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“This isn’t happening. ” I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus. Impossible. I hadn’t seen daylight in forever. Instead of being thrilled, I was suddenly terrified.
“Afraid it is. ” He stepped closer and frowned down at me. “You okay?”
“I don’t know. I had another one of those nightmares. ” I tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed. “Oh, God, my stomach’s killing me. ”
“More nausea?” He sat on the side of the bed, careful to keep that pillow in position. I wasn’t so freaked-out that I didn’t notice his great build. Bodyguard requirement. Along with his superpowers. The handsome face, dark hair and dark eyes were just perks. No wonder Brittany was all over him.
“Not nausea. Guess I didn’t get enough healing vamp sleep to actually heal. I think I’m sore from my training session with Bill the pill. ” I yawned, exhausted. “How long before sunset?”
“About an hour. Are your feet okay? You said something about them being hot. ”
We both looked down at my bare feet. That was when I realized my long gown had ridden up to thigh high. Oops. I jerked it down.
“They’re just sore from too much jogging and cute shoes. ” I sighed. “I’m lucky you were there to catch me before I got to the balcony. If I’d actually gotten in the sun . . . ” I shuddered. “But that’s why I have my trusty bodyguard. ” I smiled at Rafe. “You’ll love this. I dreamed Mara and Mag burned me at the stake. ” I managed a chuckle. “Go figure. ”
“Sounds like a typical mortal nightmare. You and those two always manage to have heated words when you cross paths. ” Rafe grinned when I groaned, then he got serious again. “And your trusty bodyguard was asleep at the wheel to let you get as close as you did to that sunlight. I’m sorry, Glory. I’m going to be on high alert from now on. You look like hell, and that’s a fact. I’m worried about you. ”
I put my hand on his. “Thanks, Rafe. I’m okay, just tired and feeling every muscle in my body for a change. Guess this is what four hundred plus feels like. ”
Rafe shook his head. “Doubt it. That would be much, much worse, I imagine. Now, close your eyes. Maybe you can catch some more z’s. You obviously need them. ”
I glanced at Ray. He really was dead to the world. No movement at all. Pale. I laid my hand on his chest. Cool to the touch and no discernable heartbeat.
“You know Caine’s going to freak when he realizes you saw daylight, don’t you?”
“Don’t you dare tell him, Rafe. ” I grabbed his arm. “He’ll want to rush right out to Ian’s place and buy a chance at it. ” I groaned because I’d felt that sudden movement in every abused muscle.
“Maybe you should let him. ” Rafe looked down to where I held on to him. “MacDonald’s diet thing is working on you. ”
“True. But obviously there are side effects. ” I glanced at the open bedroom door. I could see the sunlight hitting the carpet in the suite’s living room. “Besides, I have trust issues with Ian MacDonald. Blade tasted my blood last night and said there was something off about it. So I had Ray taste it too. ” I shuddered. “Rafe, Ray thinks Ian is poisoning me. ”
“That does it. The man is dead. ” Valdez jumped up, pillow forgotten.
My jaw dropped, then I forced myself to shut my eyes. I cleared my throat. “We’ll discuss this when Ray and I get up at sunset. Guess you ought to shift back now. ”
“Relax, Glory. I’m decent. ”
More than decent. Oops. Didn’t say that out loud, did I? No, thank God. I stole a peek. Yeah, his pillow was back in place.
“You did save my butt today, pal. I would have fried if I’d made it to the balcony. ” My throat suddenly clogged.
“Damn straight. That’s why I changed, Glory. ” He reached out and touched my cheek. “You’re not coming to harm on my watch, lady. And that’s a promise. ”
I cleared my throat. “I know that. I’ve always known that. ‘Thank you’ seems pretty lame, but it’s all I’ve got. Thanks, Rafe. ” I sniffed, feeling weepy again. Like I had with Ray, the night before. I was blaming it on the diet stuff.
“You’re welcome. ” He smiled, his dimples brief punctuation marks that vanished too soon. “I’ll say it again: You never should have gotten so close to the balcony. I’ve gone soft or I’d have stopped you at the bedroom door. ”
I swept my eyes over him. Soft? Maybe the thick black hair that fell to his shoulders, but nothing else on this powerful man could ever be called soft. Tears filled my eyes. He’d risk everything for me without a second thought. I didn’t deserve it.
“I never should have started this. I’m an idiot. ”
Valdez firmed his lips. “No, you’re not. MacDonald’s slick. He’s obviously been running this con a long time. Just look at his video, Web site and fancy digs. ”
“Yeah. ” I sighed. “Tired. Sleep now. ” I closed my eyes. “Hey, V. ”
“What?”
I opened my eyes again and got a flash of his perfect dimpled buns. Sweet. I smiled. “It was nice to talk to you like this. Outside of my head for a change. ”
“Yeah, it was. See you later. ” He smiled and disappeared into the living room.
I snuggled next to Ray and realized that, aches and pains aside, I was incredibly lucky. I was literally surrounded by hot guys determined to protect me. No way did I deserve it, but I sure wasn’t going to turn any of them away.
“Okay, Glory, it’s time to figure out our next move. ” Ray pulled me down on the couch beside him.
I held back a scream when my sore thighs hit the seat. Valdez, safely back in Labradoodle guise, sat on the rug in front of us.
“The limo will be here to pick me up in about an hour. Ian will expect me to come out there to drink from Trina again. ”
“You’re not going. ” Valdez glanced at the balcony.
“V’s right. You want a runner, we can head out and find you one in a park or get someone coming out of a gym. If Ian’s stuff is poisonous . . . ” Ray picked up my hand. “How do you feel?”
“Achy. I didn’t sleep well so I didn’t heal. ” I tried to get comfortable but it wasn’t happening. I’d already discovered that breathing hurt so forget that. And my feet! I was still barefoot, unable to deal with my high heels yet.
“One more night, guys. Then tomorrow I have my fitting for Designed to Kill and get to see my red-carpet dresses. ” I turned to Ray. “I have to finish what I started, Ray. ”
“No way. It’s too dangerous. ”
“Caine’s right. Forget it, Glory. ” Valdez moved closer. “Those supplements . . . ”
“So I won’t drink any more of the one that made me sick. ” I staggered to my feet and limped to the bathroom. Inside, with the door safely shut, I weighed again. Still down five pounds. All right. If I lost another two to three pounds tonight and then exercised, that should put me down to a size eight. I could be very happy in an eight. And if I drank my bedtime elixir, I could hold on to that size for another day, hopefully two. Long enough to make it to the red carpet. Maybe.
I threw open the bathroom door. “Come on, guys. No way is Ian poisoning me. Why do it gradually? And he’s a businessman who wants your business, Ray. Hurting me would be stupid. Think about it. ”
“I am thinking about it. ” Ray jumped up and put his hands on my shoulders. “How do you explain your blood’s weird flavor? And now you’re creeping around like you can hardly walk. ”
“Because I’m sore from exercising. That’s all. Happens to mortals all the time. So they say anyway. I hear them gripe about it in my shop all the time. Which reminds me. Lacy’s having trouble with the new help we hired after Christmas. And we had a shoplifting incident that’s costing me big bucks. I was on the phone with her for almost an hour. ” I tried to get away from Ray without making a big deal out of it. No go.
“Changing the subject? Not working. Lacy’s handling the shop fine. Right?” Ray stared
me down.
“Yes. But I do need to go back to Austin right after the Grammys. ” I realized I wasn’t as eager to do that as I should be. It had been an adventure being out here as a rock star’s fiancée. I’d be just plain Glory again in Texas. Well, plain Glory the vampire shop owner. I kept my hands on Ray’s chest. Would he go back there with me? He seemed much more at home here and I knew it.
“About your blood, Glory. It was off last night. ” Ray glanced at Valdez. “Tasted toxic. ”
“It’s that feud. Bet MacDonald knows she’s still attached to a Campbell. Surprised he’s being so subtle about it, though. ” Valdez paced the living room. “It’ll get Blade out there to him for a face-to-face. Maybe that’s his plan. ”
“There is no plan. I probably still had that other supplement in my system. The one that made me throw up. ” I held out my wrist. “Try again, Ray. Right now. See if it’s better. ”
“Okay, but if it’s not, you’re done with this diet crap. No arguments. ” Ray pulled my wrist to his mouth and inhaled. “Smells good. ” He slid his hand down to my waist, then nuzzled my jugular. “Maybe I’ll try it here. Closer to the big pump. ”
“Careful, Caine. ” Valdez pushed his nose between us.
“Leave him alone, V. I need to know the answer. ” I shoved my fingers into Ray’s hair and felt his breath on my neck. “Go for it, Ray. But just a taste. Don’t try to turn this into something, um—” I couldn’t finish the thought because Ray had gone in and was taking what he wanted. At least this time he didn’t jerk away and run to the sink. He eased out and licked his lips.
“Well?”
“Sweet as always, glorious woman. ” He kissed the spots where his fangs had been and sealed them closed. “Guess you’ve recovered. ”
Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs Page 27
