Mistwalker (19 page)

“Where did you go?” he asked.

A knot rose in her throat, and she stammered, “W…what do you mean?”

“We could not find you. You disappeared from the face of the earth.”

“Oh.” She took a deep breath and struggled to hide the fac
t that her nipples were hard and rubbed against the fine lace cups of her bra. Her breasts swelled with the sensation. “A childhood haunt.”

“Did it help?”

“Yes and no.”

“My mother was a mortal before she turned vampire. She might be able to help you with the transition.”

“Your mother seems nice.” Simone wanted to ask him about his father, but decided this was neither the time nor place. She smiled stiffly. “I suppose you know everything about me. What does my dossier look like?” As it was, she had to do all her research and investigating face to face.

“Startlingly bare.
Some interesting parts. You have friends who do not like talking. The gun you carry is proof of that.” His hands brushed her upper arms. “The reason you need it would disappear if you would be with me, love.” He breathed into her hair. “I would protect you. Teach you how to use the mist.”

The smile fell from her face. “I bet you say that to all the ladies.”

“There is no one else like you, poppet,” he said, deeply. “Trust me.” He looked up into her eyes, and the song ended abruptly.

“I must go now.” Without looking away, she tried to back out of his embrace. Somehow make her mouth work properly. “Work, remember?”

He didn’t move at first, but then his arms opened reluctantly. “When will I see you again?”

“With Tammy…I want to make a time. How about tomorrow night?” she asked and shifted her feet. “I think it’s really important to—”

He gave her a frank stare and gritted his teeth. “Not only for your friend, although I will set that up as soon as possible. I want to make sure you are still alive and well, among other things.”

She nodded, shivering at the undercurrent of steel in his words. “Well, I have a cell for that,” she said, ready to turn away when his
arm swept over her shoulder and trapped her. “I want to see Tammy either tonight or tomorrow night,” she repeated.

“Fine.
What is your number? I will remember it and contact you as soon as I have spoken to the doctor.”

She sent a pointed frown to his arm and nibbled at her bottom lip. Giving away her phone number would mean he would have a direct line to her at any time. She didn’t think she was ready for that. In fact, she knew she wasn’t. But who else could she ask who knew so much about the mist?
So much about how to save Tammy? Simone recited the number before she changed her mind.

He stroked her arms. “You must know that I—”

“Ciao,” she said, transforming into mist.

The last thing she heard was his laughter.

Chapter
Twenty

Simone flopped down on the lounge and hit the message button on her cell phone. Sixteen new voice messages. Leaving her phone at her apartment might not have been such a hot idea, but at least Juliun couldn’t ring her at work.

Two messages were from the hospital asking her to call them back. Five were from the police wanting to know two things: where she’d disappeared to and how soon she could visit the station. She sighed and leaned her head back on the sofa. She really couldn’t get a break.

Three were from Tammy’s mother. Susan Westfield struggled to keep the tears from her voice as she asked if Simone was okay. A terrible guilt swept over her. She’d invited her best friend away for a holiday and possibly ruined her entire life in an instant. How could she ever explain or fix that? As soon as Tammy was better, they were both getting the hell out of Whitby.

Two were from Vinnie checking up on her, telling her she needed another phone to keep track of the first one. She smiled as his derisive voice came over the speaker. Two were from the boss of the dojo. He sounded pissed that she hadn’t rung to set up new dates for the oncoming year and two were from Juliun.

His dark, smoky voice came across far too deep and made her shiver. He checked up on her in one message, and in the other he let her know he wanted her at Ravenkeep Saturday night to meet his grandfather.

Tomorrow night.

She closed her eyes. Tomorrow night she intended to visit Tammy, not his grandfather. Juliun said he would try to get Simone into the hospital, but she wanted to go immediately. She didn’t fancy going back to Ravenkeep at all.

She’d looked through the local directory for the hospital’s number straight after she’d left Juliun and called up Intensive Care, only to be told that information was only for next of kin. She imagined saying to Tammy’s parents, ‘I know she’s my best friend, but I haven’t visited her in hospital yet.’
Some friend.
But at least Tammy’s parents had visited.

Simone needed glamour to get inside the hospital without being detected and didn’t want anyone recognising her. What to tell the police? She hated lying, especially to Mike down at the dojo. The sparring tonight offered no reprieve from the pain of deceiving the people who cared about her wellbeing. He’d been surprised by her speed in dodging blows, so she took a few to ease suspicion.

The years of training, reforming into a stronger version of herself stretched before her. Years that mocked the terrible weakness she thought she’d destroyed since that night so long ago.

The apartment seemed strange with all the windows shaded in layers of blankets, but she headed for the shower and washed away the night’s exertion. She sat in the bottom of the stall, hot water coursing down her face, blinding her vision. She pushed at the water-logged strands and stared at the white tile.    

Tightness bloomed in her chest. She pulled up her knees and hugged them, hot water streaming down her back. Her life was changing, and she needed to be able to cope with that. She huddled into the corner, her cheek resting against the cold wall. She would lead a life without sunlight.

Tears coursed down her face, mingling with the hot water.

Chapter Twenty-One

The knocking on the front door reverberated in the apartment, and Simone groaned, rushing through her ministrations in the bathroom to answer the summons. A woman needed time to get dressed, didn’t anyone know that?

Who else could it be at this time of night? Would she have to explain the need for curtains all over again? She’d fumbled through her lame excuses with Vinnie and dreaded doing so again.
Oh, the light has been giving me a headache recently.
Hopefully, it wasn’t the police. That was one encounter she could do without.

“Hang on a minute,” she called out. “Vinnie, could you get the door, please? I’m not dressed yet.” She rifled through the paraphernalia on the counter, knocking over her makeup box. “Ah, crap.” She righted it, but little pots of makeup clanged and scattered
onto the floor. She bent over, trying to gather them all up. “Shit, shit.”

“Sure,” Vinnie called. “Sounds like you’re having fun in there.”

“Ha, ha.” She rose and tossed the pots on the bench, pulled a brush through her long hair, put on some cherry lipstick and slid into her dress. Finally she rushed out of the bathroom in a cloud of her favourite perfume and rounded the corner from the hallway.

She stopped dead, heartbeat faltering. “Oh.”
What was he doing here?

Juliun stood in the doorway and seemed to be carved of stone. A warning cloud settled over his face, his jaw clenched, and that light grey gaze turned flinty and zeroed in with pinpoint focus—not on her, but on Vinnie.

Her heart fluttered in her breast, then it decided to take up jump rope. She hurried on over, but as Juliun turned his grim regard upon her, she slowed her step. She couldn’t help it. The tension thickened between them, and she struggled to breathe. For some reason she couldn’t look away from his eyes, at least to smile and reassure Vinnie that it was okay. Juliun could look very scary without even trying.

“Hi, Juliun.
This is a surprise. Welcome. Please come in,” she mumbled.

“You know this man, sweetheart?” Vinnie tensed, and he frowned at Simone, then
at Juliun. “I don’t like the look of him.”

“Filter between brain and mouth,” she whispered to Vinnie out the side of her mouth.

Vinnie laughed.

“Sweetheart?
You do not like the
look
of
me?”
Obviously not many people talked that way about the prince of vampires, at least, not in his presence and not at night. Juliun smiled dangerously, that kick up at the corner of his lips as though he was extremely amused, and a muscle flicked in his jaw. Finally, he looked at her. “I called you, Simone. Did you receive my message?”

The words came at her like knives. He stalked over the threshold and into the kitchen, the line of his mouth taking on an unpleasant twist at the sight of Vinnie’s bag on the table, and Juliun’s cold-eyed gaze held her still.

“Oh. Right.” She winced. Being near him made her question her decisions
and
her independence. “I forgot. Listen, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it tonight.”

His brows tightened with strain. His gaze swept over her figure. That muscle flicked again in his jaw.
Tic, tic, tic.
The return trip was slower going over her skin-coloured stockings and buttercup yellow sundress.

“Do you have other plans? Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Juliun’s grey eyes were guarded as he watched her.

Heat climbed up her face. “Yes, sure.” She swallowed and flicked a wary glance at Vinnie. “Juliun, this is Vinnie. He’s a very good friend of mine. I’ve known him for ages. And…err… Vinnie, this is Juliun, he is a…” She realised she couldn’t say
vampire
. “Well, he’s a—”

“Someone who also intends to be a
very
good friend.” Juliun stepped toward Vinnie with an outstretched hand.

She blinked and her mouth dropped open.
He wasn’t going to tell Vinnie about the proposal?

Vinnie leaned back against the kitchen sink, his arms and ankles folded, glowering. He wasn’t going anywhere, and this was not turning out how she’d planned.

“Is that right? He’s not the one bothering you, is he, sweetheart?” Vinnie asked, jerking his head toward Juliun. “I’ll take him apart right now if he is.”

Juliun smiled as though he were looking for an opening. “Take me apart?
Who are you?”

Simone’s eyebrows rose. “Like I said, he’s a—”

Vinnie pushed off from the sink, lean muscles bunching in his arms. “You know who I am,” he said. “You hurt her and you’ll have to answer to me. The last man who did that ended up six-foot under, get me?”

Juliun’s amused smile flashed, his head tilted, and his eyes became almost white in their fierce knowing. “That is unless you have no mind and cannot think,” he whispered. They stood toe to toe, and suddenly a cold force swept through the room.

A sick sensation roiled in Simone’s belly, and she took a step back. The vibrations were too strong. “Don’t you dare,” she warned. “Juliun, you mustn’t...” She laid a hand on Vinnie’s shoulder to pull him back, but he refused to budge. “Leave him alone.”

“Do not ever come back here,” Juliun said smoothly to Vinnie. “You know why.”

“Yours. She is yours.” Vinnie’s gaze fixated on the door. He stepped toward the opening and grabbed the knob.

“Stop it!” Simone stormed, grabbing Vinnie’s arm. “I mean it, Juliun. I’m not yours, I’m not anyone’s!”

He turned glowing eyes on her, looking like a fierce animal. “That is not true.” Then he let the full force of his glamour land on Vinnie again.

Vinnie smiled serenely, pulled from Simone’s grasp and left the apartment.

Juliun slammed the door shut behind him, breathing hard; his chest all puffed out as he strode forward and leaned against the kitchen counter, his eyes cold, muscles flexed. “Why was he here? Why were you undressed? Why is your lipstick smudged?”

She frowned at him and then looked over his left shoulder at the back of the door. “I can’t believe you did that. Vinnie was checking up on me. Take that off him right now. Like I said, he’s a good friend.”

“Mmm…”

The magnetic force of Juliun’s personality forced her to look at him even though the sight of his eyes and hard face made her tremble.
“Really.”

He cocked his head to the side and stalked around her into the apartment.

She growled low in her throat at his arrogance. “I do have them you know. And how dare you put a glamour him? He’s my friend. My lipstick is smudged because I can’t see my reflection anymore. Thanks to someone.”

He stiffened with his back to her. “We need to discuss why you cannot come tonight which was impossible with him here.”

She sighed and sat down on the sofa with Vinnie’s half-finished game of solitaire before her on the coffee table. “I don’t care what your reasons are. He’s my friend. He’s protective of me. If I’d asked him to leave, he would have. He doesn’t deserve what you did. Next time, communicate with me, and I’ll get him to go.”