Crimson Vengeance (26 page)

The murmur of voices pulled her thoughts away from the banished painting. Her guests had arrived. She tossed her robe aside and hurried to dress casually in cotton pants and a long silk blouse.

A quick brush through her hair, and she was ready.

Six months had passed without a word, and as she neared the living room, she wondered if Ivy could forgive her. She hadn’t wanted to do what Colin and Adriana asked of her. She’d wanted more than anything to hold to her convictions. She wasn’t Rodolphe.

She wasn’t Meriel. She wasn’t a monster. And only a monster would turn a beautiful human like Ivy into a creature of the darkness.

Then she’d looked at Ivy’s still face and everything changed.

As Colin held Ivy’s lifeless body in his arms, she sliced her own arm open with a razor-sharp scalpel and let her blood drain into Ivy’s mouth. At first, nothing happened, then, slowly, Ivy’s chest began to rise and fall. The ugly wound in the middle of her body began to mend.

That was the last time she’d seen her. Colin had picked Ivy up and carried her from the room.

She and Adriana took care of the vampires and cleaned up the autopsy suite, after Riah made sure Ralph, the security manager, was alive and breathing. To keep him safe and out of the line of fire, she’d drugged him and tucked him into a locked closet for safekeeping. He slept through the battle as well as the cleanup. It was a long night but the gods smiled on them.

Adriana’s house was a total loss, so it only made sense for her to move in with Riah. It was the practical thing to do, or so she rationalized—even though she knew better. She simply wanted Adriana with her, every day and every night. Not a day went by without marveling at her good fortune despite everything. Adriana was the real deal: heart-stopping, all-consuming love. Who would have guessed?

Also, Adriana had an amazing mind. Immediately after the excitement died down, she was back at work recreating the cure she’d come rushing to tell Riah about on the night of the attack. It might take some time, but, hey, time they had.

Now, Riah hesitated before stepping into the living room. Colin and Ivy stood close together, their backs to the door, while Adriana had one arm propped on the fireplace mantle. All three were sharing a laugh.

“Hey, you guys,” Adriana announced. “Look who finally decided to show her skinny little ass.” Her laugh filled the room.

Ivy turned. Riah’s heart stopped as everything seemed to slow.

Then, Ivy flew across the room to envelope Riah in a big hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered with her lips against Riah’s ear.

Her heart flipped. Could it be true? “You’re not angry?” she asked hesitantly.

Ivy laughed and held her at arm’s length. “Take a look at beefcake over there and tell me you’d be angry if you were given a second chance to jump his bones? I mean, seriously, Riah, would you pass that up?”

Colin shook his head and smiled. Love had softened the lines in his face. “Never thought I’d be the guy who’d find a vampire hot.”

He winked at Ivy.

Something dark and heavy fell away from Riah’s shoulders. A weight she’d been carrying for six months. She crossed the room and put an arm around Adriana’s shoulders, pulling her close and gazing into her amazing dark eyes. “I’m all about second chances.”

Sheri Lewis Wohl grew up in northeast Washington State and though she always thought she’d move away, never has. Despite traveling throughout the United States, Sheri always finds her way back home. And so she lives, plays, and writes amidst mountains, evergreens, and abundant wildlife. When not working the day job in federal finance, she writes stories that typically include a bit of the strange and unusual and always a touch of romance. She works to carve out time to run, swim, and bike so she can participate in local triathlons, her latest addiction.