Kissing with Fangs (26 page)
Read Kissing with Fangs Online
Authors: Ashlyn Chase
“How did you wind up in this peculiar band, human?”
“Anthony's my seventh great-uncle and was best friends with my beloved until he met his true death.”
Mother Nature smirked. “Well, you've got the lingo down. You've never divulged the existence of paranormals to anyone?”
“No, Goddess.”
“Not even a priest?”
“No, Goddess. Never. Anthony calls me Aunt Sadie, so people know we're related, but we shifted our relationship to make it look natural.”
Satisfied, Gaia said, “Good.”
“What if we want to meet here just to have tea and talk about the weather? Is that okay?” Ruxandra asked.
“I'd rather you stay away from this place. You're skating on thin ice as it is. But if for some inexplicable reasonâone that I can't even imagine right nowâyou absolutely have to be here, rememberâ¦no hints, no whispers, not even a conspiratorial wink to each other. That goes for everybody. You're just friends. Got it?”
“Yes, Goddess,” she said. The others nodded or murmured in agreement.
“Excuse me, Goddess. I have a question,” Tory said. “There may be occasions when we
should
talk to each other paranormal to paranormal. If we meet somewhere else, is that all right?”
“Did you have a particular place in mind?”
“I have a large home on the hill.”
Gaia narrowed her eyes. “Your girlfriend is human.”
“Yes.”
“And you're going to keep all paranormal discussion from her?”
“Absolutely.”
“The answer is still no.”
“What? But if she's not there⦔
“She will be.”
A slow smile crept across Tory's face. “Are you saying what I think you're saying?”
“Yes. Find another place, because soon it'll be her home too.”
“Hallelujah!”
Kurt slapped Tory on the back. “Congrats, man.”
Mother Nature purposely used her bored voice so they wouldn't get carried away. “Yeah, yeah. Many happy returns. So does anyone else have a place?”
Sly and Morgaine glanced at each other. A moment later they said in unison, “We do.”
“Ah, yes.” Gaia chuckled. “The brownstone on Beacon Street. That place was a hotbed of upheaval a few years ago. Are there any unknowing humans living there now?”
“No. I'm the building's super, and my daughter owns the place,” Sly said. “Her husband is one of us, and every tenant has some paranormal secret to keep. We even have an empty apartment we could use.”
“Is it on the ground floor?”
“Uh, no. Second floor.”
“Perfect. No pesky reporters peeking in windows. Use that.”
An audible sigh of relief filled the room.
Mother Nature regarded their expressions. “You genuinely like each other, don't you?”
They all answered in the affirmative.
“You even trust this one?” She pointed to Ruxandra.
Some of them squirmed.
Ruxandra place a hand over her heart. “I know I've been a horrible personâeven for a vampire, but I'm doing everything I can to change that now. Right, honey?” She turned to Kurt.
“I believe her,” he said. “And she's under a truth spell so everyone can.”
The rest of the group smiled and the closest ones patted Ruxandra on the back, murmuring encouragement.
“Well, I'll be darned. His stupid experiment worked. That doesn't mean I want it to continue. At least, not here.”
“But you said we could still be friends with Anthony and Claudia,” Bliss reminded her.
“Go out to dinner as a foursome. Stop by one at a time and talk about mundane things. I don't expect you'll stop caring about them.”
“Good, because we won't,” Drake said. It was the first time he'd spoken up, but he was probably just worried about his wife being best friends with Claudia. Gaia didn't like the way he said it, but she understood why.
“Would you like to rephrase that, Dragon?”
“Uhâ¦okay. I doubt we'll stop caring about our dearest friends.”
Mother Nature considered his wording and decided he was demonstrating the proper respect for her. The absolute minimum, but she'd let it go. “Yes⦠Well, I'm satisfied, for now. But if I have to put out any fires⦔
“You won't,” Drake promised.
She turned to her trusted muse. “Brandee, be sure everyone gets the address of the new meeting place and then return everyone to their homes or businesses.”
“Yes, Goddess.”
Morgaine pulled several business cards out of her pocket and handed them to the others. Gaia snagged one.
“Psychic readings. You do these out of your home?”
“Yes, Goddess. Many psychics do.”
“That means humans frequent the place,” Gaia said.
“Sometimes. I also do readings over the phone.”
“Are you willing to do all your readings over the phone from now on?”
“Yes, and I will. I promise. No more unsuspecting humans in the building.”
“Hmmm.” Gaia shrugged. “Okay. I guess we've covered all the bases. Have nice lives.”
“Troops, we've gotta fly,” Brandee said, and they all disappeared.
***
Anthony and Claudia woke up on a blanket in a shady spot of Boston Common.
Anthony sat up and looked around to get his bearings.
Oh, yeah. We were having a picnic on the Common.
Claudia sat up next to him. “Wow. I can't believe we fell asleep in the middle of a bright sunny dayâ¦on Boston Common, no less!”
“Yeah. We must be working too hard.”
She sighed. “I really want to make the tea room a success.”
“I know, but apparently closing one day a week isn't enough. Wednesday isn't a busy day. Why don't we take both Tuesdays and Wednesdays off? Or better yet, why don't we hire an assistant manager? We could actually get away once in a while.”
“Like where?”
Anthony had been waiting for the right time to propose. This might be it. He rose, took the ring box out of his jacket pocket, and then dropped onto one knee. “Like on a honeymoon. A brief one, but we can take a longer one later.”
Claudia's mouth formed an almost perfect O, reminding him of a certain sex act she performed so well.
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
He chuckled. “I suppose I should actually say the words, huh?” He took her left hand in his right. “Claudia Fletcher, my love, my life, my only⦠Will you marry me?”
She grinned. “Absolutely, yes.”
He slipped the solitaire diamond ring onto her third finger. She rolled up onto her knees and threw her arms around his neck. They shared a long kiss until someone walking nearby yelled out, “Get a room.”
They chuckled. At last Anthony said, “Let's have lunch. I'm
starving
. I feel like I haven't eaten in
years.
”
Claudia opened the picnic basket. “Let's seeâ¦what do we have here? Ah, a steak sandwichâthat must be yours. And for me, a chef salad. Perfect.”
She handed the sandwich to Anthony as well as a cloth napkin and soft drink. Then she took out her salad, and as she was removing the plastic wrap, he took a big bite of his sandwich.
“Mmmâ¦I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good.”
Claudia chuckled. “If you do say so yourself.”
He swallowed and cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you were the one who put together the lunch⦔
Huh?
He wracked his brain, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember doing it. He stared at her. “I thought
you
made the lunch.”
They paused for a few moments, gaping at each other. Then, as if they were too happy to care, they just shrugged and chowed down.
Many thanks to the members of New Hampshire and Massachusetts twelve-step groups, who taught me what I needed to know to write Claudia's journey to recovery.
As always, I want to thank the following people for their unwavering dedication and help.
The women of Leah Mae's Tea Room in Haverhill, MA. They answered all the questions I had while serving me high tea.
Mia Marlowe, my fabulous, almost famous critique partner. If you like my sense of humor, go check out her historical romances. Oftentimes, her “quips” wind up in my books! Ha! She'll be the first one to tell you, “Be careful what you say around a writer.” (Heh heh.)
Nicole Resciniti, my fabulous agent, for her feedback, encouragement, and belief in me. When she says things like, “You did it again!” and I know she means it in a good way, it's priceless.
Also my editor for this series, Leah Hultenschmidt. I could always count on her to be kind when she twisted my arm.
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