“I’m just going to sit down over here,” I said and pointed at the floor against the wall.
The head vampire motioned to someone, and I noticed that there was a room behind him to the left where several people were lurking. It was hard to make anything out from where I was though. A body, naked from the waist up except for a spiked leather collar, came from the shadows. The man’s hands were clasped behind his back, his head bowed so that all I could see was the top of his head, but I thought I should know the top of that head.
“Get our guest a chair and a glass of water.” The tone in the old vampire’s voice was cold, like he was telling a dog to fetch his slippers. The head never came up. The man did as he was told and turned to fetch a chair from the shadows. He came around the table with it and set it down for me. He wore pants printed with his favorite jaguar print. His feet were bare, and I was impressed by the expanse of chest and the rippling abs. The closer he came, the more I knew him, until I recognized him completely.
“No, LeKrista,” Roman warned. “Show no recognition. Not here.”
I did as I was told, but I wasn’t happy about it. I thanked Eddy with a nod and sat. He brought me a glass of water that I downed almost immediately and went back to his shadowed corner. Laied stopped him before he got there.
“What do you think of our table displays?” he asked. “Our resident Jaguar shifter made them for us. You are a florist, aren’t you?”
I looked up at the brilliant pink displays, then at Eddy. No one saw him look up and plead with me silently to answer correctly because they were looking at me, waiting for my answer. Eddy looked away first and I looked back at the arrangements, stuck a smile on my face and said, honestly, “They’re lovely.”
“Give me your honest opinion,” Laied said, and there was a command in his voice that sent a thickness into my throat and mouth. He was using his tricks to make me answer differently, but they wouldn’t work. Maybe he wouldn’t know that they wouldn’t work.
“They’re beautiful,” I said. “Pink isn’t my favorite color, in fact I try to stay away from it as much as possible, but calla lily's are my favorite.” I smiled again, because I meant it, but that thickness lingered in the back of my throat and my neck ticked to the side. Roman saw and his eyes widened just a bit, but he didn’t say anything. I wanted more water.
“You must not be much of a florist then,” Laied said, and my smile went from sweet, to tight.
“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”
I caught the movement of Eddy’s head out of the corner of my eye. There was no reason for him to think I was talking about anyone but him. I looked up, because he’d looked up first, and watched as Laied noticed Eddy’s eyes weren’t on the ground. Laied hissed and did something so fast I couldn’t see it. A red slash opened across Eddy’s face from ear to chin and blood poured from it. It wasn’t an exceptionally deep cut, but it wasn’t a scratch either. I was too new at this blood and guts thing to know what I was looking at, so I tried not to guess, because I knew I would be wrong.
“What do you think you are? Human?” Laied said in a French dialect that my new mental catalogue had to find. It was very old and unused. “You don’t look at us or our guests!” He moved vampire-fast again and more blood spurted from a gash across Eddy’s chest this time. I watched Laied lick at the blood on his hand and shuddered. It was sickening in a gut-wrenching way to watch Eddy treated like this, but I had Roman screaming in my head to behave, don’t say or do anything, keep my hands and thoughts to myself, and I knew it would be a major faux pas to stop this horrendous affair. My conscience told me not to listen to him. That had already ruined my life once. My fear told me to do what he said.
But that dark place deep inside me started to wake and it told me things I didn’t understand.
The vampire kept slashing at Eddy’s naked upper body until cries of pain tore from his throat in ragged gasps. There was blood everywhere, more blood than I’d ever seen in my life. Roman kept screaming in my head as he watched the show with eagerness in his eyes. It sickened me. Eddy screamed his pain through clenched teeth and I knew he didn’t want me to see him this way. That sickened me. Laied shouted demeaning obscenities in his forgotten language and slashed at Eddy with his hand, then licked it clean. That sickened me. The rest of the vampires watched with rapt attention as Eddy was beat and bloodied. That sickened me too.
“STOP!”
I meant to shout at Roman, but it came out of my mouth instead of staying in my head. Roman’s screaming stopped, Eddy’s cries stopped, and I buried my face in my hands, willing myself not to cry or hyperventilate or throw up. My stomach and my heart were in my throat and I thought I’d choke on them both.
“You beg for this animal’s life?” Laied asked, but he sounded strangled, no longer confident and angry. Was he scared? I looked up from my hands. I knew my face held disgust and grief. I nodded. His hand was still poised to strike and the other three vampire masters stared at me with a look I did not understand. I turned to Roman and his face had turned ashen, paler than it had ever been.
“He doesn’t look like an animal to me,” I said softly.
“No.” The vampire turned to Eddy, whose face was once again pointed at the ground, and said, “Show the young lady what an animal you are.”
Eddy needed no other prompting. He walked around the large table, wincing in pain with each step. His upper body was covered in blood so that there wasn’t a spot of clean skin left except for the right side of his face, and I saw the deep gauges Laied had made.
As I watched, Eddy took a deep, resigned breath, and melted into a beautiful, black-on-black jaguar. It was instantaneous like there was no effort in it at all. His black coat shimmered in the flickering candlelight and I looked into his yellow-green eyes. We shared a moment in that look, like he was saying, “Now you know my secret and you’re going to wish you didn’t.”
I was shocked speechless by the transformation, and when he transformed back, so fluid and simple, I was even more impressed. No blood, though there were still deep, dark wounds on his flesh.
“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t beat him all over again,” Laied said. He leaned on the table and gave a fang-showing grin. “What will you give me to stay my hand?”
I blinked.
I have to bargain for it?
“Yes, LeKrista.” Roman sounded tired.
“Well, what do I do?”
“Bargain.”
“Well,” I said. “I don’t know.” Roman deflated beside me and shook his head. “I’ll need to think about it. At least until this thing with Perdita is over.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The vampires were staring at me.
“What did I say?”
“They’re confused.”
“What are they thinking?”
“I don’t read their minds. It is considered rude.”
“I wish you’d give me the same consideration.”
“Very well,” Laied said. “Shall we say three weeks?” He flicked his wrist at Eddy and sent him back into his shadowy corner.
Sometime later I woke to Roman shaking me.
“No,” I groaned. “I’m sleeping.”
“LeKrista, you were snoring,” he said gently.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” I tried to pull free from his grip, but he wouldn’t let me go.
“LeKrista, let me get you home so you can rest. You’ve had a long night.”
“You put me to sleep on purpose,” I accused.
“Dawn is coming.” Those three words held longing.
Way to avoid the subject.
Roman lifted me from my seat, and my arms wrapped around his neck of their own accord. He said his farewells and we were gone.
I was asleep again by the time we got back to house, but I woke up when he set me on my feet outside the bedroom door. “Good night, LeKrista,” he whispered and he leaned in to kiss me. I reacted the only way I knew how. My right arm swung on i
ts own and the slap stung me as much as I hoped it stung Roman. It caught him off guard and he straightened, looked at me, and grinned. He flashed enough fang to look dangerous.
“You’ve already caused enough problems.” I stepped backward into the room and closed the door in his face. When I turned, Pierce was barely an inch away. I yelped.
“Hey, Stace,” he said, and I knew he couldn’t be too mad if he used my nickname.
“Hey,” I sighed. “I guess I need to get to explaining.”
“You can wait until you’ve slept if you’d like,” he answered and I searched his voice for any sign that when I woke up he wouldn’t be there again, but he added, “I know something bad happened tonight. You can tell me now if you’d like, but all I needed to know was that you were okay.”
I nodded and began to strip on my way to the bed. “I was kidnapped by a vampire. And then he tried to kiss me. You should kill him.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
I woke to the smell of pancakes and rolled over to find Pierce sitting next to me with a tray of food. The tray looked ancient with ornate, etched legs and a hand painted scene of a family on a picnic. Orange juice sloshed in a glass as I moved and I smiled at him. “For me?”
“Yep. Hungry?”
“Starving!” I shoved a piece of buttered toast in my mouth and chewed like I hadn’t eaten in weeks. I stabbed at some eggs and ate two pieces of bacon.
“Slow down or you’ll choke,” Pierce warned.
“I’m hungry,” I said and started in on the pancakes. I was halfway through when I said, “I died last night.” I kept chewing, but somehow the food lost its flavor and I just wasn’t hungry anymore.
“What happened?”
I explained what happens when I fly with Roman and how we’d flown so fast that I couldn’t catch my breath and my heart stopped.
“How did you come back?”
“Adelina gave me mouth to mouth,” I could tell he was glad it wasn’t Roman, “but I don’t think that’s what brought me back.”
“What do you mean?” Pierce bit off a piece of extra crispy bacon.
“I saw a man while I was dead. I don’t know if it really happened or not, but he said he’d bring me back because I had more to do for him.”
“Like what?” Pierce watched me carefully.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. I don’t think I want to talk about this anymore. Can we pick it up another time?”
He kissed me on the forehead. “Finish eating.”
“I’m done.”
Pierce picked up the tray. “I’ll take it back to the kitchen. Drink the orange juice though."
I took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of nicely fitting jeans and a long-sleeved top supplied by Roman that looked just like one of my own, but made from better material. It was a deep purple and plain but I liked the way it fit. Over the back of one of the chairs in front of the fire was a leather jacket lined with red silk. Gold buttons with a weird symbol adorned the front. It was a combination of symbols I'd seen before- the symbol for the Roman way to the gods and the snake on a pole that symbolized health and rebirth. Matching knee-high boots with gold buckles sat on the floor with a note in Roman’s scrawling hand that read, “My sweet, I believe you will need these today. It is cold and the snow is deep. Enjoy a day of shopping.”
These I was keeping, no matter what Pierce said, and I would definitely enjoy a day of shopping. I put on the coat and the boots and bounded down to find Pierce in the kitchen finishing up a few dishes. “Ready to go shopping?” I asked.
“Where’d you get those?” He leaned against the sink and folded his arms over his chest. So comfortable, so relaxed. I went to him and put my arms around his waist.
“Roman. I’m keeping them.”
“I think you should. They suit you.” That was his way of saying I look super sexy when there were others around. I didn’t notice anyone else until Adelina and Calliope came up from the living room.
“Good morning,” Calli smiled. “Ready to go into town?”
“Shopping day,” Adelina said. “Well, what’s left of it.”
I frowned. “What time is it?”
“Almost two,” Pierce answered. I thought there might have been some tension in his voice, but he hid it well if there was.
Breckenridge was an adorable town of ridiculous souvenir shops and I wanted to buy everything. As it was, I bought several t-shirts for myself and several more for gifts. In one store, I found a jaguar on a key chain. Whatever possessed me to buy it for Eddy I’ll never know, but I did. Even though it was largely overpriced.
The sun was beginning to cast long shadows by the time we got back to the house. I went down the stairs into the living room where I heard beautiful piano music and stopped dead in my tracks. Six people sat on the long sofa. All I could see were the backs of their heads, but I knew those heads. When I entered, they playing stopped.
Eddy turned to look at me and sneer. “Well, if it isn’t the vampire bait,” he said, and his voice was nastier than I’d ever heard it. The rest of his people were there. The African Princess Bomani sat next to him, looking lovely as always. Next to her was Amber the super model and her protegee. On his other side was the Hawaiian Dayla, the meanest of them all. I noticed that the blonde twins, Parashie and Maaren, weren’t with him.
Roman sat comfortably behind a grand piano in the corner.
“What have you done? Why are they here?”
“They are here to help protect you, my sweet. I am determined to keep you safe, and they will be invaluable help in doing just that.”
“If they don’t kill me themselves.”
Out loud Roman said, “I believe you know everyone?”
“Unfortunately.” Eddy turned and sat with his knees on the seat and hands on the back of the sofa. He leered at me through yellow-green eyes, and I felt Pierce tense behind me.
“You think you’re too good for us now, LeKrista? Now that you know what we are?”
I swallowed. “All of you?” I asked. “You’re all...”
“Shape shifters.” Eddy leapt over the back of the sofa and landed neatly on his feet an inch away from me. He sniffed at my hair like he was trying to decide whether to eat me or just play.
“You’re the one who’s made it a problem, Eddy,” I said. “Not me.” It never really mattered whether I stood my ground with Eddy or backed down from him, he always had something to say. Today I stood my ground. Eddy’s girls stared and Roman watched from across the room. Today, with Pierce at my back, I wasn’t going to back down. Maybe tomorrow when there was no one else around, but today I needed to stand my ground.
Eddy reached for me and snatched me up by my arm. Claws grew from his nails and he dug them into my flesh. I screamed and blood poured over the white carpet. He lifted me by my arm and slammed me through the wall behind me.
The image flashed just before Eddy reached for me so I dodged out of the way and he grabbed Pierce instead. Pierce grabbed Eddy’s arm so fast that Eddy hesitated. They looked at each other for a moment. Pierce’s eyes said, “If you toss me, you’re coming with.” Eddy dropped his arm and turned to me again. Eddy had never been violent before. I backed away trying to put as much space between us as possible.
“What’s he doing?” I shouted silently at Roman. “Why is he attacking me?”
“He is testing you, my sweet. I won’t let him hurt you, but you must prove yourself to him.”
“Oh my god, Roman! Why did you bring him here? I thought you were supposed to be keeping me safe!”
Eddy pounced. I never knew how graceful he was, but when he leapt, his back legs bent and pushed him off the ground into a graceful arching swan dive. I had a moment to appreciate what he was made of, before I ducked just in time. His stomach grazed my head as he passed over, just barely caressing the top of my hair. Eddy shifted into his jaguar form as he touched the ground, from his hands to his feet, so it looked like someone had used an etch-a-sketch on hi
m. He turned and looked at me, growled low in his throat, then let loose an animal scream that sent chills down my back.
“Roman!”
I thought I was screaming, but it was Pierce. He was furious. His voice had dropped several octaves so it rumbled like thunder. “What are you doing?”
“I am doing nothing.” Roman kept his voice carefully devoid of anything that might get him in trouble.
I felt a hand on my arm and I tried to pull away.
“It’s me, Stace,” Pierce said, even though his grip tightened enough that it was almost painful. “Go stand against the wall. I’ll handle this.”
“But-”
“Go.” There was a finality in his voice that wouldn’t be argued with and I wasn’t the only one who heard it. When I stood and looked up, everyone was looking at me like they were surprised Pierce could be so in control.
I did as I was told and stood with my back to the wall by the stairs. Pierce faced Eddy who growled. His tail twitched back and forth, angry and irritated.
“Mine,” Pierce growled. Eddy let out another piercing scream and leapt on him. I screamed, afraid for Pierce. I didn’t want to lose him, not now that we’d made up. I’d already lost him once temporarily. I didn’t want to lose him for good. I wouldn’t survive that.
I took a step forward, but the Princess was there, one arm around my waist, stronger than she should have been. “No,” she said. “This is his fight.”
I looked up at her and I knew my eyes weren’t friendly. “What the hell are you talking about?” Bomani looked at me with kindness, something I never expected from her or any of Eddy’s women. She smiled a smile that spoke worlds about her and showed me a compassion that I didn’t know I needed, or even if I wanted it.
“Eddy senses your power,” she said, “and he sees your boyfriend’s dominance as a threat.”
I frowned and looked at Roman. “What the hell is she talking about?”
Roman offered nothing but a half-hearted shrug as he watched the two men maul each other. Actually, it only looked like Pierce was being mauled, and I was sure that was Roman’s favorite part. Pierce pulled away from the fray, and I watched Roman’s face for the disappointment I was sure I’d see there, but he kept it neutral.
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