Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans (20 page)

“Yes.” I’d whammied plenty of mortals in my shop when they’d seen fangs or overheard incriminating conversations between two paranormals. It was self-preservation. Now I was beginning to see it as a dirty trick.

“Hey, I’d love to know what you did to piss Achy off, Glory.” Aggie began smoothing out her thumbnail. “For future reference.”

“You and me both.” I reached out and grabbed her file. “Look at me. Seriously. Do you really think it’s possible I
could be like you? A Siren? Forget blood tests. Look at other evidence.” I made myself hold the eye contact when Aggie gave me her full attention. “Alesa, that demon we just got rid of, taught me to turn people to stone. Like you can.”

“No shit?” Aggie grinned. “Cool beans. And, yeah, that’s one of our tricks. Not many paranormals can manage it.” She jerked back the nail file. “Give me your hand. I’m going to deep dive into your psyche. It’ll hurt but if you want to know more? It’ll be worth it.”

I put my hands behind my back. “Wait a minute. How bad will this hurt? How deep a dive?”

“Good questions.” Aggie stuffed the file back into her bag. “It’ll hurt like I was jerking out your fangs with a pair of pliers, but won’t last long. And I’m diving from head to toe. To see if there are some other clues there. I know Ian’s all about the blood, ’cause he’s a doctor and a vampire. But I’m all about the powers and the memories. The statue thing
is
part of our repertoire, but there are a few other paranormals who have the same skill set, ya know?”

“Yes, I do.” I cautiously offered her one hand. I needed to know this. The pain thing was a worry, but I was a badass vampire, I could take it. “You promise you’re not going to just hurt me for kicks and then refuse to tell me anything?”

“Damn, you may be a sister Siren after all, Glory. You’re seeming smarter all the time.” Aggie popped me on the shoulder. “Love doing stuff like that—playing tricks, fooling the ignorant.” She smiled as if remembering some of her better ones. “But this will get us good info. We both need it and you’ll be awake, able to see what I see. I can pick up any memories Achy didn’t sandblast right out of you. See if you truly were a Siren once.”

“You’ll just read me? Won’t try to make me do your bidding?” I didn’t exactly trust Aggie. We’d had a serious run-in not all that long ago.

“Hey. Ian says your blood is Siren blood. So I’m taking his word for it until proven otherwise. The sisters stick together.”
She leaned in to whisper. “Even against Achy when he’s in one of his moods.” She sat up and held out her hand. “You ready?”

“Guess so.” I swallowed, not a little scared.

“Then lay your hand in mine.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” I put my palm on hers and she gripped it. Oh, yeah, there was pain all right. It shot up my arm and seemed to take a bullet train to the top of my skull where it did a three-sixty about five times before starting a journey through the rest of my body. Among the jolts of searing agony, I saw stars, rain, some people falling to their knees and a few statues. I also saw the ocean, so beautiful and deadly.

I gasped for air, drowning in that sea when the pain hit my lungs. I bent over, unable to breathe. Stupid since I didn’t need… Forget logic. I craved air and knew what it was like to die in that moment. Aggie held on to my hand, refusing to let go when I desperately tried to jerk free.

The torture continued down through my middle and I retched, clutching my stomach, my head on my knees. The room went dark and I heard men scream and beg for mercy. Boats broke apart and a body washed overboard in the roiling waters. The wind blew and waves crashed upon the rocks where I sat proudly, head back and naked. I was on the pinnacle, singing and crying out for the men to come to me. I would save them and give them pleasure.

Then the pain rolled on, lower. I wanted these men inside me, laughing as I made love to them. I held them until they drove into me, their screams as they used their last breath pushing us both to the ultimate fulfillment. Then I threw their spent bodies into the surf, jerking yet another sailor into place. Satisfaction. Why could I never be satisfied?

I shrieked as the pain ripped downward, toward my toes. Only there were no toes, just beautiful fins that gleamed with iridescent green and turquoise scales. I raced through the water to the castle beneath the sea where my lord waited. He would be proud of me, want my tally of this night’s work.

I lay with my head on his feet, panting as his displeasure
roared over my head. Not enough. Never enough. I had no passion for the work. No skill at the taking. I’d failed, my kills weren’t true and the men lived. I was unworthy, a wretched creature who could not serve this god with any honor.

I kept my eyes closed as a hand stroked my hair. I heard the murmur of soothing words when the pain finally vanished, leaving a blessed calm and… emptiness. Slowly I came back to the world. This world. Where I sat across from a true Siren. One who did the job and reveled in it. Who killed and didn’t sob later for the lost souls she’d taken.

“Sister.” Aggie paused with her hand on my head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?” I shoved back from her. “I guess I got what I deserved. I was a disgrace. The Storm God threw me away. I couldn’t serve him.” I wiped away my tears. Why had I been crying? Surely not because I hadn’t had the killer instinct. I had never wanted it. The fact that I had once done Achelous’s bidding sickened me.

“I’ve heard stories about lost sisters, Gloriana. Yes, I remember now. Your name. It is written in the archives. I can’t believe he let you keep it.” Aggie’s face was wet with her own tears. She shook her head, blinked her sea green eyes, then firmed her lips. “Well, that was quite a trip down your memory lane. No doubt about it. You were an epic fail as a Siren. You’re lucky Achy didn’t fry you with a lightning bolt instead of letting you go.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t know what else to say. Aggie obviously felt sorry for me. But I was beginning to realize being kicked out of the Siren sisterhood was actually a pretty good thing. Couldn’t be a stone-cold killer? I was so out of there.

Aggie pulled out her compact. “Look at me. I’m a mess and I have a date with Ian later.” She reapplied her lipstick. “I’m going to have to tell Achy about this, you know. Of course he saw you not too long ago, didn’t he? Wily bastard. Never said a word. No wonder he stuck me here in Austin. Bet he wanted to check up on you.” She arched a brow and looked over at me. “Think he’s having second thoughts? Might want you back?”

“God, don’t even go there.” I jumped up, then fell back onto the bed. I felt reamed out, weak. The pain tour had done me in. Of course the Storm God didn’t have designs on me. He’d seen me and let me go. If he wanted me back I’d be floating in an Austin lake right now with a rock for a bed. I dismissed the idea. Simply couldn’t wrap my brain around it.

“You’re right. Coincidence.” She laughed like she knew something I didn’t and went back to fixing her face.

I let it go, something else on my mind. “What powers did you see, Aggie? I was so caught up in the k-killing, I didn’t…”

“Good question. Well, there are a few things I can teach you. Amazing that Achy left you anything to work with. But the very fact that he let you keep your name is proof that he had a soft spot for you. Either that or he’s slipping. And, girlfriend, that man just doesn’t slip.” Aggie paused with her lipstick in her hand. “Powers. The statue thing, of course, you’ve got that. And I’ll bet you can read minds through blocks when dealing with vampires, shifters, the lesser beings. Try it. You’ll love it.” Aggie pulled out lip liner. “Can’t read mine, of course, so don’t even try.”

“I will. Try with others, I mean.” I fell back on the pillows, still horrified that I’d been like Aggie. She just sat there, calmly touching up her makeup after watching what amounted to a video of me doing the Siren thing like it was nothing. Yeah, another day at the beach. Literally. Swim out, kill a few sailors after some slamming sex. Business as usual. I wondered if I dared ask for one of Ian’s tranquilizers. Oblivion looked really good right now.

Aggie smiled as she put away her beauty tools. “No wonder you look shell-shocked and strangely flushed. Ian said you faced off with Lucifer tonight too. Not bad, sister.”

“I’m lucky he let me get away with it.” I put my hands to my cheeks. They did feel hot. Probably caused by that weird trip Aggie had done or maybe still singed from Luc’s blast of heat in my face.

“I’m sorry, hon, that Achy did a number on anything to do with water and you.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine my life without being able to swim in the sea. For a Siren, that’s worse than death.”

“Yes, well, until tonight I didn’t remember it was ever important to me. I avoided anything deeper than a Jacuzzi tub.” I pulled the covers up to my chin when Aggie stood and walked to the door. “Tell the men I’m resting, will you? I need to think. I really don’t want to deal with any of them now.”

“Fine. I’ll tell them. But I doubt they’ll listen to me. If your Jerry or Rafe heard those screams they’re probably already crowded around the door. I’m surprised they didn’t burst in here. Ian’s guards probably kept them out.” Aggie stared at me for a long sixty seconds. “A Siren. Un-freakin’-believable. Wait till we tell Flo tomorrow night. She’s going to go nuts.”

“No, you can’t tell her.” I was across the room in an instant, even though it left me with a bad case of the shakes. “She’s leaving for Paris at the end of the week. Let her take off in blissful ignorance. I’ll tell her when she gets back.”

Aggie narrowed her gaze. “Why? You ashamed of your Siren heritage?”

“I don’t know how I feel or what I believe. But I do know I don’t want to deal with Flo’s reaction to the news right now.” I put my hand on Aggie’s arm. She was dressed for her date in a winter white sweater and bronze leather pants. Her leather heels were cute but not quite right for the outfit or the season. “You need new suede pumps. Right?”

Aggie looked down and frowned. “Maybe. Well, yes. These really aren’t working, are they?”

“You get Flo stirred up about the Siren thing and we can kiss shoe shopping good-bye.” For myself, I couldn’t imagine dredging up any shopping enthusiasm. Or even crawling out of bed anytime soon. I was already feeling wobbly again. I staggered back to bed.

“You’re right. Tell her later.” Aggie grinned. “Shoes are a Siren weakness. Because in the old days we so rarely got to walk on land. Thank God times have changed.”

“Um, it’s okay for you to say ‘God’ like that?” I sank down on the bed again. There was so much I didn’t know about Sirens. Not sure why I bothered to ask this question. With their history, there was no way a true follower of the Storm God had a Heavenly future. The thought made my stomach turn.

“Sure. Thank God, the Storm God, whoever.” Aggie rolled her eyes. “Lighten up, Gloriana. You are way too serious. Sirens are immortal. We don’t worry about Heaven or hell. Lucky for you, you’re a vampire now so you’ve got the immortality thing covered again. Otherwise, you’d be dust.” She tapped her perfect chin. “When did you meet your vampire?”

“1604.” I fell back on the bed, thinking about it.

“Yep. You are one lucky gal. If your guy hadn’t sunk his fangs into you back then, you’d be long gone, sister. I’m sure Achy never wanted you to live forever and he was really surprised to see you were still around when he did run into you.” Aggie stopped in the doorway. “By the way. That memory thing didn’t have to hurt. Call it payback for you and Flo ignoring me since the wedding.” She tossed her hair. “Hope you learned your lesson. I’m going for cute brown suede pumps tomorrow night. See ya.” She took off.

“Bitch!” But forget her and her evil tricks. Oh, yes. Achelous and I
had
met before and not that long ago. Yet he’d said nothing. Had he arranged for me to become immortal or had that been a happy accident? And, if he really hated me, why hadn’t he acknowledged me when we’d met? Dread built up inside me so strong that I wanted to run somewhere where there was no water whatsoever. A desert maybe. West Texas was supposed to have vast stretches of open range with little water. I could be there in a few hours.

I heard a commotion at the door and figured Jerry and Rafe were thrashing out who was going to get to see me first.
I heard Aggie tell them to chill and settled back just as my phone chimed that I had a text. I looked around and saw my purse on the floor next to the bed. When I read the text, I realized it had been too much to hope that Alesa could have just vanished down to hell without a final word.

I sent a quick text to Penny to meet me outside, then slipped out through the window. Of course I ran into one of Ian’s guards, but I just smiled and waved when Penny came running to meet me.

“What is it? Your text sounded urgent.” She still had on her lab coat.

“Alesa left us a little present at the apartment. I don’t know about you, but I figure it can’t be a good thing.” The ground seemed to shift under me, but I sucked it up and kept going. I had to do this. I couldn’t give in to weakness.

Penny grabbed my arm. “God, no. She mentioned me specifically?”