My Wicked Vampire (18 page)

“We have no idea how many vampires Stephan will bring with him. Not that it matters.” Holgarth sneered his contempt of all night feeders. “Even this Stephan, ancient though he is, won’t have the power of the Mackenzies or any of us.”

Uh-oh. Cinn watched Dacian’s eyes narrow. Holgarth forged on, unaware or uncaring that in making light of Stephan’s power, he’d also insulted Dacian.

Wait. He’d said “any of us.” For whatever reason, Cinn had assumed that Kristin and Donna were human. “Umm, just checking something out. Am I the only human here?”

Holgarth huffed his displeasure at being interrupted. “I’ll refrain from listing all your human frailties and simply give you the short answer. Yes. Now unless you have another inane question to ask, I’ll get on with the really important things we have to discuss.”

“You get off on making people mad, don’t you?” If Cinn had the power, she’d activate Teddy and have him shoot a few dozen spines into someone’s pompous butt.

Holgarth raised one supercilious brow. “Of course. And it’s so pathetically easy to do.”

Cinn glanced around the group. “How do you guys put up with him?”

Edge laughed. “The old guy has his moments. Ignore him.”

And as angry as Cinn was with Holgarth, she felt a twinge of sympathy when he winced at the word “old.” Maybe feeling vulnerable caused Holgarth to lash out at those he felt were weaker than he. Okay, cut the psychoanalysis. Maybe Holgarth was just naturally badtempered.

“
This is taking too long.
” Ganymede paced the counter. “
I have a game to watch and a bowl of popcorn waiting for me. Here’s what’s going to happen.
”

Cinn caught the humiliated expression in Holgarth’s eyes before he quickly masked it. Ganymede shouldn’t have done that.

“
Holgarth is going to activate the park’s gargoyles. For anyone who doesn’t know
,
they’re our special defense system. Cool guys. They keep out whatever we tell them to. Once awake, they’ll make sure no night feeders except for Taurin and Dacian get into the park. They won’t bother humans.
”

Cinn couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “What if a few night feeders are already inside? And maybe Stephan hired some humans to infiltrate the castle.”

Ganymede yawned, exposing sharp little feline teeth. “
No night feeders are in the castle. We would’ve sensed them. And humans don’t have enough power to worry about.
”

Ganymede, the equal opportunity insulter. Cinn decided not to argue with him. It would be a waste of time.

Ganymede glanced at his wizard. “
Will you need help?
”

Cinn sensed Holgarth’s reluctance to admit he needed help with anything. Didn’t anyone else see what Ganymede was doing to him? Maybe being nonhuman meant you didn’t care too much about the feelings of others. Score one for the human side.

“Yes. I’ll need Eric, Edge, and Bain. I can’t use Dacian or Taurin. They’re night feeders. They’d just confuse the gargoyles. Awakening the gargoyles takes immense power.” He paused as if gathering himself to speak the next sentence. “It will take more than just my power.”

Ganymede went on without seeming to notice Holgarth’s distress. Of course, Ganymede evidently didn’t know about the hooded wizard. Maybe Holgarth should have told him.

“
Good. Get it done right after the meeting.
” Then Ganymede turned back to the others. “
Once the gargoyles are awakened
,
we’ll have time to plan our defense. Stephan will probably hang around Galveston
,
figuring we’ll have to come out of the park sometime. So once we have our plan in place
,
we’ll shut down the park for major repairs and send the humans home. Then we’ll invite him in.
” And if a cat could smile, then Ganymede was smiling.

Cinn hated to interrupt his self-congratulation, but she had an important question. “What about Airmid? I don’t know if she’s here or not. We can’t sense her. Can your gargoyles keep her out, too?”

Ganymede seemed to actually give her question some serious thought before shaking his head. “
Goddesses are too high in the paranormal hierarchy. The gargoyles can’t touch them. But she’s not a player in our battle with Stephan, so I don’t think she’ll interfere. We’ll continue to keep a guard on the greenhouse. If things get tight—not that a bunch of puny-ass night feeders will be a problem—then you’ll have to protect your plants the best way you can alone.
”

A quick glance from Dacian assured her she wouldn’t be alone if he could help it. She wouldn’t be the one to remind him that Stephan would probably make sure he was chained up in the dungeon and out of the fight.

“
Now go forth and kick butt.
” Ganymede leaped from the counter and padded to the door. It swung open. “
Coming up with me, sweetie?
” He glanced at Sparkle.

“Be there in a few, snuggle-bunny.” Sparkle joined Cinn, Dacian, Kristin, and Taurin. “I apologize for what Mede said about the night feeders. I don’t think he even thinks of you guys as night feeders, so he wouldn’t realize he was insulting you.”

Cinn was just thinking how thoughtful Sparkle was when she ruined it.

“I read somewhere that a sign of character depth is being sensitive to the feelings of others.” She glanced toward the ceiling. “Put another check in that right column, Big Boss.” Sparkle dropped her gaze. “Mmm, someone knows how to choose great clothes for you, Cinn. I think you should make time for sex tonight. Oh, and when you’re finished with the rest of my clothes, just tell me and I’ll send someone for them.”

“I thought you gave them to me.” Not that Cinn really wanted them. Okay, so she did. They made her feel sexy. And she wanted to look like a sensual woman for Dacian. And if that was shallow, she didn’t care. No Big Boss would bring the hammer down on her.

Sparkle widened her eyes. Cinn guessed she thought it made her look innocent. “Now why would I do that? I simply loaned them to you out of the goodness of my heart. I’m a very generous person. But if you really like them, we can go shopping sometime and I’ll help you choose your own sensual wardrobe.”

Holgarth coughed loudly. “It pains me to interrupt what must be a fascinating conversation, but we have vampires to defeat and a castle to defend. So could I possibly have just a measly few minutes of your precious time? Then you can all have lewd sex until dawn.”

Sparkle just laughed. “Try it sometime, wizard. If anyone needs it, you do.” She turned toward the door. “I’ll clear away all humans from the courtyard and the entrance to the great hall.” And then she left.

Dacian tossed a disbelieving glare at the wizard before turning to Taurin. “Why hasn’t anyone killed his ass before this?”

“Many have tried, my sporadically insane friend, but none have succeeded.” Holgarth smiled, a creaky, insincere lifting of his lips. “That’s not to say I don’t have my admirers. Napoleon found my advice invaluable.”

“He fired you.” Edge didn’t waste words.

“And immediately suffered a rather substantial loss at Waterloo.” The wizard tried to twist his face into a sympathetic expression, but the muscles just wouldn’t respond. Probably a Botox moment.

Cinn paused before following the others out the door that led into the courtyard. Asima was still by Teddy. No one had stayed behind to guard the plants.

Asima stared at her from those blue eyes. “
I’ll keep them safe.
”

“What if Airmid shows up? You know what Bast, Airmid’s good buddy, would want you to do.”

Something moved in Asima’s eyes that Cinn had never seen before. Something dangerous. “
I will keep them safe. From everyone.
”

Cinn believed her. God, she hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake. She nodded at Asima and followed Dacian into the night.

They all stopped in front of the great hall, where two massive gargoyles guarded each side of the doors. The gargoyles had huge bulging eyes and mouths open in silent screams. Ugh, grotesque. Cinn shuddered. Maybe Holgarth should go high-tech with his security system. She wasn’t sure waking these guys was a terrific idea.

Holgarth held his staff in one hand while he beckoned to his helpers with the other. “Join hands. The end person holds my hand. During the ritual I’ll call on your power to join with mine in waking these two protectors. They in turn will wake the others in the park.”

“That won’t be necessary.” The rumbling male voice was all too familiar.

Cinn turned with the others. The hooded wizard stood behind them. He hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Bain didn’t sound intimidated.

“From inside the castle. Where else?”

Cinn didn’t mistake the humor underlying the wizard’s answer. Well, if it was a joke, he was the only one who got it.

“Tell me your name.” Holgarth’s voice sounded intense. He certainly wasn’t amused.

Cinn agreed with Holgarth. Something wasn’t right
with this guy. Dacian moved closer to her and pulled her hard against his side. She felt the tension in his body.

“If you know my name, I give you power. Now why would I want to do that, wizard?” He gestured at the gargoyles. “You want to awaken them. Why?”

“Butt out.” Edge of the few words.

“Okay, you don’t want to tell me why. How about if I awaken them and then leave? After I’m gone you can give them their orders.”

Holgarth started to speak. “I don’t think—”

The wizard exhaled in mock weariness. “Look, I came a long way to try out for this job. I’ve already given you one demonstration of my power. Let me do this.” Then he paused as if considering something. “Unless you weren’t serious about finding a replacement. If that’s the case, then I think you need to refund me the money it took for me to come here.”

There it was. The challenge. Holgarth would either have to give this new guy a chance or admit he really wasn’t looking for someone to take over his job. Cinn thought Holgarth had figured he’d never find anyone suitable. Well, this wizard had called his bluff.

With a terse nod, Holgarth gave his permission. “You’ll need the power of these others.”

“No, I won’t need any help.”

How much power did this guy have? Cinn watched him. Suddenly, a staff appeared in his hand. Evidently this was tougher than lifting the castle off its foundation and then making everyone forget it had happened. But he didn’t wave or pound the staff. He simply held it as he muttered some words.

A rumbling growl was the only warning. Then suddenly the gargoyles awoke. Their eyes glowed yellow as
they stretched their mouths wide and roared. The roars were echoed from different areas of the park. Then the roars faded away, but the yellow eyes continued to glow.

The wizard turned to Holgarth. “It is done. I’ll return to my room now. If you make a decision about your replacement, let me know.”

“How can I let you know if I don’t know your name or what room you’re in?” Holgarth’s voice lacked its usual bite. Right now he just sounded like a tired old man.

Cinn expected the kind of reply that Holgarth in his prime probably would have delivered. Something like, “You’re the wizard. Figure it out.” But surprisingly, the man simply walked back into the castle, leaving everyone staring silently after him. She felt Dacian relax.

“Let’s give the gargoyles their orders and then get out of here.” His smile was a flash of wickedness in the darkness. “Sometimes Sparkle comes up with good ideas.”

Cinn knew she should be too worried about Airmid, her plants, and Stephan to think about making love. But when the making love involved Dacian, she could lose herself for a few hours.

Holgarth just nodded. He raised his staff and intoned, “Guardians, keep all night feeders other than Dacian and Taurin Veris out of Live the Fantasy.”

Kristin looked troubled. “You know, I think Cinn was right. Maybe you should enlarge that a little. What if Stephan has picked up some mercenaries who aren’t night feeders?”

“Who of power would waste their time joining a losing endeavor?” Ah, you couldn’t keep the old Holgarth down. “But if you insist.” He focused on the gargoyles. “Also keep away any who would harm those who rightfully dwell here.” Even though Kristin and he were
about the same height, he still managed to look down his nose at her. A wizard of many talents. “There. Is that sufficient?”

Cinn thought they should have worked on the wording before giving the command. Sure, Holgarth was a lawyer, but she had a feeling his mind wasn’t completely on his job tonight. But she was a newbie in the group, so probably she should keep her mouth shut. She looked up at Dacian.

His smile was temptation dipped in chocolate. Sexy with addictive qualities. “We’ll check on your plants and then…then we’ll do something else.”

Eric and Donna walked up beside Dacian. “Thought I’d give you a welcome-home present.” Eric winked at Cinn as he slapped Dacian on the back. “Let’s have a quick drink at Wicked Fantasy while I discuss it. And don’t worry about your plants, Cinn. I just checked in mentally with Asima and everything’s quiet.” He nodded at Taurin and Kristin. “You guys come with us.”

Taurin shook his head. “Thanks, but we’re tired. We’ll see everyone at sunset.” He grinned at Dacian. “And make that two drinks, big brother. Eric’s welcome-home presents take a lot out of you.”

Cinn wanted to hug Eric and Taurin for treating Dacian like a friend and brother once again.

Eric rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to give Cinn and you one hell of a fantasy.”

Cinn sipped her drink as she watched Dacian over the top of her glass. Even though Stephan’s threat still hung over him, he looked happier. No wonder. His brother and friend had forgiven him. She shared his happiness. But did she want to care this much? Her emotions could come back to kick her in the face. After all, she didn’t know how he felt about her. He’d enjoyed making love with her, but making love didn’t necessarily touch a man’s heart. Too bad it was so close to hers.

Both men were drinking something from a bottle. Cinn didn’t ask what it was.

Eric leaned back in his chair as he grinned at Dacian and her. “Okay, here’s the deal. I have the power to create a fantasy you’ll never forget—I just need to know what both of you want. Make sure you don’t choose something the other one hates.”

Donna added a whispered warning: “Be careful what you wish for. I ended up naked with Eric.”

Cinn glanced at the gorgeous Eric. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Floating in the clouds.”

“Oh.”

“I got to wave to the president as Air Force One flew past.”

Cinn could only stare.

Then Donna grinned. “Eric takes the ordinary in extraordinary directions. He’s amazing.”

“I assume this fantasy involves us making love?” After listening to Donna, Cinn figured that was a given.

Eric looked puzzled. “Why else would I exert myself?”

“Look, I appreciate your offer, Eric, but lovemaking has to be spontaneous. It can’t be planned like a dinner party or the plot of a book—the salad will be followed by the roast beef…the love scene will take place on page 310.”

Dacian laughed. “You have no idea how good Eric is. He’s one of the most powerful Mackenzies, and his fantasies are legend. From talking to people who’ve been lucky enough to experience one of them, I’d guess it’ll feel damn spontaneous.”

“Here’s how it works.” Eric set out to explain the unexplainable. “I make up a fantasy for you, and at exactly the right moment, it’ll pull you in. I don’t have to be there. You won’t be aware of it happening; just suddenly you’ll be someone else, somewhere else, with someone else’s memories. And no matter how bizarre things get, you’ll absolutely believe it’s real.”

She frowned. “I doubt it’ll work on me. I can’t be hypnotized, something about not responding to suggestion. So how do you do it?”

Eric shrugged. “I don’t have a clue how it works. It just does.”

Cinn thought Eric was a great guy, but his fantasy story was nuts.

Eric must’ve read her expression. “Humor me.” He glanced at Dacian. “Tell me two things you want in your fantasy.”

Dacian didn’t hesitate. “Put me someplace warm in the sunlight.” Then he held up his hand. “Wait. I thought of something else. I want junk food and a beer.” He laughed. A real laugh. “Sparkle isn’t the only shallow one in the castle.”

Cinn felt a revelation coming on. “Those are all things ordinary people would take for granted. Being vampire has its downside.”

Dacian looked as though her comment bothered him. “Guess you wouldn’t want to be vampire then.”

“It’s not bad, Cinn.” Donna reached across the table to pat her hand. “Sunlight and food are like dessert to us. They’d be fun to have, but we don’t go around thinking about them all night. As long as we have our main course. The upside outweighs the downside, believe me.” The look she threw Eric simmered and sizzled.

Something was going on that Cinn didn’t understand. Everyone was too intense about the vampire thing.

Dacian shrugged. “It’s no big deal.” But his expression said it was.

Then it hit Cinn. Sex with a human wouldn’t mean anything special to a vampire unless his feelings ran deeper than mere lust. Suppose, just suppose, a vampire wanted a more permanent relationship. A vampire who loved a human would be doomed to a long cold twilight as his mate grew old and finally died. Not a good outcome for either person.

Cinn didn’t know what to say, where to go with her thoughts. Confusion
wasn’t
leading to clarity. She wanted to pig out at the table with all the courses lined up in front of her—enjoy immortality with all its perks while still keeping her humanity. Why couldn’t she have it all?
Whoa, halt, stop.
Dacian hadn’t said one thing about wanting more than a sexual relationship.

“Nothing comes without sacrifice, even being human.” Eric’s stare made Cinn want to squirm. “What about you? What do you want in your fantasy?”

For a moment, Cinn considered not playing, but then she gave in. “Only one thing: no plants. Anywhere.”

“Why not?” Eric looked intrigued.

She sighed. “I have to be honest. I don’t really believe in your fantasies. And I know that even if they
are
real, the plants won’t be
my
plants. But I’d still worry”— she felt her cheeks grow pink—“that they might be watching.”

Eric first looked startled, and then he laughed. “Having them around really bothers you? You’re lucky then that Sparkle didn’t put any of the plants you supplied into your room. Jessica and Sweetie Pie have grown fat and sassy feeding off the sexual energy in guests’ rooms.”

Cinn glanced away. “I’ve never put myself on the receiving end of my plants’ talents. Maybe if I had I wouldn’t have done so much experimenting.” Her voice became firm. “But they’re here now, and they’re my responsibility.”

Eric already seemed to be thinking about the fantasy. “Got all the info I need. You’ll get your fantasy when it’s the right time.” He glanced at Donna. “I think we have a few hours to explore our own fantasy before dawn.” Donna and he pushed back their chairs.

“Wait.” Cinn absolutely didn’t believe in any of this, but just in case, she had to ask. “Why not postpone the fantasy until we can enjoy it? There’ll be plenty of time after Airmid and Stephan are taken care of.”

Eric shook his head. “Not a good idea. Live in the moment. It’s the only time you’re guaranteed.” He looked dead serious as he rose and left with his wife.

She swallowed hard as she stared at her drink. Too bad Eric had interjected pesky thoughts of things like danger and death. Taking a gulp of her drink—no polite sips this time—she looked up at Dacian…

And shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare. She
laughed out loud. Her hair blew in the light breeze as she climbed the last few feet to her goal. She wasn’t supposed to be here, but knowing the right people at the stadium had made access possible. She’d get at least fifteen or twenty minutes of excitement before they hauled her down. Making sure her backpack hadn’t slipped, she hauled herself over the edge of the locomotive cab’s roof.

She wanted to shout her triumph. Everything was perfect. A warm May day at Minute Maid Park, a ball game between the Astros and the Yankees, and she had the best seat in the place, a perch atop the park’s replica of a nineteenth-century locomotive.

She glanced down from the cab’s roof at the track that ran along the top of the park’s west wall. When she raised her gaze, she knew what she’d see—a panoramic view of the ballpark on one side and downtown Houston on the other.

She raised her gaze. She saw neither. What she saw was a naked man stretched out on the roof.
Her
roof.

But questions of ownership could wait while she caught her breath. Oh. My. God. Even with the threat of park security looming over them, she had to pause to do homage. She skimmed her gaze the length of that long strong body. Hard muscle. Smooth skin. And a thin sheen of sweat that made every inch of gorgeous male yumminess gleam in the warm afternoon sunlight. Dark hair framed a face that could make a grown woman cry, if she weren’t already hyperventilating over his bare body.

Pull yourself together.
She took a deep breath and went on the attack. “You’re on my roof.”

“Our
roof.”

His voice was dark, delicious, and definitely danger
ous. And if she wanted to throw in another
d
just for the hell of it, she could attach “dumb” to her name for worrying about who owned the roof when he was
naked.

“You’re naked.”

“You noticed.” His lids were half closed as he tipped his face up to the sun and then drew one hand slowly across his bare stomach.

Her gaze dropped to a point a little below his stomach. Oh, boy. “Thousands of people can see you. The police will take you away.” They’d make him put on his clothes. What a waste.

He turned his head to look at her. “No one can see me. I’m magic, sweetheart.”

She could believe that. “Magic or not, I’m claiming half of this roof. I called in too many favors to let you have the whole thing.”

“You’re a risk taker or you wouldn’t be up here.” His dark eyes shone with growing interest flavored by sensual intent. “I like women who aren’t afraid to take a chance.” He smiled. “On many things.”

Do something. Right now.
That smile had the same kind of effect as staring directly at the sun. It could blind her to all the things she should remember. Like making love with a man on top of the Minute Maid Park locomotive could get her fired. Strange, though. She couldn’t seem to remember what her job was. Not a very memorable job. So maybe losing it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Mmm.” She sat down, braced herself on the slightly sloped roof, removed her backpack, and opened it. She forced herself not to look at him. She’d watch the game, eat, and forget all about him. Easy. Not even a naked man could compete with a ballpark hot dog with relish, a beer, and a great game.
And you are such a liar.

She gazed around the stadium. Funny, not one person was even glancing their way. She gave up and looked at him. “You’re really magic?”

He only smiled. And that smile was a promise of sexual sorcery like none she’d ever experience again.
Don’t miss it.

“I’ll trade you.” His gaze shifted to her backpack. “A hot dog, beer, and chips if you have them.” He sat up and leaned over to look inside. “Good. There’s enough for two.”

“And I get in return?”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

An irresistible deal. She pushed the backpack toward him and watched him eat while she worked on her own hot dog and beer. He ate slowly, savoring every bite, and as he slid his tongue across his full lower lip to get the last lingering taste, she imagined what those lips, that mouth, could do to her body.

He finished his last swig of beer and once again fixed his attention on her. “No ice cream? No cake? No chocolate?” His eyes softened, grew smoky with a banked fire behind them. “Then I’ll have to find my dessert somewhere else.”

Anyone who agreed to be his sweet treat would probably not survive, but melting in that beautiful mouth would be a great way to go. She shoved aside the possible pleasure to examine the practical. “And what happens if, right in the middle of dessert, the Astros hit a home run? This old engine will chug across that eight hundred feet of track, whistling, and smoking, and steaming, with bells ringing. You think no one will notice then? The security guys will be waiting to haul us off to jail.”

His smile was a deadly lifting of his lips. “No one
will haul us off to jail. Besides, Fosen doesn’t give up home runs. The Yankees don’t have to worry about anything going over the wall when he’s pitching.”

She carefully put their trash in her backpack and just as carefully placed it on the ridge of the roof so it wouldn’t slide off. Fine, so she was playing for time.

Who was she today? The woman who drove to work each day, came home and watched TV, and then went to bed? Or was she the woman who’d said to hell with it and climbed up here because she’d always wanted to do it? The first woman wouldn’t even speak to a stranger; the second was planning to make love with one. It was no contest. The second woman drop-kicked the first off the roof and then brushed the monotony of her life from her hands forever.

She peered over the side of the roof. “We won’t roll off, will we? If we fell, we’d bounce right off the tracks and over the wall and end up on the field. Is having your own personal ice-cream cone worth the risk?”

“I love risk.” He reached over and pulled her to him. “And I hope you see yourself in the ice-cream-cone role.” He put his mouth close to her ear. “You’ll be safe. I’ll take care of you.”

With that assurance, she forgot about the game and the thousands of people watching it, to concentrate on the man. His dark hair shone in the sunlight and his eyes had a slumbering-predator gleam. She couldn’t resist; she skimmed her fingers the length of that hair. The strands felt silky and warm from the sun. “Bet you’re ready for a nap in the sun after all you ate.”

“Not until I get my ice cream.” He kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear. “And I have plenty of incentives to stay awake.”

Up till now she’d kept her hands occupied with food.
They were empty now. So she touched his body. And felt righteous doing it. Wasn’t there something about idle hands doing something? Well, her hands wouldn’t be idle.

She closed her eyes so she could enjoy every tactile sensation as she ran her fingers over the side of his face. He clenched his jaw.
Patience, patience.
Then she followed the pull of gravity along the side of his neck and down over his collarbone. She had to open her eyes to zero in on exactly the right spot. His male nipple drew her. She traced a path around it with the tip of her fingernail and then leaned over to flick it with her tongue.

He didn’t move. He didn’t gasp. But his reaction was so powerful she felt it as a ripple of sensation in her own body, as though someone had touched
her
nipple. She
did
gasp. What was that about?

“I can’t do this.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I thought I could stay still while you grew comfortable with me, but I don’t have that kind of strength.” He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up. Then he lowered his head.

She was ready for his kiss, a precursor to better things to come. But as he traced the curve of her lower lip with the tip of his tongue and then took her mouth in a heated plundering that seduced all her senses, she readjusted her opinion of it as merely a precursor.

His lips were firm yet soft, smooth, warm and, as she explored his mouth, she tasted his need. As strange as it sounded, she also tasted the darkness in him. His scent of aroused male stirred something primitive in her that had lain dormant for a lifetime.