by Devon, Cat
“There would have been fang marks on her throat,” Pat said, trying to stay logical. “There weren’t.”
“Maybe there were and you compelled people to forget.” But her words were weaker now as her instincts strongly told her that Nick was not lying. “I want to believe you.” Her voice was thick with emotion.
“Then do.” He gently pulled her into his arms and rubbed his hands up and down her back in a motion that was incredibly soothing.
She briefly rested her forehead on his shoulder. This was the man who’d saved her life. The vampire who’d saved her life. She had the feeling that had he wanted her dead, she’d be dead. She also had the feeling that Pat was telling the truth. Human stupidity had caused her mother’s death, not supernatural beings.
“Better now?” Nick asked her.
She nodded and stepped away.
“We’ve been trying to figure out why you are immune to compelling,” Bruce said.
“Because I’m stubborn,” she replied. “Cheerful but stubborn. Or so I’ve been told.”
“Plenty of humans are stubborn. They can still be compelled. But there’s something special about you.”
She saw the three of them share a look. “What? What was that about?”
“Maybe you should ask your dad when he comes back in a few days,” Nick said.
“What? Ask him why I can’t be compelled by the neighborhood vampires? Sure, that makes perfect sense. Not. You just swore me to secrecy and now you want me talking to my dad?”
“Not about us. About you. About your past.”
“What about my past? Do you three know something I don’t?” she demanded.
“I’m sure we know a great deal more than you do,” Nick mocked.
“Very funny. That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. There’s something else you’re keeping from me.”
“We’ve told you what we can. More than we’ve told any other human,” Nick said.
“Then why stop now?” Daniella said. “Especially if this secret concerns me. I have a right to know.”
“Give your father a chance to tell you first,” Nick said.
“To tell me what?”
All three remained silent.
Sensing that Bruce was the most empathetic of the group, she focused her attention on him. “Please. I have to know.”
Bruce shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine. Be that way.” She’d had it with the bunch of them. “It’s time for you all to leave.”
“Actually, that’s something else we need to discuss,” Nick said.
“Pardon me if I’ve had enough exposure to vampires for one day.” She directed her sarcasm at him. “I want you out. Now.”
“The incident today indicates that our rival vamp clan is ramping up their efforts to get you. Therefore, we need to ramp up our security,” Nick said.
“I’ve already got security systems.”
“You need a full-time bodyguard,” Nick said.
“You’re volunteering for the job.”
“I wouldn’t call it volunteering, exactly,” he said.
“Then what would you call it?”
“Filling a need,” he said.
She was sure he deliberately made his voice go all husky and sexy. “I don’t want you filling my needs.”
“Don’t you?
“No. Absolutely not.”
“You’d rather be attacked by a rogue vampire than be protected by one who will put your safety first?” he said.
“I’d rather not have to deal with vampires at all,” she retorted.
“That’s no longer an option,” he said.
“It really is for your own good,” Bruce said.
“Better the vampire you know than the one you don’t,” Pat said. “It’s in our own best interests to keep you safe.”
“Not all vampires are created equal. Some are stronger than others. Some are more evil than others,” Nick said. “More violent.”
“And where do you guys fall within that spectrum?”
“Strong,” Nick said. “Not evil. Not violent unless we have to be.”
She sank back into her chair. “So what exactly are you suggesting?” she said.
“That I’m with you twenty-four/seven,” Nick said. “That I go where you go.”
“And how am I supposed to explain why you are in the cupcake shop at five in the morning while we’re baking?”
“You won’t even know I’m there.”
“How do plan on accomplishing that?” she demanded. “Do you have a cape that makes you invisible like Harry Potter?”
“No.”
“And what about after work? What about at night?”
Nick tilted his head toward the other side of the room. “Your couch looks comfortable.”
“It’s not. Even if it was, there’s no way I’m having you in my apartment while I sleep.”
“Why? Because I’m a vampire?”
“Because you’re you.”
“So you’ve said before. I still don’t know what that’s supposed to mean,” he said.
She ran her hands along the arm of her favorite chair. The soft linen felt surprisingly comforting against her skin. She needed comfort now because she was becoming overwhelmed with this all. “What about when you’re asleep?” she said.
“Vampires don’t need much sleep,” he said.
“I thought they spent half their time in coffins and stuff,” she said.
Bruce rolled his eyes.
“Excuse me if I don’t know the sleep protocol for vampires,” she said sarcastically.
“You’re excused,” Bruce said. “There are a lot of urban myths out there about vampires.”
“Like the fact that you exist?”
Bruce frowned. “Of course we exist.”
“She may be trying to convince herself again that she’s in a coma,” Nick told Bruce.
“Don’t be silly, Daniella,” Bruce said. “Of course you’re not in a coma. Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m talking to vampires,” she said. “And they’re talking back to me.”
“Would it be better if we didn’t talk back?” Bruce asked.
She shook her head.
“Do you at least believe now that we didn’t have anything to do with your mother’s death?” Bruce said.
“I don’t know.” She eyed them all warily. “And I am not approving that overnight plan, either. Besides, you have businesses to run.”
“We have staff for that,” Nick said.
“Do they know you’re vampires?” She saw the answer on Bruce’s face. “No way! Your staff are all vampires, too?”
“We tend to stick together in small groups,” Bruce said.
“How small?”
“Two or three dozen.”
“I don’t get it. How have you stayed under the radar?” she said.
“We’ve vampified the neighborhood. Not many humans hang out here.”
“This is too weird for me,” she said. “I can’t process this.” She put her hand to her head. “I’m getting a headache.”
Nick gently moved her hand aside and checked her for bruises. “Did you hit the pavement? I thought I caught you in time.”
His touch was so gentle, so human, so sexy. She stared at his face, searching for some sign that he was different.
“Looking for my fangs?” he said.
“To quote your friend Pat, let’s be logical here,” she said. “First you inform me that not only are you a vampire, but most of the neighborhood is as well. Then you tell me that not only do vampires exist, but some of them are trying to harm me. Yet I’m supposed to just say Sure, move on in, Nick. Let’s have a sleepover pajama party. No problem.”
“Of course there will be problems. But they won’t be as bad as you falling into the wrong hands and being taken. This wasn’t the first time they tried to grab you. Remember those guys in the alley?”
“The gang members?
”
“They were vampires. Outsiders.”
“From the Gold Coast clan,” Pat said.
Her eyes widened. “Gold Coast? You mean like ultra-wealthy bankers and brokers? Vampire bankers and brokers?”
“The vamps in the alley were hired help,” Bruce said. “The Gold Coast clan wear much better clothing. Armani suits. I’ll never forget the first time I saw their leader, Miles. He’s over six feet tall, and was wearing a very natty pin-striped suit with a purple tie and matching pocket square. He has excellent posture, silver hair, and a dapper mustache.”
“You’re saying vampire bankers and brokers are after me?” Daniella said.
“They are cutthroat dangerous,” Pat quietly said. “Especially Miles the Mustache. Do not underestimate the havoc they can create.”
She could believe that. Just look at what they’d done to the economy with their greed. “Did vampires cause the global recession with the mortgage derivative thingies?”
“They weren’t all vampires,” Bruce said. “Most were human. You can’t blame everything bad on vampires. That’s racist. You shouldn’t do that.” He paused before admitting, “That wasn’t easy for me to tell you. To quote Len Goodman, the Dancing with the Stars judge who says he’s misquoting Churchill—‘The three hardest things in the world are to climb a wall that’s leaning toward you, to kiss a girl who’s leaning away from you, and to criticize someone who’s looking at you.’ I’m not good about criticizing someone when they’re looking at me,” he told Daniella.
“If we can get back to the matter at hand,” Nick said impatiently.
“Nick was in the British army,” Bruce said. “Therefore he likes giving orders and doesn’t care for chitchat.”
“We can’t all be former clowns,” Nick growled.
“Once a clown, always a clown,” Bruce said proudly.
“You were in the British army?” she asked Nick, who nodded curtly.
“Which is why he’s an excellent bodyguard,” Bruce said.
“You mean like James Bond or MI5? That kind of British army?” she asked.
“Close enough,” Nick said.
She wanted to know more about Nick. Clearly the only way she’d find out was to ask questions. “Why don’t you have an English accent?”
“Because I’ve lived in this country a long time.”
“How long? I’m not just being nosy. I need to know more about you before I can decide whether to let you protect me.”
“She’s right,” Pat said.
“How about I’ll tell you more about me if you behave and go along with the bodyguard plan?” Nick countered.
“Behave? You mean I should just be a good little girl and go along with what the nice vampire wants?” Her outrage came across in her curt voice as she stood to face him.
“Right.”
She glared at him. “Wrong!”
“He’s already saved your life twice,” Pat quietly pointed out. “You really don’t want to risk a third time, do you?”
“Isn’t there something I can do to protect myself from vampires?” she said. “What about garlic?”
“Smells bad but doesn’t bother us,” Nick said.
“A crucifix? A Bible?”
“Keep them handy if they make you feel better,” he said.
“Will they keep vampires away?”
“No.”
“What does?”
“Fire,” he said bluntly.
“So you’re saying I should sleep with a flamethrower in my bed?” she said.
Nick actually grinned. “It sounds sexy when you put it that way.”
She socked his arm before she could stop herself. Hitting a vampire may not have been the smartest thing to do, but she couldn’t resist. “So we’re back to me trusting you on blind faith.”
“Trust your gut,” Nick told her.
“How do I know you won’t suck out my gut?”
“Zombies do that, not vampires.”
“My instincts never told me you were a vampire,” Daniella pointed out.
“What did they tell you about me?” he said.
“That there was something strange about you.”
“Exactly,” Nick said. “Your instincts were correct.”
The problem was that her instincts warned her that while he might not want to physically harm her, he remained a powerful temptation. Instead of being turned off by his admission of being a vampire, she was strangely honored that he’d trusted her enough to share his deepest secret with her.
Not that she could be sure being a vampire was his deepest secret; she just couldn’t imagine anything else that would be as big a headline. And he hadn’t exactly trusted her. He had threatened her brother if she told anyone. But at least he hadn’t threatened to suck Gordon’s blood. He hadn’t threatened to suck her blood, either.
She should not be finding him sexy at this point. No way. She wasn’t into the vampire lust stuff. Really, she wasn’t. At least she never had been in the past, although the canceled TV show Moonlight was a guilty pleasure of hers.
Okay, maybe she was more into vampires than she realized. Did that explain her attraction to Nick? Was it because she’d somehow sensed that he was a vampire?
She supposed that made as much sense as anything else she’d seen or heard today. It was all pretty outrageous stuff. So how would Nick staying with her 24/7 work out? She wasn’t about to sleep with a flamethrower, despite him thinking that sounded a little sexy.
She did have a small butane torch that she used to brown the top of crème brûlée. She supposed she could stash that on her bedside table. Along with condoms.
Whoa, where did that thought come from? No way she was having sex with a vampire. It probably wasn’t even possible … or was it?
“Okay, you can stay,” she told Nick. “For one night. After that … we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Stiffer. You’re not stiff enough.” Daniella glared at the contents of the bowl as she spoke directly to it. “You’re frosting. You need to be stiffer, not all gloppy.” She resumed frantically beating the contents. “Stiffer and stiffer.”
Daniella’s admonition was enough to make Nick stiff and as hard as her granite countertop. Her focus remained on the bowl of frosting, however. She was clearly in cooking mode.
Bruce and Pat had cleared out an hour ago, promising to secure Daniella’s pink Vespa for her. The second they left, Daniella had leapt up and headed for her kitchen. She’d started grabbing ingredients and mixing bowls.
“What are you doing?” he’d asked, still concerned that she might have hit her head when they fell and that her actions therefore could be confused.
“I have to bake,” she’d growled. “Do not try to stop me.”
“You might want to rest…”
She gave him an icy glare.
“Or maybe not,” he’d allowed.
Nick was still trying to recover from a day that had gone to hell and back. When he’d seen that huge Hummer heading straight for Daniella, he’d felt a stab of fear. Only now was he able to identify it as such because it had been so long since he’d experienced it.
He’d felt a moment of terror that he wouldn’t be able to reach Daniella in time to save her. He’d gone vamp full throttle and in doing so had saved her life but exposed his secret. Not just his secret, but the secret of the entire neighborhood.
Looking back and reviewing his actions, Nick couldn’t think what else he could have done. He supposed Daniella had taken the news well, all things considered. Once she realized she wasn’t in a coma and imagining everything, she seemed to handle his confession without too much hysteria.
Yes, there was the incident regarding her mother’s death, but they’d handled that. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said that vamps had nothing to do with her mother’s tragic accident.
Even then, she’d gotten furious and somewhat scared, but hadn’t totally freaked out. No tears or fits of th
e vapors.
All this logical introspection was intended to distract him from her comment about being stiff. Hearing those words from her lush lips had a ridiculously powerful effect on him. Even now, his attention was drawn again and again to her mouth.
She paused in her vigorous beating of butter and sugar to stare at him. “Can vampires eat? Real food I mean.”
“No.”
“So you lied when you said you’d sampled my cupcakes.”
His mind flew back to their first meeting, when she’d tried to coax him to sample her wares. He’d known then that she’d be more than he’d bargained for. But he’d been confident in his ability to manage her.
“Yes, I lied.”
She slid a batch of chocolate cupcakes into the oven before turning to face him. “That must be hard. Not being able to eat food. Don’t you miss it?”
He shook his head. Another lie but he was good at that. He’d had centuries of practice.
“So how ancient are you?”
He took her hand and placed it on his chest. “Do I feel ancient?”
He could hear her heartbeat increase, and her voice sounded husky. “I thought vampires were supposed to be pale and skinny.”
“Some are.”
Nick knew he was playing with fire but he couldn’t seem to stop.
* * *
Daniella knew she was playing with fire but she couldn’t seem to stop. She could feel the warmth of Nick’s muscular chest beneath the thin cotton of his Henley T-shirt but she couldn’t pull her hand away.
Would it be easier to cope with all this vampire stuff if she wasn’t so darn sexually attracted to him? She wished she could go back to that first day in his bar before she’d fallen under his spell—spell being the operative word here. “You’re sure you can’t compel me?”
He nodded. “I tried really, really hard.”
“And you’re not compelling me right now?”
“Compelling you to do what?”
“Anything.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Why? What are you feeling?”
“More affectionate than I should with a vampire,” she muttered, pulling her hand away.
