Now Comes the Night (20 page)

It had been a long time since she’d celebrated Christmas, or even thought very much about it. Over the years, her family had re-invented itself many times, and with each move had come a new beginning. Sometimes, it had been a welcome break with the past, a chance to start over in fresh surroundings. Other times, it had felt more like an amputation. Christmas was just one of many things that had been lost along the way. It was well over a decade, closer to two, since she’d last exchanged presents with anyone. At this point, as well as she knew them, she had no idea what she would buy any of her family, no idea what any of them would even want.

Unbidden, the memory of red-and-gold stained glass came to mind, pieces of the wind chime her mother had given Conrad and which Julie had yet to string together. It didn’t appear her mother had suffered from any lack of holiday spirit. Perhaps that’s where her children had inherited their fascination with the season from? She probably hadn’t had to struggle with gift ideas either.

On the other hand, maybe those wind chimes had been a lucky accident. After all, what did Julie really know about the woman who’d given her life? Nothing, beyond a few small clues gleaned from conversations with either Conrad or Armand. The two men who’d loved her were hardly the most reliable sources for objective information, even if they’d wanted to talk freely about her, which they never did.

To be fair, it was Conrad who wouldn’t talk. Julie didn’t really know how Armand felt about it. In order to find out, she’d have to be free to ask questions—which she wasn’t.

She’d only traveled a few blocks before the vague whispering of her senses coalesced into a clear-cut warning. She was being followed. Through the ebb and flow of foot-traffic around her, one set of steps had stayed constant. Keeping a steady distance of about three-quarters of a block between them, the steps slowed when Julie stopped to wait for a light then sped up again, so as not to get too far behind, when she hurried to cross the street.

Her hands tightened into fists.
Top of the food chain
, she reminded herself, biting back a nervous snarl before it could slip out and alert her stalker. She’d long ago gotten over the majority of her fear of being attacked by humans. Mobs still worried her and she’d recently added fire to her list of really-don’t-likes, but she was confident in her ability to take on any human one-on-one. She still hated the feeling of being hunted and she also didn’t generally care to feed upon the kind of low-life who liked to prey on women. There were times, however, when personal preference had to take a backseat to necessity and the greater good. Occasionally, the low-lifes needed to be taught a lesson.

She glanced around, appraising her surroundings. The street she was on was still far too crowded for her needs. Mentally crossing her fingers, she headed for the nearest alley. She smiled when it turned out to be exactly what she’d been hoping for, empty and shadowed.

She walked a short way down the alley then ducked into an unlit doorway and waited. Footsteps approached, a man’s light, athletic tread, moving faster than before.
He sounds young. Now there’s a surprise
. Julie frowned. He also seemed a little too eager. He’d picked up speed when she’d disappeared. He was practically running now. His footsteps skipped and zig-zagged along on the concrete, as though he were dodging around slower moving pedestrians. Given his current level of exertion, his heart rate and breathing seemed surprisingly slow and steady. Another anomaly. Puzzled, she tuned in with her other senses. What else could she learn about her soon-to-be victim? She scented the air, searching for clues and stiffened in surprise.

Vampire
.

Julie’s heart slammed against her chest. One human, or even a few at a time, that she could handle. No problem. Vampires, on the other hand? Not so much.

Maybe she’d been wrong about being followed. Maybe he wasn’t after her specifically. Maybe he was merely hunting for dinner. She certainly hoped that was the case because with her brother’s recent misadventure fresh in her mind, she could think of only one reason why any vampire would have singled her out for this much attention. Panic had her eyeing the alley’s entrance as she considered the wisdom of darting back out into the relative safety of the street. Reason told her it was too late for that. Instead, she flattened herself in the doorway. Maybe he hadn’t seen where she turned. Maybe, if she could still her breathing and stay quiet enough, he’d run past the alley and continue up the street. Even if he did turn into the alley, she might still be okay. It was possible his momentum might still take him far enough past her that she’d be able to slip out behind him while his back was turned. She held her breath and waited, poised to move at the first opportunity. The footsteps reached the mouth of the alley…and paused there.

No! Julie stifled a groan as the footsteps resumed, cautious now, slow and steady, taking away any hope that she’d been mistaken. He was heading right down the center of the alley, right toward her. Whoever he was, he was not here by accident, not hunting other prey. He was here for her.

Her only chance now was to go on the offensive and hope her body still remembered enough of the self-defense techniques she’d been taught. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath to help steel herself…and almost gasped in surprise. Relief flooded through her, turning her fear into anger with the realization this was no stranger. She knew this vampire, knew the scent and the taste of him. Damn him for frightening her this way!

She launched herself out of her hiding spot with an angry snarl. “Armand, what the hell do you think you’re doing? You scared me half to death! Why were following me?”

A startled grin curved Armand’s lips. It did nothing to calm Julie’s anger. “Hello to you too. You know, if this is your idea of scared, I’d hate to see what you’re like when you’re angry.”

“Yeah, it’s real funny, isn’t it?” She started to shove past him but he grabbed her wrist and brought her to a stop. She tugged against his grasp. “Let me go.”

“Wait a minute.” He swung her back around to face him. “Stop. Where are you going?”

“Away from you.” She knew the exact instant when the pounding of her heart and the sweaty scent of her fear finally registered with him. His smile disappeared as amusement gave way to concern.

“
Merde
. You really
are
frightened, aren’t you?” He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “I’m sorry,
chérie
.
That was never my intention.”

Julie tried to resist. She
had
been scared, but that was in the past. What she was feeling now was anger. She was
not
in the mood to be comforted. Apparently, her body had other ideas, and rather than pushing him away, she found herself relaxing against Armand’s chest. It felt too good to be held this way—to be held by
him
. It felt comfortable, safe. It felt…right.

No
.

Julie sighed. This is what happened when she let her body do the thinking. No matter how good it felt, this
wasn’t
right and thinking it was, or that maybe someday it could be—that would only make her crazy. The only thing she knew for certain was that there were far too many reasons why they shouldn’t be together right now. And now was all that mattered. Maybe time would change things. Maybe. But there was no sense in counting on it.

“Of course I was scared,” she grumbled, struggling to hold onto her anger and rein in her body’s response. “You were following me! Between that and that…that crazy woman who hurt my brother still running around loose, how could I not be scared? I can’t believe you didn’t think of that.”

Armand locked his arms even more protectively around her. “I
was
thinking of that. That’s
exactly
what I was thinking of. It’s why I wanted to keep an eye on you.”

Julie tilted her head back so she could look at him. “No offense, Armand, but you’re not listening to me. I appreciate the gesture, but it was you ‘keeping an eye on me’ that caused me to freak out in the first place. I was fine up until then. Besides, what makes you think
any
of us are safe? She went after Conrad too, you know. She seems to have a grudge against the whole nest. For all we know,
you
could be the next one she targets.”

“That’s very true.” Armand nodded in agreement, but Julie wasn’t fooled. She could see the smile lurking in the corners of his mouth. “And one more good reason for me to stick close to you. That way, if I do get attacked, you can protect me.”

“Yeah, you laugh,” Julie said as she finally succeeded in pulling herself away from Armand. “But you know I could.” He let her go easily—too easily. She was perversely annoyed by that too. “For your information, I’ve had plenty of self-defense training. I used to spar with Marc all the time when we were growing up and if you think he went easy on me because I’m a girl, you don’t know anything at all about brothers. Just because I don’t go looking for trouble doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own if trouble finds me.”

“
Très bien
. I’m very glad to hear it. Perhaps I won’t worry about you so much then. Now, may I walk you home?”

“Why ask? It’s not like there’s any way I can stop you, is there?” The words were out of Julie’s mouth before she could call them back. She hated how whiny and childish they made her sound, hated the pained expression in Armand’s eyes. “Sorry, that’s not… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Armand nodded. “That’s not exactly what I meant, either. Look we both know I’m going to follow you home, one way or another. That’s where we’re both headed and I’m certainly not going to take an alternate route to get there just so you can feel like you have the streets to yourself. I’d prefer to walk
with
you, but only if you want me to. So, yes, you could stop me from doing
that
, although I hope you won’t.”

“I won’t. Stop you, that is.” Julie ducked her head, trying to avoid his eyes, but she still managed to catch a glimpse of the pleased smile that transformed Armand’s face. That smile was something else she hated. She hated the yearning it always stirred up inside her, the fluttery, out-of-control sensation it caused in her chest, like the beating of dozens of tiny wings. She hated how it drew her attention to his mouth, reminding her of his kiss, his taste, all the things she could never have again. She should make up her mind to stay away from him—and then stick to her guns. Instead, she sighed in resignation. “Walk with me? Please? I’d really like the company.”

“So what brought you downtown this evening, anyway,” Julie asked, finally breaking the companionable silence they’d fallen into as they headed for home. Armand had taken her hand when they’d first set off, and that was nice enough, but after a few blocks he’d changed positions, pulling her closer, tucking her hand under his arm, instead. It was an old-fashioned gesture, but it suited him. And it suited her too. She liked the way it made her feel, protected and cared for. Girly in all the right ways. She liked being able to lean contentedly against him, rubbing shoulders as they walked, their footsteps falling into sync, their heartbeats following suit. “It’s not your usual hunting ground, is it?”

He didn’t answer right away. Stealing a glance at his face, she was surprised to read the indecision there. “Armand?”

“It’s not important, all right? I was just… I was on my way home, that’s all.”

“Right.” Julie shook her head. “Fine then. Keep your secrets.” It’s not like he was the first man who’d kept things from her, or even the third. It was kind of the story of her life, in fact.

“What about you? What were you doing down there?”

Julie wrinkled her nose. “You know what? I don’t think you really want to know that either.”

“I don’t?” Armand looked puzzled for a moment then his lips curled into a sneer. “Oh. Brennan I suppose? Why is that? Don’t you get enough of him at home? Did you really have to follow him halfway across town just for a meal?”

Julie shrugged. “How do you know I followed him there? And why would you suppose it had anything to do with eating? There’s a lot of fun stuff going on this time of year. And he’s more than just a convenient cure for a snack-attack. We could have been out on a date for all you know.”

“Were you?”

“No, but that’s not the point. Look, it’s Christmas, all right? Sometimes that makes me a bit nostalgic, or even a little depressed. Sometimes I need cheering up. Is that so wrong?”

“No, I guess not,” Armand sighed. “But, shouldn’t you have thought of that beforehand? And why must it be Brennan who cheers you? I thought you were going to cut him loose?”

“Cutting him loose was your idea,” she reminded him. “And I told you, it’s not as simple as you think.” He looked like he was about to argue, but she’d had enough of that discussion. “Please. Let’s just change the subject, okay? Can I ask you about something?”

He looked at her in surprise. “You can ask me for anything you’d like.”

“That wind chime in your room. Was that a Christmas present?”

Armand shook his head. “Definitely not the sort of question I was anticipating. And I don’t even want to know how you arrived at that conclusion.”

A bitter smile had twisted his lips. Julie was pretty sure he knew
exactly
what had put the idea in her head. She was sure they were both thinking right now about the suitcase she’d found in the attic—the one he’d packed with her mother’s belongings. The one she refused to give him back. “Well? Was it?”