The Dark-Hunters (214 page)

“And her parents will tear the heart out of anyone who tries it. Life is a gamble, Vane. It’s harsh and painful most of the time, and it’s not for the timid. Spoils go to the victor, not to the one who doesn’t even show up for the battle.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think you already know. Will Bride have a better life without you? Who’s to say? Maybe there is some human out there who can appreciate her. But will he ever appreciate her as much as you do?”

No. Vane knew it deep in his heart. Her tender touch was priceless to him. “What if I get her killed?”

“Death is inevitable for humans. She will die someday. But the real question is, will she ever live?” Ash started away, then paused. “Will you?”

Vane stood there in silence as he thought over what Ash had said.

Liza returned with the tea and Vane thanked her before he tasted it.

Much to his dismay, Ash was right. It was good stuff and he did like it.

Ash picked the baby up and turned back toward him. “You know, there’s always the possibility that Bride might not accept you. Meet her as a man, Vane. Give her what your father never gave your mother. Let her see the man and the animal and then let her decide for herself.”

“And if she leaves me?”

“Is that what you fear most?”

Vane looked away. Damn Ash for his sagacity. No, his worst fear was that she would accept him and that he wouldn’t be able to keep her safe from his enemies.

“All you can ever really do, Vane, is give it your all and trust that everything will work out.”

“Do you really trust the Fates?”

Ash’s answer surprised him. “Not at all. They make mistakes just like everyone else. But in the end, you have to believe in something.” Ash cuddled the baby to his chest. “So what will you choose?”

*   *   *

Ash’s question hung in Vane’s mind as he made his way back to Bride’s shop. He didn’t know what choice to make and Ash hadn’t really helped.

In wolf form, he nosed his way in the door of her boutique. Since he’d moved in with her, Bride had made it a habit to leave the shop door ajar any time he left.

As if she knew he’d be back.

She’d also made him a comfortable pallet behind her counter so that he could lie quietly and watch her while she worked. And he did like to watch her, especially when she interacted with other people. There was a kindness to her that others he’d known lacked.

He particularly liked to watch her with Tabitha. The two of them were extremely amusing. At least when they weren’t discussing how much every member of his gender, with the exception of their fathers, sucked.

He half-expected Tabitha to attempt to neuter him just because he was male.

Right now, Bride sat on her wooden stool beside her register as she finished eating half of a deli sandwich.

“There you are,” she said, smiling at him. “I was wondering what happened to you.”

She held out the other half of her sandwich and let him eat it from her hand. Vane finished it off, then placed his head in her lap. She stroked his ears and the tenderness of it shattered him.

Maybe Ash was right. Didn’t he owe it to both of them to at least give her a choice?

Vane Kattalakis had never allowed fear to govern him. But then, he had never lost anyone he loved until eight months ago.

In one night, he had lost everything.

Gods, he was so tired of being alone. So tired of not trusting anyone.

Of having no one to laugh with.

Maybe Bride was his future.

Maybe he would try this and see.

But how?

What did humans do to court each other?

*   *   *

Bride sat on her stool as she cleaned up after her lunch and tossed the garbage in the trash can. The last two days had been horrible as she put her tiny apartment in order and did her best to forget Taylor and his cruelty. Except the rat bastard had yet to return her stuff.

“Please don’t make me have to go and get it,” she said as she reviewed a catalogue for new merchandise by her register.

If she did, she was taking Tabitha with her just for the sake of vengeance.

And if Tabitha happened to bring a tire iron … well, it wasn’t as if Bride could keep her from it. It was a free country, after all. And if the tire iron ended up falling against Taylor’s kneecaps a time or two or three … dozen, well, accidents did happen.

Relishing the thought, she reached down and petted her wolf behind his ears and felt instantly better.

Over the last two days, Vane had become her constant companion. He sat even now behind the register at her feet, completely content just to be with her. If only she could find a man so loyal.

The door to her shop opened.

She looked up to see Taylor coming inside. Her heart stopped. He was tall and good-looking in that phony TV sort of way. He wore a pair of khakis and a black Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

He strode into the store like he owned it. Like he hadn’t carelessly broken her heart just a few days ago.

“Hi, Bride,” he said with that perfect capped-tooth smile of his. “Are you alone?”

Her wolf started to growl.

“Hi, Taylor,” she said, reaching down to touch and soothe her companion. “Except for my pet, yeah.”

“Pet?” He peeped over the counter to look at Vane, who was now on his feet with his ears laid back.

Taylor stepped back. “That’s a hell of a pet you have there. Did your dad give him to you?”

“What do you want?” she asked. “I know you didn’t just come to shoot the breeze with me.”

“I’ve, um, I’ve got your stuff outside and wanted to know what to do with it.”

She looked outside to see a small moving van parked behind Taylor’s red Alfa Romeo. “You were supposed to have it here two days ago.”

He made a disgusted sound at her. “Yeah, well I’ve been busy. You know, I actually have a life.”

She rolled her eyes at him as anger took hold. “You know, I do, too.”

“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “Eating bonbons and watching TV is so time-consuming.”

She gave him a reproachful glare. “You are such a jerk. What did I ever see in you?”

He held his arms out as if he were presenting himself to her and smiled. “Same thing every woman sees in me, babe. Face it, we both know you’ll never have another guy who looks as good as me interested in you.”

Vane leaped at him.

“No!” Bride snapped, but it was too late. The wolf had already latched on to Taylor’s arm.

Taylor screamed out in pain.

She grabbed the wolf and pulled him back. Vane strained against her, barking and snarling ferociously as he finally let go of Taylor’s arm.

She pulled him into the back room and locked him up.

Taylor held his bleeding arm to his side. “That’s it. Consider yourself sued.”

“Don’t even try it,” she said, her own temper snapping as she came back to where he was standing. “You were on my property. I’ll tell the police you were threatening me.”

“Yeah, right, who would ever believe that?”

“Any anchor person at the other two stations who hate you as much as I do.”

His face went pale.

“Yeah, Taylor,” she said evilly. “Remember who all the little fat chick knows in this town. I’m the last person you want to screw with.”

He turned on his heel and went outside.

Bride followed him and heard him yell at the movers, “Just dump her shit on the street.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Do it,” he snarled at the men.

To her instant chagrin, the movers opened the back of their truck and started putting boxes on the curb.

Bride was aghast. “I’ll pay you three hundred dollars to take it to my apartment around back.”

The movers passed a look to each other, then nodded and headed for her gate.

“I’ll double whatever she offers you to leave her stuff on the street like the trash that it is.”

They set the boxes back on the curb.

“You unbelievable bastard!”

He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it as a motorcycle came roaring toward them.

Bride frowned as the rider jumped the curb in front of the Alfa and parked it right outside her shop. The instant the rider removed his helmet, her heart pounded.

It was Vane—and not the furry one.

Dressed in a black leather jacket and faded jeans, he looked good enough to eat.

And his rugged handsomeness made a mockery of Taylor’s pretty-boy features.

Taylor stared at them as Bride closed the distance between them. Vane put the kickstand down, then slung a long, masculine leg over the bike. In one fluid move, he pulled her against him and kissed her like something out of a movie.

“Hi, Bride,” he breathed against her lips.

She smiled up at him. “Hi.”

“Who the hell is this?” Taylor asked.

Vane gave him a once-over that said he didn’t think much of Taylor. “I’m her lover, who the hell are you?”

Bride bit her lip as happiness tore through her. She could kiss him again for that.

“I’m her boyfriend.”

“Ah,” Vane said. “You’re the skank dickhead.” He looked back at Bride. “I thought you threw this loser out.”

She smiled even wider before she cast an evil glare at Taylor. “I did, but he came back … begging.”

Vane looked over her shoulder at the movers, who were quickly piling her furniture and boxes on the sidewalk. “What are they doing?”

She drew a ragged breath at Taylor’s cruelty. “Taylor is paying them to leave my stuff on the street like trash. Whatever I try to pay them to take it to my apartment, he’s going to double it.”

Vane looked less than pleased by that. “Really?” He lifted his chin. “Hey, guys?”

They paused to look at Vane.

“Ten thousand dollars to take her stuff inside and put it wherever she wants it.”

The tallest of them laughed. “Yeah, right. You got it on you?”

Vane left her side. He pulled his cell phone off his belt and handed it to the man. “Press one and it rings Wachovia. Ask for Leslie Daniels, she’s the bank president, and give her your bank and account information. She’ll wire it instantly into your account, or to Western Union if you prefer.”

The man looked skeptical, but did as Vane asked. As soon as he asked for Leslie, his eyes bulged.

He looked at the rest of the movers and then went to the truck to pull out his checkbook.

Vane winked at her.

A few minutes later, the mover came back and returned the phone to Vane. “She wants to talk to you to make sure you’re Mr. Kattalakis.”

Vane took the phone. “Hey, Les, it’s me … Yeah, I know.” While he listened, he passed an angry glare at Taylor. “Tell you what. Make it fifteen thousand for them. They seem like damn decent men … Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone and looked at the movers.

The one in charge offered him a nod of admiration. “Okay, guys, you heard Mr. Kattalakis. Be careful with the lady’s stuff and put it wherever she wants it.”

Vane passed what could only be called a shit-eating grin toward Taylor. “You feel like doubling it now?”

Taylor started toward them, but the feral look on Vane’s face made him take a step back.

Taylor raked them with a disgusted curl of his lip. “You’re welcome to the fat bitch.”

Before she could blink, Vane had Taylor thrown across the hood of his car and his hand wrapped around his throat.

Bride ran to them while Vane beat Taylor’s head against the hood.

“Vane, stop, please! Someone will call the cops.”

Snarling, Vane let him go. “You
ever
insult Bride again, I swear I’ll rip your throat out and feed you to the gators in the swamp. You understand me?”

“You’re crazy. I’m swearing out a warrant for you.”

Vane smiled tauntingly. “Please try it. All I have to do is press two on my phone for my attorney. I’ll slap you with so many suits for so many years, your grandkids will be the ones who go to court.”

Crawling off the hood of the car, Taylor narrowed his eyes, but he clearly knew he’d been outmaneuvered. His breathing ragged, he grabbed open his car door, got in and squealed off.

“Hey, lady?” the mover asked. “Whenever you’re ready to show us where to put this stuff, please let us know.”

Bride left Vane long enough to open the gate and show them to her studio in the back. When she came back, she found Vane leaning against the side of her building, looking at the moving van.

Her heart pounded. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m really glad you came by when you did.”

He reached to toy with an idle curl she had lying on her shoulder. “Me, too.”

“I, um … I’ll have to make payments to you for the movers.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a gift.”

“Vane—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he insisted. “I told you, money has no real value to me.”

How much money would he have to have to be able to say that about fifteen thousand dollars? And why would a guy this rich be hanging out with her?

“Well, it has value to me and I don’t want to be obligated to you for anything.”

“You’re not obligated to me, Bride. Ever.”

“No, I have to pay you back.”

“Then have dinner with me and we’ll call it even.”

She shook her head at him. “That’s no way to pay you back.”

“Sure it is.”

She opened her mouth to respond, then remembered her other Vane. “Oh no, I have to go get my wolf. He’ll be beside himself!”

Vane went pale at her words, but she didn’t notice since she was already headed back into her store.

He looked around to make sure the movers couldn’t see him, then flashed himself back into the closet in the back room as a wolf.

He had barely made it before she opened the door.

“There you are, boy,” she said, kneeling down to pet him. “I’m so sorry I had to put you in here. You okay?”

He nuzzled her gently.

She gave him a tight hug and then stood up. “C’mon, baby, I have someone I want you to meet.”

Vane ground his teeth at her words. How on earth could he meet himself? He was powerful, but that was beyond even his abilities.

Instead, he bolted for the half-open door and kept running until he was sure she was out of sight.