Real Vampires Don't Diet (41 page)

"Oh, it'll keep up all right. This is Achy venting." Aggie seemed to suck it up. "Get Casanova out here. I want my beautiful Siren form back. And I sure as hell didn't go through all this just to give up a shot at seeing Charlie again. You hear me?" Hear her? The voice of doom? I put my head down on the table again. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and I figured I was having a preview of hell and my destiny.

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"It's about time you got in here. I was about to try my luck with your Siren." Jerry dragged me into his arms.

"God, Jerry, don't even joke about that." I held on to him, ignoring the fact that I was soaking his dry clothes.

"You do realize what time it is, don't you?" Jerry treated Ray like he was invisible.

"I know. I feel dawn in my bones." I turned to our host. "Ray, can we sack out here?" Ray, his mouth firm, studied Jerry's possessive hold on me. Finally, he shrugged. "Sure, there are plenty of extra bedrooms and I wouldn't make my worst enemy"he nodded in Jerry's direction in case he didn't get the reference"go out in this weather. Sniff out one that doesn't have a mortal in it. I assume Nate and Sienna aren't in the same one."

"Nathan was complaining about that, but apparently Sienna Star sees him as a friend and nothing more." Jerry smiled like he was happy with Ray's hostility and he wasn't about to let go of me.

"Poor Nate." I saw that Brittany had found Valdez and they were having a heated discussion in the doorway to the kitchen. I heard enough to know Brit was worried about my bodyguard. She was in good company. Aggie's new timeline had me in a fullblown anxiety attack.

"Let's go, Jerry. Ray, I'll call Flo, Richard and Damian right now. You've got that direct line to EV headquarters, right?" Ray frowned. "Sure. But what are the chances Simon will drop everything and come out here tomorrow night instead of Wednesday? Aggie's really screwed things up."

"What's this?" Jerry looked down at me.

"I'll tell you upstairs. Ray, I'm going to stop in your bedroom and grab some clothes." This perked Ray right up. "Sure, Glory. You know where everything is. You've slept there many times." He grinned at Jerry's glower. "If you need anything at all, babe, you'll know where to find me."

"Right." I grabbed Jerry's hand and hustled him up the stairs. Outside Ray's bedroom door, I stopped. "I'll be right out." I tried to slip inside alone, but of course Jerry had to check out the fact that Ray had a king-size bed.

"You slept with him here."

"Vampire sleep. Unconscious." I said this from the closet, hurrying to grab a T-shirt to put on when I woke in the evening. I figured I'd sleep raw next to Jerry because I needed to feel his strong body close to mine. There was nothing more reassuring to nerves that were frayed almost unbearably thin. I rushed into the room with a pair of Ray's shorts in my hands too.

"You're very familiar with the layout here." Jerry leaned against the bathroom door checking out the large shower and the Jacuzzi tub. "You do like your baths."

I stopped and put my hand on his chest. He wore one of Ray's T-shirts, but it was snug on him. Jerry was bigger than Ray, broader where it counted. I smiled up at him and let him read that thought in my mind.

"Jerry, I'll take a shower with you in the extra bedroom and bath if you'll hurry. The sun's going to be coming up in a little while. I'd hate for us to fall asleep with the water pounding us in a shower stall."

Jerry lifted me into his arms. "No danger of that. I'd have you in bed well before that happened. Point the way." I laughed and did just that. Foolish of me. I had phone calls to make. But I knew Richard and Flo would get here tomorrow night no matter what. And Damian would be happy to push Casanova and especially Maurice to join the party. Hopefully the council would be on board too. How could they resist with a serial killer and his helper to apprehend? I sure didn't want to meet that creep Maurice without significant backup.

I'd definitely quit laughing by the time Jerry set me down inside the bedroom that was as far away from Ray's master suite as we could get. The storm still raged outside, a good reminder that there was a lot riding on getting everyone to cooperate. So much could go wrong.

Jerry looked down at me and took my face in his hands. "Quit worrying. I'm not so jealous you need to play games with me to keep me pacified. Make your calls now."

"Aggie's moved up our deadline. We've got to get everyone here tomorrow night or Will, Ray and I are hellfire bound." Jerry kissed my cheeks, my nose, my chin and then my lips. "You will
not
be going to hell. Tomorrow night or ever. Just tell me how I can help."

I leaned against him for a moment. "Thanks, Jerry. I'm really glad I don't have to face this alone. Let me call Flo first, then I'll tell you what you can do." I pushed back. Of course my cell was in my purse locked inside Jerry's car on the other side of the raging river we'd crossed. I mean how do you carry anything when you shape-shift? The more experienced vamps did it all the time, but I'd been so freaked-out, I hadn't been able to organize my thoughts, much less my stuff. I'd even left my "engagement" ring in my purse.

I grabbed the phone by the bed. In this rock-star household, there were four outside lines. I hit one that wasn't lit up and punched in Flo's cell phone number.

"Hello?"

"Flo, it's Glory. Our plans are all shot to hell."

"What do you mean? I talked to my brother. He's got Casanova hot to work his wiles on some beautiful women at Israel's party." Flo muttered something in Italian. "I'm not happy with
mio fratello.
He showed Berto a picture of you, Glory. Are you mad?"

"No! Whatever works." Though it did make my stomach churn a little. Stupid. Like that man could somehow lure me away from Jerry. If Israel Caine couldn't, I figure nobody could, even a notorious lover.

"All right then. And Maurice is happy he will get to meet Simon at last. Even the council members are coming on Wednesday. As soon as all the nasty ones are in Circe's hands we'll have a great celebration. No?"

"No. I mean yes. But not Wednesday. It's all got to happen tomorrow night instead." I sat on the side of the bed and kicked off my wet high heels. Damn. Those new peep-toe pumps would never be the same.

"Insano.
If I know Berto, it will take him two days to decide which shirt to wear. And have you seen this weather? Maurice hates rain. It rusts his knives."

Wasn't that a happy thought. "Can't be helped, Flo. Aggie's moved things up. Surely Damian can persuade them" I heard Flo sigh. "If he must. I call. I beg. But I wanted to wear my new leather pants and, if it is raining, I cannot."

"Sorry, Flo, forget leather pants. You'll even have to shapeshift to get here. The road is impassable."

"Did you? Shift?" Flo said something to Richard. "My poor roomie. You were desperate. What did you make yourself? Not a bird in this wind. And I can't see you as a dog. Though something with a curly tail would be cute. Tell me. I must know." I closed my eyes and counted to three. All I had time for. "Flo, forget it. This is an emergency. All of Austin is going to float away if we don't do something. This weather is the work of Aggie's boss, Achelous, the Storm God. He's letting her know he doesn't like her doing business in Austin behind his back. Aggie seems to think that getting the Circe thing settled will calm him down and she's determined to get her Siren form and her lover back. I figure you can relate to that."

"I would never end up looking like a monster for a man." I heard a squeal and Flo gasped. "Except for my darling Ricardo, of course. Tomorrow night. We won't let you down, Glory. Ricardo wants to talk to you.
Ciao.
"

"It's already pretty bad here, Gloriana." Richards deep voice came on the line. "The TV is full of stories about local flooding. And the winds have taken out some huge old oaks at the state capitol. Those trees were hundreds of years old."

"See? I told Flo this is no ordinary storm. The sooner we can
get
this stopped, the better."

"We'll get right on it. It's only a few minutes until dawn. Stay safe."

"Richard! I just had a thought. We don't want any of the good guys to accidentally fry. What if they hear the Siren's song and go south?"

"Damn. You're right."

I rubbed my head. Thinking. Then I remembered something I'd seen recently, when I'd been with Ray. "You have some of those noise cancellation headphones? Like techies use when they're on the computer in Mugs and Muffins?"

"Yes, I do. I use them when Flo's watching the DVR of her soap operas. I get it, Glory. The good guys need to wear them. I'll tell Damian and he should tell the council members to use them too. That way even if your Siren is singing when they go over, hopefully they'll be all right."

"I hope it works." I hung up and turned to Jerry. "Did you hear that?"

"Brilliant. And obviously Florence and Richard are making those calls." He smiled and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Yes, they're on it. Thank God for friends."

"You're right. Now look at you, soaked to the skin." Jerry grabbed my sweater and ripped it off over my head.

"Yes, that's happened to me a lot lately." I stood and unbuttoned and unzipped my corduroy jeans. Oh, boy, were they shrinking? I shoved the pants down and they came off easily with Jerry's hands doing most of the work. Jerry smiled as he studied me in my black lace bikini panties and matching push-up bra. "How much time until dawn?"

"I'm going to wash off the flood water." I popped open the clasp on my bra and dropped it on the floor. "I know I offered to let you join me, but obviously you already showered. I could smell that deliciously clean scent when I came up from the dock." I sauntered to the bathroom, pausing to look back over my shoulder. "I'll hurry."

"I could wash your back." Jerry was right behind me, dropping to his knees as he pulled my panties down my legs so I could step out of them. "I could hurry too."

"Doubt it." I turned and buried my fingers in his hair when he kissed my stomach and breathed against me, making me shudder.

"So do I."

"I could spend hours just on this one little part of you." As if to prove it, he used his teeth and tongue to explore me, his hands pushing my legs apart.

I moaned and grabbed the door frame for support. Closing my eyes, I tried to forget that I didn't have time. That there were other things

"Stop!" I stepped back, stumbling on weak knees.

"Why, Glory? Doesn't this please you?" Jerry smiled, knowing good and well it pleased me way too much.

"I hate to say this, but you need to call Lily. To see if she'll agree to bring Drac and the boys here tomorrow night." I backed up to lean against the shower door, even picked up a towel and dragged it around me to show I meant business.

"You're right." Jerry got to his feet, his smile gone. "She may balk. It's one thing to complain about Dracula, another to doom him deliberately. I'll call her while you shower." He rubbed the back of his neck. "My body tells me you have less than fifteen minutes, lass. Make it quick."

"Thanks, Jerry. I know this could harm your relationship with your daughter." I dropped the towel and went to him, resting my head against his chest. "She
is
yours. I feel it when I look at her. The test will only confirm it."

"We should know tomorrow night." Jerry ran his hand down my back and patted my rump. "Thanks, sweetheart. I've had the feeling too, but I'm glad it's not just my imagination or wishful thinking at work. Now go take that shower." So I got clean, even did a quick shampoo, then staggered out to fall into bed. Jerry barely had time to wrap us both in blankets before we fell into our dead-to-the-world sleep.

woke up with Jerry's arms around me, his lips on mine and the storms still trying to tear the roof off the house. The storms could wait.

"Mmm. Do that again."

"What?" Jerry nudged my knees apart and rolled on top of me. "The kiss or this?" He slipped his fingers inside me, knowing just where to touch to make me tremble.

"Both." I pulled his head down and kissed him, as wild as the storm to make things right between us. The soul-deep connection was still there, the thing that kept pulling us together when the years and others would keep us apart. Thunder roared, the wind battered the walls outside, but my body screamed for Jerry to come inside. I wrapped my legs around him and held on as we created our own category five on a wide bed with soft sheets and the heat of our inner fires. Jerry lifted me above him, staring at me for a long moment. It didn't take a mind reader to see he was remembering that I'd spent days and nights in this house with Ray. Had shared a bed with him.

"Quit thinking, Jerry." I ran my hands along his ribcage, touching old warrior's wounds that had been made centuries ago, before he'd been turned.
"You
are filling my body, my head, my heart, Jeremiah Campbell." I leaned down and kissed him. "A newly made vampire is nothing compared to you. Now quit fashing yourself and get on with this. Or do you plan to leave me less than satisfied?"

"Have I ever not satisfied you, wench?" He grinned and rolled me under him.

"Well, now. There was that time in 1777. We were supposed to be helping the British, but you took a liking to the American cause." I yawned. "Spying was all you could think about. Many nights I had to, um, take matters into my own hands."

"Did you now?" Jerry sat back and grinned at me. "I'd like to see how you did that." I pulled myself up against the cushioned headboard. "Old news. Back then everything was pretty primitive. They didn't have the modern conveniences like they do now. I love progress, don't you? Sex toys. Wow." I ran my hands over my body, lingering over my nipples then trailing one hand through the curls between my legs.

Jerry's eyes followed my every move. "Ye know, lass. I've always been fond of primitive ways." He growled when I slid a finger inside and moved my hips.

"Mmm. True. Primitive can be very, um, satisfying." I added another finger and saw him swallow. "No, this is a new century." I gave him a measuring look and had to call on my acting ability to keep my cool. He lay on his side, gloriously naked, fully aroused and so deliciously male I wanted to taste every inch of him. Instead I smiled and stretched, flaunting my breasts and letting my knees fall open.