Real Vampires Know Hips Happen (5 page)

“Not the best? Seducing men and then killing them for their treasure? It was horrible. I had no stomach for it. What kind of mother does that to her child?” I turned away to stare down at the water flowing over the stones below. This sickened me. That a woman could doom her child to that kind of existence…Her hand landed on my chin, light as air yet hot as a brand.

“A mother who can’t bear to see her daughter die.”
Her words whispered into my mind.

“Seems to me you forgot me for, oh, centuries.” I jerked away from her creepy touch. “Now fix this. Jerry hasn’t done anything to you. Take that spell off him and give him back his memories.”

“He made you vampire. You drink blood, have fangs.” She shuddered. “It is unseemly.”

“After the Storm God dumped me out of the Siren club, Jerry gave me back my immortality. I would think that would please you. Since you’re all over this motherhood thing now. I would be six feet under if not for him.” I scrambled to my feet. “Damn it. This is nuts. Why are you showing up now?”

“Circe came to me. She saw our resemblance and reminded me that you exist. Then she told me what Achelous did to you and I can see for myself, Gloriana, how he ruined your body. He will pay for that, the bastard.” Thunder clapped and shook the bridge. I wondered if that was her warning to him or his taunt that she could try.

The damp fog surrounded us and just added to my sense that this was all a horrible nightmare. That my brain was as muddled as Jerry’s right now.

“Circe needs to mind her own damned business.” I shivered. Even my underwear felt damp from the fog and the cold, wet boards under me.

“No, she did me a great favor which puts me in her debt.” My mother sighed. “You don’t know what Olympus is like, Gloriana, the politics, the power plays. It is little wonder that I neglected you. I have been…busy since I gave you away. I forgot…” She jumped to her feet and turned to stare down at the water. “It was not right of me to abandon you. I should have taken my chances with Zeus.”

“Well you didn’t. So forget bonding with me now.” I got up too and glanced at her. “You owe Circe two debts. Because she sent Blade in my path and here I am today, still alive. So you owe
him
. Fix his memory problem.”

“No.” She turned back to me. “You don’t need to be with a man like that, a bloodsucker. I can take you back to Olympus
now that you are a woman. Rid you of those dreadful fangs, return your perfect body.” She tried to grab my hands. “Give you everything.”

I darted out of reach. “I like my dreadful fangs. Love my blood-sucking boyfriend. And I’d never want to live in a place with creeps like the Storm God. No way in hell or Olympus.” I wanted to slap her, throw her off the bridge, something. But I knew better. A goddess from Olympus. I could feel her power like electricity in the air, shoving at me, but stopping short of actually hurting me. Restraint. Guess that was her version of motherly love.

I knew the bits and pieces of power I had paled in comparison with what she’d have in her arsenal. Make her lose her temper and she’d probably “forget” again that I was her daughter and blast me until I was little more than a stain on the wooden planks beneath my feet. Her daughter. I backed away, disgusted and horrified at the thought.

“You can’t change where you came from, Gloriana. But I can change what you are now. Make your body glorious, your teeth perfect, put a banquet before you that you could actually savor—every bite. If you want your beloved’s mind whole again, come with me. I can fix him with a snap of my fingers. Is that what you want? It would certainly please me.” She was close to me again, eyes sharp, watching me like a bird of prey hovering over its next meal. “But you’d never see him again.”

“Never see him again?” I wanted him to remember, but to remember
me
, our love. What good would it do to have this woman restore his memories just to have me abandon him? He’d mourn me. I’d seen how he still loved me. It would be cruel, almost as cruel as leaving him stuck in the sixteenth century. And me? I’d have my heart ripped out.

“I can’t bear to see you live as a monster. If you want him as he was, you’ll leave him and come with me now. Otherwise, there is very little hope that he can get his memories back.” She smiled slowly. “Of course you could leave him as he is and try to make him love you again. You
are
my daughter.
I’m sure you are more than capable of seducing him if that is what you wish.”

“This is about more than lust, woman.” I wouldn’t call her Mother. Never. This cold and heartless creature? “I want him to remember the last four hundred years. He’ll be in shock once he leaves the castle and sees all the inventions, the changes…” I pressed my hands to my stomach. “God, I can’t imagine how he’ll feel. It will drive him mad.”

“Amazing. You really do love him. I blame it on your time as a human.” She looked skyward. “Another sin Achelous will answer for. Those of us who call Olympus home don’t waste our energies on such trivial emotions.” She sighed. “If you truly want this man, then he must prove he’s worthy.”

“Of course he’s worthy. He’s strong, loving and brave. And he’s been true to me all these years.”

“A paragon, it seems.” Her smile was cold and knowing. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“What do you mean?” I didn’t like our proximity. She held me close enough with her power that I could smell her, a strange perfume of lavender and musk that made my nose twitch. Lavender. I had always loved it, used it as a body wash. I was tossing it as soon as I got home.

“I mean, Gloriana, that I will test this man of yours. To see for myself if he deserves my daughter.”

“Test? What kind of test?” I finally managed to get away from her. “Please don’t hurt him. Haven’t you done enough? The man can’t remember—”

“I’ll decide when Jeremiah Campbell has had enough. And, if you want me to spare him, you will call me Mother.” She loomed over me, her power making my hair crackle and lift as if a strong wind had caught it. “Do you understand?”

“I understand that you want him to fail,
Mother
.” I glared at her, dredging up courage despite my roiling stomach. “He is far worthier of me than I am of him.”

“We will see, Daughter, we will see.” She toyed with my hair, freezing me in place when I would have jerked away
from her. “So very headstrong. No wonder Circe recognized you. You are the very image of me in my younger years.” She laughed softly, no merry trill this time. “I will be watching. If you change your mind, call for your mother and I will come. And if that man disappoints you, I will be glad to make him suffer, never doubt it.”

“Make him suffer? Haven’t you already started?” I watched her fade from sight. “Damn you! Stay away. If you won’t help him, just stay the hell away from both of us.”

I turned and ran down the path toward the castle again. But before I got too close I stopped to compose myself. I could never let the Campbells know that it had been my fault Jerry had lost his memory. Oh, God, what would she do to him next?

Three

I
sank down on a wooden bench not far from the castle, desperate to process what had just happened. I had a mother and not just any mother, a freaking goddess from Olympus. Lucky me. I pulled my sparkly pink phone from my pocket. Thank God. A signal. I hit speed dial.

“
Amica
, I’m glad you called. Did you make it to the castle? Was Jeremiah happy to see you? Oh, and I am in the most fun shop here in Paris. I’m buying you a little gift. Wait till you see.”

The sound of Flo’s voice, so full of life and normalcy, took me right over the edge. I couldn’t speak, just sobbed, right into the phone.

“
Mio Dio!
What’s wrong? Glory, speak to me!” I heard rustling in the background. “Ricardo, take these bags to the car. I’m going into the dressing room.”

I took a breath of the cold air, glad that all trace of my mother’s scent was gone, and managed to choke out a few words. “Flo. Sorry. Rough night.”

“Obviously. So I’m glad you called me.” I heard a door slam. “Now I’m in a dressing room. No one will bother us.
I have spent a fortune here. So talk to me. I must know everything. What happened to you? Why are you crying?”

“I got here. Jerry
was
happy to see me. Until he had an accident.” My voice wobbled. Accident my left foot. The bitch who claimed to be my mother had done this. Was I going to take her word for that? The mother thing. Right now I couldn’t think past wanting to send her screaming back to Olympus with her butt on fire. Instead I’d wimped out. At least I hadn’t jumped to her command. And I’d sure never join her in Olympus.

“Is he all right? He isn’t, um, dead, is he?” Flo’s voice shook too. She did love me and what hurt me, hurt her. I couldn’t have a better friend.

“No, but it’s almost as bad. He’s lost his memory! He doesn’t know me.” I gripped the phone until those pretty crystals made my hand bleed. I’d learned since I’d admired the cover at the phone boutique that sparkly didn’t mean practical.

“How is that possible?
Assurdo.
Vampires remember everything. It’s a curse. Why, Ricardo remembers every stupid little thing I say to him. And I…Well, you don’t want to know how many centuries worth of nonsense I have crammed into my head.” Flo opened the door. “I must ask Ricardo about this.”

“Yes, ask him. I need answers. How to help Jerry. He was stabbed with a poisoned knife. It made him lose the last four hundred years.” I looked around, making sure no one was within earshot. Why hadn’t I done that sooner?
Get a grip, Glory.
I lowered my voice. “I have reason to believe it came from Olympus.”

“No! Will they never leave you alone?” Flo broke into a spate of Italian. “Here’s Ricardo. Hang on while I tell him this.”

I sat with my head down, praying her brilliant husband would figure out what to do. It wasn’t long before I heard his voice on the phone.

“Gloriana, how do you know this came from Olympus?” His voice was gentle and my eyes filled again.

“I, I ran into someone who told me that’s what happened, Richard. Is there anything we can do? Jerry’s forgotten everything that’s happened after the late fifteen hundreds, since right before he met me.” I was proud that I got that out without breaking down. Forget crying. I was furious, hating my mother who didn’t care what this did to her child. Didn’t she want me to be happy? Not unless it was
her
definition of happiness. On Olympus it was all about power plays and who had the biggest, um, weapon.

“Let me do some research. Florence wants to talk to you again. I’ll call if I come up with something helpful. Take care, Gloriana.”

“Glory! Do you want us to come there? We will if you need us by your side. This is
inferno per voi
!” Flo was talking a mile a minute.

I’d picked up enough Italian to know what
inferno
meant. “Yeah, hell. But stay there, enjoy Paris. Unless Richard finds a cure, there’s nothing you can do and I’m not sure Angus would welcome a visit from my friends right now.”

“We are Jeremiah’s friends too,
sì
?” Flo sounded indignant.

“Of course you are. But things are crazy here. Just wait and I’ll let you know if I need you.” I sighed heavily. I should get back, see if Jerry had remembered anything. Hopefully Mara was gone.

“We’re planning to go back to Austin in two weeks, Glory. If you need a ride then, just let us know. Meet us here and we will take you in our plane. There is room. For Jeremiah too if you can persuade him to come with you.
Mio Dio
, how you must be going crazy over this. If my Ricardo didn’t know me?” I heard her take a shaky breath.

“I
am
going nuts and it’s hard, so damned hard.” I bit my lip to keep from sobbing. “Good to know I could have that ride. I might need it.” Now I was the one taking a shaky breath. “Thanks, Flo. For listening. Now I’ve got to go. Who
knows? Maybe Jerry will have come to his senses by now.” I got up and brushed down my skirt. I had put it on with such high hopes mere hours ago.

“Always, I am always here for you,
mi amica
. Call me anytime. Good luck, eh?” Flo ended the call.

I tucked the phone back in my pocket and headed down the path. I needed more than luck. I needed a miracle. At home I had resources, friends who’d become more like family. Here I was an outsider already looked on with suspicion. On previous visits I’d had Jerry beside me as a buffer, always my champion. Now he just figured me for a blood donor and maybe a bed partner. Was it worth the humiliation to offer to share his bed? Hoping that the sex would stir some memories?

I looked back toward the bridge, but it was lost in the mist. If that woman, aka my mother, was right, it would take a lot more than that to break through Jerry’s mental fog. I reached the door to the family quarters but it opened before I could turn the knob. Security cameras at work.

“You were gone quite a while.” Jerry frowned at me. “I heard you talking to someone.”

“I called a friend. And how do you know I was talking? Did you have me followed?” Damn. Had someone seen me on the bridge with my mother?