The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride (23 page)

An hour and a half later, they were finally home. Hugh considered the evening a success. Delaney was no longer in immediate danger, and the arrest of Rastinelli’s men would send a message. He hoped. He wasn’t so foolish to think that this was one and done, but it would take at least a day for Rastinelli to get more men down here, unless they were willing to fly, which meant a record of the trip and no easy way to bring firearms.

The upside was Delaney seemed at peace again, which made Hugh happy.

Stanhill greeted them as they walked in. “How did it go?”

Hugh gave him the recap.

“Bleedin’ amateurs.” Stanhill nodded at Delaney. “You all right then?”

She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. “I am. Hugh took care of them like
that
.” She snapped her fingers. “Although…I’m kind of hungry.”

“We never did eat dinner.” So much for taking care of her every need. He looked at Stanhill. “What have we got?”

“Bits and bobs.” Stanhill shrugged. “What do you feel like, miss?”

She put her hand on her stomach. “Thai food, but I don’t suppose you have that in Nocturne Falls.”

“Ah, but we do.” Stanhill raised a finger. “Follow me.”

Into the kitchen they went, where Stanhill produced a paper menu from one of the kitchen drawers. “Open until eleven p.m., so you have half an hour to order. They don’t deliver, but I’ll run into town and pick it up.”

“Thank you!” Delaney let out a little squeal of delight. “I want all of it.” She laughed. “Gimme a sec, and I’ll narrow it down.” She pored over the menu. “Hugh, what are you getting? You must be starved.”

“I am, but my needs right now are a little…different.”

She looked up from the menu, her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” Her mouth rounded. “Oh.”

He nodded, knowing then that she understood he needed to feed. He’d held off for a few days—actually, he hadn’t given it much thought he’d been so preoccupied with her—but especially now after the exertion of power during the fight, he needed blood. “I’ll just slip downstairs and—”

“I want to go with you.” She straightened, a very determined look in her eye.

Stanhill made a small noise in the back of his throat. “Miss, I don’t think—”

“We said no more secrets.” She kept her eyes on Hugh. Almost challenging him.

“Delaney, this isn’t a secret I’m keeping from you. It’s just not something I share with anyone.”

She crossed her arms. “So I’m just anyone?”

“I didn’t say that.”

She looked at Stanhill. “Shrimp pad thai, spicy, and an order of spring rolls.”

“Very good,” he answered. He snatched keys off a hook by the door and zipped out. Undoubtedly, Hugh would have to tell Stanhill what was about to happen when he returned. Hugh knew his rook too well to think he’d let this one lie.

Hugh rolled his shoulders. “Sweetheart, what you’re asking is—”

She strode toward him, resolve shining in her eyes like a flame. “What I’m asking is to be included in one more part of your life. You wanted me to believe you’re a vampire, and I do. You wanted me to stay, and I’ve agreed to that too. If we’re taking a chance on this relationship and looking toward the future, then this is just one more thing you can share with me to help me understand your world.”

He couldn’t really say no to that. “It’s a very intimate act.”

She slipped her arms around his neck and gently nipped his jaw, the scrape of her teeth sending a jolt of pleasure spiraling through him. She kept her mouth against his skin as she spoke. “I can’t imagine it’s more intimate than some of the things we’ve already done.”

He closed his eyes and groaned softly, powerless to keep his hands from sliding down her rib cage to rest on the crest of her hips. He almost forgot what they were talking about. “No, I suppose not.”

She pressed into him, her breath a warm caress that was followed by her tongue. “Then share this with me. Please. I really want to understand your life and what it’s like to be you.”

“A lot of women faint at the sight of blood.” A weak argument, but all he could come up with against the onslaught of her affections.

She leaned back, canted her head and tightened her mouth into a firm line. “I’m not most women.”

“No, you most definitely are not.” He sighed, defeated. But he couldn’t get his feet to move.

“There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I suppose there is. I can’t help but think you’ll see me differently after this. It’s something akin to having the wizard’s curtain drawn back.”

She shook her head. “What I feel for you can’t be changed that easily.”

“That’s reassuring.” But they’d see about that soon. Knowing a truth and seeing it demonstrated were two very different things. “Downstairs we go, then.”

He led her to the basement door and unlocked it, then stopped on the first tread. “I’ll lead. I know where the light switches are.”

She followed him down into the dark, her steps careful but never hesitant. She was as brave as she was beautiful.

That didn’t mean he was free of misgivings, but he was too besotted not to indulge her. He flicked on the light. “Welcome to my sanctum sanctorum.”

She looked around, nodding slowly. “This is very cool. Your grandmother said she isn’t allowed down here and has no idea what you do in this place.” She gestured at the tables full of equipment and the tall cabinets stacked with supplies. “What is all this?”

“My lab.” He stood between the two main work tables.

“So what kind of stuff
do
you work on in here?”

“I…” And then he realized he had one secret left to confess. “It’s occurred to me that I haven’t told you the whole truth.”

A tentative look crossed her face. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“It’s nothing bad, I swear.” He pulled the amulet from beneath his shirt. “This is how Didi persuaded me to agree to Annabelle’s visit. I have enough money that the loss of any inheritance makes no difference.”

She came to stand beside him, staring at the amulet. “What is it?”

“Our most secret of secrets. No one outside my family knows it.”

She stopped, her eyes widening. “Are you sure you want to tell me?”

“You said yourself there can be no secrets between us if we have any chance of making things work.” He held up the amulet. “This is what allows me to walk in the sun. Without it, the sun would kill me. The magic that powers this was created by Alice Bishop, my grandmother’s companion. In thanks for saving her life, she found a way to protect ours.”

Her mouth rounded. “Really?” Her gaze went from the amulet to him then back again. “That’s why your grandmother wears one too.”

He nodded. “As well as both my brothers.”

“But not Stanhill?”

“No, as a rook, it’s not required.”

Her fingers brushed the amulet, then she wrapped her arms around her torso and leaned back against one of the work tables. “Why are you telling me this? That’s a pretty big thing to reveal to someone you’ve only known a short time.”

“Because I love you.” What was the point in pretending otherwise? “And I don’t want anything between us.”

“You…love me?” She paled, looking very fragile and human in that moment.

“Yes.” He put his hands on her arms and drew her in, holding her loosely against him. “Does that frighten you?”

Her response came in a breathy whisper. “No.”

“Good. Because I am utterly lost in you, Delaney. I know it’s only been a few days, but I cannot imagine myself with another woman. You’re my last thought of the day and my first thought when I awake.”

Her chest rose and fell with her breaths. “What about not wanting to be married? About not being over Juliette?”

He bent his forehead to hers, needing to connect himself to her as much as possible. “What I’m not over is the guilt of her death. I may never be over that. Losing her devastated me and my fear at feeling that kind of pain again has kept me from loving anyone else.” He smiled, his memories of Juliette more sweet than bitter. “She would be angry at me for not giving another woman a chance. But then, she’s not the one who’s had to bear the burden of her death.

He sighed. “You know, we married out of a sense of duty. It was expected of us, but I know if given the chance she would have married another.”

“Did she love you?”

He turned away. “She was a good wife.” That’s all he could say. Because the real answer hurt too much.

“That’s really why you feel so guilty, isn’t it? Because she chose to be turned out of duty to you, not because she loved you.”

He nodded, seeing only the lab before him. “Her entire life was sacrificed upon the altar of Lord Ellingham.”

“But she could have died from the plague. It was her
choice
to be turned.”

He laughed brusquely. “I wish that were true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was her lord and husband.” He shook his head. “It was a very different time. Women had less say in things. And I was a man trying very hard to overcome my place in the world as my father’s second son. I’m not sure you would have liked me then.”

“Maybe not, but…but I love you now.”

Her words were a whisper, but they rang through him like the peal of church bells. He twisted to see her face. “You do?”

She nodded, her eyes glittering in the lab’s spotlights. “It’s crazy. But then again, maybe that’s who I am. The crazy cat lady in love with the vampire.”

He swept her into his arms and spun her around, kissing her face as she laughed. “That’s exactly who I want you to be.”

“Put me down, you’re making me dizzy.”

He set her feet on the floor and kissed her again for good measure.

She gently pushed him away with her hands on his shoulders. “Why did you tell me all that about the amulet?”

He looked around. “You asked what I do down here. There was no way to answer you truthfully without the rest of it coming out. My work down here has been a struggle to find a formula that would take the place of the amulets.”

“But why? If you have them, why do you need something else?”

“Because since Alice created them, my grandmother has used them to bend us to her will. Sebastian would very much like to leave Nocturne Falls and hunt for his estranged wife, but my grandmother refuses to grant him permission, threatening to have Alice revoke the amulet’s magic if he does.”

“There are other witches in town. Have one of them make you a new amulet.”

“If only it were that easy. Alice’s magic is something more than what modern witches have.” He raked a hand through his hair. “When my grandmother saved her from death in Salem, Alice somehow managed to harness the souls of her sisters murdered before her. Those souls strengthened her as if she had the power of ten witches instead of one, and she channeled those souls into the magic of the amulets.”

Shock brightened Delaney’s eyes. “That’s some serious magic.”

“Exactly.”

“I can imagine you also wouldn’t want to tell another witch either, because like you said, the amulets are a source of vulnerability.” She frowned. “What would happen if someone were to yank that off you while you’re standing in the sun? Would you really burn up like vampires do in books and movies?”

An image of the one vampire he’d seen face the dawn filled his head. “If I could not find cover, I would burn to ashes in a matter of minutes.”

She covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s horrifying.”

“Indeed. Not something I’d like to experience.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He smiled, her willingness gift enough. “No, my darling. I have collected and studied every text that holds even the slightest hint of promise. Someday I will unlock the secret.”

“Baking is kind of like science. You never know, I might be able to help.”

A new urge to kiss her arose. “This is not so much science as it is part alchemy and part witchcraft. Not that I am so talented in either, but I’ve taught myself a great deal over the years.”

“Thank you for confiding in me. For trusting me.” She walked around the closest work table, studying the things laid out on it and trailing her fingers around the edge as she made the loop back to him. “We’re both still hungry and my food will be here soon. You should feed. It’s what we came down here for.”

“Yes.” Doing this in front of her went against his grain, but the time for protesting was over. He went to move past her, gesturing toward the far bank of cabinets. “I need to get to that refrigeration unit.”

She hopped up onto the work table and propped her foot on the one across from it, blocking his path. “No, you don’t.”

“If I’m going to feed, I do.”

She swept her hair over to one shoulder, and color flooded her cheeks. “You have a source right here.”

Heat rushed through him in such a surge he saw stars. He’d already had a taste of her when she’d pricked her finger on his fang, but to drink from her…that wasn’t something he could allow. He was in love with her, and any vampire who drank from the mortal they loved risked hurting that mortal. He refused to put her in that precarious position. “No, absolutely not—”