Cravings

In the heat of the night, anything goes. Boundaries are
crossed and secret yearnings take shape. Creatures stalk the shadows,
surrendering to their wildest needs—and satisfying hungers that take their
victims beyond fear to the dark edge of desire. Succumb to the pleasure as four
of your favorite authors present their favorite characters in all-new tales of
bloodlust, of the kind of appetites that must be sated again and again, and of
the passion that feeds them…

 

 

CRAVINGS

 

 

Featuring stories by:

 

New York Times
bestselling author

Laurell K. Hamilton with a new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter tale

 

MaryJanice Davidson

USA Today
bestselling author

 

Eileen Wilks

USA Today
bestselling author

Rebecca York

 

 

www.penguin.com

 

ISBN 0-515-13815-0

 

IT was an October wedding. The bride was a witch who solved preternatural
crimes. The groom raised the dead and slew vampires for a living. It sounded
like a Halloween joke, but it wasn't.

The groom's side wore traditional black tuxedos with orange bow ties and
white shirts. The bride's side wore orange formats. You don't see
Halloween-orange prom dresses all that often. I'd been terrified that I was
going to have to shell out three hundred dollars for one of the monstrosities.
But since I was on the groom's side I got to wear a tux. Larry Kirkland, groom,
coworker, and friend, had stuck to his guns. He refused to make me wear a dress,
unless I wanted to wear one. Hmm, let me see. Three hundred dollars, or more,
for a very orange formal that I'd burn before I'd wear again, or less than a
hundred dollars to rent a tux that I could return. Wait, let me think.

I got the tux. I did have to buy a pair of black tie-up shoes. The tux shop
didn't have any size seven in women's. Oh, well. Even with the seventy-dollar
shoes that I would probably never wear again, I still counted myself very lucky.

As I watched the four bridesmaids in their poofy orange dresses walk down the
aisle of the packed church, their hair done up on their heads in ringlets, and
more makeup than I'd ever seen any of them wear, I was feeling very, very lucky.
They had little round bouquets of orange and white flowers with black lace and
orange and black ribbons trailing down from the flowers. I just had to stand up
at the front of the church with my one hand holding the wrist of the other arm.
The wedding coordinator had seemed to believe that all the groomsmen would pick
their noses, or something equally embarrassing, if they didn't keep their hands
busy. So she'd informed them that they were to stand with their hands clasped on
the opposite wrist. No hands in pockets, no crossed arms, no hands clasped in
front of their groins. I'd arrived late to the rehearsal—big surprise—and the
wedding coordinator had seemed to believe that I would be a civilizing influence
on the men, just because I happened to be a girl. It didn't take her long to
figure out that I was as uncouth as the men. Frankly, I thought we all behaved
ourselves really well. She just didn't seem very comfortable around men, or
around me. Maybe it was the gun I was wearing.

But none of the groomsmen, myself included, had done anything for her to
complain about. This was Larry's day, and none of us wanted to screw it up. Oh,
and Tammy's day.

The bride entered the church on her father's arm. Her mother was already in
the front pew dressed in a pale melon orange that actually looked good on her.
She was beaming and crying, and seemed to be both miserable and deliriously
happy all at the same time. Mrs. Reynolds was the reason for the big church
wedding. Both Larry and Tammy would have been happy with something smaller, but
Tammy didn't seem to be able to say no to her mother, and Larry was just trying
to get along with his future in-law.

Detective Tammy Reynolds was a vision in white, complete with a veil that
covered her face like a misty dream. She, too, was wearing more makeup than I'd
ever seen her in, but the drama of it suited the beaded neckline, and full,
bell-like skirt. The dress looked like it could have walked down the isle on its
own, or at least stood on its own. They'd done something with her hair so that
it was smooth and completely back from her face, so that you could see just how
striking she was. I'd never really noticed that Detective Tammy was beautiful.

I was standing at the end of the groomsmen, me and Larry's three brothers, so
I had to crane a little to see his face. It was worth the look. He was pale
enough that his freckles stood out on his skin like ink spots. His blue eyes
were wide. They'd done something to his short red curls so they lay almost
smooth. He looked good, if he didn't faint. He gazed at Tammy as if he'd been
hit with a hammer right between the eyes. Of course, if they'd done two hours'
worth of makeup on Larry, he might have been a vision, too. But men don't have
to worry about it. The double standard is alive and well. The woman is supposed
to be beautiful on her wedding day, the groom is just supposed to stand there
and not embarrass himself, or her.

I leaned back in line and tried not to embarrass anyone. I'd tied my hair
back while it was still wet so that it lay flat and smooth to my head. I wasn't
cutting my hair so it was the best I could do to look like a boy. There were
other parts of my anatomy that didn't help the boy look either. I am curvy, and
even in a tux built for a man, I was still curvy. No one complained, but the
wedding coordinator had rolled her eyes when she saw me. What she said out loud
was, "You need more makeup."

"None of the other groomsmen are wearing makeup," I said.

"Don't you want to look pretty?"

Since I'd thought I already looked pretty good, there was only one reply.
"Not particularly."

That had been the last conversation the wedding lady and I had had. She
positively avoided me, after that. I think she'd been mean on purpose, because I
wasn't helping her keep the other groomsmen in line. She seemed to believe that
just because we both had ovaries instead of balls that we should have joined
forces. Besides, why should I worry about being pretty? It was Tammy and Larry's
day, not mine. If, and that was a very big if, I ever got married, then I'd
worry about it. Until then, screw it. Besides, I was already wearing more makeup
than I normally did. Which for me meant any. My stepmother Judith keeps telling
me that when I hit thirty I'll feel differently about all this girl stuff. I've
only got three years to go until the big 3-0; so far panic has not set in.

Tammy's father placed her hand in Larry's. Tammy was three inches taller than
Larry; in heels, she was more. I was standing close enough to the groom to see
the look that Tammy's father gave Larry. It was not a friendly look. Tammy was
three months, almost four months pregnant, and it was Larry's fault. Or rather
it was Tammy and Larry's fault, but I don't think that's how her father viewed
it. No, Mr. Nathan Reynolds definitely seemed to blame Larry, as if Tammy had
been snatched a virgin from her bed and brought back deflowered, and pregnant.

Mr. Reynolds raised Tammy's blusher on her veil to reveal all that carefully
made-up beauty. He kissed her solemnly on the cheek, threw one last dark look at
Larry, and turned smiling and pleasant to join his wife in the front pew. The
fact that he'd gone from a look that dark, to pleasant and smiling when he knew
the church would see his face bothered me. I didn't like that Larry's new
father-in-law was capable of lying that well. Made me wonder what he did for a
living. But I was naturally suspicious; it comes from working too closely with
the police for too long. Cynicism is so contagious.

We all turned towards the altar, and the familiar ceremony began. I'd been to
dozens of weddings over the years, almost all Christian, almost all standard
denominations, so the words were strangely familiar. Funny, how you don't think
you've memorized something until you hear it, and realize you have. "Dearly,
beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in Holy
Matrimony."

It wasn't a Catholic or Episcopalian wedding, so we didn't have to kneel, or
do much of anything. We wouldn't even be getting communion during the ceremony.
I have to admit my mind began to wander a bit. I've never been a big fan of
weddings. I understand they're necessary, but I was never one of those girls who
fantasized about what my wedding would be like someday. I don't remember ever
thinking about it until I got engaged in college, and when that fell through, I
went back to not thinking about it. I'd been engaged very briefly to Richard
Zeeman, junior high science teacher, and local Ulfric, Wolf-King, but he'd
dumped me because I was more at home with the monsters than he was. Now, I'd
pretty much settled into the idea that I would never marry. Never have those
words spoken over me and my honeybun. A tiny part of me that I'd never admit to
out loud was sad about that. Not the wedding part. I think I would hate my own
wedding just as much as anyone else's, but not having one single person to call
my own. I'd been raised middle-class, middle America, small town, and that meant
the fact that I was currently dating a minimum of three men, maybe four,
depending on how you looked at it, still made me squirm with something painfully
close to embarassment. I was working on not being uncomfortable about it, but
there were issues that needed to be worked out. For instance, who do you bring
as your date to a wedding? The wedding was in a church, complete with holy items
so two of the men were out. Vampires didn't do well around holy items. Watching
Jean-Claude and Asher burst into flames as they came through the door would
probably have put a damper on the festivities. That left me with one official
boyfriend, Micah Callahan, and one friend, who happened to be a boy, Nathaniel
Graison.

They'd come to the part where the rings were exchanged, which meant the maid
of honor and the best man had something to do. The woman got to hold Tammy's
huge spill of white flowers, and the man got to hand over the jewelry. It all
seemed so terribly sexist. Just once I'd like to see the men have to hold
flowers and the women fork over the jewelry. I'd been told once by a friend that
I was too liberated for my own good. Maybe. All I knew was that if I ever did
get engaged again I'd decided either both of us got an engagement ring, or
neither of us did. Of course, again, that not getting married part meant that
the engagement was probably off the board, too. Oh, well.

At last, they were man and wife. We all turned and the reverend presented
them to the church as Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kirkland, though I knew for a fact
that Tammy was keeping her maiden name, so really it should have been Mr.
Lawrence Kirkland and Ms. Tammy Reynolds.

We all fell in to two lines. I got to offer my arm to Detective Jessica
Arnet. She took the arm, and with her in heels, I was about five inches shorter
than she was. She smiled at me. I'd noticed she was pretty about a month ago,
because she was flirting with Nathaniel, but it wasn't until that moment that I
realized she could be beautiful. Her dark hair was pulled completely back from
her face, so that the delicate triangle of her cheeks and chin was all you saw.
The makeup had widened her eyes, added color to her cheeks, and carved pouting
lips out of her thin ones. I realized that the orange that made most of the
bridesmaids look wan brought out rich highlights in her skin and hair, made her
eyes shine. So few people look good in orange, it's one of the reasons they use
it in so many prisons, like an extra punishment. But Detective Arnet looked
wonderful in it. It almost made me wish I'd let the wedding lady talk me into
the extra makeup. Almost.

I must have stared, because she frowned, and only then did I start forward,
and take our place in line. We filed out like good little wedding party members.
We'd already endured the photographer for group shots. He'd be hunting the bride
and groom for those candid moments: cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet,
removing the garter. Once we got through the receiving line, I could fade into
the background and no one would care.

We all stood in a line as we'd been drilled. Bride and groom at the front of
the line, because, let's face it, that's who everyone is really here to see. The
rest of us strung out behind them along the wall, waiting to shake hands with
mostly strangers. Tammy's family were local, but I'd never met any of them.
Larry's family were all out-of-towners. I knew the policemen that had been
invited; other than that, it was all nod and smile, nod and smile, shake a hand,
or two, nod and smile.

I must have been concentrating very hard on the people I was meeting, because
it surprised me when Micah Callahan, my official date, was suddenly in front of
me. He was exactly my height. Short for man or woman. His rich, brown hair was
nearly as curly as mine, and today his hair fell around his shoulders loose.
He'd done that for me. He didn't like his hair loose, and I understood why. He
was already delicate looking for a man, and with all that hair framing him his
face was almost as delicate a triangle as Detective Arnet's. His lower lip was
fuller than his upper lip, which gave him a perpetual pout, and though wider
than a woman's mouth, that didn't really help. But the body under his black
tailored suit, that definitely helped make it clear he was a man. Wide
shoulders, slender waist and hips, a swimmer's body, though that wasn't his
sport. From the neck down you'd never mistake him for a girl. It was just the
face, and the hair.

He'd left his shirt open at the neck so that it framed the hollow in his
throat. I could see myself reflected darkly in his sunglasses. It was actually a
little dim in the hallway, so why the sunglasses? His eyes were kitty-cat eyes,
leopard, to be exact. They were yellow and green all at the same time. What
color predominated between the two depended on what color he wore, his mood, the
lighting. Today, because of the shirt, they'd be very green, but with a hint of
yellow, like dappled light in the forest.

He was a wereleopard, Nimir-Raj of the local pard. By rights he should have
been able to pass for human. But if you spend too much time in animal form
sometimes you don't come all the way back. He didn't want to squeak the
mundanes, so he'd worn the glasses today.

His hand was very warm in mine, and that one small touch was enough, enough
to bring some of the careful shielding down. The shielding that had kept me from
sensing him all through the ceremony like a second heartbeat. He was Nimir-Raj,
to my Nimir-Ra. Leopard King and Queen. Though my idea of the arrangement was
closer to queen and consort, partners, but I reserved presidential veto. I'm a
control freak, what can I say?