A Fall of Silver (47 page)

“Embrace
the southern clan. Take them into your own and agree to consort only with willing adults and to drain none. You regulate the size of your clan.”

“And what do we get in exchange?”

“I’ll convince the Church you’re no longer a danger to our souls. We won’t search for your resting place. You may sleep in peace during the day.”

“’
Tis not much.”

It was Kethan’s turn to shrug.
“It’s the best you’re going to get.”

“W
hat of the Toltecs? And the Red Dragon?”

“They are not here
. I can’t speak for them. The clans are as they’ve always been. However, I’ll offer this. If you honor this agreement, we’ll stand at your back if the need arises.”

“The C
hurch would fight for us?”

“I would.
And Quicksilver.”

“I—” Quicksilver jerked in her chair and stared at Kethan before nodding
slowly. Reluctance sharpened her delicate features. “Yes. Fine. If you hold to your agreement and don’t touch any children.” Her words grew hard with determination. “Particularly anyone from the orphanage at the Convent of the Weeping Madonna. You leave them
alone
. You do that, and I’ll stand at your back. If the need arises.”

Sutton
laughed. “I’m not sure that were a promise I’d wish to accept. Having you at my back does little to reassure me.”

“Better than
the silver fall of my whip around your throat,” she replied dryly.

“’Tis better than that
. Agreed.” He stood and after a long moment held out a hand to Kethan. “’Tis a bargain, then. Honor your word, and we’ll honor ours.”

Kethan stood slowly, his stiff muscles protesting as the tension left his body.
“Agreed.”

Despite the glimmer of good spirits in Sutton’s eyes, the vampire
could not resist a small show of strength. He nearly crushed Kethan’s hand in his grip.

A
cruel, sarcastic light glowed in his eyes before he let go. “’Tis nearly dawn, then. Luck be with us that we never have cause to meet again.”

“Yeah,
” Quicksilver agreed. “That
would
be lucky.”

For the first time in over a
ten years, Quicksilver felt free. Exhausted and bruised, but free.

F
ree to do what?

The death of her parents saddened her. It hurt, but not as much as it should.
She realized she’d given up on them years ago and had come to terms with their absence, her loss. Now, she just felt empty. Terrible to admit. Abnormal, even, but she couldn’t bring herself to cry for them.

She watched the others leave the room and docilely allowed Kethan to take her elbow and guide her out. He took her breath away
as a deep longing filled her at his touch.

Was he done with her, too, now?

Heart pounding, she tried not to think about him. She was damaged goods, and although she was learning to control the anger lying submerged within her, she was far from healthy. The emptiness she felt over the death of her parents proved it.

Kethan want
ed a wife, kids, and a double bed. Maybe even a dog. Not a one-night stand and not a woman who needed enough therapy to make your average psychiatrist into a multi-millionaire.

And w
hat did she want?

She remembered her grandmother
and her heart ached. She wanted a home, again, like she’d once had and to wake up to the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven.

The thought mad
e her choke on tears she refused to shed. She eyed Kethan as he opened the car door for her. She wanted him, forever.

She wanted to wake up to find him next to her, because she
loved him just like she’d admitted. She needed him, more than she’d ever needed anyone in her life. Love wasn’t just a word whispered in the dark to manipulate someone. Her chest tightened.

If there
were any hope for her, any chance at normalcy, it lay within his arms.

Before she could think
it through, she blurted out her worst fear. “How can you forgive me?”

“What?”

“How can killing a vampire be forgiven if I live by your rules?”

“It’s never simple
.” He held up a hand to give him time to walk around the front of the car. He climbed in next to her and looked at her, his eyes kind. “You acted in self-defense, just like I did tonight, just like you did, years ago. You have to forgive yourself. I forgave you a long time ago.” He smiled. “At least a week ago.”

“I…
.” Her hands twisted in her lap. Watching her, Kethan covered them with his warm palm. “I killed my father! My own father!”

“I’m s
orry. I wish it hadn’t happened, that I could’ve prevented it—”

“
Prevented it?” Her voice rose toward hysteria. “How could anyone have stopped it? They’ve been planning this for years, almost my entire adult life!” A sob cut her off. She wrapped her arms around herself and huddled in her seat. The numbness cracked ever so slightly. Hopeless grief flashed briefly, squeezing the breath out of her.

What was she going to do? She was alone now
, really alone.

Kethan looped an arm around her and drew her against him, allowing her
gasping tears to drain away her terrifying emotions.

Finally, when she raised her head, he brushed her damp cheeks with his fingers. “This isn’t the best time for declarations,” he said
, “and you’ll probably spend the next hour trying to convince me I don’t know my own feelings, but I’m going to say it again. I love you.”

“You—” When she tried to speak, he pressed a finger against her lips. Then she realized he was right. She
was
going to try to tell him he was crazy. He didn’t know what he was saying. How could he?

He was blinded by sex. He’d been a priest too long.

“I love you,” he repeated more firmly.

Her heart fluttered.
“Me, too!”

“Good.” He nodded with a grin twisting his mouth. “Loving yourself is the first step toward
healthy self-esteem.”

A watery laugh esc
aped her as she gave him a mock hit on the shoulder. “You know what I meant. I love
you
.”

Her admission
stopped him. He studied her as if suspected her of lying. “My past, the fact that I was a vampire once doesn’t bother you?”

“It might have, once, but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore. You found redemption and you’re human, that’s all the matters.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure
,” she said. “I love
you
. I’m just so messed up I didn’t think you’d…. Well, you know what I mean.” She searched his face for a sign, any indication that he had doubts.

“I know
, but if you think I don’t know my own mind, then you really are crazy. So now, where do we go from here?”

“Your house?”
Joy made her giddy, hysterical, as it bubbled just above the deeper cauldron of desperation. “It’s almost time for breakfast. Don’t you have cinnamon rolls?”

“I suppose I could arrange that.”

“And….” What would make everything complete? “A dog. To keep the cat company.”

“A dog?” He shifted a little uncomfortabl
y. “What’s this sudden desire for a dog?”

“You’ve opened entire new vistas for me!” She laughed, her mind going a mile-a-minute, d
redging up all the things she’d denied herself over the years, all the things she wanted, all the things that could protect her from her pain, her grief. “I’ve never thought of settling down, having a home, a permanent place. We could have the cat and a dog! Both!” Her voice shook and she clutched his arm, needing it all: Kethan, a home, and animals to love them until there were children… She cut off the thought, afraid to hope for too much.

“But a dog
? Cats and dogs don’t get along.” The puzzled look on his face made her light-headed with desire.

“
Of course they do, once they get used to the idea. If I’m going to be domesticated, we need something else to guard the house, don’t you think?”

“
Like a Chihuahua?”

She shook her head.
Keep it light, don’t let him see how much you need this, need him.
“Something big and mean, like a
fila
brasilia
. Of course, you’d have to fence in the yard with something heavy duty, at least eight feet high.”

“Are you crazy?
An attack dog? My insurance’ll go through the roof. What about a lab? Or maybe train the cat to attack.”

“Right.” She snorted
to cover a sudden, near-sob. “Labs are too friendly. What about a pit bull?”

“A
bsolutely not. Doberman?” After a flickering grin, he settled firmly into in the familiar mode of negotiator.

His calmness allowed her to regain a fraction of her self-control although h
er body tightened another unbearable notch with desire. “Fine. I'll agree to a Doberman, but only if you agree to sex every night. No excuses.”

He sighed
as if he recognized he was going to lose this battle. She smiled tremulously. Twenty years from now, she might regret this moment, this opening up of her heart to a man whose life consisted of words, but for now, it felt like coming home at last, something she’d never expected to feel again.

“Welcome back
, Allison Bankes.” Kethan cupped her face in his hands before gently kissing her.

“Allison? I’m…
.” After the shock diminished, she realized he was right. Quicksilver had burned away. At least for the moment, she was released from her demon, the ferocious beast she’d harbored for so many years. She turned to him. “Wait a minute, you didn’t agree! What about a dog?”

A
nd a real home.

“M
arry me, and we’ll talk about it.”

“Who said anything about marriage?” Her heart pounded a deafening tattoo.
Too soon!

“I did. Just now. No marriage, no sex.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Yes. So what’ll it be?”

“It’s too soon.”

“I’ve spent four
hundred years waiting to ask that question. Frankly, it’s not soon enough. So what’s your answer?”

“I give up.
” She laughed and lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender. “You win. I can’t go without sex, so it’ll have to be marriage.”

“Then
there’s no problem. You can have anything your heart’s desire.”

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him against her,
brushing her lips against the strong line of his jaw and breathing in the scent of his skin. “Sex every night, a Doberman, and townhouse. And of course a new car—”

“Now, wait a minute, I draw the line at—”

“Oh, shut up.” She laughed. “You said
anything
.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Kiss me again, you fool.” She snuggled against him. When he put a heavy arm around her shoulders, warmth flooded through her. “Didn’t you know? A man and his car are soon parted.”

He put a stop to her words with a deep kiss
. His lips held the taste of cinnamon and the indescribable sensation of coming home.

A
t last.

THE END

T
he
Redemption series
are paranormal romances spiced with mystery, danger and an “Urban Fantasy” feel that will keep readers enthralled. They do not have to be read in any particular order, but the first book in the series is
Vampire Protector
.

Vampire Protector
~
Vampires, a haunted house, and Gwen's evening is just starting.

An anonymous note sends Gwen on a mission to
uncover a dark family secret that may be hidden in her long abandoned childhood home. When she asks her handsome neighbor, John, to accompany her, she’s not expecting much, except possibly help if she falls through any rotten floors. Unfortunately, that's her first mistake. John is a vampire and her house is not exactly empty. Secrets—and the dead—won’t always stay buried, and John’s extraordinary strength and determination may be all that can withstand what awaits them in the shadows.

T
he
Archer Family series
are traditional Regency romances spiced with a mystery, and
Escaping Notice
is the latest in the series. The books all offer at least a glimpse of John Archer, the instigator of many a fateful adventure. He can’t seem to keep from dragging his nieces, nephews, and other unfortunate relatives, with him on escapades that invariably uncover a murder or two. Thankfully, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency is often on hand to help the Archers out of the worst of their troubles, when he’s allowed to do so.