1 Dicey Grenor (11 page)

Good thing she
wasn’t graded on bearing good news.

“Wait—what about
the new girl?” I said.

“There is some
kind of impenetrable protective force shield around her. I cannot see anything
beyond her exterior.”

Huh.
Interesting.
Well, if Franco was on the up-and-up, Ming
must have been also. She was probably some kind of supernatural, and though I
hated that she snooped, I guess I could understand. After all, she was new,
didn’t know anyone.
Couldn’t blame her for wanting to know more
about her colleagues.
If asked, I’d just say the vials in my bag
contained fake blood for my shows.

“Love will make
you feel vulnerable too,”
Saybree
said as she
crisscrossed her fingers and rested them on the tabletop.

“I wouldn’t know
anything about that.”

She laughed. “You
know he really does love you.”

“Who?”

“Both
of them.”

I shook my head. “You
mean…”

“I know you don’t
believe Maximilian is capable of such emotion, but he has great capacity to
love. He needs it with so many brides,” she coughed to hide her laugh. “Now,
the other one—the human only has eyes for you, but his eyes are shadows because
he wears many faces. You look not upon his real one.”

What?
I
wish she’d stop being so coded and spoke English. Then again, it didn’t matter.
I hadn’t come to get answers about love.

“So if my attacker
will return and VET will come after my ass again, what can I do to protect
myself? Captivation only goes so far. The hunter will have top-notch weapons
and I’d have to hypnotize all of VET to get around Monroe.”

“Flee.”

“Can’t.
Monroe said he’d have everyone at Hades charged for helping me escape.”

“It’s too bad you
haven’t been a vampire long enough to acquire other powers. Why not ask
Maximilian to come assist you? His powers are more…persuasive.”

“Too
risky for the whole clan.”

“But he’s strong
enough to get you out and clean up behind himself.”

“There has to be
another way. I don’t want him involved.” I didn’t want him risking the clan but
even if he did so successfully, I didn’t want to owe him anymore than I already
did. I was still hoping and praying there was a way to break our bond.

“There’s no honor
in taking the path of most resistance,” she said as she got up and began making
tea. “Your
maistre
would kill them all to protect you
if you would but ask.”

She knew how I
felt about Max and about murder. “Why are you insisting on his involvement? You
know how bad I want to be rid of him for good.”

“That is not
possible. Your bond is eternal.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
“He is good to you. Others would never have allowed you to leave the clan,
not even for a short while.” She shook her head like she was fed up with me. “Turn
to your human. Strengthen your bond with him. It will be of assistance to you.
He will be a great day companion.”

I looked at her in
shock, “You’re kidding, right? He’s
human
.”

“With your
narcolepsy and sun allergy, you’re going to have to trust someone to help you…and
he’s crazy about you.”

He’s crazy all
right.

I stood. This wasn’t
helping me at all. Trust this person, trust that one. There had to be more to
it than that.

We talked more
about the evils that were coming for me and how I needed to watch my back and
all that
whoopty
-do. I just felt hollow. Earlier it
had seemed I was plummeting into immorality just because I had to work on
Sunday, now I wished that was my only problem. Immorality would be better than
final death.

And with everyone
after me, I’d be lucky if I made it to Monday night.

Chapter 12

After moving my
shit to a different motel, I climbed in bed and counted sheep.

Tossing and
turning all day while I was supposed to be sleeping promised terrible
repercussions. Yet instead of resting, I mulled over
Saybree’s
warnings and suggestions, formulated and re-formulated plans, and still came up
with zilch to ease my forebodings.

But at least I’d
made it to Monday night.

I got up, drank
several vials of blood, and dressed for my weekly sleep disorder support group
meeting. Even though I couldn’t openly discuss my inner turmoil with the group,
Dr. Floyd would have encouraging words and I’d feel uplifted…until the next
unsettling event.

Turn to your
human
she’d said.

Lord knows I
trusted
Saybree
, but she had to be talking out the
side of her neck this time.

Strengthen your
bond with him.
She’d meant give him my blood…and she really was tripping.

He will be a
great day companion
—evidence that
Saybree
quite
possibly had lost her mind. Why did I need a day-walker? I’d gotten along just
fine as a lone creature of the night, thank you very much. How would a man who
loved death be a great companion for me? Unless I needed a good screw while a
stake was driven through my chest,
Remi
was useless.

And the thing that
really got my goat was that she’d spoken in future tense.
Saybree
was never wrong.

Fuck.

Enemies were a’
coming, and if I loved being undead as much as I thought I did, I’d better take
her advice.

When I arrived
downtown at the meeting location, I was about thirty minutes early. I’d needed
the walk to clear my mind. Couldn’t say it helped though considering rain
poured cats and dogs the whole way. Once inside, I headed straight for the
ladies room, leaving a water trail as I went. Good thing I wasn’t dressed to
impress anyone tonight.

Too bad being a
vampire hadn’t wielded me power to control the elements or change forms like
Max. Not yet anyway. I had no idea which powers I’d get once I’d been around
for hundreds of years. Telepathy or telekinesis would be nice too.
Just saying.

Despite ringing
out my sweat suit and holding it under the
XLerator
hand dryer, I looked like a sopping mess as I exited the bathroom with only a
few moments to spare before the meeting began. Everyone would be wet since
there was no covered parking, so it didn’t…

I stopped in my
tracks, sensing he was very close. But how could that be?

Walking slowly
into the large room with the circle of chairs, I scanned the faces, looking for
him. How had he followed me here?

And there he was
by the refreshment table looking yummy, but different. His hair was slicked
back hanging loosely on his collar instead of shadowing his eyes. He wore khaki
pants instead of jeans and a starched white long-sleeved dress shirt that
covered the scars on his wrists instead of his typical black t-shirt with
wristbands.

My feet moved
toward
Remi
while I was still deciding whether to be
angry with him for stalking me again. His obsession was creepy and charming
simultaneously…more creepy.

I nodded hello as
people spoke to me along the way, but I didn’t notice their faces.
Remi
was eating a Shipley’s donut slowly, savoring it.
Licking the cream from his fingers one at a time.
How odd.
The
Remi
I knew would have consumed that sucker in
two bites. He turned towards me just as I came up behind him then quickly
averted his eyes.

Where the hell was
his usually creepy stare?

“Why are you still
following me? I thought we talked about this,” I said.

He glanced out of
the corner of his eye at me without speaking then headed towards the circle.
Everyone was settling in their seats and apparently he was intending to also.

I grabbed his arm
and jerked him around to face me. He looked startled.

“You’ve gone too
damn far this time. When I told you about my support group it wasn’t for the
purpose of you infiltrating it,” I said.

“I’m sorry but I
don’t know you,” he said with
Remi’s
voice,
Remi’s
lips,
his
gorgeous eyes…which
he quickly shifted away.

“What do you mean
you don’t know me? Don’t play games.” Now I was getting pissed. Following me
was one thing. Acting like I was stupid was another. I didn’t play that shit.

“Will you please
let my arm go?”

I squeezed harder.
“Not until you tell me why you’re here.”

Something was
seriously off with him, more so than usual. I didn’t recognize his cologne,
didn’t smell smoke on his breath.

He looked down to
where my nails were biting into his arm and then over to the circle where Dr.
Floyd was taking his seat, getting ready to start.

“I’m here for the
same thing you are…to get help for a sleep disorder…to bond with other people
facing the same challenges.” He jerked on his arm. “Please let me go. I really
don’t know you.”

He honestly acted
like he had no idea who I was. Come to think of it, his voice was a little off,
too soft.

Recalling what
Saybree
had said about him having different faces, I
dropped his arm. Was he a shape-shifter who would lose it and change in front
of everyone if I pushed him too hard? I didn’t want to make a scene here, but I
had to get to the bottom of his strange behavior. After all, I did care a
teensy-weensy bit for him.

He started to walk
away.

“Wait,” I said. “I’m
Willow.”

His eyes snapped
up and recognition filled them like water in a pool. “Willow?”

“Yes. And you’re
Remi
, right?”

“So you’re Willow.”
He smiled a little but shifted his eyes to the floor.

“
Remi
, what’s going on with you? Why are you behaving this
way?”

He mumbled, “I
didn’t know you’d be so cute.”

What?
“
Remi
, we’ve known each other awhile. You don’t remember me?”

Dr. Floyd waved
for us to join the group.

“We should be
making our way over,” he said, pointing his thumb in the direction of the
circle.

“This is crazy
even for you.” I shook my head, no longer angry, just weary of his act.

He sighed. “I’m
sorry, Willow. I’m not who you think I am, but I am glad I got a chance to meet
you.”

I looked to his
face for some sign of jesting. There was none. “Who the hell are you then?”

He finally met my
eyes. “I’m Aaron.”

Chapter 13

Aaron?
Aaron
?
I screamed the name over and over in my head as I watched him walk away.

Was this fucking
April
Fool’s
Day? Did
Remi
have a twin, a doppelganger, amnesia?

Hold the phone…

Remi
had said his dad gave Aaron the trust fund. In the
context of our conversation he was talking about himself, wasn’t he? Well, why
was he acting like he didn’t know me now and that he wasn’t
himself
?
Aaron was his nickname, right?

I was dumfounded
again, which was happening
waaaaay
too much lately.

Sitting in my
usual seat facing the entrance/exit, I watched
Remi
as he sat in the chair on the far side of the circle. I took a deep breath,
which had nothing to do with survival and everything to do with smelling him.
Underneath the fruity-smelling cologne and demure attitude, Aaron was
definitely
Remi
.

Blood didn’t lie.

“We have a new
participant tonight. Folks, join me in welcoming Aaron
Berlinski
,”
Dr. Floyd was speaking in his sophisticated British accent as he pointed at
Remi
. When he clapped, we all did. Then he pushed up his
glasses and spoke directly to Aaron, “Would you like to introduce yourself?
Tell us how your sleep disorder has impacted your life.”

We all looked
expectantly towards…Aaron.

He was slouched in
his chair, gazing at the floor. “Hi,” he said quietly. “Like Doc said, I’m
Aaron.” He paused like he was waiting for us to say
Hi, Aaron
.
Wrong support group, dude.
“Uh...I’ve been struggling with
insomnia for as long as I can remember, actually ever since a childhood trauma.”
He cleared his throat and sat up. “I won’t bore you with specifics, but I
developed a multiple personality disorder, and well, I can go days without
sleeping. And when I do finally sleep, I blank out.” I leaned forward in my
seat.
Oh. My. Gosh.
“When I come to, I’m missing a few days of time. I
know I’ve slept because I feel rejuvenated, refreshed. But there is also
evidence that I’ve been out and about. I just have no recollection of what I’ve
done during my blackouts.” He glanced at Dr. Floyd then back to the floor. “After
years of getting help from shrinks, I’ve managed to get my personalities on a
schedule. And now that we function better together, I want to tackle my sleep
problem. Just once I’d like to have a real dream.”

I wasn’t the only
one speechless this time. The unblinking wide eyes of all eight group members
and Dr. Floyd were on Aaron…like he had the Ebola virus.

“Do your other
personalities only come out when you sleep?” Matt, the youngest group member
asked.

“No, I also shift with
certain triggers like stress…fear…excitement…” Aaron said, “hypnosis too.”

“Do your other
personalities have insomnia?” Matt said.

“No.”

Speaking before I
realized, I said, “How do you know they don’t?” And if he wasn’t
Remi
, how had he recognized my name? “How do you know
anything
about the other personalities?” I asked.