Fanged & Fabulous ib-2

by Мишель Роуэн

  “So open it.”

  I looked at the courier form on the front. Whatever it was came from New York City.

  It was a little too flat to be anything all that scary. I hoped. With my luck it was just one very large piece of junk mail. Or a huge bill.

  I tore the strip down the side. There were a few layers of bubble wrap I waded through before I got to an envelope.

  “There’s an envelope,” George pointed out.

  “I see that.”

  I grabbed it, tore it open, and saw that it was the shipping receipt. Whatever it was had been ordered personally by Thierry.

  I looked at the box again and removed the last scrap of bubble wrap.

  George gasped.

  “It’s me,” I said.

  And it was. My reflection, anyhow. Reflected in a full-length, oval shard, as tall as I was.

  “You are so lucky!” George said. “Holy crap, I hope somebody bombs my place so I can get one, too.

  So worth it.”

  I could only imagine how much something like this cost, or how hard it would have been to find a shard of this size and have it delivered so quickly after I lost the first one in my apartment.

  I was completely speechless. Other than the first shard Thierry gave me, it was the most generous,

  thoughtful gift I’d ever received in my entire life.

  And it did officially confirm that I looked like hell today.

  “What an amazing gift,” George said, after no sound came out of me for a moment. “The man is obviously crazy about you.”

  Barkley nodded. “It’s true. Werewolves are very perceptive about love.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. What must Thierry think of me? This was supposed to have been delivered yesterday, according to the papers. Did he think I had gotten it and just didn’t mention it? That I wasn’t grateful?

  “He must have sent this right after my apartment blew up. After yesterday, I can’t imagine that he’d still feel that way about me. If he ever did at all.”

  Barkley hitched his towel up a bit. “What are you talking about?”

  I swallowed hard. “He caught me kissing Quinn yesterday. Well, Quinn kissed me, but it’s not like I was trying to stop him or anything.”

  “Quinn is hot.” George sighed. “Have I said that before? And hold on a minute, you kissed him?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything. Thierry’s the one I want to be with.”

  George’s expression turned serious. “And what about your little accident there on your neck?”

  I touched it, then inspected the fang marks in the shard, a fading bruise with two darker red marks. It was quite ugly, but it didn’t hurt at all. The only thing that hurt was the memory of what had happened.

  The look in Thierry’s eyes when he’d realized what he’d done. “This was an accident. And it scared the crap out of me at the time. But until this happened, I thought that Thierry was perfect and flawless and basically untouchable, but he’s not. He’s got problems, just like me. Is it wrong for me to say this makes me love him even more than I already did?”

  “Not wrong,” George said. “Crazy, yes. But not wrong.”

  “Sorry to interject,” Barkley said. “But Thierry looked pretty pissed when he left here. I’m thinking he’s not going to want to take me on any more walks.”

  I frowned. “He took you on walks? Really?”

  “Not so much, but he opened the door for me like a pro.”

  “So what should I do now?”

  George blinked at me. “What do you want to do?”

  I looked at my horrendous appearance in the mirror. “Well, I need to have a shower.”

  “An excellent start.”

  “Put on some makeup.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “And then . . . ” I yanked the Duran Duran T-shirt down a bit. “And then I’m going to go see Thierry.”

  “And then?”

  I grinned. “And then what I do is none of your business.”

  “That’s not very nice.”

  “Wait a minute,” Barkley said. “What about me? Who’s going to take me out for a walk later?”

  I glanced at him. “Seriously?”

  He shrugged. “It’s okay. George is here. He’ll take care of me.”

  George looked at him. “You’re not gay, are you?”

  “Not the last time I checked.”

  “I hate my life.”

  The phone rang. George screamed in pain before grabbing it off the hook. “What?” he snapped, paused for a second, and then held it out to me. “It’s your favorite.”

  My breath caught and I took the phone from George and held it to my ear. “Thierry?”

  “It’s Barry.”

  “Well, it rhymes. Sort of.” I twisted the phone cord around my finger. Talk about a lunch bag letdown.

  “What do you want?”

  “Amy isn’t speaking to me.”

  “Well, that would be because she thinks you’re cheating on her.”

  “You need to bring her to the party later.”

  I sighed and shifted the phone so I could rub my throbbing temples. “What time do you need her there?”

  “Six-thirty. And remember, this is asurprise .”

  “Yeah, I figured that out due to it being a surprise party. Where is she?”

  “She’s getting her hair done. You can find her at Style V.”

  Style V was a vampire salon. Two birds with one stone. I could make an appointment for my nails while

  I was there. Excellent.

  There was a long pause and for a moment I thought he’d hung up on me. “Why doesn’t Amy trust me?”

  He sounded . . . upset. Dismayed. And frankly, a little heartbroken.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  “But you’re her best friend. You know her. What have I done to make her think that I’d cheat on her at the first opportunity I get?”

  I sighed. I couldn’t stand Barry and the feeling was obviously mutual, but I hated hearing that somebody else was in pain when I could help a little. “Amy’s been burned a lot in the past. She’s got that sunny personality and her heart has always been wide open to the thought of being in love. I guess she’s built up more scar tissue than she even realizes. She assumes up front, probably subconsciously, that whoever she’s with is going to break her heart sooner or later. It’s a defense mechanism.”

  “What can I do about it?”

  “You’re asking me? I thought I was on your shit list this week.”

  He paused. “Your dealings with the master have nothing to do with this. It still angers me that you have yet to remove your selfish, chaotic presence from his life, but I am asking you purely out of my love for

  Amy.”

  “Well, gee. Don’t go sugarcoat it or anything.” I sighed again. “Just be patient with her. Prove yourself enough to her and she’ll come around.”

  “That’s not terribly comforting.”

  “You want comfort? Crochet an afghan. See you at six-thirty.”

  “Don’t be late.”

  The phone clicked as he hung up.

  I left the half-naked werewolf and vampire and went to get ready, using my cool new, less portable but much more practical shard to make myself look as good as vampirically possible given that I had a hangover the size of Texas to deal with. From my new wardrobe, I picked a simple pair of black pants and a warm, slightly fuzzy white sweater.

  And then I went to Haven to tell Thierry that I was still crazy. About him.

  Chapter 15

  Haven was empty and silent when I got there, but I expected that. It was only midafternoon and usually nobody would be there at all. But I knew Thierry was. My vampire nose could smell his cologne, light on the air. I followed the scent to his office, the door open a crack. I knocked lightly before I pushed it all the way open.

  He sat behind his desk, fingers curled around a glass of light-colored liquid. I frowned. Not cranberry juice. I i
nhaled slightly. Whiskey. Hmm. I’d never seen Thierry drink alcohol before. Strange.

  Just seeing him made me smile. “Hi there.”

  “Sarah,” he responded.

  I bit my bottom lip, feeling suddenly shy. I reached up to twist the gold necklace I’d decided at the last minute to now wear for safekeeping around my neck. I hoped it wouldn’t turn me into a werewolf or anything. I wanted to show it to Thierry, to see what he thought about it, but there were other things to take care of first.

  “Just for the record, the naked guy? Was Barkley. He changed back to human before finding a pair of jeans.”

  He nodded. “The werewolf.”

  “Right.”

  “I see.” He took a sip of his drink, his gaze steady on me. “Did you come here to tell me that?”

  “Yes. And I wanted to see you.”

  “Me specifically.”

  “Of course.”

  His small smile was enough to give me courage to continue. “I got the shard. It was delivered earlier.

  Thierry . . . you shouldn’t have. It must have cost so much.”

  “You were so distraught about losing your other one. It was the least I could do. Especially after putting you through additional stress with Nicolai in town.”

  I approached him as he rose to his feet and threw my arms around him. “Thank you so much. I love it.”

  “You’re very welcome.” He leaned into my embrace. I felt his warm lips brush sensuously against my neck before he tensed and pulled away from me. “Sarah, I think we need to have a talk.”

  He looked mega serious. I didn’t think I wanted to have a “talk” with Thierry when he looked that serious.

  “So is everything set for the party later?” I asked, stabbing blindly at an innocuous subject that might lead us away from dangerous territory.

  He looked at me blankly for a moment, then rubbed his forehead. “Yes. I believe so. Barry has been here a few times already today setting things up.”

  Another question. Right now. Think, Sarah.

  “Have you known Barry for a long time?”

  “A very long time.”

  “How long?”

  He pressed his lips together. “Is this the continuation of our question-and-answer session from the other night?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe it is. I didn’t get to ask you too much then.”

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, you didn’t. I . . . Sarah, I . . . ”

  I waved my hand before he had a chance to say anything else. “So why don’t we continue?”

  His gaze turned soft as he looked at me for a moment. “Very well.”

  “Do you want to go toMexico again?”

  “Your question is not what I would have expected.” He blinked. “I’d never been toMexico before. It was an experience.”

  “A good experience?”

  I thought about our trip. I was originally supposed to have taken the trip with Amy. It had been something we’d both been incredibly excited about. A little sun, a little sand. A lot of fun. All-inclusive.

  Bottomless Raspberry Margaritas. The brochures had looked so good I’d tacked them up on my fridge at home and in my cubicle at work. Then the shit had hit the fan.

  After I was vampified, my whole world turned upside down. But after everything settled down and I was actually sitting on a beach with Thierry at my side, it seemed like a dream come true. And it was. We’d had a wonderful time. Even after the sunburn from hell. I’d never managed to convince him to wear a bathing suit and frolic in the ocean, but you can’t have everything. Besides, Thierry wasn’t really a frolicking kind of guy.

  “Mexicowas . . . ” He hesitated before continuing. “Unusual.”

  “Unusual?”

  He gestured as if he was having a difficult time finding the right words to describe our fun in the hot,

  blistering sun. He finally came up empty and met my gaze. “I was out of sorts there, Sarah. I don’t know if I’d return.”

  I felt a heavy thud of disappointment. “There are other places we can go.”

  He shook his head. “Being there . . . with you . . . ” he pressed his lips together for a moment. “Made me forget myself.”

  I frowned at that. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It was wrong of me to go, for us to go to such a place potentially filled with danger. You have the ability to make me forget—to want to forget—but the past few days have been the reminder I’ve needed. Such distractions can only do harm.”

  It was like he was speaking Latin to me. All I could hear him saying was that he didn’t enjoy himself with me in Mexico. His jaw was tense and when he looked at me his gaze was guarded—as guarded as it had ever been.

  I forced a smile to my lips. “Well, just try to say that after we’ve gone to Disney World.”

  “Sarah—”

  “It’s the happiest place on earth, you know.”

  He shook his head, his eyes stern, but a smile played at his lips. “You are incorrigible.”

  “I actually have a T-shirt that says that. It has sparkles.”

  “After all this time, you have yet to embrace the uniqueness of your situation. You have spent the last two months living life as you always have. Going out at any time during the day or night with barely any heed to your own safety, despite the dangerous situations you’ve found yourself in time and time again.

  You told me just last week that your parents expect you to come and visit them soon.”

  I put a hand on my hip, feeling awkward at the direction of this conversation. “I’m going to tell them I’m a vampire. Eventually. My mother is a huge Buffy fan. She might be excited for me.”

  He sighed. “You shouldn’t tell them anything. You should simply not see them. It is safer that way. For them and for you.”

  “There’s no such thing as safe, Thierry. I’m seeing that more and more every day.”

  “There is. I have survived for nearly seven centuries by paying attention to my surroundings. To make certain I am in no immediate danger.”

  I faked a yawn. “Sounds really exciting.”

  “It’snot exciting. But it is necessary for survival. Have you not witnessed this for yourself? The danger you’ve faced in the last few days? Hunters will never give up, whether or not they think you are a great threat to their safety. Nicolai’s malevolent presence in town has only increased the level of risk.”

  “Nicolai isn’t that bad. I think you two just don’t like each other.”

  I immediately cringed as I remembered what Nicolai had told me about his wife. About Thierry. An accident so long ago.

  His expression softened. “You’re so young.”

  I moved toward him and put my hands on his chest, then moved them up to tangle in his dark hair.

  Enough with this interrogation. I didn’t care about hunters, or bodyguards, or necklaces, or old mistakes,

  or vampire elders other than the one in front of me right that moment. I just wanted Thierry to kiss me.

  Nothing else mattered.

  He took my hand in his and, as if he’d read my thoughts, pressed his lips against it. My heart did a little cartwheel and I smiled at him.

  “I’m not that young.” I paused. “You know, my high school reunion is coming up soon. I got an invitation last week. Ten years. I can’t believe it.”

  He shook his head. “See? You jump from one subject to the next like a hummingbird trying to find the sweetest flower. Your life is in constant danger, yet you speak of silly things that would only matter to a human.”

  “High school reunions are not silly. Stressful? Yes. And somewhat nausea-inducing since I don’t have anything to wear.” I caught his look and shrugged at him. “I am an enigma.”

  He squeezed my hand and let it go. “And I am caught up in your enthusiasm for life. You make me forget myself, Sarah. In Mexico. And here.”

  I took a deep breath and studied him. So guarded and yet so uncertain as he looked at m
e.

  “All right, so Mexico as a yearly destination is out. I get that.” I looked at him directly and raised an eyebrow. “Though they did have that nice hot tub in our room, remember?”

  His gaze grew more intense, but then he looked away. “Yes, it did have that.”

  That hot tub was a definite highlight of the week. Several highlights, in fact. I smiled at the memory.

  Then the smile vanished as I remembered that the only highlights since we returned were the ones in my hair. And even those were fading.

  I absently brushed my fingers against my neck, feeling the fang marks from the other night. They felt rough against my fingers. My eyes flicked to him. He stared at my neck with a pained look on his face. I removed my hand from my neck and my hair fell back into place.

  “You were going to tell me how you met Barry.”

  “I was?”

  “Sure. Did you pick him up at a flea market? Was he on sale?”

  His expression shadowed. “You mustn’t joke about buying slaves. It is something I have witnessed personally over the years in many places and is a cruel, barbaric practice.”

  I blanched. “I didn’t mean to. I . . . Barry just makes me always want to say mean things about him. I know I shouldn’t.”

  “He can be difficult. I understand that. And I haven’t seen him extend you any courtesies, either, so don’t be alarmed. He is no innocent.”

  “No, he’s not. But I shouldn’t be such a bitch to him. I know that. And he really does love Amy. I can’t figure out their relationship at all, but if she would stop being so paranoid and he would stop being so secretive, I actually think they might be perfect for each other.”

  Hint, hint.

  “Two people so vastly different from each other?” he said. “You truly believe they have a chance for future happiness?”

  “If they want it enough, then yes. I believe it. But their problems are pretty tall. Much, much taller than

  Barry.” I frowned. “See? I can’t help myself. I’m such a bitch.”

  “No. You are simply fiercely protective of your friend’s happiness.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “Perhaps.” That smile played again on his lips. “And perhaps I reacted so quickly to your flippant comment about how Barry and I met because it comes so close to the truth. I met him at a traveling fair in England two centuries ago where he was held against his will and forced to show himself in a humiliating spectacle.”