Real Vampires Don't Diet (24 page)

"I'm making a sharp right. Don't let go."

"No worries there." I'd never loosen my death grip. Finally I saw a pile of rocks ahead and what looked like an island. Ray slowed down and coasted into an inlet surrounded by boulders. Aggie sat on a huge rock. She waved a claw.

"Just leave the boat there and swim ashore. I have something to show you. You bring my snacks?" Aggie was grinning. Bad sign. Aggie pleased scared the hell out of me. "Don't worry about the boat, it's not going anywhere. One of my powers."

"Good to know. Yeah, we've got Twinkies. That what you want?" Ray turned off the motor. Aggie's cackle of glee was our answer.

"Put on a life vest, Glory. They're next to Aggie's treats under the bench seat. I'll pull you to shore and you'll have to hold the Twinkies up out of the water. I know you're not crazy about swimming."

"This will be fun. I'm not too good at swimming either." I grabbed the vest from the locker in the back of the boat. Not only do I hate swimming, I hated the whole idea of getting wet again. At least I'd changed out of my leather pants, but if I had to cut off another pair of jeans I glanced at Aggie, juggling rocks like she didn't have a care in the world. Right now jeans were the least of my worries.

We climbed down the ladder at the back of the boat, Ray catching me when I jumped into the icy water. He towed me to the sandy area below Aggie's perch, then we stared up at her.

"Okay, we're here, your Sirenness. What's the big surprise?" I shivered. Wind, cold water, wet hair dripping down the back of my neck. Still January. Still winter. Damn. Even a vampire isn't
totally
impervious to physical misery.

"Hand me those cakes. Yum." She ripped open the carton. "While I chow down go look. I made a nice little hidey-hole for when you bring me your vampires. In fact now you only have to bring me Casanova and one more." Aggie grinned. Oh, those teeth.

"Why?" Ray and I ran over the rocks in the direction she pointed. This could not be good news. Sure enough, Will Kilpatrick stood in a cave with iron bars across the entrance.

"Glory! Ray! Thank God! Get me the hell out of here. That freak ambushed me when I went out for a smoke." Will's red hair was wild, his beard two days old. He'd obviously had no chance against Aggie. That freeze thing.

"Didn't I tell you not to go outside?" I looked at Ray. "But I also told Aggie not to touch our friends. Damn it."

"Now, vampies, I see William here as a little insurance policy. A bird in hand so to speak." Aggie waddled up behind us, a Twinkie in each hand and a smear of cream on her snout. Of course I'd smelled her coming. "Foolish boy. He tried to sweet talk me into letting him go. He can't sing worth a damn, Israel. Not like you, dear one."

"Aggie, you made a deal with us. We've still got more than two weeks. Let the man go. You don't need insurance. Look how quickly we got here when you called." Ray waited until she'd polished off another cake then took her claw in his hand. I had to admire his guts. I wouldn't voluntarily touch that sea urchin on a dare.

"You had no choice. But I needed to report some progress to Circe. She was very happy to know I already had one birdie. With two more on a string." Aggie stroked Ray's face with the back of her other claw. "I wish it wasn't so near dawn. I could use a love song right now."

"And I could use some fair play." I stomped my foot, my tennis shoe squishing. "Release Will this instant."

"Issuing orders, Glory? How'd you like to join him in lockup?" Aggie's snout quivered and smoke puffed from her ears. "I could let Israel handle the procurement for me."

"No, Aggie, this is Glory's turf. I don't know squat about Austin vampires. And this Casanova deal's really screwed things up. I'm new at this game. Glory's the one that's got the best shot at getting him for you." Ray hummed a bit from one of his hits.

"You've been listening to Sienna and me practice, haven't you?"

"Of course. Oh, goddess, but that's a beautiful song." Aggie swayed when Ray hummed some more. "One of my favorites."

"We've got to get this deal with you wrapped up before the Grammys or my career's in the toilet. You know that, don't you?"

"So wrap it up." Aggie gave me a dirty look. "What's the hold up, Glory?"

"I'm working on it. But if I have to worry about my friends"

"A little worry is incentive, chickie. Hop to it. Ray,
get
your adorable butt out of here before the sun hits you. Don't give William another thought. Except for a few rug burns on his backside because I miss my Charlie and I need
someone
to help me
get
my, um, exercise, he'll be fine."

"Oh, my God!" Will's cries core at my heart.

"Don't hurt him, Aggie." I tried to tune out Will's whimpers. "He's a fabulous cook. You want something better than Twinkles to eat, don't you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Aggie wrinkled her snout. "I don't believe you."

"It's true!" Will was about to crawl through the bars. "I've studied with master chefs from all over the world." He glanced at me.

"I'm a better at cooking than anything I do horizontally. Ask my old girlfriends." Ray and I looked at each other. Who knew? And if Will got out of this, I'm sure he'd deny he ever said it. Hey, I knew a desperate man when I saw one.

Aggie licked cream off her claw. "Well now, seems I caught myself a real prize. There's a vacant house on the other side of the lake. I could" She looked at Ray. "Didn't I tell you to leave? If you vanish in a puff of smoke, I'll never forgive you. Run along. Go! Both of you!"

I stared at Will and sent him a mental message.
"Why don't you shape-shift and crawl or slither out of there?"

"Give it up, Glory. William has no powers when he's under my control." Aggie gave me a stern look. "He can't shift. He can't even hear your little messages. Now move out before my darling Israel becomes a crispy critter." She flapped her flippers.

"We're going, Aggie!" Ray grabbed my hand and jerked me away from the cave entrance.

"I hate to leave him like that," I said after we'd climbed back into the boat.

"No choice, babe. Will's a desperate man. I think he'll talk his way out of exercising Aggie, but it's up to us to bring in a substitute for him." Ray started the boat, then pulled a blanket from his storage locker and threw it over my shoulders.

"I know." I shuddered and clutched the blanket. "Damned Siren. It's a good thing vamps don't dream, because what we just saw tonight would be giving me nightmares for sure."

"Me too." Ray looked at me and grimaced. "Kind of funny though. Exercising Aggie? Sex with a sea monster like that would burn more than a few calories."

I punched his arm. "Funny until it's you on the bottom of that pile."

When we pulled up at the dock, Brittany was waiting for us and grabbed the rope Ray tossed to her. They both tied the boat to the dock, then Ray helped me climb onto dry land.

"Wet again?" Brittany wasn't smiling. "Have you seen Will? Last night he was supposed to be off. But tonight he was a no show. I'm starting to get worried."

Ray glanced at me. "Sorry, Brittany. Should have told you. He's helping out in town. Glory and I had a problem in the park earlier tonight. I called him to stay near the apartment in case that fan came back. The woman was a real psycho."

"Oh, wow. Leaves us shorthanded out here, though." Brittany shook her head. "You'd both better get out of those wet clothes. That Siren still giving you hell?"

"Of course. We're heading upstairs to change right now." I glanced at the sky. "Guess I'm staying here tonight, Ray. No way we can make it back to my place."

"Fine with me. We've still got some unfinished business, anyway." Ray slung an arm around me. "Brittany, why don't you do a last swing around the grounds? And don't worry about staff. You've got plenty of mortal guards. You should be okay."

"I was afraid Will" Brittany looked out over the water. "That Siren's not interested in shifters?"

"Will's fine. And you'll be fine too. The Siren's only after vampires this trip." Ray really was an excellent liar. A handy talent unless you needed to trust him. I shoved that thought aside.

"That's a relief. See you tomorrow night then." Brittany headed off into the night. Ray and I stepped into the elevator and headed up. Once we were in the kitchen, I glanced at the refrigerator. "You want a last bottle of synthetic? You never did feed."

"No way." Ray grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. "You were about to let me drink from you when Aggie called. Come on, lady, we're going to finish what we started."

"You'd better take what you can get, Romeo. It's almost dawn, Ray. I'm sure you can feel it. I know I can. I'm really dragging." We headed up to his bedroom. "We don't have to share a bed."

"Sure we do. You think the housekeeper who cleans the rest of the house while we sleep doesn't report to those paparazzi outside? I'm betting she supplements her income with whatever she can find out."

"Fire her then."

"Now, Glory, you know it doesn't matter where we sleep. It's the next few minutes you're trying to avoid." Ray threw open his bedroom door. "I'm feeling weak. You got yours tonight, now it's my turn."

"I'm changing out of these wet clothes. I suggest you do the same." I charged into the closet I was coming to know way too well. I stripped off and hung up my jeans, sweater and underwear. Hopefully they'd dry without shrinking by the time I woke up tonight. I slipped into a black T-shirt and then realized the boxers were in a drawer in the bedroom. Oh, well. If Ray thought he was going to get more than a quick drink at the Glory fountain, he was doomed to disappointment. I opened the closet door. Ray was lying in the middle of the king-size bed. He had on a pair of red silk boxers. Poser. And, damn, did he look good.

"Come here, Glory." He grinned and patted the bed beside him.

"Fine." I flopped down next to him and held out my wrist. "Take what you need. Just get it over with."

"Are you kidding me?" Ray sat up. "What is this? The vampire version of 'Not tonight dear, I've got a headache'?"

"Now that you mention it" I hid my smile. "I'm not refusing you, Ray. This is more like offering you a five minute" Ray put his hand over my mouth.

"Don't say it." Ray pulled my wrist to his lips then swept his tongue across my vein. "At least you didn't send me to the bathroom with porn. That's what one girlfriend did."

"Oh, that's what happened in the kitchen. I guess you missed it. I forgot to mention I'd flash my fangs while you drank your synthetic if it made you feel better about it."

Ray nipped the inside of my elbow. "Do I feel a chill? Or is that the usual vampire body temp?" He kissed his way down to my wrist again. "I'll take your pity offer and enjoy it. Because your taste does more for me than my Jack ever did. If I try to take too much, yank on my hair." Ray settled on top of me, a lover about to make me his, only it was my wrist he was putting to his mouth.

I felt the slide of his fangs as he took me and the pressure of his hips against mine. Oh, God, but this shouldn't be such a rush, yet it was a sweet, sweet feeling as I gave and he accepted. Ray was so much more than the plastic rock star I'd worshipped from afar every time I heard him sing. The man behind the hype was funny and really good at making
me
feel good. I tugged on his hair. "That's enough, big guy. I'd say we've got just enough time to get under the covers before the sun comes up."

Ray shuddered and licked the wounds closed, then laid his head on my breast. "That was damned good, Glory girl. I think I
would
marry you. We could do this every night." He looked up, then propped himself up on his elbows. "Well, not this. A hell of a lot more than this." He rolled us over and slid his hands under my T-shirt. "Umm. You're going commando. Now that's my kind of woman."

" 'Night, Ray." I could feel the sun coming up in every cell of my body. Somewhere I found the strength to crawl off of him.

" 'Night, Glo"

woke up to pounding. Ray staggered to the bedroom door and it didn't take vampire hearing to get the message that Sienna was ready to rehearse.

Ray headed to the bathroom where I could hear him brushing his teeth. When he came out, he was wearing a towel, his hair wet, and I realized I must have dozed off.

"I've got to get downstairs." He sat on the edge of the bed and pushed my hair out of my eyes. "Come down when you're ready and we'll make an excuse to get out of here."

"More rehearsals?" I dragged the sheet up to my chin.

"Sienna's freaking out about the Grammys. I get it. She's young. This is her first time." Ray took my hand and pulled it to his lips.

"Oh, no wonder she's so obsessive about rehearsing."

"She was that way before we cut the track for the album too. But this is even worse. I'm trying to be patient, but if she doesn't back off soon" Ray nibbled my fingers.

I smiled and sat up. "Now, Ray, cut the girl some slack. Go rehearse, but you know we've got to be out of here in a few hours. Sienna's just going to have to deal with it. You've gotten pretty good with the whammy. If you have to, use it."

"I hate to. Especially with someone I know." Ray stood and dropped his towel. "Frankly, though, this Grammy thing is pretty far down on my priority list right now. With Will in Aggie's hands"

"I know. I can't forget how he looked behind those bars." I was proud that I managed to choke out that sentence with Ray walking around naked in front of me. He turned to dig out a pair of boxers from the drawer and I sighed. Oh, wow. The way the muscles flexed in his perfect butt made me want to slide my hands down his back then around his front and He glanced over his shoulder and winked. "See something you want, Glory?"

"Get over yourself, Ray." I pretended to study a chip in my nail polish.

"Better block your thoughts next time then." He laughed and stepped into his shorts. I chose to ignore that. "Anyway, what I
really
want is to come out of the Aggie thing alive." Ray grinned. "That too. But doesn't mean we have to quit living now. Just so you know, I'm perfectly willing to keep Sienna waiting if you want to take advantage of me."