SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (244 page)

“Is she pretty?”

“She’s gorgeous. But she has a temper. Mostly it’s directed at Mathieu. He’s the source of her contempt.”

Marie didn’t blame Simone for hating that horrible genie king. “Who else grants wishes to women?”

“Anthony and Nicholas. They’re brothers. Anthony lives in a ruby pendant and Nicholas inhabits an emerald bracelet. They weren’t vampires for very long. In fact, it was Simone who made them into vampires.”

“Really? When?”

“In 1950. By then, Simone had been a vampire for centuries. She’s much, much older than they are. But none of that matters now. A few months after she turned them into vampires, Mathieu made all three of them into gen-vamps.”

“What do Anthony and Nicholas look like?”

“They’re dashing. You’d think they were twins, but they’re not. Anthony is older.”

She pictured them like fairy tale princes, only with fangs. She also imagined them in ruffled shirts, velvet-trimmed trousers, and sashes tied around their waists. Maybe around their heads, too. “Are they angry like Simone?”

“No. Anthony is strong and helpful. And Nicholas is charming and clever. He gives me the most trouble, even more than Simone.”

“How come?”

“Because he flirts with the women he grants wishes to. He plays practical jokes on me, too, when he can get away with it. He can be a regular pain in the butt.” He smacked the side of his rump to make his point. “But Nicholas makes me laugh, too.” Even now, he was chuckling.

Marie laughed, as well. “Which one do you think I’d like better?” She leaned forward, eager to hear his response. “Anthony or Nicholas?”

“Either one.”

She decided that she liked Anthony better because he sounded more like a prince. Fairy tale heroes, especially real ones, weren’t supposed to be pains in the butt, even if they drank people’s blood. “They can’t kill anyone, can they? Or turn someone into what they are?” She already knew the answer was no, but she liked being reassured.

“No, Baby Girl. Hybrids can’t do those things.”

“Can they guzzle someone’s blood and make that person weak?” Sometimes she guzzled grape juice. She never pretended it was blood, though. That would be gross.

“Yes, they can do that. But they aren’t supposed to.”

She doubted that Simone or Nicholas would follow the rules. Anthony was different. She trusted him. “Have you ever let any of the gen-vamps drink from you?”

“Only when they haven’t been fed for a while. I don’t make a habit of it.”

She touched the side of her neck, poking around to find her vein. “Does it hurt?”

“A little. But mostly it makes you woozy. Like when adults get drunk or take more medication than they should.”

She didn’t know anything about that stuff. But she figured it was similar to when she spun herself around on the grass and toppled over. That was one of her favorite games. But one time she cut herself on a sprinkler and that wasn’t the least bit fun. The sight of her own blood had made her feel sick.

When they stopped talking, Marie wondered what type of wish was important enough to let a gen-vamp make you bleed on purpose. None, she decided. She would never want anything that badly.

Not even when she was grown up.

The Vampire Bracelet: Chapter One

Marie entered the Chakra Circle, the magic shop Uncle Darrin owned. She was so nervous she could barely think straight. But she slapped a smile on her face. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She just hoped Darrin understood.

“Hey, Baby Girl.” He came around the front counter, greeting her the way he always did.

She embraced him with a loving hug. He was pushing seventy, but he was as striking as ever, with sharp-boned features, longish white hair, and bronzed skin.

She stepped back and lifted the takeout bag she carried. “As promised, I brought lunch. Chicken enchiladas for you. Vegetarian tacos for me. Sides of rice and beans for both of us.” She rattled the bag. “Chips and salsa, too.”

“Great. I’m starving.” He closed the shop, putting a clock sign in the window that said it would reopen in an hour.

They went to the tiny break room and sat across from each other at a cramped table. She set up the food, and he dived in with gusto. She ate cautiously, so as not to give herself a belly ache. When she got anxious, her stomach acted up.

“Uncle?”

“Hmm?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure. What is it?”

A deep breath. A quick burst of words. “May I borrow a gen-vamp?”

He made a worried expression. “Are you in some sort of trouble? You know I only loan them to people who are truly in need of their magic.”

“I’m not in trouble. But my life isn’t going as planned. I want to get married and start a family.”

“That’s what this is about? You and your boyfriend?”

“I’m certain that Keith would make a great husband. He just needs a push in the right direction.”

“The wishes only last for two weeks,” he reminded her.

“I know.”

“Then tell me, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?”

“My wish would be to have Keith propose within those two weeks and let the rest of it happen naturally.”

“The rest of it? You mean the wedding itself?” He sat back in his chair. “A legitimate marriage with a magic-induced engagement? Something isn’t right with that picture.”

“Please, Uncle. I’m almost forty. My biological clock is ready to bust.”

“You’re thirty-five. You’ve got plenty of time.”

“Not to have babies. It gets tougher the older you get.”

He sighed. “I’d be thrilled for you to have a family. But as much I hate to say this, I’m not convinced that Keith is the right man for you.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“Because if he wanted to marry you, he would have proposed by now.”

“I told you, he just needs a nudge. A lot of men do.”

“Yes, but are you sure he’s the one? Love should be wild and consuming. You and Keith seem more like friends than claw-each-other-to-death lovers.”

Claw? Death? Was he serious? Her uncle wasn’t qualified to dole out romantic advice. He’d never even gotten close to walking down the aisle. “There’s plenty of spark in our relationship. And there’s nothing wrong with marrying your best friend.”

“If he wants to marry you.”

She didn’t reply and during the quiet, he continued to eat. Still concerned about her nerves, she did little more than pick at her meal. She hated being single. Everyone in her social circle was married and had kids. With each year that passed, she felt more and more like a spinster, especially when her friends went on family outings together.

Finally she said, “I love Keith, and he loves me.” Their relationship wasn’t wild and consuming, but it was solid and true. “We’re right for each other.”

Darrin didn’t look convinced.

She tried a different approach. “Give me a chance to prove you wrong. Loan me a gen-vamp and let me make my wish.” Cradling her arms, she made a rocking-baby motion. “I’ll name my first-born son after you.”

He smiled, laughed a little. “That’s quite a bargain.”

She released the imaginary infant. Funny how she’d changed. How many times during her youth had she claimed that nothing would ever push her in the direction of a blood genie wish? “I want to have a family more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

“I know you do.”

Marie perked up. She could tell that he was considering it. She could see the concentration in his eyes, the melting resolve.

“All right,” he said.

She grinned. This was like Christmas, only better. She’d never received a holiday gift of this magnitude. “Thank you, Uncle.”

He finished his food. “You can borrow Nicholas.”

Nicholas? “Why can’t I have Anthony?” Her childhood favorite. The one she trusted.

“Anthony isn’t a gen-vamp anymore. He’s mortal now.”

“Oh, my goodness, how did he manage that?”

“There was a spell on the ruby pendant that freed him. It was enacted a long time ago, but none of us knew about it until recently. The spell was contingent on him finding true love, which he did.”

Well, then. That explained why Darrin was being so opinionated about matters of the heart. “I’m glad Anthony is free and that he found someone.” It made him seem even more like the prince she’d imagined, only now he was living happily-ever-after with his princess.

Darrin said, “The same spell was placed on the ring and the bracelet, too. Luckily there isn’t anything Mathieu can do about it. He’s pissed, of course, but the spell is beyond his control.”

“How does Nicholas feel about the spell?”

“He’s eager to become mortal. I think he would take whoever came along if it meant getting out of the emerald bracelet for good. I warned him that true love can’t be rushed. But he thinks he knows it all.”

Marie frowned. “He better not look my way. I don’t need a supernatural creature trying to romance me.”

“Nicholas isn’t a fool. He isn’t going to pursue a woman who wants to marry another man. He’ll flirt with you. He’ll probably drive you nuts with it. But it won’t mean anything.”

“I’d still rather not deal with him.” She contemplated her options. “What about Simone?” The fierce female. That wasn’t appealing, either. But at least Simone wouldn’t make a pest of herself.

“Simone is on loan to someone else.”

“Then I guess I have no choice but to take Nicholas. I want to make my wish. Today, if possible.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He stood up. “Then wait here.”

He left the room, and she cleared the table, keeping busy. She’d never met any of the gen-vamps. She’d never even seen their jewelry. This would be a first for her, all the way around.

A short while later, Darrin returned with the bracelet. The elegant design shimmered with diamond-encrusted emeralds, and the center stone, the brightest of the emeralds, was adorned with a white-gold cross.

He said, “I explained the situation to Nicholas. I told him that you were my niece and I relayed your wish about the proposal to him. He’ll appear to you after you put the bracelet on.”

“You spoke to him through it?” That was something she’d never considered. “Can he hear us right now? And see us?”

Her uncle nodded, and she tried to keep from being self-conscious. The sudden knowledge that a gen-vamp was watching and listening made her feel strange.

“Do you want me to go over the rules before he appears?” Darrin asked.

Marie shook her head. She was too anxious to keep chattering. Besides, she knew the gist of it. She would have to wear the bracelet for the next two weeks. She couldn’t remove it, not even to bathe. She would also have to let Nicholas feed from her each night. That was going to be the tough part. The idea of allowing him to drink her blood roiled her already sensitive stomach. But at least he couldn’t turn her into what he was. Or attempt to kill her.

She fastened the bracelet to her wrist, and a sparkling green mist floated out of the center stone and manifested into a man.

Nicholas, in the flesh, staring straight at her.

The Vampire Bracelet: Chapter Two

Marie’s heart punched her chest. Although Nicholas was immortal, he looked about her age, with tousled dark hair, hazel eyes, a bad-boy smile, and a hot-as-sin body clothed in a black shirt and slim-fitting jeans. No scarves, no headdress, no genie attire from her childhood imaginings.

A gap of sexy silence passed between them. Or that was how it felt to her. But maybe she was reading more into it because he was so gorgeous. She’d expected handsome, but not the holy-fucking-hell kind.

“Hello, Marie.” His voice was as devilish as the rest of him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She could little more than reply, “You, too.”

He gave a slight bow. “I’m at your service.”

She was glad he hadn’t offered to shake her hand. She didn’t want him to touch her, not until it was absolutely necessary. Already the main artery in her neck was pulsing, from fear, no doubt. It certainly wasn’t from a latent fantasy to be fed upon. Blood still grossed her out.

Didn’t it? Yes, absolutely. His hotness hadn’t changed that.

He said, “So you want your boyfriend to propose. Keith, isn’t it?”

She nodded, and another stream of silence sizzled by. She didn’t like the effect he had on her. She wanted him to stop staring. But no such luck. His gaze remained riveted to hers.

He said, “You’re going to have to give me verbal permission to feed.”

She answered quickly, her tone jumpier than it should have been. “You have my permission.”

“Then we’re all set, aren’t we?”

“Yes, I suppose we are.” She shuffled her feet. He didn’t seem the slightest bit anxious. But why would he? Taking blood in exchange for wishes was his job. Besides, with his supposed pain-in-the-butt personality, he was probably enjoying her discomfort.

“I’ll come to your house later.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “Let’s say, around nine?”

“That’s fine.” She didn’t need to provide her address because he would be monitoring her from his connection to the bracelet, aware of where she was at all times. And now that they were face-to-face, the notion of being tracked by him heightened her nerves. Was this how criminals felt when they were under house arrest?

He angled his head. “You’re a pretty little thing. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy.”

She barely managed a polite, “Thank you,” before he added, “I’ll bet you’re going to be a tasty treat, too. Lip-smacking good.”

Damn him. She took a deliberate step back. There went his “gotcha” side.

Her uncle came to the rescue. “Don’t act smart, Nicholas. Especially with my niece.”

“Sorry.” The smarty in question shrugged one shoulder at a time. “I was just playing around.”

“I know,” Darrin replied. “Like you always do.” He turned to Marie. “Don’t let him intimidate you, Baby Girl. He’s harmless.”

The gen-vamp grinned and leaned against the wall. “My wisecracks are worse than my bite.”

She suspected that his bite was going to sting something awful. Worse yet, he winked at her when Darrin wasn’t looking. Harmless, her foot. Already he was turning into a heap of trouble, and she’d only known him for a few minutes.