My Wicked Vampire (14 page)

“For a few years after Stephan began messing with my head, I didn’t have a clue what I did when I was out of it. Then one day I ran into Kyla. We’d lived in the same area for a while. She told me I’d killed half the people in a nearby town. And that was just during one killing rage. There must have been other towns, other dead people.”

“You can’t blame yourself. The killings were on Stephan’s head.”

The anger he heard in her voice surprised him. “
I
killed.”

She made a rude noise.

“The next time the rage hit, I came out of it with some personal damage. Guess my food fought back.” He didn’t try to hide his bitterness. “I wanted to make sure I never forgot what I was capable of doing during a rage, so I imposed my will on my body. I kept it from healing long enough for the scars to form.”

Cinn looked away, and he got the feeling she was trying to control her reaction. Finally, she returned her gaze to him. “Kyla knew about your rages?”

“No, she knew about my killing. I didn’t tell her about Stephan.”

“She was there when the Mackenzies tried to trap you, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. I’d killed some of them, too.” He didn’t feel anger at Kyla’s part in the plan. She was a Mackenzie, and clan was important to her.

He sat quietly while Cinn ate. Thinking. Things were getting complicated. He didn’t just want to make love with Cinn until it was time for him to leave with Taurin. He wanted to break Stephan’s hold on him so he
didn’t
have
to leave her. And that was one of the scariest revelations of his long life.

Then there was Airmid. How could he leave the castle while the goddess was still a danger to Cinn? Okay, that wasn’t even an option. He couldn’t. He’d have to find a way to protect his brother and Cinn. From two different dangers. No, three, counting himself.

She rubbed her hand across her eyes. “Now that I’ve stuffed myself, I feel as though I could sleep for a week.”

Dacian paid for her meal and stood. He picked up Vince. “Then you need to sleep. In your own bed.” He answered her unspoken question. “Alone.”

“But the plants—”

“Will be fine.” He guided her to the elevator. “Ganymede doesn’t always come across as a supernatural heavyweight, but I have a feeling he could take both Airmid and Stephan down in a fight. Together. He owes you, so let him watch the greenhouse till dawn.”

“And you?”

“I’ll stay with you until Bain or Edge takes over.” He grinned to lighten the moment. “Airmid isn’t the only one they’ll have to guard against. You’d better hope the effects of Eva’s pollen wear off after a while. I think poor Wade’s getting desperate. He’ll probably try to give you his boat next.”

She groaned as Dacian unlocked her door and they stepped inside. “I forgot about Wade. I feel so bad for him. I have to find a way to reverse the pollen’s effect.”

He hated to ask the hard questions, but there was one that needed asking. “What will you do with Eva?”

Cinn didn’t answer for a moment. She busied herself gathering up her nightgown and slippers, but she finally paused before going into the bathroom. “I don’t know.
God, I really don’t know. It’s not her fault. I bred her that way. Only I didn’t know she’d be so powerful. I thought she’d be like Jessica and Sweetie Pie.”

“Who?”

Her smile was a little ragged around the edges, but it was still a smile. “They were two of the original plants I supplied to Sparkle. They feed off of sexual energy. Sparkle got a kick out of putting them in guests’ rooms. They’re two of the plants we brought from the castle for safekeeping while Airmid’s on her rampage.”

“Any idea what went wrong?”

She shook her head. “Maybe I fiddled with her a little more. Who knows? But I have to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I won’t destroy her, so I either have to put on gloves and snip off her blooms or isolate her when she starts flowering.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Maybe some of what Airmid’s ticked about is legit. And Eva will hate being isolated.”

“Will she?”

Cinn nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know if she feels anything. But what will I do about Vince and Teddy? They
do
feel.”

“Uh, Vince can hear you.”

“Oh, God.” She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Dacian set Vince down on the coffee table and then he relaxed onto the couch. “You and me, Vince. Both fuckups.” He thought over what he’d just said. “Sorry I insulted you. I think you’re pretty amazing. But we’ve got to find a match for you. Someone who isn’t Asima. I bet Cinn has at least one more plant in that greenhouse who can communicate with you. We’ll have to find it.” He didn’t really believe that. What were the chances?
But he didn’t want Vince to feel as if he didn’t belong anywhere.
Like I do.

Enough of the self-pity. He occupied his mind with thoughts of Cinn’s bare body stretched beneath him, her hands touching his cock, stroking him until…

Cinn came out of the bathroom. She hung up her clothes and then climbed into bed without saying anything, without meeting his gaze.

He didn’t push her.

When she’d finally pulled the covers up to her chin, she looked at him. “I need to sleep tonight. And then tomorrow I have to think. In that order.”

He nodded. “Do I have to do anything for Vince?”

She smiled, and if her smile was a little sad, at least she was smiling. “Talk to him.”

Cinn woke to the sound of opera. The aria rose and fell in full-throated splendor. And pulling the covers over her head didn’t drown it out.

“
Are you awake yet?
” A weight on her chest shifted. “
Are you awake yet?
” The voice in her head was louder this time. “
Are you
—”

Argh!
“Yes, I’m awake.” She flung the covers off her head.

Asima sat on her chest, her blue almond-shaped eyes fixed on Cinn’s face. “
Good. I’ve been waiting ever so long for you. I tried to be very quiet.
”

“Your music isn’t quiet.”

“
Opera is meant to fill a room.
”

“Yeah, well, I think it’s overflowing the room and probably flooding the hall.” She hated to wake up cranky, but Asima was a buzz-killer. “What are you doing here?”

Asima leaped from her chest and padded over to the
coffee table. She jumped up, lay down, and wrapped her long body around Vince’s pot. She batted gently at one of his leaves. “
He adores me, you know.
”

Just what Cinn needed. A reminder that she had some major problems in her small plant world. “Yes, but you don’t have to encourage him.”

The cat widened her eyes at Cinn. “
Why ever not? If someone worships the ground you walk on, then you have an obligation to make yourself available to him. Besides, I love being worshipped.
” Her raspy purr filled the room.

Cinn hated to ask, because it only reminded her that Vince didn’t talk to her, but she wanted to know. “Has Vince said anything about his feelings, and about Teddy’s reaction?”

“
He’s said many, many things.
” Asima stretched her body and yawned. “
He longs for me to take him with me. Of course, that would be impossible. But I’ve promised to visit with him as much as possible each day. And he’s very upset about Teddy. He feels that Teddy can’t treat me in the manner I deserve. Teddy’s rather a primitive little soul.
” Asima took a moment to lick several of Vince’s leaves. “
Grooming is so important. Anyway, Vince is afraid of Teddy. I don’t think he wants you to put him back in the greenhouse.
”

“Well, maybe he should deign to ask me directly.” Okay, that was snarky, but yes, she was a little jealous of the people Vince
had
spoken to.

Asima didn’t comment on the outburst, but her expression said clearly that perhaps Cinn wasn’t a worthy recipient of Vince’s confidences. Fine, so Asima’s expression said no such thing because cats didn’t have expressions. But Cinn knew that was what her royal kittiness was thinking.

Cinn gave up on Asima and turned her thoughts to someone much more interesting. “Was Dacian still here
when you arrived?” She swung her feet to the floor and stood.

“No, but I was. To my everlasting regret.”

The deep male voice froze her in the middle of a stretch. She swung toward the narrow castle window. Someone had pulled back the heavy drapery. Edge sat in a chair he’d dragged over to the window, so he could bathe in the sunlight pouring through the glass.

“I thought Bain was guarding me during the day. And why are you inside my room?”

Edge raised one tawny brow. “
Dacian
was in here. Besides, I don’t wait outside any woman’s door. Deal with it. And Bain had other things to do.” His smile suggested that whatever Bain had to do didn’t bode well for the world.

Cinn gripped her bottom lip between her teeth. He was right. She’d have to deal with it. Airmid would take any moment of aloneness as an invitation to visit with Cinn. And Cinn didn’t really want to have another conversation with the goddess. “You’re right.”

She went to the closet and pulled out an outfit without even looking at it. They were all the same—sexy with designer labels.

“Sparkle came in and took some of those clothes.” Edge sounded unconcerned.

She turned to look at him. “Did everyone in the castle tramp through my room while I slept?”

He shrugged. “She said something about not going outside the castle wearing the big-box horrors she’d bought.”

Cinn nodded. “I’m getting dressed, going down to eat breakfast”—she looked at the clock on her night table—“or maybe I should say lunch, and then I’m going to take care of my plants.”

“Sure.” He got up and turned off Asima’s music. “There, that’s better.”

Cinn didn’t wait to listen to the argument. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she pulled on her clothes as she thought about the coming afternoon, and more importantly, the coming night. Dacian would be with her from sunset to dawn if she had anything to say about it. Funny how just a few days ago all she could think about was escaping from here. Now she looked forward to spending the night with a vampire. A
bad
vampire. She smiled to herself. But a very
good
vampire in several important ways.

“I think it’s disgraceful how they never give you any alone time. I was going to snatch you last night when you went into the bathroom, but I thought you’d be more rested today.”

Cinn had only a second to recognize Airmid’s voice, realize she’d made a basic mistake in closing the bathroom door, and shout for help.

Airmid grabbed Cinn a moment before the door crashed open and Edge stood looking around. Cinn yelled at him, but he just cursed and rushed from the room.

“Good try, but he can’t hear or see you. I do have some useful powers.”

Cinn fought to free herself from the lock the goddess had on her arm, but her wild swings and kicks somehow didn’t connect with Airmid.

“Don’t waste your energy. You can’t touch me.”

Then with seemingly no effort at all, she dragged Cinn out into the bedroom and over to where Vince sat helpless on the coffee table. Asima had evidently rushed from the room with Edge to look for Cinn.

“We’ll take this little guy with us.”

The goddess scooped up Vince and then suddenly they were all somewhere else.

Cinn looked around her. Damn. As far as she could see were plants and more plants. Not in rows, but scattered all the way to the horizon. Cinn had a problem with this scene, though. When she looked down, she saw… clouds. “Where are we?”

“In one of my newer gardens. I’ll fill in the rest of the landscape later.” Still clasping Cinn’s arm and carrying Vince, she strolled off across the clouds.

Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming this.
Cinn’s mantra got more frantic with each minute.
We’re in deep shit, Vince.

“
I know.
”

The two words sucked Cinn’s breath from her throat.
Vince?
He’d finally talked to her. Too bad she couldn’t take time to enjoy the moment. “Where are we going?”
What are you going to do with us?

“We’re going to my home where we can relax and talk.”

They might talk, but no way was she going to be able to relax. She glanced down. Whoa, the clouds beneath her feet had been replaced with a stone path leading up to…

Her gaze traced the path to a home covered in vines and surrounded by thick greenery. Sunlight created patterns of shadow and light as it shone through a canopy of ancient trees. Okay, this wasn’t exactly Cinn’s vision of Mount Olympus, but she supposed it was right for Airmid.

The goddess dragged her through the front door and into what looked like Cinn’s Aunt Theresa’s old house. Small rooms stuffed with dark furniture and littered with what must be antiques. Cinn wasn’t an antiquey
kind of person. She liked bright airy spaces filled with new things untouched by human hands.

Plants sat on every flat surface. The goddess set Vince down on a table next to a beautiful but uncomfortable-looking chair. Cinn’s Aunt Theresa would’ve known what century the chair came from.

Airmid finally released her and pointed to another chair. “Sit.”

Since Cinn had no idea how to get herself back to the Castle of Dark Dreams and was definitely not leaving without Vince anyway, she sat.

Airmid folded herself gracefully onto her chair and then smiled at Cinn. “Now, we’ll discuss how you can get back into my good graces.”

Okay, Cinn was confused. “You’re a goddess. I’ve ticked you off. So why are you discussing it with me? Don’t you have more violent ways to change my mind? I thought bringing down the store around my head was rather effective.”

Airmid’s laughter was a musical tinkle. “I lost my temper. I try not to do that very often. But I’m sure we can reach an agreement.”

Cinn’s common sense shouted, “Don’t make her mad.” She decided to give her common sense a listen-to this time. “What did you have in mind?”

“Good. You’re willing to listen.” The goddess rearranged her long flowing gown. “First, you have to abandon these ridiculous experiments. You’re embarrassing me in front of the other immortals.”