by Amy Corwin
“Merge with those who followed the Bankes here. That’ll increase your number to nearly one hundred. A strong clan, the strongest ever seen here.”
“We’ve no blood link with those heathens, nothing to bind them to us.”
“Induct them.”
“Induct them? What do you know of such things?”
“I know you can force them to share blood with you. You taste of theirs, they of yours. Make them your clan.”
Sutton studied him with eyes deep with suspicion. “And how would a human know of such things?”
“Humans have been around as long as you. We’ve learned a thing or two.” Kethan leaned back in his chair and looped an arm over the back, striving for nonchalance. There were some secrets best left buried, like his own past. “A good negotiator always learns what he can of those with whom he bargains.”
“The Church! That’s where you learned our ways.” Sutton turned his head and spat on the floor. “The bloody, high-and-mighty Church. They keep their secrets and ours alike, so I should’ve guessed as much. Well, we can share blood, right enough, but who’s to say they were willing?”
“Aren’t you the master? A master vampire could force them to obey, to join his clan or perish.”
“Aye, I be master, damn you. But strangers?” He shook his head. “Can I trust them? I know my brothers. We came here together, have been here together for over four hundred years. When you know what a man’s made of, you can trust him.”
“Then you refuse? If there’s no agreement, I’ll have to inform the Church. They’ll be free to use whatever means they believe are necessary to protect the innocents.”
“Then let them slay the heathens—”
“They must do what they believe is right,” Kethan countered easily, rubbing his neck as if bored. “If they set the Jesuits to vampire-slaying, well, I suspect they’ll kill vampires. I doubt they’ll ask first which clan.”
“Then we’ll take what we need from the humans to protect ourselves!”
“And so you’ll have weak fledglings, and you’ll face the Church, the remnants of the southern clan, and the Red Dragon should she chose to test your strength despite the buffer zone.”
“Enough fledglings for cannon fodder!”
“How long do you think you’ll last? How long before your own clan turns in on itself with squabbles and rivalry to wrest control from a leader too weak to protect them on three fronts?”
“I be strong enough!”
“Peace,” Father Donatello said. “There is no need for threats.”
“You weren’t strong enough to fight the vampire who made you.” Quicksilver countered, ignoring Father Donatello’s attempt to defuse the mounting tension. “What makes you think you’re strong enough to fight the Red Dragon?”
Kethan caught her glance and nodded. “You can’t afford this, Mr. Sutton. That’s why you agreed to these negotiations. Nothing has changed. Only two vampires are dead, the two who were your immediate threat.”
“And she,” Sutton pointed to Quicksilver, “has changed. You changed her, to your sorrow. The Church has no warriors to compare with her. She’ll do no killing, now. She’s lost her taste for it. So perhaps we’ve nothing to fear.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Quicksilver raised her head. Her eyes gleamed. “I’ve still got my weapons. All I need is a reason, one small reason, like a dead girl.”
“The fury’s gone.” Sutton shook his head and rubbed the smug grin tugging his lips. “I’ve seen that.”
“I don’t need to be insane with anger to use the whips. So if I were you, I wouldn’t rely on that saving you.” She glanced at Kethan and blushed. “If this doesn’t work out, that is.”
Sutton shrugged, but Kethan saw a flicker of wariness in the vampire’s eyes.
“So what terms?” Sutton asked, his voice casual, his gaze fixated on a spot seven inches above Kethan’s left shoulder.
“Embrace the southern clan. Take them into your own and agree to consort only with willing adults and to drain none. You regulate the size of your clan.”
“And what do we get in exchange?”
“I’ll convince the Church you’re no longer a danger to our souls. We won’t search for your resting place. You may sleep in peace during the day.”
“’Tis not much.”
It was Kethan’s turn to shrug. “It’s the best you’re going to get.”
“What of the Toltecs? And the Red Dragon?”
“They are not here. I can’t speak for them. The clans are as they’ve always been. However, I’ll offer this. If you honor this agreement, we’ll stand at your back if the need arises.”
“The Church would fight for us?”
“I would. And Quicksilver.”
“I—” Quicksilver jerked in her chair and stared at Kethan before nodding slowly. Reluctance sharpened her delicate features. “Yes. Fine. If you hold to your agreement and don’t touch any children.” Her words grew hard with determination. “Particularly anyone from the orphanage at the Convent of the Weeping Madonna. You leave them alone. You do that, and I’ll stand at your back. If the need arises.”
Sutton laughed. “I’m not sure that were a promise I’d wish to accept. Having you at my back does little to reassure me.”
“Better than the silver fall of my whip around your throat,” she replied dryly.
“’Tis better than that. Agreed.” He stood and after a long moment held out a hand to Kethan. “’Tis a bargain, then. Honor your word, and we’ll honor ours.”
Kethan stood slowly, his stiff muscles protesting as the tension left his body. “Agreed.”
Despite the glimmer of good spirits in Sutton’s eyes, the vampire could not resist a small show of strength. He nearly crushed Kethan’s hand in his grip.
A cruel, sarcastic light glowed in his eyes before he let go. “’Tis nearly dawn, then. Luck be with us that we never have cause to meet again.”
“Yeah,” Quicksilver agreed. “That would be lucky.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
For the first time in over a ten years, Quicksilver felt free. Exhausted and bruised, but free.
Free to do what?
The death of her parents saddened her. It hurt, but not as much as it should. She realized she’d given up on them years ago and had come to terms with their absence, her loss. Now, she just felt empty. Terrible to admit. Abnormal, even, but she couldn’t bring herself to cry for them.
She watched the others leave the room and docilely allowed Kethan to take her elbow and guide her out. He took her breath away as a deep longing filled her at his touch.
Was he done with her, too, now?
Heart pounding, she tried not to think about him. She was damaged goods, and although she was learning to control the anger lying submerged within her, she was far from healthy. The emptiness she felt over the death of her parents proved it.
Kethan wanted a wife, kids, and a double bed. Maybe even a dog. Not a one-night stand and not a woman who needed enough therapy to make your average psychiatrist into a multi-millionaire.
And what did she want?
She remembered her grandmother and her heart ached. She wanted a home, again, like she’d once had and to wake up to the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven.
The thought made her choke on tears she refused to shed. She eyed Kethan as he opened the car door for her. She wanted him, forever.
She wanted to wake up to find him next to her, because she loved him just like she’d admitted. She needed him, more than she’d ever needed anyone in her life. Love wasn’t just a word whispered in the dark to manipulate someone. Her chest tightened.
If there were any hope for her, any chance at normalcy, it lay within his arms.
Before she could think it through, she blurted out her worst fear. “How can you forgive me?”
“What?”
“How can killing a vampire be forgiven if I live by your rules?”
“It’s
never simple.” He held up a hand to give him time to walk around the front of the car. He climbed in next to her and looked at her, his eyes kind. “You acted in self-defense, just like I did tonight, just like you did, years ago. You have to forgive yourself. I forgave you a long time ago.” He smiled. “At least a week ago.”
“I….” Her hands twisted in her lap. Watching her, Kethan covered them with his warm palm. “I killed my father! My own father!”
“I’m sorry. I wish it hadn’t happened, that I could’ve prevented it—”
“Prevented it?” Her voice rose toward hysteria. “How could anyone have stopped it? They’ve been planning this for years, almost my entire adult life!” A sob cut her off. She wrapped her arms around herself and huddled in her seat. The numbness cracked ever so slightly. Hopeless grief flashed briefly, squeezing the breath out of her.
What was she going to do? She was alone now, really alone.
Kethan looped an arm around her and drew her against him, allowing her gasping tears to drain away her terrifying emotions.
Finally, when she raised her head, he brushed her damp cheeks with his fingers. “This isn’t the best time for declarations,” he said, “and you’ll probably spend the next hour trying to convince me I don’t know my own feelings, but I’m going to say it again. I love you.”
“You—” When she tried to speak, he pressed a finger against her lips. Then she realized he was right. She was going to try to tell him he was crazy. He didn’t know what he was saying. How could he?
He was blinded by sex. He’d been a priest too long.
“I love you,” he repeated more firmly.
Her heart fluttered. “Me, too!”
“Good.” He nodded with a grin twisting his mouth. “Loving yourself is the first step toward healthy self-esteem.”
A watery laugh escaped her as she gave him a mock hit on the shoulder. “You know what I meant. I love you.”
Her admission stopped him. He studied her as if suspected her of lying. “My past, the fact that I was a vampire once doesn’t bother you?”
“It might have, once, but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore. You found redemption and you’re human, that’s all the matters.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “I love you. I’m just so messed up I didn’t think you’d…. Well, you know what I mean.” She searched his face for a sign, any indication that he had doubts.
“I know, but if you think I don’t know my own mind, then you really are crazy. So now, where do we go from here?”
“Your house?” Joy made her giddy, hysterical, as it bubbled just above the deeper cauldron of desperation. “It’s almost time for breakfast. Don’t you have cinnamon rolls?”
“I suppose I could arrange that.”
“And….” What would make everything complete? “A dog. To keep the cat company.”
“A dog?” He shifted a little uncomfortably. “What’s this sudden desire for a dog?”
“You’ve opened entire new vistas for me!” She laughed, her mind going a mile-a-minute, dredging up all the things she’d denied herself over the years, all the things she wanted, all the things that could protect her from her pain, her grief. “I’ve never thought of settling down, having a home, a permanent place. We could have the cat and a dog! Both!” Her voice shook and she clutched his arm, needing it all: Kethan, a home, and animals to love them until there were children… She cut off the thought, afraid to hope for too much.
“But a dog? Cats and dogs don’t get along.” The puzzled look on his face made her light-headed with desire.
“Of course they do, once they get used to the idea. If I’m going to be domesticated, we need something else to guard the house, don’t you think?”
“Like a Chihuahua?”
She shook her head. Keep it light, don’t let him see how much you need this, need him. “Something big and mean, like a fila brasilia. Of course, you’d have to fence in the yard with something heavy duty, at least eight feet high.”
“Are you crazy? An attack dog? My insurance’ll go through the roof. What about a lab? Or maybe train the cat to attack.”
“Right.” She snorted to cover a sudden, near-sob. “Labs are too friendly. What about a pit bull?”
“Absolutely not. Doberman?” After a flickering grin, he settled firmly into in the familiar mode of negotiator.
His calmness allowed her to regain a fraction of her self-control although her body tightened another unbearable notch with desire. “Fine. I'll agree to a Doberman, but only if you agree to sex every night. No excuses.”
He sighed as if he recognized he was going to lose this battle. She smiled tremulously. Twenty years from now, she might regret this moment, this opening up of her heart to a man whose life consisted of words, but for now, it felt like coming home at last, something she’d never expected to feel again.
“Welcome back, Allison Bankes.” Kethan cupped her face in his hands before gently kissing her.
“Allison? I’m….” After the shock diminished, she realized he was right. Quicksilver had burned away. At least for the moment, she was released from her demon, the ferocious beast she’d harbored for so many years. She turned to him. “Wait a minute, you didn’t agree! What about a dog?”
And a real home.
“Marry me, and we’ll talk about it.”
“Who said anything about marriage?” Her heart pounded a deafening tattoo. Too soon!
“I did. Just now. No marriage, no sex.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Yes. So what’ll it be?”
“It’s too soon.”
“I’ve spent four hundred years waiting to ask that question. Frankly, it’s not soon enough. So what’s your answer?”
“I give up.” She laughed and lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender. “You win. I can’t go without sex, so it’ll have to be marriage.”
“Then there’s no problem. You can have anything your heart’s desire.”
She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him against her, brushing her lips against the strong line of his jaw and breathing in the scent of his skin. “Sex every night, a Doberman, and townhouse. And of course a new car—”
“Now, wait a minute, I draw the line at—”
“Oh, shut up.” She laughed. “You said anything.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Kiss me again, you fool.” She snuggled against him. When he put a heavy arm around her shoulders, warmth flooded through her. “Didn’t you know? A man and his car are soon parted.”
He put a stop to her words with a deep kiss. His lips held the taste of cinnamon and the indescribable sensation of coming home.
At last.
THE END
The Redemption Series
The Redemption series are paranormal romances spiced with mystery, danger and an “Urban Fantasy” feel that will keep readers enthralled. They do not have to be read in any particular order, but the first book in the series is Vampire Protector.
Vampire Protector ~ Vampires, a haunted house, and Gwen's evening is just starting.
An anonymous note sends Gwen on a mission to uncover a dark family secret that may be hidden in her long abandoned childhood home. When she asks her handsome neighbor, John, to accompany her, she’s not expecting much, except possibly help if she falls through any rotten floors. Unfortunately, that's her first mistake. John is a vampire and her house is not exactly empty. Secrets—and the dead—won’t always stay buried, and John’s extraordinary strength and determination may be all that can withstand what awaits them in the shadows.
Other Novels by Amy Corwin
The Archer Family Series
The Archer Family series are traditional Regency romances spiced with a mystery, and Escaping Notice is the latest in the series. The books all offer at least a glimpse of John Archer, the instigator of many a fateful adventure. He can’t seem to keep from dragging his nieces, nephews, and other unfor
tunate relatives, with him on escapades that invariably uncover a murder or two. Thankfully, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency is often on hand to help the Archers out of the worst of their troubles, when he’s allowed to do so.
While these books do not need to be read in order, the list below presents them in the most felicitous, chronological order to gain a true understanding of the mischief John Archer can create amongst his young, unattached family members.
The Necklace ~ A young woman, a scoundrel, and a family heirloom that might possibly be cursed.
The Necklace introduces John Archer and his exasperated niece, Oriana Archer, who is fed up trying to keep her uncle out of trouble. When Uncle John drags home yet another disreputable, wounded associate for her to nurse, she’s at her wit’s end. But there’s no rest for the weary, and Oriana soon discovers another of her uncle’s acquaintances, murdered in a way that points suspicion directly at her!
I Bid One American ~ An American heiress nobody wants; a duke every woman desires; and a murder no one expects.
In I Bid One American, Nathaniel Archer, Oriana’s brother, no sooner inherits a dukedom than he’s accused of murder. And his Uncle John’s schemes don’t help. Uncle John is the guardian to an American heiress he’s anxious to unload on the first, unwary, English peer, and Nathaniel looks as good as any, despite the shadow of a noose hanging above his head.
But Nathaniel is made of sterner stuff, or so he thinks, and he’s got more to worry about than romancing a singularly unromantic heiress when a dead debutante is found in his carriage.
The Bricklayer’s Helper ~ A masquerade turns deadly when a murderer discovers one of his victims survived.
The Bricklayer’s Helper features Sarah Sanderson, an orphaned girl disguised as a man and working as a bricklayer. She’s the sole surviving member of her family, murdered thirteen years ago in a terrible fire. She may, or may not, be the niece of John Archer, and John is determined to bring her back into the family by hiring one of the newest agents at the Second Sons Inquiry Agency. Unfortunately, when the killer realizes Sarah escaped, her life is threatened despite the efforts of the attractive inquiry agent and her matchmaking uncle.
