Stephen (17 page)

“
Not that I’m aware of. She talked a little with Kennedy on the way here, but then she sort of shut down. I think she’s a very deep thinker.” Summer walked to the edge of the lot, then turned back to him. “Did you know that she healed me with just a touch of her finger? Ran it up and down my arm of all places and told me to get out of my chair. I thought Kennedy was going to kick her ass. You’ve no idea after all this time what it was like to wiggle my toes.”

He did know what it was like to be free. And he was sure that was what Summer had meant. “Why do you think I love her?”

Stephen had no idea why that bothered him so much, but it did. He didn’t love her, damn it. And she didn’t love him. Summer gave him that smile that said “you’re just a big dumb animal, aren’t you?”

“
Why do you not love her?” He was startled by the reverse question and shook his head. Why indeed?

“
We were thrown together because of some chemical need for each other and nothing more. Why more people don’t just…why do we even have this gene in us, anyway? What if I was perfectly happy with being alone and single? Maybe I liked my solitary life.”

“
Did you?” Summer didn’t wait for him to answer, but started back to the house. “I’m going in. I think they’re going to start moving everyone to the house soon, and I want to be there to see that dinner is big enough.”

“
They’re coming to my house.” He flushed when she looked at him. “Our house. They’re coming to our house, and Kasen has brought in some extra help so that there will be plenty for everyone to eat. I think he’s rather enjoying himself.”

“
So he would.” She moved into the house and he stood there. It was still light enough that he could feel the waning sun on his face, but not enough to burn him. Stephen let the sounds around him lull him into a trance, and he tried to find Velvet. He was sure she had made it so that her home was warded against any kind of magic he could use to find her, but he tried anyway. He opened his eyes when someone touched him.

“
I can help you.” He nodded at Clarice and her fingers moved up his neck and to his head. The connection was profound and strong. He reached out again and found her.

“
She’s at rest. And Ted, her day walker, is beside her.” He reached into Velvet’s mind and found it to be blank. So she did it the old fashioned way and shut down completely. Stephen only rested, his mind alert to his surroundings. It was dangerous the way she was doing it, but extremely helpful to him. Her way made her easy prey to anyone looking for her.

“
The man is dead.” Stephen moved to Ted and found that Clarice was right; he was indeed dead and not just resting. Someone had torn out his throat.

“
She did it at her rest. If a vampire goes to rest without feeding or feeding well, they can wake hungry. It’s not uncommon in vampires like her.” Clar asked him what made her different from him. “She’s an animal.”

He couldn’t find an address, but he’d found enough clues to figure out where they were. Before he could pull away from Clarice to break the connection, she moved them through the house and into another mind. It was Edward.

It took him a few minutes to sort out his memories. They were disjointed and full of fear. Twice he’d had to have Clarice slow down as she was moving through them much faster than he’d been able to. She’d had a great deal more practice, he knew, but she was helping him, and that mattered a great deal. And when they paused on a dark night, neither of them moved.

He was seeing it as Edward was seeing it, he realized. Edward was nervous, and he kept looking around as if whatever was going on or about to happen was going to be bad. It made Stephen sort of nauseous, but he felt Clarice tighten her grip on his mind, and he settled down. When a car stopped not five feet from him, Edward moved toward it but stayed in the shadows.

It was quick. The ball bat that another man held was smashed into the driver’s window as soon as he came to the car. The driver was disabled immediately, but it was the passenger that had his full attention. It was a younger Clarice. She was screaming at her mother to drive, but it was too late. Edward moved closer to the car, looking up and down the street twice more before he looked down at the older woman. Her head had been beaten in, and brains and blood stained the road. When Edward walked around to the other side of the car, he saw something and was frightened by it. Stephen knew what it had been; it was the faeries that had been with them that night. As he walked around the car, Clarice had been dragged out of it at some point and was trying to crawl away. Her arm and legs had been beaten, and her face was covered in blood. Edward was handed the bat, and he swung it upward. Before it came down, the memory stopped, and Stephen opened his eyes.

“
He did it.” She nodded. “How long have you known? And what have you told the police?”

“
I didn’t know…I knew, I think, that he’d been a part of my mother’s death, but not that he’d actually been there. I had no idea that he’d…he tried to kill me.” He pulled her into his arms and held her as she sobbed. “He hit me with the bat and…and he killed me.”

“
The faeries saved you that night. I could see them working on you when I touched the scar. It’s why you can read minds so well. All of our minds.” She nodded, and he tightened his hold on her when she started to pull away. “Just give me a little more time. I need this even if you don’t.”

He held her for as long as he could, but they were outside without much in the way of protection and needed to get moving. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for what he felt. He wasn’t just in love with her, but he needed her as well.

“
Can you show me how to do that moving thing?” He frowned, not really understanding. “You know, how you take us somewhere without really moving?”

“
We move, but very fast.” He didn’t know if she could do it or not, because he’d never converted her, but he thought if she wanted to try, he’d do anything for her. “Close your eyes and think of where you want to be. You have to think of the room too, not just the place. It won’t do us any good if we end up in a piece of furniture or something like a door.”

“
That’s why when I move the table in the living room, Kasen puts it back.” She laughed. “And the chairs in the kitchen are always around the table and not pulled out. I understand now.”

Stephen was impressed that she’d even noticed. He knew that she was very neat and tidy about her things, but he’d not realized how observant she was. When she told him she had it, he felt the air around them tighten. In the next breath they were both standing in the kitchen of their home. Kasen turned to look at them.

“
There are six wolves in the dining room, sire, as well as three more in the pantry. I have taken the liberty of having a large grill brought in to replace the one that came with the household. I do believe it was rusted beyond use anyway.” He looked at Clarice and smiled. “You did well, my lady. It will be nothing for you to pop to the store and back for me should you require something for lunch I do not have.”

“
You knew it was me?” He smiled. “How? I mean, I thought I did really well, but if I missed something, it would be good to know.”

“
The master does not come to the kitchen unless he knows where I am. I might have been in your way.” She nodded, and Kasen looked at him again. “We have a visitor on the grounds, sire, and he is most not welcome.”

“
Who?” Kasen looked out the window over the sink then at him again. Whoever it was, Kasen was not happy about it.

“
The police, sire. They arrived about an hour ago. I have kept them from the household grounds, but they have made their way into the woods. I was afraid to have the wolves go out and scare them off. I feared they’d shoot them.”

“
Let them hang out. In a little while, we’ll have Vinnie go out and shift. If that doesn’t run them off, nothing will.” Kasen smiled. “We might have Samuel and Kennedy go out too. They were just saying they needed a good run.”

“
Very good, sire. My lady, packages have arrived for you. I have put them on the bed for you to sort through. It looks as if you had a very productive day.” She looked at him, then at Kasen.

“
I didn’t buy anything.” She moved out of the kitchen, and he followed. He wondered what the hell was going on. As soon as he entered their bedroom, he stopped. She had had a productive day. There must have been two hundred bags in the room.

“
Are we broke?” He was kidding her, but she looked so stricken that he went to her. “I’m kidding, love, honestly. If you bought the mall, we’d have more than enough money to live on for the rest of our days. What on earth did you do, speed shop?”

He picked up the first bag he reached and looked inside. Whatever it was looked like silk and lace. Pulling it out, he nearly swallowed his tongue before she jerked it from him.

“
I most certainly did not purchase this.” He reached for another bag and held it over her head so he could pull whatever was in it out. This one was green, dark, and luscious.

“
Please tell me you plan to model this for me.” She glared at him, but he could see the lust starting to take over her anger. “Why don’t you go and put it on now? I’ll wait.”

“
It’s a bra.” Stephen nodded. “What on earth could be so sexy about a bra? I suppose you want me to put the matching panties on as well?”

He nodded again and felt the overwhelming desire to wipe his chin. He was hungry for her, and she was finally getting it. Taking the bag from him, she moved to the bathroom, but stopped before she entered.

“
Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to put this on and you’re going to go downstairs to entertain the guests you invited here.” He shook his head. “Yes you are, and if you’re really good, I’ll try on the things I found in the other bag. I do believe it’s sheer. And black too.”

“
You’re going to pay for this.” She nodded and smiled. “Christ, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on anything wondering what the fuck you’re wearing…or not wearing.”

“
You might want to wear a longer shirt too. Your cock is showing.” He rubbed his hand over his painful erection, and she smiled at him. “I’m very wet.”

“
Fuck them.” Stephen moved to her, and she squealed. The door slammed in his face and he nearly broke it down. But what he heard on the other side made his heart pound. She was laughing. Stephen was sure if there was a more beautiful musical sound, he’d never heard it. He told her he’d be downstairs and moved out of the room before he did something he wanted to do when they were alone, like tell her that he was in love with her.

Chapter 10

He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead
kept rolling though his mind over and over as Edward swept up the ash. He’d been told to come down here to clean up the mess just after he’d gotten home. He’d no idea it was going to be a body. Then…then it was ash.

“
I told you it’d be easy to do. You should have brought down that sweeper thing. It’s handheld, and it does a good job of cleaning up the mess.” Edward looked at Velvet, stunned at her attitude. “What? It’s not like he was my mate or anything. We just enjoyed each other’s bodies for a time. Now you’ll have me all to yourself.”

Not a thought that made him feel good. Edward had been trying for days to figure out how to get out of this mess he was in, and now that Ted was dead, she’d been talking more about converting him too. He didn’t want to be a fucking vampire.

“
You will need to feed me soon.” He felt his body get clammy. That meant sex too. And as much as he enjoyed it while it was happening, he didn’t want to have sex with her any more. Ever again. “I’m willing to wait until you’ve had a chance to shower. I can’t stand the smell of dead vamp, and you positivity reek of it.”

“
You killed him.” She smiled and nodded. “Didn’t you love him at all? I mean, weren’t you guys together for a while?”

“
Yeah, so? Like I said, he wasn’t my mate, so it matters little. He knew the risks when he slept with me. When I get hungry, I just leap for the throat.” He felt his balls and cock seem to crawl up into his body when she licked her lips and stared at his cock. “You will need to eat more. I tend to get very hungry when I’m hunting. It’s why I always have two in my bed when I fuck someone.”

Two. Two more bodies he’d have to clean up after if…he looked at the door longingly when she got up to leave the room. He wanted out. And right now, dead was preferable over living like this. But he was a coward. He knew that as well as Velvet probably did. He put the dust pan on the trash can and made his way to the kitchen.