by Robyn Bachar
“Good evening, ladies.” We both turned toward the sound of his voice, and for the first time Lovely Laura and I had the same reaction to something: shock. Zachary Harrison, multi-zillionaire businessman and king of the undead castle, was wearing blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt. It was obvious from the cut and the color that these were designer jeans, and someone had taken time to distress them instead of letting wear and tear rough them up. Still, it wasn’t a suit. He looked really good for a dead guy-like someone who might stop into the Three Willows for a sandwich on his lunch break, who I’d flirt with while refilling his coffee.
“What has she done to you?” Laura asked, horrified.
Harrison chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “I was reminded that denim is the American way.”
The corners of my mouth crept up in a slight smile. As much as I hated him, it was damn amusing to watch Lovely Laura squirm in her pretty shoes. With a sound of disgust, she folded her arms across her chest.
“Which would explain why American fashion is tedious and inferior,” she countered icily. “I’ll leave you two to your evening.” Nodding at Harrison, she turned and strode out of the room, her high heels clicking angrily on the hardwood floor.
“Gee, I think we’re both in trouble now.” I raised an eyebrow at her exit. “You might be grounded.”
“It would appear so. Do you approve of the outfit?”
“Not bad.” I shrugged, looking him up and down thoughtfully. “It gives you the false illusion of being a nice guy.”
“I am a nice guy,” he protested, appearing hurt.
“No you’re not. Besides, even if you were nice for a vampire, that’s like being nice for a shark or a crocodile. You’re still a predator in designer jeans.”
Harrison winced, seemingly wounded by my frank assessment of him, and I almost felt bad. The memory of locking myself in the bathroom and sleeping in a nest of fluffy white hotel towels kept me from believing his act. Nice guys don’t drink blood, period.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“That’s a very broad question.”
“I thought you were going to leave me alone.”
“I agreed not to harm you. I see no harm in having dinner and engaging in polite conversation.”
“There wasn’t any harm in it last time either until you decided to have me for dessert.” I scowled.
“A mistake which I have apologized for, Catherine. Repeatedly. I didn’t bring you here to bite you, I merely want to get to know you better.” Spreading his hands wide in a placating gesture, he stepped toward me, sincerity shadowing those lovely green eyes. I stood my ground, watching him as he drew closer. I’m sure he intended to give my shoulder a comforting pat or some other benign social contact, but much to his surprise he collided with my shields instead. Blinking, he gazed at me in surprise, and I smiled sweetly. Harrison rubbed his hand where it had come in contact with the energy. His pride probably hurt more than his hand did.
“You don’t trust me not to harm you, even though I gave my word.”
“I don’t trust you at all, Harrison,” I replied, my hands on my hips.
“Zach,” he said, and I frowned. “Call me Zach, please. I’m only Harrison during work hours.” With a charming smile, he turned and pulled out one of the chairs in an invitation for me to sit down. “What would you like to drink?”
“A glass of wine, please.” Reluctantly, I sat down and let him push my chair in. I wasn’t going to win this argument, and since I was safe behind my shields I might as well play along with his plans. Zach nodded and crossed to the bar, producing a bottle from beneath it. After uncorking the bottle he poured the contents into a glass. I had a feeling the wine hadn’t been on sale at the corner store, but I’d never be able to tell if it was fine wine or not.
“I took the liberty of ordering dinner. It should arrive soon.” He set the glass down in front of me and then poured one for himself. “In the meantime, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you.”
“Great.” Sipping my drink, I eyed him, knowing I wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say. Taking the seat across from me, the vampire leaned back into his chair and folded his hands in his lap.
“I know you don’t approve of my plans for the future of magician society, and I agree they may seem a little radical on the surface. I’d like the chance to work with you on this subject. Perhaps we could develop a new strategy together.” Unimpressed, I waited for the punch line, because there had to be more to this story. “You must agree that things can’t continue as they have been, not in these times.”
“I’ve been getting along well enough.”
“Have you? I’m sure you noticed that your room was stocked with your favorite books, clothing in your exact size, we even picked your preferred brands of liquor for your bar. How do you think we found that information?”
“I figured you hacked into my credit card history, and probably my discount cards for the grocery store I go to, and the bookstore too. It’d be easy enough for you, it’d only take a mediocre computer nerd to find that stuff out and you can obviously afford better than average.”
“Then you wouldn’t be surprised to learn what else we found. A record of every candle, oil, crystal and herb you’ve bought within the last five years. A list of the ‘questionable’ reading material you own, the pagan websites you visit on a regular basis, and the associates you communicate with who share similar interests. Catalogued, indexed and recorded in a government database.”
My mouth dropped open and my jaw worked a few times as I struggled to find the words to respond. “But…why? It’s not a crime, that doesn’t make any sense. Why should anyone care?”
“Because religion isn’t as free as it used to be. Magicians who haven’t been careful about concealing their beliefs, like yourself, have been designated as potential threats by the moral majority.”
“Potential threats doesn’t mean they’re about to round us up into internment camps.”
“They already are,” he replied. I choked on a sip of wine.
“What?”
“Shapeshifters have been disappearing across the country for the past few months. A few here and there, not enough to raise an alarm.”
“Then how’d you know about it?”
“I have my sources,” Zach replied mysteriously.
It seemed far-fetched to me. Shapeshifters live on the edges of magician society, rarely interacting with others. I couldn’t imagine them calling up Harrison to rescue them from some shady government bad guys. I scowled at him in annoyance, but my chance for a stinging retort was foiled by the arrival of our food. The waiter removed the silver dome atop my plate and revealed an enormous cheeseburger and a stack of French fries. Before disappearing, the waiter placed a bottle of ketchup next to my plate, and I stared at it in equal wonder. Fast food was the last thing I would have expected for dinner, especially considering that during our last meal together I’d barely recognized the food I’d been served. I looked up at my host, wondering if it was too good to be true, and he chuckled at my reaction.
“It’s safe, don’t worry. I thought you would appreciate something similar to the food in your café.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Picking up a fry, I took a tentative bite, and it was just the right balance of grease and salt. “So basically what you’re telling me is that the man is planning to keep us down, and I should join with you so we can stick it to him,” I commented as I reached for the burger.
“Something along those lines.”
“Would we be equals in this effort?”
“Of course.”
“Really. ’Cause I seem to recall you mentioning something about making me into a pet. I’m sure there’s a cat joke there just waiting to happen.” Giving him an indignant glare, I took a bite from the burger, which was as wonderful as the fry had been. Apparently Zach had realized that the way to my heart is through my stomach. I’m surprised he hadn’t started with chocolate chip
pancakes after Lex had revealed that particular weakness.
“I said that to annoy Duquesne, and it worked perfectly. You are much too precious to keep as a mere pet, Catherine.” He smiled, and the expression did not make me feel better.
“Then what were you planning on keeping me as?”
“A friend, nothing more. I find your company rather entertaining. For now, I think we should enjoy our evening.” Raising his glass in a toast, he gave me a dazzling smile, the sort that could melt the average woman into a quivering puddle. Luckily I wasn’t an average woman, and I rolled my eyes in response.
The vampire behaved like a gentleman for the duration of dinner. No sudden moves, no attempts to break through my shields and put the bite on me. It was a pleasant change. When I finished eating he gave me a tour of his place, and I immediately noticed a running theme throughout the various odds and ends he collected: rare or one-of-a-kind. Sports and movie memorabilia, modern artwork, even the liquor in the bar was unique or hard to come by. Zach explained the history of his collection to me, and it was vaguely interesting in a museum kind of way, and had the added bonus of keeping him from misbehaving. Afterwards he decided we should watch a movie, and I went along with the idea. Hey, safe inside my shield the vamp couldn’t even get away with something simple like the old yawn-and-put-your-arm-around-the-girl trick. We sat on opposite ends of the couch, reminding me of a few awkward first dates I’d experienced in my distant past, and tried to concentrate on the movie.
His cell phone rang as the credits were rolling, and he ducked into the other room to answer it. Left alone, I wandered around and took another look at his collection of random stuff. Just one of his signed baseballs was probably worth more than all my worldly possessions. When he returned to the room Harrison seemed disturbed, and I frowned at him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He glanced at the clock, scratching his chin. “There’s someone I want you to meet, but it’s late for you and I’m sure you must be tired, so it can wait until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Harrison-”
“Zach, please,” the vampire corrected me. Picking up the remote, he shut off the television, and then he walked out of the room again. I wondered what was on his mind, and against my better judgment I followed him.
A sharp pop greeted me as I stepped through the doorway, and I froze at the sound. Across the room Harrison stood at the bar with a champagne bottle in his hand, two crystal flutes set in front of him, and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries next to them.
“Are we celebrating something?” I asked, suspicious.
“No, I just thought you might enjoy champagne with your dessert,” he replied, motioning to the strawberries. “Although it could be fair to say that we are commemorating a new beginning.”
“What new beginning?”
“Of our partnership.” With a friendly smile he held the champagne out to me. “You can stop shielding, I promise I’m not going to attack you.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“That’s understandable, I suppose. I’ve also told you, more than once in fact, that I won’t bite you while you are opposed to it. I don’t want to force you to do anything. It would only damage our relationship.”
“You sound like a therapist.”
Harrison chuckled. “Perhaps, but it is the truth. I behaved badly and I apologized for that, it won’t happen again.”
“Listen, Harrison,” I began and he opened his mouth to correct me. “Zach, right, whatever. Listen, Zach, I’m not going to trust you as long as you keep me locked up here.”
“You won’t be here permanently. The full moon is not so far away.” Again he offered the champagne to me, and against my better judgment I let my shields slip away and I took the glass from him. Zach raised his glass in a toast and tapped it against mine, smiling at me with his perfect white teeth.
Reaching under the bar, he withdrew a slim silver cigarette case, opened it, and held it out to me. “I thought you might need one by now.” Greedily I snatched up a smoke, and my hand nearly shook as I held it. Nicotine withdrawal? Just a bit. Zach pulled a matching silver lighter from his jeans pocket and lit the end of my cigarette for me. I fought back the instant temptation to try lighting him on fire with it-I wasn’t sure I had enough control to do it, and I had no idea what I’d do after I lit the vampire king up, aside from a happy dance. For the moment I decided to be content with my smoke as Zach placed an ashtray in front of me.
“You’re being too nice, what’s the catch?”
Watching me, he sipped his champagne. “If I let you leave right now, what would you do? Where would you go?”
“Home.”
“To your one-bedroom apartment by the train tracks.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Frowning, I blew a stream of smoke in his direction.
“No, but you could have much more. You don’t have a car.” Zach ticked further points off on his fingers as he continued. “You have no savings to speak of. You’ve barely traveled out of state, and never out of the country-unless you count your trips to Faerie and back. You work ten, twelve hour shifts for little more than minimum wage, and now you’ll be adding all the work of a Titania for no additional pay at all.”
“Hey, I make plenty more than minimum wage. And so what? You’ll snap your billionaire fingers and fix my financial problems if I agree to abide by your unholy will?” I raised an eyebrow.
“From what I’ve seen thus far, I can’t imagine you abiding by anyone’s will but your own. Though if I put you on my payroll I would request that you at least try to follow the terms of your contract.”
“What terms would those be?”
“Nothing too difficult. A little spellwork now and then-it wouldn’t violate any of your witch rules, not that you have to worry about that anymore. Once in a while I’ll ask you to attend a gathering with me. We can continue to discuss proposals for the future of magician society and work for the betterment of us all.” Zach appeared blasé about the idea-I’m sure the devil is always nonchalant when contracting for your soul.
“Right. And if I say no?”
“I will be very disappointed.”
“Disappointed?” I repeated. A disappointed vampire could mean a lot of things, none of which were pleasant.
“But why would you say no? Am I really asking too much of you? I’m offering comfort and financial stability-”
“And all I have to do is ignore the fact that I’ll be at the beck and call of the same people who turned my father into a monster and murdered my mother and cousin,” I snapped at him. “I don’t need a savior to drop into my life and make it all better.”
“Isn’t that what your guardian intended?” Raising a cool eyebrow, he ignored my temper as usual and drank his champagne. “To move you into his big house in the suburbs, pay off your debts, take care of you? Like a good little housewife?”
“That’s not the same,” I grumbled. Like a sulking teenager, I trailed off into uncomfortable silence. As much as I hated to admit it, Zach had a point. Hunching over the ashtray, I ground out the cigarette and unhappily sipped my drink. “Besides, that’s your fault. Lex wouldn’t have entered the picture again if you hadn’t put a hit out on me.”
“I wasn’t responsible for that.”
“Lemme guess, it was Laura’s idea?” I asked, and Zach nodded in reply. “There’s a big surprise. Doesn’t she outrank you, vampire-wise? What’s stopping her from taking me out whenever her panties get in a twist?”
Zach chuckled, apparently amused at the image. “I won’t let that happen.”
“Exactly how are you going to stop her? Sure, you’ve got more money than some third-world countries, but you’re just a baby by vamp standards. I’m surprised she listens to you at all.”
“Because I am stronger than she is, but it’s nothing you need to be concerned about. I’ll escort you back to your room now. I’m sure you’ll need time to think things over.
Would you like to take the strawberries back to your suite?”
I eyed them for a moment, and then decided it would be a crime to let them go to waste. “Sure.”
The trip to my luxury cell was silent, and I still couldn’t memorize the twists and turns of the hallway maze. Something about the faerie ward must have messed with my internal sense of direction. I wasn’t sure what Zach intended to do once we reached our destination, and to my surprise he walked into the suite behind me, set the tray of strawberries down on the table, and then stood gazing around the room.
“If you’re looking for the disaster area it’s in the closet, otherwise I’ve been very well behaved.” Folding my arms across my chest, I followed after the vampire as he went to investigate my destructive tendencies. Unlike Laura’s somewhat violent reaction, Zach merely surveyed the slaughter with quiet curiosity.
“Nice.” He shook his head, bemused.
“You’re taking it much better than Laura. She tried to hit me.”
“Did she?” Zach turned toward me. Touching my chin, he tilted my face from side to side as though checking for bruises he hadn’t noticed before. “Obviously she only encountered your shields. You should consider yourself lucky. Laura isn’t a woman easily trifled with.”
“Hmph, if I were lucky I wouldn’t be here in the first place,” I muttered. When he didn’t remove his hand from my face I leaned away from his touch.
“Have we been so cruel to you?”
“You bit me.”
The vampire sighed. “Aside from that incident, has your stay truly been that bad? Were you dressed in rags and chained in the dungeon with only bread and water to survive on? Tortured? Interrogated?”
“No.” I squirmed under his regard.
“You look at me and you see the demons from your past, but I am not the monster you would make me out to be,” he said quietly. “Is that so difficult for you to accept?”
