Animal Attraction (4 page)

I stalked down the hall to the hotel’s lobby.
Now we’re talking splendor.

The first time I saw the King George, this
part of it was still a burnt-out hulk. It had been returned to its
glory days, a shining jewel that had once competed with the most
splendid hotels that ever existed. Ornate burgundy and gold
wallpaper covered the walls. The tiled floors were arranged in
stunning art deco patterns. The chairs and lounges, either restored
antiques or cunningly crafted copies of the originals, beckoned
visitors to lounge. Used by now to seeing ghosts and the living
occupying the same space, I was amused to find the seating often
doubly occupied. In most cases, the overlapping parties were
unaware of each other. I wondered how the haughty Victorian era
matron warming herself by the huge crackling fireplace in a
wing-backed chair would have felt if she’d known a small gargoyle
sat right against her crotch. He was as clueless of her presence as
he preened batlike wings.

An intricate crystal chandelier three times
my size hung over this amazing room. Even more impressive was the
white marble staircase that lifted from the floor. In this day and
time, it ended at the paneled ceiling. In its afterlife – for
special buildings and places often had an immortal existence of
their own – the stairs went on to the sumptuous rooms that had
existed before the long-ago fire.

For all the grandeur of yesteryear, there was
an even more impressive sight to be seen. He stood at the front
desk talking to its longtime steward, Charles.

Dan Saling was a masterpiece of masculinity.
Or he had been when he died in the 1980s. His ghost reflected what
he’d been back then ... chiseled perfection, clean-cut all-American
male. His dark hair swept back from his rugged Marlboro Man face.
The only soft things about Dan were his milk chocolate brown eyes.
Oh, he is yummy-licious.

I was still peeved about him sending Levi out
after me, but I couldn’t hold back a smile to see him. It took real
effort to put my adoration away as I moved towards him and Charles.
As I did so, many of the vampires aware of my presence angled away
as I passed. That helped dampen my mood. Conversations halted to be
replaced by careful whispers.

Nope, I am not the popular girl these
days.

Fortunately Charles didn’t take my residence
in Patricia personally. He was a ghost, so I didn’t freak him out.
His teeth flashed beneath his handlebar mustache in a smile that
eased some of my hurt. He even gave me a courtly bow. Though many
decades have passed since Charles died evacuating patrons and staff
from the burning King George, he had yet to lose a single bit of
his era’s manners.

I returned his welcoming smile, watt for
watt. “Good evening, Charles.”

“A most wonderful evening to you, Miss
Brandilynn. How was flying practice?”

There was none of the teasing in Charles’
tone that I would get from anyone else. He asked with sincere hope
of good news.

My smile turned wry with defeat. “The
crashing part was quite successful, thanks.”

He tsked in sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear
that. It will get better though. I’m sure of it.”

I sighed. “Hope springs eternal.” I turned to
the man who made even a vampire’s heart want to beat. Despite my
appreciation of his square-jawed good looks, I lost the smile.
“Dan, may I have a word with you?”

My tone came out precise and as honed as a
sharpened knife. Dan grimaced. He snapped to attention before
Charles and gave him a crisp salute. “If I don’t return, speak well
of me.”

The unflappable front desk clerk chuckled as
we walked away. Wanting to maintain my stern demeanor, I kept my
gaze pointed forward as we moved down the hall. Dan was smart
enough to keep his mouth shut until we entered the office that had
Patricia’s name on the door.

Because Patricia wasn’t known for her warmth
outside her inner circle, I’d inherited her business space that
showed few hints of personality. Since not everyone was aware she
no longer walked among us in spirit, I’d done nothing to change
that. The opulent but sturdy desk held a computer, landline phone,
calendar, and little else. The chairs were comfortable but still
obviously office chairs. The cabinet held several cases of BP9, a
stock replenished quite often because I am determined to feed on
the living as little as possible.

With that in mind, I glared at Dan as I took
the seat behind the desk. He had the grace to look uneasy,
something self-assured Mr. Saling didn’t do too often.

“I take it you didn’t appreciate Levi’s
presence?”

I noted a hint of apology in his tone. I
thought I also heard a trace of smugness. He was sorry, but he
wasn’t.

I decided to make him head in the regret
direction. “Did you think it would be? Especially considering I’d
just taken my measure of blood and other bodily substances from my
babysitter.”

Kapow. Dan made a face, one that creased the
lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth deeper than usual. His
broad forehead furrowed. He’d been creeping up on forty when he’d
died, and he had one of those faces that only gets better with age.
Those creases added character in all the right ways.

Other than the eye candy, I did not enjoy
getting my digs in after all. Our relationship had never been an
easy one. Until I’d gotten myself trapped in Patricia, we’d been an
unhappy threesome with Tristan. Dan and Tristan had been friends
until I showed up. The men fell in love with me, and I was
ridiculous enough to fall in love with both of them. We knew it
couldn’t continue. The jealousy came close to tearing us all
apart.

I’d finally made my decision between the two
men. Before I could announce the unlucky winner of the Brandilynn
sweepstakes, fate came in and took the choice from me. Tristan
couldn’t handle a relationship with me stuck in his sister’s body
for obvious reasons. Even during the day, when my ghost left the
physical behind and I was all me again, he couldn’t bear to look at
me.

I wanted to be true blue to Dan. I really
did. I loved the man. But as I’d demonstrated earlier with Gerald,
staying faithful in the form of a feeding vampire was impossible.
Blood and sex went together, inseparable for even the oldest of the
fanged population. Dan didn’t have to share me with Tristan anymore
... but he still had to share me. I hated that because it hurt him.
He said it was okay while I made the adjustment, but I knew it
wasn’t. Not for him or for me.

As I tried to form an apology for my curt
words, Dan said, “If it will make you feel any better, you don’t
look ready to chew a neck right now. You’re getting excellent
control over your glamour.”

I caught the condescension. My plan to make
nice evaporated in a wash of hurt. I snapped, “Eyes not glowing,
fangs not showing. I guess that’s something. Give me a gold star.”
I scowled. “You knew what Levi would probably walk in on. Why did
you do that?”

He shrugged. “I thought maybe if Wolf Boy was
present, you’d be able to control yourself better. Behave with an
audience, that kind of thing.”

I gave him my best cold Patricia look. I had
always envied her ability to appear above petty human stuff ... but
then, she hadn’t been human for a long time. I remained human, even
while dead and playing undead. I was still petty, especially when
others acted that way. “I do the best I can under the
circumstances. Shaming me isn’t helping.”

Dan once more showed the good person he
really was. Guilt clouded his face, plain to see. His broad
shoulders slumped. He capitulated in an instant. “You’re right. I’m
sorry, sweetheart. It was a stupid move for me to make and unfair
to you.”

We looked at each other, two people in love.
Why then did we act sometimes like we were bent on tearing each
other’s hearts out? Because our situation teetered on hopelessness
... and who better to take the grief out on than the one closest to
you?

I was tired of being mad. I wanted to love
Dan without bounds. I wanted the carefree relationship I thought we
both deserved. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see it happening, not
until I got this undead body’s urges under control.

I did the paltry bit I was capable of.
“Forgiven, as always. I love you.”

Dan smiled, his expression relieved. He came
to me behind the desk. His embrace and kiss on my forehead were the
barest whisper of a touch against my skin. “I love you too. I look
forward to making it up to you properly.”

Naughty man. He knew all the ways to smooth
things over, all right. My cold insides found a little curl of
warmth at the things Dan might do to put us right again. I checked
the clock and uttered a little groan that made him chuckle
knowingly. Dawn wouldn’t arrive for hours yet. I’d have to find
patience.

Since being in corporeal form kept me from
banging his ghostly brains out, I turned to business. With a
grudging tone I asked, “What’s your take on these missing
shifters?”

Dan went back around the desk and settled in
a chair. His brown eyes moved from mischief to serious business. “A
couple of Tristan’s employees are on Levi’s list of the missing. I
didn’t make much of it until he told me there were several more who
match up to the same profile. I made a quick check over at the
Sheriff’s Office, and they are working the case.”

“I haven’t heard anything on the news.”

“They’re shifters. Mainstream media could
care less about them.”

I sighed. I should have figured on that. “Who
were ours?”

“A gator named Scott and a bear named
Tyra.”

I thought but couldn’t come up with faces. I
thought I recalled a vampire named Scott, but not a weregator. “I
don’t remember them.”

Dan waved his hand. “You wouldn’t. Tyra is
part of Tristan’s accounting team and Scott works for the real
estate arm of his investments.”

“Not part of our core group.” That didn’t
mean they weren’t worth worrying about. Why wasn’t Tristan having
us beat the bushes to find them? Was the election for state senate
taking up that much of his time?

Dan filled me in on the particulars. “They
each left home on separate nights and never came back. Tyra was
divorced with kids, though her ex won custody because she was a
shifter. She had visitation rights however. Scott’s wife didn’t
leave him when he survived his bout of Zoo Flu. They have a
two-year-old.”

“Family,” I mused. “Good jobs. Not homeless
like so many others. Anything else in common?”

“Tyra’s accounting is being called into
question. The head of that department launched an investigation to
see if embezzling was happening. Scott’s name came up with some
botched property inspections related to the company he worked with
before joining Tristan’s team. It could have gotten him into
trouble.”

“Are those supposed activities related to
each other in any way?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Dan sighed. “I guess
we should bite the bullet and talk to Tristan. He’s got too many
shifters in his employ to not take an interest in these
disappearances.”

“He can’t be too worried if he wouldn’t talk
to Levi,” I pointed out.

“He’s probably ignoring Agent Ward for
personal reasons,” Dan said gently.

I made a face and glanced at my cabinet full
of BP9. Guilt made me angry and anger had to be drowned in blood or
bad things might happen.

I didn’t like to be reminded that I got up
close and personal with Levi once. He’d been undercover and I’d
been in control of the body of his so-called girlfriend. Had we not
done the nasty in front of some horrific people, he might have been
killed.

At the time, my relationship with Dan and
Tristan had been ... well, complicated. Tristan had scores of blood
groupies. As I said before, blood and sex go together. He was not
exclusive with me. Dan shared me with Tristan, albeit unhappily.
However, Levi had been one more man too many for us all. We sorted
ourselves out in the end, but it had led to a lot of hurt
feelings.

Was Tristan still riled about that, even with
our relationship firmly in the past? It would make talking to him
about this new problem even harder.

I got up and went to the cabinet for a
pick-me-up. “I don’t look forward to this conversation.”

Dan gave me a pat on the back that I couldn’t
feel at all. His look was all sympathy for me. “I don’t suppose you
would. There is nothing like being in love with someone to make a
man behave like an asshole – sorry, I mean a jerk – when that love
goes down the tubes.”

I didn’t react to the cussing, though usually
I took offense to it. I was too busy trying to shore up my defenses
before approaching Tristan and the people who would try to keep me
from him. Confronting him would take every ounce of equilibrium I
possessed.

Dealing with the other man I still loved
tended to make me behave like an butthole too.

* * * *

I walked into Para Central with a purpose,
striding through the grand doorway into what had once been an
elegant ballroom.

I’d changed my outfit, putting on clothes
like a knight putting on armor. The gray pants and jacket were
Chanel, cut with precision and grace and fitted perfectly to
Patricia’s slim figure. I’d like to claim the clothes were all my
idea, but Patricia had possessed exquisite taste in clothing. It
had not hurt my feelings to inherit the contents of her closet.

The rosy pink blouse with lace was me,
however, as were the brand new cherry red Louboutin heels that
click-clicked down the parquet wood flooring between rows of office
desks where Tristan’s staff worked. My personal tastes ran a little
more showy than my predecessor’s. I tried to balance the two
because many didn’t know who ran this body now. We wanted to keep
certain people in the dark.

Still, I saw nothing wrong with a little
splash and flash, if done right. With her cool and classic
Katherine Hepburn looks ... done with pageboy-cut black hair and
vampire pale skin ... Patricia could carry it. I didn’t like many
aspects of my situation, but I enjoyed styling someone so far from
my own looks.