Real Vampires Don't Diet (23 page)

"Israel Caine. Sign my shirt. Please!" The squeals were enough to draw a few more people out into the street. A police car slowed, then pulled up next to the milling crowd.

"Problem here, ladies?" The cop got out of the car, slapping a nightstick on his palm.

"It's Israel Caine and his girlfriend!" Moans, cheers, more squeals.

"Do I need to call for backup?"

"No, thanks, officer." I gestured to the cop to come closer so I could whisper to him. "My boyfriend is famous. The singer, Israel Caine. These women are fans. But Ray and I are just exhausted. Could you help us get out of here?" Ray was being gracious, signing bar napkins, shirts, even a boot with a sparkly pink gel marker one girl produced from her purse. That started a whole new slew of requests.

"Sure, hop in the car. You got far to go?"

"Just down the street. Vintage Vamps Emporium. My store."

"You got it." The cop began working his way to Ray, politely but firmly informing the crowd that Mr. Caine was ready to leave now.

Ray and I ran to the police car and threw ourselves into the backseat. In less than five minutes we were back in front of my apartment building. We waved good-bye to the policeman, then looked at each other.

"Well, that was a bust," Ray said with a grimace.

"You got busted? What did you do? I'm getting on the scanner, so don't bother to lie about it, Caine." A reporter appeared at my elbow. He snapped pictures and managed to get one of the police car as it sped away.

"We just caught a ride. There was no arrest." Ray frowned and looked like he was about to start smashing a camera.

"Drugs? Your eyes look red." The reporter pulled out a cell phone. "Damn, this is huge. I'm finally gonna get that piece in the
Enquirer"

I got in the guy's face, but he just kept punching in numbers. My whammy wasn't working, probably because I couldn't seem to concentrate. "Stop it. There were no drugs. We got ambushed by a bunch of kickers outside a club down the street." Ray grabbed the guy by the shoulders and forced him to look at him. "Stop using the phone." Suddenly the man froze.

"Way to whammy, Ray."

"Yeah, worked like a charm." Ray looked around but this was the only photographer in sight. Even Mugs and Muffins was empty.

"What do you say we give this guy a story? You have to feel for him. Out trolling for a scoop at four thirty in the morning and it's probably damned cold for a mortal." I glanced at the wall thermometer outside Diana's shop. Thirty-four degrees. No wonder the man was shivering despite his overcoat.

"You're feeling sorry for him? After the way the tabloids have talked about you?" Ray shook his head. "What kind of story you got in mind?"

"I don't know." I grinned. "You could come out of the closet."

"Way too late for that. Didn't you hear? I fathered Britney Spears's last baby."

"Well, there's always an alien abduction."

"I'm in the wrong car. I've got a terrific race car at home in Chicago that would look like a space vehicle in the right light." Ray looked down and squatted to pick up something. "Wow. Treasure. Someone dropped this."

"It's a ring from the gumball machine in Mugs and Muffins. More than one Goth couple has gotten engaged with one of those." Flashes went off. "Thanks, Caine. Engaged. Man, what a scoop!" Running footsteps.

"Should I chase him?" I was ready to take off.

"Forget it. There's the story." Ray turned to the first reporter, who was still standing silently under the whammy.

"No, wait. What are you thinking? Your fans will go nuts. You engaged to
me?"
For a moment I actually imagined the reality of me rock-star worthy. Yeah, right. The alien abduction would play better.

Ray hugged me. "What's wrong with you? Maybe some of these wacko fans will actually back off if they see I'm off the market."

"Or lose it completely. We might have to put Valdez in body armor. Forget it, Ray. Bad idea. No one's going to believe you'd hook up with me permanently." I could see the blogs now. Caine loses mind. Joins fat-thigh cult.

"Glory, you'd honor me if you'd pretend to be engaged to me. I know you don't dig the marriage thing. Being immortal and all. But it would give this guy a real scoop." Ray put his hands on my shoulders. "Besides, Flo said you and Simon Destiny have a really bad history. He wants my business and wouldn't dare take out a guy with my kind of notoriety. Hell, my publicist would blow his cover wide open."

"Yeah, I could see Barry making the EVs the cover story in every fanzine in the country if something happened to you out there."

"There you go. So what if you went out to that EV place as my fiancee? That would be pretty good protection for you, don't you think?"

Ray had a point. I'd been worrying about seeing Simon again in his natural habitat. And convincing him that Ray and I were really together after I'd obviously been with Jerry ever since I'd arrived in Austin. An "engagement" would certainly do the trick.

"This is a pretty serious decision, Ray. You got other women out there who are going to get their feelings hurt when they read about this in the tabloids?"

"Naw. I've been playing the field. Especially lately. On the road way too much. And I'm not much into marriage myself. Never even been engaged. Not after that time I almost proposed in New York. You know the one I mean."

"The unlucky time with Lucky. Sure." Lucky was the woman who'd turned Ray vampire. Good thing he hadn't
married
her. Obviously Ray'd been reading my mind again. I should block my thoughts around him. Shouldn't have taught him to read them in the first place. "Are you serious? You'll do this?"

"I think it will make you safer and this guy will be forever grateful. Watch and learn."

"Hey, photo guy. I just got here with my lady. Wake up and get the latest on Israel Caine." Ray snapped his fingers and the reporter suddenly came alive.

"Caine! Give me a quote! Where have you been tonight?" The man began taking pictures.

"You're one lucky bastard 'cause Glory and I just went ring shopping. You're going to get details and pictures no one else will." Ray got down on one knee and looked up at me. "Gloriana St. Clair will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I love you more than I've ever loved any woman. I want to write songs about you for the rest of my life." I thought the reporter was going to pass out. I was going to be lying on the concrete right next to him. Ray's blue eyes glinted in the glow from the street light and he sounded so sincere that I almost believed this was real. I found my eyes welling and my lips trembling.

"Answer him, lady." The reporter hopped around us, trying for new angles, different shots. "Yes or no, either way it's a hell of a story."

I hadn't been an actress back in the day for nothing. I smiled down at him. "I love you too, Ray. Of course I'll marry you." After he slid the plastic ring on my finger, I dragged him up and threw my arms around him. The big kiss that followed was probably the money shot. We were both just doing it for the camera of course. Uh-huh.

"Wow! This is big. Thanks!"

"Now I carry you over the threshold." Ray swung me up into his arms then carried me into my shop. Bri looked up, did a double take, then got busy distracting a customer who was checking out vintage hats.

"I think you're supposed to wait for the honeymoon for the threshold bit." I stared up at Ray when he shut the door in the reporter's face. "And I really wish you hadn't done that. They'll probably put that butt shot on the front page."

"It's a hell of a butt." He patted it as he headed to the back room and set me on the large oak table then turned to close the door to the rest of the shop.

"I hope we don't regret that. I didn't think it through. What's Jerry going to say? I need to call him. Explain."

"Can't say I care. What I do care about is that we didn't get to finish what we started down the street." Ray pushed up to the table. He stood between my legs, his eyes hot. "I want to drink from you. Watching you feed You were on fire out there, Glory, filled with bloodlust. I want some of that."

"Ray, we were acting. I" I couldn't look away from him as I fell back, Ray on top of me.

"Come here, vampies. I want to know how you're doing. RIGHT NOW."

"Nooooo." Ray and I looked at each other, then at the back door.

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First Ray climbed off of me, then he helped me to sit up. Forget resisting. Believe me, Ray tried. He was a man with a mission. And I wasn't exactly throwing up stop signs either. But Aggie's grating voice chanted inside our heads, urging us to get out of there. I grabbed the case of Twinkies I'd picked up for Aggie.

"What the hell is that?"

"Our mistress craves sweets. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see her in a bad mood."

"No shit." Ray grabbed the box. "My car's in the alley. No sense taking on the paparazzi out front again." Outside, Ray hit the remote and we climbed into his black Escalade. We didn't say much. Too frustrated. So, driving just over the speed limit, Ray took the most direct route back to his house. We had about an hour before dawn. Which was the only good thing I could think of about this demand to go see the Siren. The meeting would have to be brief. Ray parked in the circular drive and we both were almost running as we hit the elevator down to the boat dock. Stupid, but it was a compulsion. Aggie wasn't on the boat.

"Come on out to my little retreat on the lake. I have a surprise for you. Just follow your noses. Can't miss it."

"Does she realize we'll fry if we're out after dawn?"

"She'd better think about that next time. Circe probably wouldn't give her credit for our charred bits if that happened." I helped Ray throw off the ropes tying the boat to the dock. The roar of the engine probably didn't endear him to his sleeping neighbors.

"But we still have time. What the hell does she think we have to report? The very thought of an Aggie surprise makes me want to throw up."

"Yeah." Ray stowed the Twinkies in the locker under the bench seat, then steered the boat away from the shore. "I'm feeling her guiding me. I guess I just follow my instincts. Hang on, Glory. I'm opening her up." He hit the throttle and we practically hydroplaned across the water. I grabbed for the railing and prayed. What fun if I bounced off the damned boat and disappeared into Lake Travis. Fish and other assorted creepy crawlies would nibble on me until Ray finally found me, if he ever did. Sure, in an emergency I could shape-shift. But you have no idea how much I
hate
that. Being fish bait would almost be better.