Stanhill follow in your car. Mine will be too full of mobsters on the way back.” Merrow unhooked his keys from his belt and a few minutes later, Hugh and Stanhill were tearing up the mountain road toward Carraway Lane behind the sheriff.

  Hugh followed the patrol car into a driveway, unsure of where the sheriff was headed. Carraway was the next road, not more than a quarter of a mile away. Merrow parked and got out, so Hugh and Stanhill did the same.

  Stanhill looked at Hugh. “We must be going on foot from here.”

  “Makes sense.” Hugh looked around. The trees were covered in green and despite the warm day, the scent of woodsmoke wafted through the air. Tourists who rented the cabins up here liked to use the fireplaces no matter what the season. Made it harder to pick up other scents but hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue for the shifters.

  Merrow was speaking into his radio as they approached him. “We’re here. We’ll meet you in five minutes.” He let the button go and glanced at Hugh. “Nick, Jenna and Alex have pinpointed the house. There are men stationed at the front and back, and they think at least two more inside. Maybe three.”

  Four or five didn’t matter. He could take them all if he had to. Any sign of Delaney?”

  “No, but both Alex and Nick confirm her scent there is strong.” Merrow hesitated. “You should stay here.”

  Hugh stared at the man. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

  Merrow sighed. “Ellingham, Alex and Nick also confirmed the scent of blood.”

  A chill zipped down Hugh’s spine. Blood. Images, none of them good, spun through his head. “If they’ve hurt her—”

  “They’ll be dealt with. Legally. I don’t want to arrest you today, you understand what I’m saying?”

  Hugh stepped into the sheriff’s personal space, let his fangs slide down and spoke with slow deliberation. “If they have hurt her, I will do what needs to be done.”

  Merrow’s radio went off. “Sheriff, one of the men is leaving in a black Chevy Tahoe.”

  Hugh jabbed a finger at Merrow. “If you don’t want to arrest me today, maybe you should go after him instead.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Merrow shot back. “No one else has a car but you and me, and I’m sure as hell not sending you.” He yanked the door to the squad car open. “Go rescue Delaney. Just keep it legal.”

  A black SUV rumbled past them. Merrow jumped into his car and went after it.

  Hugh narrowed his eyes at Stanhill. “I’m not that concerned about legal.”

  Stanhill shook his head. “That’s for bleedin’ sure.”

  Hugh stared into the trees. The scents of the other supernaturals danced at the edge of his sensory perimeters. Then another stronger, more familiar smell broke through.

  Blood. Delaney’s blood.

  With a growl, he started forward, racing along the scent lines of the other supernaturals. Stanhill followed. They joined the gargoyle and the two deputies near a small hollow in the mountain side just as Julian, Sebastian and Titus jogged toward them from the other side of the ridge.

  “Hank went after the one that left since he had the squad car.” Hugh nodded at Nick. “Where’s the house?”

  “Other side of this rise.”

  “Any better idea of how many are inside?”

  “Since that one left, we think there’s only three. One at each exit front and back, and one inside.”

  “With Delaney,” Hugh added.

  Nick nodded.

  “Julian and Sebastian have the rest of you beat for speed, so they can take out the guards. As soon as they do that, Nick, you get to the electric box and cut power to the house. Then Stanhill and I will go in and deal with whoever’s left in there. And I’ll find Delaney.”

  Alex held out his hands. “What about Jenna and I?”

  Hugh’s mouth bent into a wry smile. “I wouldn’t want you to have to arrest any of us for doing something your boss might not approve of. You two stay here. Maybe Merrow will come back.”

  Jenna leaned against a tree and shrugged. “Less paperwork. I’m cool.”

  Hugh gave the rest of them a nod. “Here we go.”

  Fat Eddie jerked Delaney’s chin up, his thick fingers bruising her skin.

  She yanked at the zip ties restraining her hands, causing them to cut deeper into her skin. Her desire to shove him away was greater than the pain.

  He laughed at her struggles. “When my boy gets to that house and finds that computer, you’d better give me the password on the first go or things are gonna get ugly.”

  “Uglier, you mean,” she managed. “I’m already looking at your face.”

  He shoved her chin away and balled his hand into a fist, threatening her with it. “It’s like you want me to hit you.”

  She glared at him. “I swear to God, you have no idea how much trouble you’re going to be in.”

  He snorted. “Is this another story about how your big bad boyfriend is gonna tear my throat out?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. Please let Hugh be home. Please let him figure out what was going on. Please, please let him rescue her. “He’ll probably do it literally. He’s a pretty scary guy. Do you have any bladder issues? Because you might pee yourself when you see him.”

  “You’re getting on my last good nerve, you know that?” Fat Eddie leaned in. “I don’t usually whack women on account of them being women and all, but I’m kinda looking forward to this.”

  “So that’s a yes on the incontinence?”

  He snarled, spilling an odorous wash of garlicky breath over her. “Shut. Up.”

  She grimaced, anger making her mouth smart even as she trembled with fear. “In a strange way, I almost welcome death.” He looked surprised. She shrugged as best she could while bound. “At least I wouldn’t have to smell your breath anymore.”

  That earned her another crack across the face. She blinked at the pain, the stars in her eyes the only thing she could see. Holy crap. He’d hit her so hard, she’d lost her vision.

  As her cheek throbbed, Fat Eddie cursed and yelled upstairs. “Who turned the friggin’ lights out?”

  Good to know she wasn’t blind.

  A cacophony of footsteps, muffled screams, loud thumps and the soft whistle of fast-moving air followed in the darkness. Someone snapped the zip ties, releasing her wrists. Then a hand brushed her cheek and she yelped. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was it. Fat Eddie was either about to kill her or going to drag her to a new location. She swung wildly, trying to fight. “Don’t touch me!”

  A hand caught her wrist. “Delaney, it’s me. Hugh.”

  She sucked in a breath that filled her entire body with relief so strong she could taste it. Way better than chocolate. “You found me.”

  A voice from upstairs asked, “All right for lights again?”

  “Yes,” Hugh answered. He snapped the zip ties off her ankles.

  The lights flickered back on. Hugh was kneeling in front of her, the broken zip ties in his hand. Fat Eddie sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Unbreathing, too, by the looks of him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. The words still came out like a half sob. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her spine. Going from certain death to being rescued in a few short seconds had a way of whipsawing the nervous system.

  Hugh wiped her tears away. There was anger in his softly glowing eyes. “You’re bruised. He’s lucky I didn’t see that first.” A muscle in his jaw tightened. “No one’s ever going to hurt you again.”

  “Rastinelli’s still out there.”

  “Merrow will make sure he’s dealt with, or I’ll take
a trip to New York and handle it myself.”

  Stanhill came halfway down the stairs and smiled at her, but his gaze lingered on her face with great concern. “You all right, miss?”

  “I am now.” She smiled, feeling tears streak her face and not caring. “Thank you.” She looked at Hugh. “Thank you, both. He was going to kill me.”

  She slumped forward and rolled her shoulders to relieve the pins and needles from being strapped into the same position for so long. “Are you still mad at me for what I did in the lab?”

  He reached up and massaged her upper arms and shoulders, sending the most heavenly sensations through her. “I was never mad at you. I was mad at myself.”

  Eyes heavy-lidded from his tender caresses and the relief of being safe, she forced herself to pay attention. “For what?”

  “For being a coward.”

  She laughed. “You? You’re not even close to being a coward.”

  He stared at her, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek. The skin was tender where she’d been hit. “I was so afraid of losing you to a possibility that I refused to let myself love you anymore. After what happened in the lab, I thought the only way to save you was to run you off.”

  “So you were cold to me on purpose?”

  He nodded. “I’ve never done anything so hard and so awful to another person in my entire life. Forgive me.”

  “You saved my life. I think we’re even.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed her mouth tenderly, but as he pulled away, his eyes went luminescent with anger. “I am so sorry he hurt you. It’s a good thing I couldn’t see the bruises he put on you with the lights out, otherwise I would have killed him.”

  She looked over Hugh’s shoulder at the fallen mobster. “Are you sure you didn’t? He looks pretty dead to me.”

  “No, only unconscious. I didn’t want his murder on my hands. I don’t want anything else keeping us apart. Ever.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “I love you, Delaney James. Be my wife. For eternity.”

  She blinked at him, feeling a little speechless. “I…”

  “If you were a vampire, those men wouldn’t have been a match for you. I cannot stand the thought of you being unable to protect yourself.”

  “Are you saying you’re willing to turn me even after what happened to Juliette?”

  “Yes. Maybe.” He sighed. “I am saying I will research the turning until I am absolutely certain that what happened to Juliette will not happen to you. The thought of that haunts me to the point of madness, but losing out on an eternity with you because of my own inaction is far worse.” He kissed her, then leaned his forehead against hers. “Save me from myself. Please say yes.”

  She put her hand on his chest and smiled, the joy inside her erasing the last shred of fear the mobsters had caused. “Yes, Hugh. I’ll be your vampire bride.”

  With a guttural growl of joy, he scooped her into his arms and started up the steps.

  She threw her arms around his shoulders. “I can walk, you know.”

  “I don’t care.”

  Hugh had no intention of putting Delaney down, even when Deputy Blythe had to turn sideways to get past them on her way down to secure the other Mafioso. When they got to the top of the steps, Sheriff Merrow had returned.

  Merrow barely raised an eyebrow at Delaney being in Hugh’s arms. “Injuries?”

  “None beyond the bruising to her face and wrists.”

  Merrow nodded. “Still ought to see the medics. I’ll need a statement too.”

  She poked at Hugh’s shoulder and whispered, “I’m not giving my statement to the sheriff with you holding me like a baby.”

  “Whatever you say, sweetheart.” He put her down, and she went to talk to Merrow. Hugh was delirious with happiness, both from finding her relatively unhurt and from her agreeing to marry him. And to think he’d started the day determined to scare her off.

  The part about turning her into a vampire—about the consequences of that—still held a paralyzing amount of fear, but he would conquer it with research. It was what he knew. It was the only recourse he had.

  Stanhill came to stand beside him. “From the looks of you, I’d say you’ve given up on your daft plan to run her off.”

  Hugh nodded, unable to take his eyes off her. “I asked her to marry me.”

  Stanhill’s disbelief was evident from the jerk of his head. “You did? What did she say?”

  Hugh frowned at him. “She said yes, you muppet.”

  Stanhill laughed and clapped him on the back. “Good for you, old man. About bloody time.”

  Then he sobered, his voice lowering to conspiratorial levels. “Does this mean you’re going to turn her?”

  Hugh took a long pause before answering. “Yes. Eventually. But not before I can test some things out, try a few experiments to see if—”

  “I’ve been talking to Corette about this and—”

  “You told her about Juliette?” Hugh stared at his rook. Never had the man been so loose-lipped.

  “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. She actually has an idea.”

  Hugh waited. “And?”

  “Do you know Willa Iscove?”

  Hugh frowned at him. “Of course I know her. My brothers and I set her up with her shop and apartment to convince her to stay in town. She’s the one who designed the official Nocturne Falls pumpkin charm.”

  Stanhill frowned right back. “You and your brothers did all that?”

  “Yes. I don’t tell you everything, you know.” Willa was young for someone with such talents, but the fae were a different than most supernaturals. They tended to keep to themselves.

  “Apparently.” A small light came on in Stanhill’s gaze. “You brought her in to try to duplicate the amulets, didn’t you?”

  “No comment. Is there a point to this?”

  Stanhill shook his head. “I’m not sure. You already know Willa can work magic into her jewelry.”

  “I do.”

  “So why not ask her for help with turning Delaney? It’s fae magic, not witchcraft. I know how you feel about that.”

  “Because if it takes powerful witchcraft to keep us from frying, how is fae magic going to make any difference keeping Delaney alive?”

  “You could at least go talk to her.”

  Hugh thought about it. As much as he hated mixing in outside help—anyone was liable to become an enemy at some point and use whatever information they’d gained against him—this was too important a chance to pass up without further investigation. “You didn’t already talk to Willa about this did you?”

  Stanhill made a face. “Not me.”

  “Corette?”

  Stanhill stared at the ceiling.

  Hugh gave him a hard look. “You didn’t say anything about the amulets to her, did you?”

  That snapped his attention back. “No. You know I wouldn’t. Speaking of the amulets, why don’t you ask Alice about help with the turning?”

  Hugh snorted derisively. “And give Didi one more thing to lord over me? And Delaney? No, Alice has done enough for us.”

  “Then go see Willa.”

  “I will.” He realized how brusque he must sound. “Thank you, Stanhill. It was a good suggestion.” He didn’t think much would come of it, but anything was worth a try.

  “You’re welcome, your lordship.” Stanhill snickered. “I do hope it works out. For Delaney’s sake. And yours. You both deserve to be happy.”

  “Thank you.”

  “One thing…” Stanhill raised his brows slightly. “I know you brought Willa here, but Corette says her services aren’t cheap.”

  Hugh almost laughed. “You know money’s not an issue.”

  Stanhill shook his head. “I’m not talking dollars.”

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t know. Corette just said to tell you to expect to pay dearly.”

  “Understood. Listen, let’s keep this between us right now. I don’t want to get Delaney’s hopes up in case this d
oesn’t pan out.”

  Stanhill nodded. “Agreed. She’s been through enough.”

  Hugh looked over at her sitting beside Merrow at the kitchen table. The bruises on her face were darkening, and her lip had swollen like she’d been stung. She looked delicate, but fierce. She’d been so calm, despite what she’d been through. Impressive. This woman who’d stolen his heart was a warrior.

  If Willa could help Delaney, there was no price he wouldn’t pay.

  With Captain trailing her, Delaney stumbled into the kitchen earlier than she’d expected to be awake considering the day she’d had yesterday. Her face hurt, but the swelling on her lip had gone down. A good thing, considering the kitchen smelled like bacon and something else delicious. Her mouth watered. The last thing she’d eaten was cotton candy.

  Stanhill was in his usual spot at the table, paper in hand.

  “Morning.”

  He put the paper down. “Morning, miss. I didn’t even hear you come down. How did you sleep? How are you feeling?” He got to his feet. “Coffee? Breakfast? I’ve got bacon and Quiche Florentine, if you’re interested.”

  “Um, good, okay and yes to coffee and breakfast. I’m starving.” She sat at the table and let him wait on her.

  Captain wound around Stanhill’s feet, meowing.

  “And good morning to you, Captain. Kippers then?”

  “No people food.” Delaney shot Stanhill a look.

  He frowned back at her. “How can you say no to that face?”

  “With great restraint. He’s too tubby.” Her smile turned into a painful yawn. She’d been so exhausted last night that she’d let Hugh carry her up to bed and had fallen asleep within minutes. Spending the night in Hugh’s bed, as tempting as that might be, had been out of the question. “Hugh still sleeping?”

  “No, he just left on an errand. Not sure when he’ll be back.” Stanhill put a cup of coffee in front of her, then set to work fixing her a plate.

  Hugh’s absence was perfect timing. “Do you think you could take me to see Elenora?”

  Stanhill’s brows jumped. “You want to visit her? Voluntarily?” He accidentally dropped a piece of bacon on the floor. Captain went full piranha, devouring it in seconds.