“Quit distracting me, lass. I'm leaving tomorrow night and we need to get this settled.”
Leaving? I snatched up the sheet and held it under my chin. “Where are you going? Why tomorrow? I'm traumatized. I need your . . .” I dropped the sheet again. “Comfort.”
Blade was beside me in a flash. “You will always have my . . .” He drew a finger around one of my nipples, making me shiver. “Comfort.” He leaned down and kissed me with enough energy to make me pull him down on top of me again. Can we say insatiable? Me, him, maybe all vamps now that I think about it.
“Stop. I'm serious.” He leaped off of me and moved to the end of the bed. Like he needed the distance to keep his thoughts together. Excellent.
“Okay, okay.” I pulled up the sheet again. “Where are you going? After Westwood?” I'd figured out that it was only a matter of time. I'd had Jerry practically stuck to me like glue for almost a week. He'd even wielded a broom to help me clear out the worst of the mess in my shop.
“Aye. I have a lead. Mara and I need to pursue it.”
Of course he'd take Mara with him. She'd insist on it. I should be just as determined to put a period to the hunter's existence. But I had a business to resurrect. And, while revenge is sweet, it's not my be-all and end-all if you know what I mean.
“Where do you think he went?” I found my black lace nightgown and dropped it over my head. It was sexy enough that Blade actually stepped a little closer.
“Africa.” He shook his head. “Put on a robe. I'm bringing in your surprise now.”
“Africa? That's so far away.” I stood and walked up to him. “I'll miss you.”
“I'm counting on it.” He pulled me to him and held me for a minute.
I felt so close to him. And not just physically. I hugged him and breathed in his essence. Maybe it was because he'd made me what I am, but Jerry was the only man I'd ever felt so
connected
with. At least when I wasn't on the verge of killing him.
“Now.” Blade stepped back and pulled the terry robe from the wad of comforter and sheets at the foot of the bed. “Cover yourself. I don't want to start this relationship on the wrong foot.”
“
Start
a relationship?” I tied the robe at the waist and sat on the end of the bed. “Who or what are you talking about?”
“You've been in danger, Gloriana. I've had concerns about your security for some time.” Blade was looking pretty serious.
“Hey, I've got Valdez. We do pretty well. And I did save myself on Halloween. Or have you already forgotten?”
“I'll never forget that. You almostâ” Blade rubbed his face, like he was actually tearing up and didn't want me to see it.
Gee. When he put it like that, I felt a little queasy. I'd had the business end of a stake poking my left breast. One false move . . .
“My heart stopped that night.”
You had to love that kind of declaration. I smiled, threw my arms around him and rubbed his back. “Hey, any damage I got healed almost instantly. Remember, I'm tougher than I look.”
Blade gripped my shoulders and looked down at me. “I never want to see you in such peril again.”
“Now you're sounding like one of those heroes in a romance novel.” I love those things. Especially the paranormal ones. The things they think vamps do. What a hoot.
“I mean what I say, Glory. I've decided to double your guard.”
Seven
"Double ...” I extracted myself from his arms and sat down again. “Two dogs? Or something else? Come on, Jerry. It's hard enough living with Valdez. We've worked out our relationship pretty well. But it took a while and I'm not in any hurry to go through that again. Besides, I need my privacy.”
“You need protection.” Blade strode to the door and flung it open. A dog sat in the hall. A cute dog, with wavy white fur and startling green eyes. Green eyes that promised mischief and reminded me . . .
“Who the hell is this . . . this wolf in sheep's clothing?”
“You know him. Doesn't she, Will?” Blade gestured for the dog to pad into the room.
“Aye, though it's been a century or two.” The dog sat in front of me and casually scratched behind one ear. “Damned mutt ye've got workin' for her already is loaded with fleas. I'll not be sufferin' this kind of treatment.” He didn't talk in my head, like Valdez did. No, this one moved his lips. It was bizarre. And if this was who I thought it was, I was putting up a hell of a fight before I took
him
on as bodyguard.
“You'll suffer what is necessary to take care of Gloriana, Will, if you want to earn your reward.”
“You didn't bring William Kilpatrick into this house, did you?” Mara was in the doorway, Valdez right beside her.
“I did.” Blade turned to smile at her. “I'd think it would do you good to see your brother as a dog.”
“Appropriate perhaps. But I'd rather not lay eyes on him at all. He's a cur who does nothing but disgrace the family.”
This from a woman who was a blood-sucking vampire. Made you wonder just what it would take to disgrace a pedigree like that.
“We don't need Kilpatrick here, Blade. I'm more than capable of taking care of Glory by myself.”
Valdez came close to lean against my leg.
“Tell him, Glory. We do okay, don't we?”
“Yes, we do. I already told him that.” I glared at the dog that had jumped up on his sister, practically knocking her over. He wasn't any bigger than Valdez, but he obviously had some vamp strength going on.
“Down, you oaf.” She pushed until he sat at her feet, tail thumping the carpet.
“Where's the love, sis?” He glanced at me. “Hey, Glory, lass, ye're lookin' well rested.”
Well rested. Translation: I had a severe case of bed head, no makeup and looked like hell.
“You expect me to let one of the Kilpatricks invade my space?” And this Kilpatrick in particular wasn't exactly on the top of my list for potential roommates. Will was a wild child, Mara was right about that. And he chased anything female. He'd cornered me a time or two when we'd first met at Campbell Castle, treating me like the lightskirt all actresses were thought to be back then. In dog form, he was cute. In human form . . . Well, let's just say he was pretty hard to resist and he knew it. But I'd resisted him. His air of superiority, like I should be honored to do him, had made it easy.
“Aw, now, Gloriana. You know you always had a soft spot for me.” Will nudged Valdez and tried to get closer to me. Growls that made the hair stand up on my arms promised an all-out doggy war.
Blade wasn't tolerating it. “Enough. You'll both take care of Gloriana. And she's your mistress in this, as always, Valdez.”
“Mistress? Is this a sweet deal or what?” Will laid his muzzle on my knee. “Remember me now, sweetheart?”
“Vividly. And I'm still immune.” I pushed his face away and stood. “This is ridiculous. I don't want or need another guard. Send this . . . beast back to whatever rock he crawled out from under.”
“Glory's right.” Mara was obviously not struck with brotherly love. “Get out, Will. Don't let the door hit your tail on the way out.”
“Stop this!” Blade's voice was a thunderclap. “You'll all get along. Or answer to me.” He pulled me to his side.
I thought about resisting. Don't you just hate the way he issues orders? But while Blade would never hurt me, he was still one scary dude when he was riled.
“Relax, Jer. We'll get along.” I patted his cheek and he did relax his jaw a bit. “But I think this is totally unnecessary. ”
“I need to know you're safe, Gloriana, or I can't leave.” His arm tightened around me and he gave me a tender look that melted any contrariness I'd been building up.
“Okay. Okay.” I leaned against him. “Just hurry back. This is temporary.”
“Of course.” He dropped a kiss on my head. “Will, Glory is in your care. One hair on her head comes to harm and there will be no bailout. Understand?”
“Bailout?” Mara tossed her head. “Surprise, surprise. You've got yourself in another financial bind, haven't you? At least you had the good sense not to come running to me this time.”
“Fat lot of good it would do me.” Will heaved a sigh. “My own sister wouldn't throw me a bone if I was starving.” He sidled up to Blade. “Speaking of bones. We don't have to eat dog food and crap like that, do we? I've got standards.”
Valdez perked up, obviously sensing an ally.
“No way. I had a rib eye night before last. You just tell Glory what you like to eat and she's on top of it. Though she doesn't really cook. She can barely panfry a steak without burning it. She just doesn't get the concept of rare.”
“If someone didn't insist on this dog form, I'd cook for both of us. I've studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. Night classes. When I get the money together, I plan to open a restaurant.”
“You're vampire, aren't you? How can you stand to eat?” Could everybody eat but me? Life is
so
not fair.
“Kilpatrick vampires are born, not made, and can do some things made vamps can't. Didn't you know that, Gloriana? ” Mara gave me a sympathetic look, like only an idiot could have been around this crowd for hundreds of years and still not have a clue.
“Sure I knew that.” Not. I probably
was
an idiot. But I'd spent most of those hundreds of years trying to be anything
but
vampire.
“Will is to do your bidding, Glory.” Jerry gave him a hard look. “If he is too much of a problem, I'll replace him.”
Mara shook her head. “Good thing you're poor, Glory. Will goes through cash like Valdez goes through Twinkies.”
“Hey, I need my strength. And I want to know why he can talk like that and I have to do it inside people's heads.”
Valdez leaned against my knee.
“Though if the number two guy tries talking like that in front of mortals, you'll straighten him out, won't you, Glory?”
I rubbed Valdez behind his ears. “Yes, puppy. He'll have to follow the same rules you do. And you'll always be number one with me.”
“Thanks a lot.” Blade's arm tightened around my waist. “I thought
I
was number one.”
I looked up and smiled. “Let me clarify. Valdez, you're my number one bodyguard. Blade, you're my number oneâ”
“Spare me.” Mara rolled her eyes. “I've had quite enough of Gloriana's drama. Westwood killed MacTavish. My husband. I see no reason to wait for tomorrow night. Shift with me now, Jeremiah, and we can be in Africa before sunrise.” Mara looked down and gasped. “William Allan Kilpatrick, what do you have in your mouth?”
Will looked up from his new chew toy, one of Mara's Prada sandals. “There's something very tasty about a high-priced shoe.”
“I'll kill you, you hound.” Mara charged, Will lunged and the two of them ran out of the room, Mara screeching and Will laughing like a hyena.
“That was a surprise.” I sat on the foot of the bed again. “Will Kilpatrick. I don't know if this is going to work out.”
“I probably do need backup, Glory. Think about it. I'm on duty twenty-four seven. Sure, I get a nap now and then, but I can tell you that years of that kind of stress takes its toll. I could have slept through the whole fire thing. I was that exhausted.”
Valdez had obviously decided to join the dark side, especially if it might mean a better menu.
“Two dogs?” I collapsed on the bed. “Jeremiah Campbell you are a wicked, wicked man.”
“That's my cue. I'm outta here.”
Valdez ran out the door, which slammed behind him.
“The dog's learning.”
“Yes, but are you? Why do you always have to make these major decisions about my life without consulting me?” I tried hard to hang on to my mad, but Blade never had put on a shirt. And a half-naked Blade did stupid things to my mind. Like wiping out my logical thinking.
“I couldn't consult you. You would have said no.”
I stopped just as I was about to untie my robe again. “Damned right.” Controlling man. Always. One reason we'd parted as often as we'd gotten together. “Take off those jeans and come back to bed. I'm going to punish you for your impertinence. ”
“You promise?” Jerry grinned as he shucked his jeans and leaped on top of me.
"Okay, you've distracted me long enough. I've been an idiot long enough. Mara's right about that. Made vampires versus born vampires. What other differences do I need to know about?” I watched Jerry get dressed. He was leaving tonight and I'd given him a send-off guaranteed to help him remember me during those long, hot nights in Africa.
Jerry zipped his jeans. “I'm pretty sure we went over this the first time I took you home to meet mum and dad.”
“You probably did.” And as an actress from humble beginnings, I'd been too busy trying to please the laird and lady of Castle Campbell to pay much attention. Of course I
hadn't
pleased the parents. Jerry and I never married for one thing. And I was what I was. Not a Scottish heiress like Mara, in other words.
I'd met plenty of vamps over the years but it's not considered polite to ask about one's origins. Some vamps, like me, came to the deal willingly and saved regrets for later. Others had been forced into the life. You think
I
whine. So vamps tend to live in the moment. Usually. Speaking of the moment . . .
Jerry pulled on a snap-front cotton Western shirt. He'd been going for a cowboy look to please me because I had a yen for a cowboy type, now that I lived in Texas and all. The yellow looked good with his dark hair and eyes, really good. He left it open. Even better.