by Elisa Adams
“His wife.” Marco gestured to Royce. “My…mate.”
“Your what?” She fumed. “You had better start explaining yourself pretty quickly, bud, because you’re about to get a dose of garlic in your eyes.”
Royce laughed. “Garlic?”
Marco gave him a strange look. “You know, those stupid movies.”
Was he ever going to get over it? “You mean those movies that made me practically a cult figure? The ones that also made me piles of money?” She didn’t want to mention how that money had been spent.
Neither of them paid any attention to her until she clapped her hands together. “Hello? Is anyone listening?”
Royce sighed. “Unfortunately, we’re not being given much of a choice.”
She tried to sock him, but he dodged her fist easily. Now he looked like he was going to laugh, too.
“Well, boys, I’m glad you’re having a good laugh at my expense. But I asked you a question and if I don’t get my answer soon someone’s going to be hurting.”
It would probably be her, and all three of them knew it. She pressed on anyway. “So, Marco dear, did you forget to mention the fact that you already have a mate?”
He held his hand up. “Relax for minute and listen to me. You’re too worked up. It isn’t healthy.”
“Do I look like I care what’s healthy?” She was too pissed to stop now.
“Amara, please. Sarah’s nothing. Just listen—“
She blinked. “Wait a second, this isn’t some kind of personal harem deal, is it? Because I don’t want any part of that. I’m open to new things, but I’m not interested in being one of a thousand women.”
“No, no harems involved,” he said. “There’s only you. Sarah’s dead.”
Chapter 17
Royce was kind enough to make himself scarce while Marco explained their unusual circumstances to Amara. That was a good thing. He didn’t want Royce yelling about his mistakes while he tried to deal with Amara’s tantrum.
He took her back into the living room and sat her down on the couch. She didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were married more than once?”
He sighed. “I’m not married now. There was only the one time, four hundred years ago. Sarah was Royce’s wife, not mine.”
“What the hell is going on here?” she demanded. He could see the anger in her eyes.
He had to give her credit though; she’d been through so much in the past couple of weeks. He was lucky she hadn’t tried to murder him by now.
He took a deep breath and began. “From the minute I saw Sarah, I knew I had to have her. Nothing was going to stop me. I took advantage of her, and that was wrong. Of course, I was young and stupid then.”
Amara snorted. “So what’s changed?”
He laughed. “I’m not so young anymore. Anyway, there were only two problems when it came to Sarah. One, I’m not exactly human, and two, she was married to my brother.”
He let that sink in for a minute.
She blinked. “Wait a second. Royce is your brother?”
He nodded.
“And you didn’t bother to mention that sooner? You guys don’t seem that close.”
“Stealing your brother’s wife tends to break up the relationship.” He sighed. “We’re working it out, but it’s taken the better part of four hundred years.”
“How long ago did this happen?”
“About five years after I turned.”
Amara nodded, then shook her head. “Why would you do that to your brother?”
“I told you. I’d only been a vampire for five years, and I hadn’t yet learned to control my urges. As you know firsthand, I still have a little trouble with that. When I saw her, I had to have her, so I did what I could to get her.”
“And he just let you pursue his wife without stepping in? Did he give you permission?”
“He didn’t even know I was alive.” He laughed humorlessly at the memory. “I didn’t want anyone to know what I’d become. It wasn’t exactly accepted in those days.”
“It’s not very accepted now, either.”
“Yeah, I can tell that from the popularity of your movies and hundreds of others. Anyway, Royce was a little pissed when he found out Sarah was leaving him. Also, he was upset with me for not coming to him when I was first turned. He was a healer back in those days, and he thought he might have been able to cure me. The problem was, I wasn’t looking for a cure.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“He didn’t see what I had to offer her that he didn’t. Now that I look back on it, I realize he was right.” He ran a hand through his hair, distraught with the memories. “Sarah asked me to turn her, but she didn’t handle the change well. She killed herself within the first year. So within six years, I’d lost two women close to me.”
“You loved Sarah?”
He shook his head. “No. That’s the worst part. I didn’t love her at all. I wanted to possess her, but love didn’t even enter the equation.”
“Possess? Like you’re doing with me?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“No. No man could ever possess you.” He feathered a touch across her cheek. “What I feel for you is different than what I’ve felt for any other woman.”
“Annoyance?”
He laughed. “No. Well, not always.”
She sighed heavily, looking irritated and confused. “Then what is it you feel for me?”
Love. But he wasn’t ready to confess that yet. “Protectiveness. After all, it’s my fault you’re in this situation.”
“Protectiveness? Is that all?” She looked doubtful.
He shrugged, uncomfortable with the strength of his feelings for her.
“How could you feel protective of me? You kidnapped me, ruined my life, and scared me with all these stories of dead women. That’s kind of far from protecting me, Marco.”
“I scared you, and I’m sorry. But I just want to take care of you and see that you don’t get hurt again.”
“Right. Sure you do.” She huffed for a few minutes, but then curiosity got the better of her. “So if Royce is your brother that makes him four hundred years old, too.”
“Give or take a few years.” He winked at her. “We age pretty well, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “Did you turn him, too?”
“Uh, no.” He laughed. “After what happened with his wife, he found someone else to turn him.”
“Why?”
“I suspect either to torture me until the end of eternity, or in an attempt to get Sarah back. He was too late.”
“Would you have let her go?”
He shrugged. “I already had.”
“You left a new vampire to fend for herself? Why would you do something like that?” Her eyes widened, as if she’d just remembered something. “You told me you killed your wife.”
“Did I?” He shook his head, amused with her assumption. “What I told you was that I was to be put to death for her murder. Not once did I confess to such a crime, then or now.”
“You didn’t do it?”
“Of course I didn’t do it.” Did she have so little faith in him? “I would never kill anyone other than in self-defense. Elizabeth was about as defenseless as you could get, despite her affairs.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “You didn’t kill her lover, either?”
“Which one?”
“She had more than one?”
He nodded. “She had two that I know of. Unfortunately one turned out to be a demon. When she wouldn’t leave me, or the other man, for him, Tomaz got a little angry.”
“He killed her?”
Marco nodded. “Yeah. And I took the blame.”
“A demon, huh?”
He could see the disbelief in her eyes, and it almost made him laugh. “You know, Amara, it wouldn’t hurt for you to open your mind a little.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m working on it. Talk about a crash course in all things paranor
mal. What happened to Tomaz?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. He just disappeared after Elizabeth’s death.”
“Oh.”
He could see her mentally blocking out most of the story. He’d have to deal with it later. Right now they had a few things to take care of.
“Amara—“
He was interrupted by a knock on the door. In an impressive display of speed, Amara jumped up from the couch and rushed to the door. He was surprised she only knocked over one lamp on the way.
He heard her sharp intake of breath as she swung the door open. “Derek!”
Derek? Who the hell was Derek, and what did he want with his woman?
“Baby, I’m so sorry for what I put you through. You’ve got to take me back.”
Okay, he was going to have to kick this guy’s ass. Nobody tried to take his woman and lived.
He got up from the couch and walked to the door.
Amara turned to him. “Um, Marco, this is Derek.”
“What the hell do you want?” He recognized Derek right away as Amara’s costar in those hideous movies. This was her former fiancé. He wasn’t going to stand for this shit.
Derek pushed his way inside. “I want my fiancée back.”
Marco shook his head. “Not happening. You gave her up. She’s mine now.”
Derek turned to Amara. “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s only been a few months since we broke up.”
“You call what happened a breakup?” Amara poked Derek’s chest with her finger. “I kicked you out, slime-ball, after you berated me for not wanting my sex life filmed for all the world to see. To make things worse, I caught you on tape with a whole group of women, and live in our bedroom with the man next door in the same ten minutes. Do you really think I’m just going to jump right back into bed with you? Not in this lifetime, buddy.”
“Think about it for a minute, Amara. We could make so much money together. You would never have to wish for anything again. We’d be set for life.”
“The only thing I wish for right now is that your dick shrivels up and falls off and you can’t fuck anyone ever again, on camera or off. Even Robby.”
Derek’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. It was then that Marco noticed Amara’s fangs.
Shit. No wonder good old Derek looked ready to pee his pants. Marco grabbed Amara’s arm and pulled her behind him. Then he punched Derek in the jaw and the man crumpled to the floor.
Chapter 18
“What did you do?” Amara looked scandalized.
Marco shook his head. “Go get Royce. We’ve got to figure something out.”
“You killed him! You told me you’d never kill anyone, and you just killed him for no reason.”
“He’s not dead. He’s just unconscious.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Go get Royce. Now. And pull your fangs back in just in case he wakes up.”
“Fangs?” She brought her hand to her mouth, her fingers skimming along the sharp points of her teeth. Her eyes widened. “When did this happen?”
“When you were yelling at Derek. You should probably keep better control of your temper until you learn to control the teeth.”
“I didn’t even notice.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. That’s the reason I don’t want you left alone. Now for the last time, please go get Royce. I need his help.”
She nodded and ran down the hall to the den, where Royce had gone to watch TV while she and Marco had talked. She came back a few minutes later with Royce in tow. He didn’t look very happy to be disturbed from what Marco suspected had been a nap.
“What the hell did you do this time, Marco?”
Marco shot a glance to Amara. “She showed him her fangs. He got a little nervous.”
“Don’t you blame this one all on me. You’re the one who punched him.”
“Would you rather he ran around telling everyone you’re a vampire? I’m sure there are quite a few scientists out there who would love to get a hold of you.”
Amara pursed her lips, her hands on her hips. “Oh, please. This is L.A. Everyone here is nuts. There are even a couple of clubs downtown that cater to people who think they’re vampires. They wouldn’t have believed him.”
She had a point there. Still, he wasn’t going to take any chances with his life, or his woman’s.
Amara raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not a possession.”
He blinked hard. “Excuse me?”
“You need to stop thinking about me as your woman. You don’t own me, Marco.”
That was really creepy. “Have you been able to do that all your life, or is this something new?”
“Do what?” She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Read minds.”
She shook her head and sighed, looking very annoyed. “I told you this already. I don’t read minds. I just get feelings every once in a while. Just like everybody else.”
“No, not like everybody else. Didn’t you even once in your life think this was an unusual skill?”
Royce looked at them, obviously fascinated by the conversation. “She reads minds?”
Marco shrugged. “It would appear that she can. Her grandmother was a psychic.”
“Makes sense that she’d be more observant than the average vampire, then.”
“Please. My grandmother was a fortune teller in one of those chintzy shops that the tourists love back in Vermont. It’s nothing.”
Royce ignored her. “Let’s get him on the couch before he wakes up.” He turned to Amara. “Can you do mind control?”
“You’re kidding, right? I can’t even make up my own mind. How am I supposed to do it for someone else?”
Royce rolled his eyes. “Can you try?”
“Can’t you do it?” she asked.
“Actually, no. It takes a very long time to develop those kinds of skills, unless you’re born with them.”
“Well, I most certainly wasn’t born with anything like that.”
Marco wondered if he was going to have to drag her through every part of her new life kicking and screaming. “Just give it a try, okay?”
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
She settled down on the couch next to Derek, who was starting to moan and stir. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked around, his gaze settling on Marco. “You punched me! I should sue you for that!” Then his gaze settled on Amara. “What the hell are you? Is this some kind of joke?”
She shrugged, looking bored. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You had fangs!”
“You must have real life confused with the movies again, honey.” She spoke to him like she was speaking to a toddler, slowly and carefully enunciating every syllable. “I have fangs when I’m in costume, because my character is a vampire. As a human, in real life, my teeth are perfectly normal. See?” She flashed him a wide smile.
Derek nodded, but didn’t look quite convinced.
“Are you snorting coke again, honey?” She batted her eyelashes at him and he blinked. Marco was amazed at the display. She didn’t need mind control. She had enough attitude to accomplish the task, and then some.
Derek started to shake his head, but then turned sheepish. “I’m sorry, baby. I know I promised to stop, and I did for a long time. But when you made me leave I couldn’t help it. I needed something to take an edge off the pain of losing you.”
“You know what, Derek? You’re an idiot. I kicked you out, and it was the best move I ever made. You did me a big favor by being an unfaithful jerk with no morals. If you hadn’t totally screwed up my life, I never would have met Marco, who makes me happier in bed than you could ever hope to.”
Derek blinked and turned to Marco. “Are you sleeping with my fiancée?”
“She’s not your fiancée anymore.”
Derek lunged at Marco, but Amara’s swift kick to his gut sent him tumbling to the ground, doubled over in pain. “Get out of my house, Derek, before I ca
ll the police and have you arrested for harassment.”
“You can’t do that. That’s bullshit.”
“Then I could always tell them about the cocaine you have in your pocket. I’m sure they’d love to bust you again for possession.” She tapped her fingernails on the phone that sat on an end table. “How about it, honey?”
Derek’s eyes filled with fright and he hustled out of there before Amara could issue another threat.
Royce laughed after Derek slammed the door behind him. “You really know how to hit him where it hurts.”
She shrugged. “He’s already been arrested too many times. One more time and he goes to jail.”
Marco could just imagine what would happen to someone like Derek Sanders in jail. He had to admit, the idea held more than a little appeal.
“Don’t even think about it.” Amara glared at him.
He laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”
* * * * *
Marco woke up from his extended nap at a little after ten that night. He rolled his head from side to side and stretched, wondering why Amara wasn’t in bed with him. He was going to have to get her on a better sleep schedule before he went insane from lack of sleep.
Smelling freshly brewed coffee, the one thing he could still tolerate in small doses, Marco wandered down to the kitchen. Amara was standing at the stove, cooking of all things. The smell of the meat frying in the pan hit him, making him lose his appetite.
“What are you doing?”
“Royce went out to get a bottle of wine. I thought I’d make something to go with it.”
More than likely Royce went out to feed and didn’t want to upset Amara with that knowledge. “Why bother cooking? You don’t need to eat it.”
She shrugged. “It’s habit, okay? Give me a little while to accept this change.”
He could understand how she was feeling. He’d been through it himself, so many years ago. “Okay. What are you making?”
“Chicken.” She scooped the chicken from the pan and put it on a plate. Slicing off a small chunk, she blew on it before she popped it into her mouth. “Actually, this isn’t bad.”
“What did you put on it?”
“Nothing.” She looked surprised. “I would have thought it would be boring.”
