“Well,” Alexis ventured, hoping to defuse some of the tensions between the women now that the worst seemed to be over, “I suppose that means you’re really going to be one of us, now. Congratulations.”
Tiffany’s sunny smile was at odds with her pallor and the way she swayed on her feet. Despite the pain, she stood tall and proud, arms folded in front of her chest. Lifting her chin, she turned that pleased grin on Alexis, her look just as predatory as any of the werewolves could have pulled off.
“Don’t worry. None of you will regret the decision. I promise.”
Vera growled, the low rumble cutting off into a pained whine when Cassandra shoved her again with her foot until she subsided. Cassandra whirled on Tiffany, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed into tight knots as she stalked forward, though she still left a healthy distance between them.
“You may have gotten your way, but you’ll have to rise through the ranks just like the rest of us did. Gabriel isn’t going to make it easy for you, and neither will the rest of the pack. What you did was inexcusable, and hardly fitting behavior for a member of the Diamondfangs. I have the feeling you’ll be spending the next couple of years proving yourself to the rest of us.”
Tiffany’s smile faded, and she inclined her head by way of apology. She was still far too pleased to be terribly sorry. “If that’s what you wish, so be it. I suppose I have nothing but time now, so I’ll spend as long as it takes to prove my worth.”
Heather paused in rubbing the back of her neck, still sore from Vera’s blow, to turn a puzzled look on Tiffany. “What do you mean?”
“You know that’s why I came to you instead of the vampires, don’t you? I wanted immortality without the nighttime limitations, and I got it. Under the circumstances, it seems to me being furry for a few nights out of the month isn’t such a bad deal. Now that what’s yours is mine, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn the respect of the pack. We can start with my overseas connections—which should help the pack expand its influence enormously. It’s only a fair trade, considering.”
Cassandra snorted, leaning back on her heels and eyeing Tiffany with a sly twist to her lips. The other girls were staring blankly now, even Vera, too surprised to contradict her.
“Really, now. That’s why you wanted to join us so badly? Immortality?”
“Of course. You think I like the idea of being a monster? What’s the point if you don’t get something out of it—like living forever?”
Cassandra startled everyone by throwing her head back and laughing, covering her eyes with her hand. Her shoulders shook so hard with mirth that she couldn’t speak right away. Irritated, Tiffany huffed, looking at Heather, who was watching her with wide eyes, her hand over her mouth.
“What’s so funny about that?”
Heather shook her head, not wanting to be the one to break the news. So Alexis did it for her.
“Honey, you should’ve stuck with the vampires. Werewolves aren’t immortal. We have decreased life spans because of our nature.”
Tiffany blinked. “Come again?”
“Decreased. Life. Span,” Alexis repeated. “We’re destined to die young. Well, relatively.”
Already pale from blood loss under the bronze shimmer of her makeup, Tiffany grew whiter still. She staggered a few steps to collapse into a nearby chair. Heather grimaced when she saw the bloody handprint left behind on the furniture, but felt it was the wrong time to caution her guests about keeping the place tidy.
“... but ... but I thought ...”
“Wrong, obviously,” Cassandra said, lacing her tone with as much sympathy as she could muster. Under the circumstances, it wasn’t much. “Sorry, sweetness. I’m surprised you didn’t know. I thought the White Hats were better informed than that.”
Tiffany shot her an angry look, though she was still too shocked and weak to do more than raise a shaky fist at her. “I didn’t care about the details, I just went with Richard when he went on hunts. No one ever told me!”
“Get used to it,” Heather snapped, her own patience at an end. “You’re one of us now. Welcome to the werewives.”
EPILOGUE
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
—Dorothy Parker
Six Months Later
Alexis stirred her martini, watching a woman ordering one of the cabana boys at the hotel pool to get her a towel and something from the bar. The werewives had decided a vacation down to Atlantic City was in order, and were making the most of the time away from their husbands by shopping, gambling, visiting the local clubs, and soaking up sun by the poolside. Now, resting at a glass table with a view overlooking the rest of the patio, the pool, and the ocean in the distance, the ladies were relaxing after a long, hard day of wearing out the magnetic stripes on their husbands’ credit cards.
Alexis studied the woman with interest. She was dark-haired and golden-skinned, probably from out of town. Her bikini and matching sarong were ones Alexis had considered buying herself when she was shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue earlier in the week. The rock on her finger shone brightly enough that Alexis was glad she’d remembered to bring her Christian Dior sunglasses with her.
The lady said something so sharply that the boy taking her order was quick to pick up her purse for her when she gestured for it, and then rushed off to fetch her drink. Though the sight of the tight butt as he bent over to pick up the bag was distracting, Alexis used the excuse of plucking the olive garnishing her drink out and shaking it in the woman’s direction to turn the attention of the other werewives her way.
“What do you think?”
Heather glanced over the rim of the oversized piña colada she’d ordered, then shrugged. “Not bad.”
Cassandra nudged her Prada sunglasses down to rest on the tip of her nose and tipped her sunhat up. She watched the girl snap her fingers as she made demands that the hotel personnel scurried to carry out, catering to her whims as if she were the Queen of England.
“She looks like she’d be a pain in the ass to break in,” Vera commented, not bothering to crane her neck to take a look.
Tiffany slid behind her, giving her a hug as she put one of the two cocktails she was carrying down on the table in front of Vera, giving her an air-kiss on the cheek. “That’s why I love you. You’re always so positive about these things.”
Vera gave Tiffany a vicious, toothy grin, which was soon returned in kind. Tiffany slid into her own seat, crossing her legs so that her Zac Posen floral skirt rode up high on her thigh, distracting several of the men working and lounging near the pool.
“We’ve taken chances before,” Cassandra said, smiling wryly at Tiffany and toasting her with her drink. “What do you think, darling?”
Tapping her cheek with one French-manicured fingernail, Tiffany made a big production of thinking about it, taking her time while the other women rolled their eyes and sipped at their drinks. Lips curved into a Cheshire grin, she curled her fingers around her glass, hairline cracks appearing in her polish as her nails began forming into talons.
“I say it doesn’t hurt to give her a chance. After all, she looks like she’d fit right in.”
The woman, thanks to the Bulgari sunglasses shading her from the sun’s glare, failed to notice five pairs of glowing, golden eyes simultaneously focused upon her with predatory intent.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
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Compilation copyright © 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corp.
“Where Darkness Lives” copyright © 2011 by Debbie Raleigh
“Murder on Mysteria Lane” copyright © 2011 by Angie Fox
“Werewolves in Chic Clothing” copyright © 2011 by Tami Dane
“What’s Yours Is Mine” copyright © 2011 by Jess Haines
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ISBN: 978-0-7582-7442-7
The Real Werewives of Vampire County Page 34
