Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six (29 page)

“Nothing dangerous. But, as I explained to Caine, I can’t have extraneous chemicals in his system when I’m using my own formulas on him.” Ian studied Penny. “You’re blocking your thoughts, but I know you wanted to ask me about my work. Why don’t you and I sit down and I’ll show you some of my notes? Explain some of my projects.” Ian glanced at me. “We’ll be in Caine’s study. Is that all right with you, Gloriana?”

“I don’t need her permission, Mr. MacDonald.” Penny shot me a look.

“Of course not,” I said quickly.

“It’s Dr. MacDonald, Penny. I have several PhDs and got my medical degree some decades ago as well. When you’re immortal, you can indulge all your curiosities.” Ian smiled. “But call me Ian, of course.

“Thanks, Ian. And it’s Dr. Patterson since I got my own PhD,” Penny said proudly. “But of course you can call me Penny. I’d been thinking about going to medical school myself before I got the big bite. I’d love to know how you managed it at night.” They wandered off toward where I guess Ray had a study.

“Looks like a match made in heaven,” Ray said quietly.

“Maybe. If I trusted Ian.” I sighed. “This is a beautiful place. Much as I hate the water, I could even go for a boat ride on a night like this.”

“How about skinny dipping?” Ray had that look in his eyes, that twinkle that always made me wish for a little more with him.

“That water’s got to be frigid.” I leaned against the wide stone wall. “Remember our run-in with Aggie during a midnight boat ride?” The Siren had had a crush on Ray, but that hadn’t stopped her from forcing us to do her bidding or else suffer dire consequences. In hindsight, I understood. She’d been cursed, put into a hideous body by a jealous goddess. Kind of like how I’d been stuck with the demon Alesa. Things like that made you desperate, and you did stuff you normally wouldn’t do. Though Aggie wasn’t all sweetness and light even after her curse was lifted.

“Who could forget? She was one creepy sea monster. I’m glad she doesn’t live in this lake.” Ray chuckled. “I admit I keep expecting her to climb onto this terrace some night and try to seduce me.”

“If she’s in her hot human body, you’ll probably let her.” I gave him a hip bump.

“Maybe.” He slid his arm around my waist again. “Thanks for helping me dry out this time. I’m still struggling with it, but Ian’s given me the incentive I needed to stick with it. He’s got some meds too that helped me with withdrawal. I’m doing better than I thought I would.”

“That’s wonderful, Ray.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I was so worried about you.”

“Good to know.” He pulled me close and looked into my eyes. “I’m not going to tell you your business, Glory, but here’s my take on your situation.”

“Oh, great. Here it comes.” I frowned. “Go ahead.”

“Blade. He’s a stick. Old-fashioned and not the best guy for a woman like you.” Ray rubbed his thumb along my jaw to my chin. “You’ve moved along with the times, just like you told Ian. I don’t see that happening with Blade. I’m just sayin’.” He leaned forward and kissed me with a soft rub of his lips against mine, then trailed a path down my neck.

“Ray, you can’t begin to understand how hard it is to have lived so long, to have seen as much of life as we have.” I didn’t move away, which is what I should have done as Ray nuzzled my neck, then kissed a sweet path along my cheek to my ear and down my throat to the pulse beating there.

“No, I don’t understand. Don’t need to. I just see the woman here in front of me. I see the woman who really gets me, who cares about me like no other woman has in a hell of a long time. Damn it, I don’t have a lot of real friends. I’m closer to you and Nate than anyone else. And Nate doesn’t really understand what I’ve been going through since I was turned. You know?” Ray was back at my mouth again and lingering a little longer, going a little deeper this time. Then he pulled back, his hand on my neck now, massaging, coaxing, while his lips danced along the other side of my face.

“Yes, I know. Of course I care. I care about my friends. It’s, it’s what I do.” Oh, God, but he was sliding his fangs along that sensitive vein in my neck. And his other hand was easing along the silk of my blouse, almost touching but not quite the center of my breast. I couldn’t breathe. Didn’t need to. But if I did, would that push my nipple into his palm? I gasped.

“I’ll always be your . . . friend, Glory. You need me? I’m there. Remember that.”

“Ray, we can be friends without the sexual thing, you know.” I kept my eyes on his, knowing it was important that I say this.

“With a woman?” He smiled. “Can’t imagine it, babe. You’re too soft, too delicious for me to just ignore what’s right . . . here.” He pressed his hand against my breast for only a moment, then let it trail away, down to my waist. “You didn’t wear a bra tonight. Was that for me?”

He didn’t give me time to answer, his mouth back on mine, gently insistent as he deepened the kiss. He pulled me into his mind, reminding me of how we could laugh together, play together. Sober, he was as dangerous a man as I’d ever met. He had too many moves, too many ways he could entangle my senses until I couldn’t imagine why I was still leaning against a stone ledge and not lying on the silk sheets in his bed upstairs.

“Glory?”

I opened my eyes and staggered in an effort to end this without damaging either my feelings or Ray’s or the stone ledge I’d been about to fall back on.

“Penny.” I eased away from Ray and focused on her. “What?” Okay that didn’t sound happy, but she had eyes. She had to know she’d interrupted something interesting.

“Ian’s invited me to work with him, maybe come see his lab in California eventually. Isn’t that great?” Penny and Ian stood in the doorway. Ian had a smirk that meant if he’d had Blade’s phone number, he would have taken a picture of that clench he’d just witnessed and sent it straight to his ancient enemy.

I cleared my throat, which seemed to have closed. “Sounds like you two hit it off.”

“We did, actually.” Ian glanced down at Penny. “Your fledgling has a fine mind and some excellent ideas that may be an asset in my research. She could very well be the assistant I need if I set up a facility here. And her research at the university is obviously at an end.”

“Good. The setting up the facility here part.” Ray frowned when I put some space between us. “So you’re staying for a while to scout locations?”

“Yes. And to complete your rehabilitation. Surely you realize you’re a long way from ready to go it on your own. Don’t you, Caine?” Ian strolled over to look at the lake. “Gloriana, what do you think?”

“I think Penny will need something to do as a vampire and working with you might be a good place to start.” I glanced at her. “How this will work with her grants or whatever I have no idea. We have a thing with her folks on Monday night, but after that . . .” I saw her nibble a fingernail. “Ian, are you sure about staying in Austin? This seems sudden. What about California?”

“I’m a practical man. And perhaps it makes me happy to rub Campbell’s nose in my presence.” Ian grinned at me. “Jeremiah give you grief about coming here tonight?”

“Of course. But I haven’t forgotten the nasty problems I had with your diet drug.” I sighed. “Though I did get thin for a nanosecond.”

Penny smiled. “Ian’s been working on some amazing things for vampires. He even gave me some free samples.”

“Are you kidding me? Give them back.” I stalked up to Ian. “What did you give her? Daylight? Diet? What?”

“Better than either one, Gloriana. Penny told me her parents are coming to dinner. How would you like to be able to eat like a mortal for just one meal?” Ian grinned, looking almost boyish for a moment.

I guess I must have been slack-jawed. Ray laughed out loud.

“Holy shit, Glory. You should see your face! If Ian had just handed you a million bucks you couldn’t look more stunned.” Ray gave me a bone-crushing hug. “Honey, you’re too cute.”

“Cute, hell. If you’re toying with me, Ian MacDonald, I’m coming back here with one of Jerry’s knives and carving my initials in your backside.” I held out my hand. “Give me that sample.”

“Gloriana. So bloodthirsty. Obviously you’ve been hanging around a Campbell for too many centuries.” Ian took a vial of clear liquid from Penny and put it into my hand. “It works for one hour. You may eat whatever you like for that hour.”

“Can I gain weight from it?” I stared at the bottle suspiciously. I did have that history of side effects from Ian’s brews.

“No one else has, but, with you, I guess anything’s possible.” Ian glanced at Penny. “Perhaps you should use this as a chance to study the drug. Monitor both yourself and Gloriana for side effects, during and after.”

“Yes, will do.” Penny was clearly elated. “Just think, Glory, another way to get vampires back to mortal life. What a breakthrough.”

I looked at Ray, who let me see the lingering lust in his eyes. He was still thinking bedroom not dining room. Once again I’d started something I wasn’t going to finish. Why did so many people . . . Hmm. No, it was always other men. Okay, so why did so many men think I’d wasted my time with Jerry? Just a line? Then why was it that the more I heard it, the more it made sense to me? I shook my head, to Ray and to myself. I loved Jerry, I did. And he was waiting for me right now. I walked over and gave Ray a quick kiss good-bye.

“I’m so glad you’re sober, Ray. Stick with it.”

“You don’t have to go now.” He pulled me close and made sure I could feel how I’d affected him. “Stay.”

I just smiled and shook my head. “Sorry. Not tonight. Let’s go, Penny. Good night, Ian.” I held up my sample. “Thanks. If this works, I may volunteer to be your lab rat.”

Ian laughed. “Can I have that in writing?”

I felt my nerves twitch. That had sounded way too much like a certain demon I knew. “I’ll get back to you on that,” I said as Penny and I climbed into the limo.

Penny talked excitedly about her meeting with Ian the entire ride back to the apartment. She had every reason to be happy. This was a real opportunity for her. To continue research. To see a life for herself after getting turned vampire. Her depression about her undead life was lifting. We were almost to Sixth Street when she just had to ruin everything.

“So now all we have to do is tell Jenny about this and turn her. Then everything will be perfect.” Penny bounced in her seat.

I just stared at her. Perfect? Perfect in hell, maybe.

I
took off my high heels as I followed Penny up the stairs to my apartment. I figured we had an hour until dawn. I stopped her when we got to our floor.

“Okay, here’s a test for you. What do you smell?”

Penny inhaled and wiggled her nose. “Geez. First, front and center, are the rats. I’m getting them out of here Sunday night. The animal rescue people told me of a place and I’ll see if Mr. Blade will let me use his SUV to drive them over there.”

I kept my snark to myself. Like Jerry would trust his very expensive vehicle to my fledgling who could put a ding on a car just by looking at it.

“Okay, that one was obvious. Now see if you can figure out who’s inside. And there’s more than one entity there.” I had picked up on that before we’d reached the landing.

Penny grabbed my arm. “Oh, God, the demons aren’t back, are they? I know I put on a brave front, but they freaked me out, Glory.”

“No, not demons. The Cookie Monster reek would be too easy and there’s not a whiff of it.” I smiled. “Come on, use your nose. Didn’t Trey get around to those lessons?”

“He tried, but there were too many mortals in the club and I was fighting my fangs. What can I say? I’m still all about the bloodlust. That’s why we went to the park.” Penny shrugged, then wiggled her nose again. “I think Trey’s here! I recognize his scent.” She grinned. “How cool is that!” She grabbed the doorknob and turned it. “Not locked. I wonder how he got in.”

“Jerry’s here too. And Rafe. They both have keys.” I put my hand over hers. “Listen before you go inside.”

“No crashes. Guess the coffee table’s safe. And I hear the TV. Buzzing. Motorcycle races maybe?” Penny shook her head. “At four thirty in the morning?”

“That’s cable for you.” I stepped back and let Penny open the door. No crashes. That didn’t mean Rafe and Jerry hadn’t already demolished my new living room. But the scene we walked into was surprisingly civilized. Of course the three men had heard us approach, heard us talking in the hall too. They were on their feet and facing us as we walked in.

Jerry and Trey stood in front of the couch. Jerry had commandeered the remote and now turned off the TV. Rafe lounged in the doorway to the kitchen where he’d obviously unearthed yet another package of Twinkies left from when he’d lived here. They all stared at us like we’d made them wait. I just dropped my shoes by the door and stared back, not about to make excuses or rush into explanations. Penny and I had obviously survived and I needed a drink. I eased past Rafe and headed for the refrigerator.