The Real Werewives of Vampire County (16 page)

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Authors: Jess Tami; Haines Angie; Dane Alexandra; Fox Ivy

BOOK: The Real Werewives of Vampire County
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“Help yourself.” Nina, who wore a black dress at least two sizes smaller than mine, waved a hand toward the display, as if daring me.
None of the wives had so much as touched a plate.
“I’ll wait until dinner,” I said, my stomach protesting. Now that my body wasn’t pulsing after Lucien, I remembered that I hadn’t eaten lunch. “You have a fantastic home.” I took a seat, ignoring the way my dress shifted sideways.
“You want a tour?” Bliss asked, wasting no time.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She knew.
“Sure,” I said, “why not?”
Let’s get it over with.
She could try to tear me apart, but I was all wolf.
I stood. I gave myself decent odds, especially if Lucien jumped in.
Tia cast a worried glance my way. I could see the indecision eating at her.
“Mitzy—” The were rushed after me as I was about to leave the room with the tiger. Once she made it to me, she scrambled for what came next. “You have a smidge of something on your dress.” She scrubbed with bare fingers at the area next to my back zipper. “I’m scared,” she whispered in a rush.
Me too.
“Thanks for saving my hide this afternoon,” I murmured under my breath.
“I didn’t,” she said, growing desperate.
“You did.” I turned to her, keeping my voice low. “You’re strong, Tia. You have to be. You’re on my team.”
She chewed at her lip.
“You need to stand up for yourself.”
I did, too.
“But—”
I left her with the Predators and followed Bliss.
Tia couldn’t help me right now. I needed to do this on my own. If I was smart—and lucky—I might be able to pull this off.
I just needed to grab her mind, preferably before she took me by the throat.
The weretiger turned on me the minute we were out of the room. “What were you doing in my house?” she demanded, nostrils flaring. “And don’t bother to deny it.” She leaned in close, her face inches from mine. “I smelled you.”
“Funny thing, Bliss,” I said, trying to buy precious seconds, grasping with my mind.
Steady.
I couldn’t afford a backlash. I channeled the power from deep inside of me. It flowed between us and I felt the invisible cord tighten. I tested the connection and sighed with relief when it held. “Okay, tiger. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”
Her face went slack. “I’m in charge of this conversation,” she said, but it was only a line. I had her now.
We’d start with something easy.
“Are you aware that Sunny was blackmailing Nina?”
“No,” she said, eyes widening.
Fair enough. “Were you sleeping with Sunny’s husband?”
She grinned. “He’s fantastic in bed.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, my head beginning to pound. “Do you know where Sunny’s husband is now?” I asked.
Bliss tilted her perfectly oval face. “Overseas,” she said, repeating what I already knew. “On business.”
I’d never got around to asking, “What does he do?”
“Pharmaceuticals.”
No kidding. “Like the Slimprol you have in your closet?”
“Yes,” she said, almost in a trance.
“What does Slimprol do, Bliss?”
She blinked once. Twice. “It makes you sleepy. You go to sleep and you lose weight.”
Great. An unapproved drug for extreme weight loss. I could already tell Sunny’s husband was a real piece of work.
Pain lanced through my head. I was losing the connection. I knew I’d laid it on thick, but dang, when somebody wants to kill you, it’s a good idea to crank up the happy current. “What else can the drug do, Bliss?” I pressed. “Can it kill people?”
She snarled at me. “I hope so.”
Our connection unraveled.
Bliss bared her teeth.
Oh come on. I was offended she’d think I’d break into her house. Even if I did break into her house.
I threw up a hand. “I was in your house trying to find
my
gardener. I don’t care who you are. What’s mine is mine.”
She should know wolves are territorial.
“Bitch,” she snarled, unsure for the first time. She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like wolves who sniff around my business.”
“Bliss!” Nina called. “Mitzy!”
“In here,” I gave a ready answer.
She found us with no trouble. “Dinner is served.”
The tiger growled low in her throat. “This isn’t over, werewolf,” she said, stalking past me.
I never said it was.
 
Lucien and I were seated near the head of the table for dinner. Samuel sat at the head. Lucien at his right side. I sat next to Lucien, with Nina across from me. Luckily, Bliss was at the far end with poor Tia in a werewives version of the singles’ section. That meant I got to chat with Francine and her husband, Olaf.
Worse, I couldn’t help picturing what else Nina had served up on the sleek black dining room table.
Vinny the Arab warrior offered us each a small bowl of rose water with a fingertip towel.
Despite the fact that I’d come one mind-reading trick from being consumed by a tiger, my stomach growled as I anticipated dinner. I needed to eat. Food helped me think. It helped me heal.
And just when I’d worked myself up into a frenzy of anticipation, my plate arrived.
The waiter served up one tiny chicken wing with grated cucumber on top. A date cut into a flower served as garnish. I supposed it was gourmet, but it made me want to cry.
I couldn’t take it.
These people could threaten me. They could lie to me and demean me and make me wear god-awful heels with pointy tips. But they couldn’t starve me. It wasn’t right. My head hurt and my dress was still kind of sideways and I just needed one thing tonight to go the way it was supposed to go.
I needed crackers. I needed anything but a puny chicken wing with a garnish.
The vampires sat drinking their wine. The weres picked at their cucumber as if touching it would make them gain weight. What was wrong with these people?
I needed to eat.
And so I did.
I ate my chicken wing clean. I devoured the cucumber. And the cut-up date. Then I marched out to the living room and loaded up on appetizers—caviar, lamb with goat cheese, fancy fruity tarts. I ate it all. And when I was done with that plate, I went and got another.
Bliss growled. Francine sneered. Tia stared, openmouthed.
Nina couldn’t care less. “More wine?” she asked the table.
She shrugged off her Puritan husband’s glare. “What? I’m just being a good hostess.”
Everyone agreed to refills, except for me. I hadn’t touched my glass. I’d never been one for alcohol. And now that I had my third plate of lamb thingies and a raging psychic hangover, forget it.
The waiter started pouring at the other end of the table and the bottle of white was long gone by the time it reached our end. Nina cracked open another and gave me a healthy pour.
“Thanks,” I said, “but I’ve gotta save room for the ham puffs.”
Bliss stared at me as I slid my glass over to Lucien.
He winked at me and drank.
CHAPTER 8
I
cleared away the rest of the lamb, all of the puff pastries, and a good portion of the caviar. I’d never been huge on fish, much less their eggs, but it was there. And the crackers weren’t half-bad, either.
“Bet you never even heard of a saltine,” I said to Nina.
“I’ll drink to that,” she said, either half-soused or highly amused, probably both.
“Here, here,” I said, toasting her with the last of the caviar.
I had plenty to celebrate. Topping the list was the fact that I had not been eaten by a tiger tonight.
The vampires had lost interest by this time and were busy trying to one-up each other on who had endured the most annoying minions. Points were given for base groveling, years served, and most obnoxious way they died. And it seemed they always died.
Big surprise there.
Yet another reason why no self-respecting weregirl should bind herself to a guy like that.
I licked a bit of caviar off my fingers.
Of course I did notice Lucien hadn’t joined in on the minion talk. In fact, he looked a little green. Good for him. Using people was just plain wrong.
I nudged him. “You feeling okay?”
He nodded. “Slightly put off by the conversation.”
Lucien used a napkin to wipe his forehead and a trickle of perspiration glinted near his ear.
I’d never seen him sweat before. I’d never even seen him warm.
His chin dipped and he braced his hands on the edge of the table. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was struggling to remain upright.
I covered his hand with mine. “Cripes.” Something was definitely wrong. “You’re burning up.”
I flagged down the waiter. “Can we get him some water?”
He was abnormally pale.
Everyone at the table was watching now—except Bliss. She’d become quite interested in her gold bracelets.
Then it hit me with a sickening thud. “You drugged him, didn’t you?”
Her eyes locked with mine. “No.”
She’d answered too fast, and without a hint of surprise.
Bliss had been after me. I’d given my wine to Lucien right before he got sick.
I ran a finger along the inside of his glass and found traces of glitter. Slimprol.
Of all the ... Fury welled up inside me as I stalked toward the tiger. “Now would be a really good time to tell me what’s in Slimprol.”
She stood, her chair toppling over. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I resisted the urge to grab her by the braid and shake her. Barely.
“Get him into the car,” I said, refusing to turn my back on the tiger.
Vinny hoisted Lucien out of his chair.
“Is he okay?” Tia stammered, bobbing in her chair, clearly afraid to stand.
“No, Tia,” I bristled. “He’s not okay.”
But he would be. I’d see to it myself.
I snarled at Bliss and a blaze of triumph shot through me when she backed up a step.
She’d messed with the wrong werewife.
“I’m not through with you,” I said, as Francine led her away.
That’s it. Run, tiger.
It took all I had not to chase her.
Soon. Right now, I had to take care of my own.
Lucien was getting sleepier and sleepier. His head dipped and Vinny had to readjust his grip as he took on more of Lucien’s weight. I helped make way for them as they rounded the table.
Lucien’s breathing grew shallower with each breath. “I don’t understand,” he gasped as we led him out the door. “Alcohol doesn’t affect me.”
“You’ve been drugged,” I said, helping him navigate the front step, hoping he was aware enough to understand. “You have to stay awake.”
“Drugs don’t work on me,” he said, voice slurred.
I glanced back at Nina’s house. “This one does.”
We sped off in Vinny’s car, not even caring about breaking cover. Lucien lay across me in the backseat. He wasn’t moving. I smoothed his hair back, just to have something to fuss over.
This was bad. We had no idea how to reverse whatever Bliss had given him.
“Contact the Vampire Council,” I told Vinny. “See if they’ve learned anything about Slimprol.”
Lucien was dead weight as we pulled him out of the car. His skin was clammy, and his face had gone deathly pale.
“Drag harder,” Vinny said. He took Lucien’s head and shoulders while I took his feet. “He’s not helping us at all.”
“Stay with me.” I planted Lucien’s feet on the ground, then slipped underneath and helped lift him out. “You hear me?”
Tia came running up the driveway. She’d lost her shoes and had the wide-eyed look that told me she’d be no help to us.
“Go home, Tia.”
“But, Heather, I—”
“Not now.”
We could be fighting for Lucien’s life here. He was immortal, but he wasn’t un-kill-able and I still didn’t trust Bliss not to make a lethal move. She was desperate, vicious, and out for blood.
Vinny was thinking the same thing. “Lock the door,” he said when we’d made it inside.
I threw the dead bolt and the chain. Then I set the security alarm.
There was no way we could drag Lucien up the stairs. In fact, we made it as far as the couch in the living room.
“Easy does it,” Vinny said, out of breath as we laid Lucien on the white couch facing the fireplace.
“How could Bliss even think she’d get away with this?”
Vinny pulled out his cell phone. “I doubt she was thinking that far.” He hurried toward the kitchen. “Rodger? Get me Milosh.” He took the rest of the conversation in the garage.
Lucien struggled just to keep his eyes open. His pupils were fixed and dilated. His breathing had slowed as if he were asleep.
“Stay with me.” I ran my fingers through his short blond hair and touched my lips to his forehead. “Come on. You can do it.” I kissed his eyelids and his cheeks.
God, he had impossibly long eyelashes.
I was anxious. Terrified, really. It was as if a big hole had opened up in my chest, waiting to be filled, or crushed.
His eyes fluttered.
“That’s it,” I said. “You don’t want to miss this.”
I brushed a kiss over his lips, and then another. A tear splashed down on his cheek and I wiped it away, glad that no one saw.
“See?” I asked, wiping my eyes. “You’re fine.”
What was wrong with me? Getting blubbery over a job.
I’d seen death more than I cared to admit. It was part of being a pack enforcer.
But this was Lucien and he was different and he didn’t deserve this.
The garage door burst open. “No information on Slimprol, but they’re sending a medic.”
“How long?”
Vinny shoved his phone in his pocket. “A half hour.”
“Damn it, Vinny.”
“What?”
“I don’t think he has a half hour.” My voice caught in my throat.
His breathing had all but stopped. He wasn’t keeping his eyes open and he’d gone deathly pale.
Vinny stood frozen. “Shit.”
“Get on the phone,” I ordered. “Figure it out.”
“Yeah,” he said, fishing in his pocket.
Vinny retreated back to the kitchen or the garage or wherever the hell he went. Damn the Vampire Council for being so slow. Damn Vinny for not figuring this out. I wanted to scream. I wanted to beat something because Lucien was dying right in front of us and there was nothing I could do.
I couldn’t cure a vampire.
I couldn’t make this better.
I—
“Wake up.” I tapped at his cheek until I was full-fledged slapping him. “Wake up!”
His eyes cracked open.
“You’re going to have to drink from me,” I said, breathless. I couldn’t believe I was saying it, much less thinking it, but there was no other way.
Lucien was a vampire. He needed blood to heal and I would give it to him.
“Lucien!”
He groaned.
“Damn it, Lucien. Wake up. You have to drink from me.”
I rubbed at my wrist, trying to figure out where there’d be an artery. I’d heard there was one in there somewhere.
To hell with it. No time.
I climbed on top of him and lowered my neck to his mouth. “Drink!”
He didn’t move.
“Oh well, this is just great!” I hollered. First he could barely keep his fangs to himself, and now when I had to save his miserable life, he wanted to go to sleep. Well, not on my watch.
“You are not going to die,” I growled. “In fact, I’m going to seduce the hell out of you.”
I got an eyelid flutter for that.
Ha!
“That’s right,” I said, wrestling with the back zipper of my dress. “I know you’ve been dying for this.”
I dropped my bra. Damned vampire.
My mouth skimmed his jaw and nibbled at the soft spot behind his ear. One by one, I freed the buttons on his white dress shirt until I could press my hands against his deathly cold flesh.
Don’t think of that.
I focused instead on the hardness of his muscles, the wisp of hair that trailed from his chest and disappeared into the front of his dress slacks. I flicked a nipple and he groaned. I took it between my teeth and he groaned harder.
That a boy.
I pressed my breasts flush against him and let his coolness seep over me. He’d begun to breathe harder. So had I. I paused for a moment to breathe in his spicy, masculine scent.
I almost forgot this was a rescue mission instead of a mutual pleasuring. He felt so good. I brought my body flush with his, toying with his belt buckle, nibbling my way up his chest as I reached lower.
He inhaled sharply. “Heather.”
“Um-hum,” I said, nuzzling his ear. God, he was hard.
“Help me get undressed.”
“You have to drink,” I said, lips crushed against his ear.
“I want to be inside you.”
“Drink.” I tilted my neck toward him. His fangs pricked the tender skin of my neck, sending a jolt of panic through me.
“Heather?” he whispered against my neck.
I wet my lips. “It’s okay.”
His fangs sank into my neck and my fear vanished. I squirmed, rubbing myself against him as I experienced the most explosive connection I’d ever felt.
Lust swamped me. I shivered with the intensity as he pressed me against his hard body and drank. My body stretched like a bow with sheer pleasure, held in place by Lucien’s steady hands.
He was with me, alive. And he felt amazing.
I was wet, shaking, and on the verge of climax when Lucien sank back from me, dazed. “Is this a dream?” he asked, rolling me under him.
“No,” I said, blinking back to reality. He was alive, and strong. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Not a dream.”
There was stark, sexual hunger in his eyes. “Good.”
I was naked before I knew what had happened.
“Lucien—” His fingers found the core of me and I stopped complaining.
He drew me into the most erotic kiss of my life, his fingers exploring me until I thought I was about to scream from the intensity of it. A second later, I came.
“May I?” he asked.
I threw my head back against the couch. “God, you’re polite.”
“Hardly,” he said, pressing the tip of himself against me. His radiant blue eyes fastened on me. “Tell me you want it.”
My breathing hitched. “I do.”
He drove into me, setting off another wave of pleasure. Sweet heaven, how could anything feel so good? I thought I’d had men before but I’d never had anyone like Lucien.
He pushed me. He filled me. He drove me to heights I hadn’t even let myself imagine before.
I nipped at his shoulder, his neck, anything I could reach.
Lucien let his head drop. His face pressed against my shoulder as his fangs slid along my neck.
“Do it,” I gasped as he bit me again.
Yes!
I slammed hard against him as he drove into me. We took from each other and gave to each other until it was impossible to separate our two selves.
This time, I screamed as I came.
Lucien gasped and cried out as he stiffened above me. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Afterward, we lay in a boneless puddle, Lucien on his back with one arm behind his head and me using his chest for a pillow.

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