Broken Angel: A Zombie Love Story (4 page)

He discarded women as easily as he bought a
new restaurant or hotel, right before he fired everyone regardless
of how long they’d been there in order to hire his own staff. Year
after year, she’d watched her father accept his plaque for
Remy’s
starred status, and each year, Michelopoulos had
brought a new date to every ceremony. Not just the Missouri awards
either—she’d read every article about every reward he’d ever won,
and always, a new beauty clung to his arm.

He was the kind of man who always got want
he wanted, used it, and then tossed it in the compost bin on his
way to the next conquest. He expected to be sought and lusted
after, not just for his money but his looks as well.

The last kind of man a woman, who must
remain a virgin at all cost, should be around.

Deep down, she couldn’t deny a visceral
reaction to the man. Even as a teenager, she’d felt the pull of his
magnetism. Although she wouldn’t admit it, she still had a few of
those wild and crazy dreams of him stashed away in a corner of her
mind.

Dreams she’d had before her father had died
and lost their family ring—and her key to a passionate life—at the
same time.

“Clare,” her mother began in her wheedling
voice.

“I need to speak to Helga,” Clare cut in
without turning around. “Privately.”

“But—”

“I insist, Mother. It’s wizards’
business.”

Selma’s loud sniff proclaimed her hurt at
the sharp reminder to her lack of status, but Clare refused to
regret her mother’s own decisions. Her mother had known exactly
what the cost would be if she chose to marry. What she did regret
was always feeling like her mother held a grudge against her for
losing that power, especially when Clare faced a childless,
loveless life herself.

Helga always managed to strike straight to
the heart. “What are you afraid of, dear?”

She took a moment to gather her thoughts
while buttering another piece of crusty rustic bread. “He wants
something from me. It has to be some kind of trap, and I don’t like
going in blind.”

“As he says in the letter, he needs your
help at
Remy’s
.”

Clare turned around, leaning against the
counter. “That man would rather cut off his right hand than ask for
help. He hates
Remy’s
. I’m surprised he didn’t shut it down
when he won it from Daddy.”

“The bet wouldn’t allow either restaurant to
be shut down.”

Clare arched a brow at her mentor. “How much
about that bet do you know?”

“Your father was my patient. I knew what he
was trying to do, but he swore me to silence.”

Nibbling on the soft inner crumb, she let
her mind run wild. Even now, Helga might be keeping secrets about
that blasted bet. If Daddy knew he was dying, and he was trying to
protect her, what did he hope to accomplish with a bet that risked
not just their livelihood but also their magic? “Do you know what
Daddy would’ve won if
Remy’s
had taken the fifth star that
year?”

“Michelopoulos’s casino hotel and restaurant
in Kansas City, as far as I know.”

Clare frowned. Yeah, the casino was worth a
fortune compared to their little family restaurant, but they’d
never cared about money or fame before.
There has to be
something else he was trying to win. But what?

“The details of the bet aren’t really what
you’re concerned about, dear, and we both know it.”

Her cheeks colored at the chiding note in
her mentor’s voice. “Let’s just say Michelopoulos’s reputation
precedes him.”

“And you’re wondering what it would be like
if you didn’t have to remain a virgin.”

Now she might as well have stuck her whole
head in the oven. “The thought has crossed my mind.”

Helga chuckled. “That’s natural, dear. All
of us thought about it at one time or another.”

“That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it? Even as the next head of the Remy
family, you would be powerless without your virginity until the
ring passed to you. I’ve known wizards who lived a decade or more
as a mundane until the ring passed to them. And let me tell you,
their talent paid the price for those years of inaccessibility. The
cost for passion is high, Clare, very high. For all of us.”

“I know.” She blew out her breath and pushed
away from the counter. “Believe me, I’ve heard about nothing else
since Daddy died. I just…” Her throat constricted, each word as
rough as sandpaper. “I don’t think I’m cut out for chastity the
rest of my life.”

“No one ever said you had to remain chaste
forever.”

“But—”

“I said the cost was high, yes. But not
forbidden.”

Clare shook her head. “It’s not worth the
cost, I get that.”

Helga stood up and cracked a wooden spoon
against her palm sharply, the same way she brought her class to
order each day. “Have I taught you nothing at all? Magic comes from
within you. There is always a cost, depending on your talent and
the spell itself. We know you can cook all day in the kitchen and
the only cost you must pay is the sweat of your brow. How do you
feel after a few hours in the kitchen?”

“Tired, but happy.”

Helga nodded. “Like you’ve gone for a nice,
long walk, but not exhausted. Not like a marathon or
triathlon.”

“Exactly.”

“Now say someone barged into your house this
very moment and shot me. You have to heal me. How would you feel
performing that kind of magic?”

The thought made Clare’s stomach clench with
dread. “I couldn’t.”

Helga cracked the spoon against her hand
again. “You
could
. It would hurt terribly. It’d probably
take you days, if not weeks, to recover, but if your will was
strong enough, you would absolutely bend your kitchen talent into
something else. The pain and effort in that bending, the cost to
yourself, would empower it. Sacrifice, Clare. The cost you pay
enables the magic to be bigger and to work on a talent that you
don’t claim as your own if you fully and knowingly embrace the
sacrifice.”

Searching her mentor’s face, Clare nodded
slowly, her mind whirling. “So you’re saying some people choose to
make the sacrifice of their virginity and their gift for something
else, to empower their last magic.”

Slipping back into her kooky masquerade—for
Clare suspected that was exactly why her mentor dressed so
wildly—Helga let out a trilling laugh and bounced toward the door.
“I’m just saying that for the right man, darling, it might be worth
the cost. Good luck and let me know how it goes with Mr.
Michelopoulos!”

Clare collapsed heavily in the chair and
dabbed her sweaty cheeks with her apron. Dealing with Helga was
sometimes like running the gauntlet. How much worse would it be to
deal with an entitled, impossibly arrogant and gorgeous
billionaire?

She closed her eyes and shivered, while
trying to deny that a kernel of insanity already burned in a deep
secret corner of her heart.

Other books by Joely Sue
Burkhart

Dare to peek beneath the mask

JoelySueBurkhart.com

Current Series and Upcoming Releases

Zombie Category Romance

THE ZOMBIE BILLIONAIRE’S VIRGIN WITCH,
October 2012

The Maya Bloodgates, paranormal romance
from
Carina Press

BLOODGATE, a
free
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prequel

THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN, June 14, 2010

THE BLOODGATE WARRIOR, August 6, 2012

A Jane Austen Space Opera, SF erotic
romance (BDSM) from
Samhain
Publishing