The Lady Is a Vamp (26 page)

“He didn’t abandon you,” Lucian announced abruptly after a moment. “Livy woke up and went outside while he was in the bathroom and he went out after her. It was stupid. He should have shouted for help, but the man is used to being on his own and the only one responsible for Livy.”

Jeanne Louise’s eyes widened and she sagged briefly with relief at the knowledge that Paul hadn’t left her. But then she forced herself to straighten and eye her uncle warily. Lucian Argeneau was the true hard case among immortals, and he would be the one to decide Paul’s fate, which decided her own. She couldn’t afford to be weak now.

“I love Paul, Uncle,” Jeanne Louise said quietly when he didn’t speak. “He’s my life mate, and he loves me too, I think.”

“I know he does,” Lucian said calmly, not looking impressed by the knowledge.

Jeanne Louise bit her lip, and then added, “I know he shouldn’t have kidnapped me, but I was a willing victim the moment I realized I couldn’t read him. There were several points I could have left and didn’t. I even helped him evade the Enforcers when we returned from dinner and I spotted their SUVs on his street.” She straightened a little and added pleadingly, “Surely, as the supposed victim in this, if I don’t wish him punished, he shouldn’t be?”

When Lucian merely raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, she added unhappily, “I can’t turn him now, thanks to Bricker. We can never be proper life mates. Isn’t that punishment enough?”

“You can still be together, Jeanne Louise,” Lucian said quietly.

“Sure for ten, twenty, maybe even thirty or forty years if we’re lucky,” Jeanne Louise said bitterly. “A heartbeat out of my life. And during those few short decades I get to watch him wither and die the slow mortal death of aging.” Her mouth tightened at the thought, and she said, “In truth, that’s probably more punishing than anything you could come up with.”

She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced around to see that her father had moved up behind her to offer his comfort and support. For some reason his offered strength suddenly made it hard to fight back her tears. Turning back to Lucian, she took a shaky breath and said, “Paul’s a good man, Uncle. What he did, he did out of desperation, for the love of his daughter. He didn’t know our laws, didn’t know what he would be asking of one of us and he never hurt me. In fact, he did everything he could to see to my comfort from the start. The only reason you even figured out it was him was because he was concerned with my comfort and refused to put me in the trunk of his car when he switched vehicles.”

Nicholas had admitted as much as they’d sat watching over Livy through the night. As she’d speculated, they’d checked traffic cameras around the parking lot where Paul had left her car and switched her to his own. They’d spotted her unconscious in the front seat of his car, got the license number and used that to get his name and address and particulars.

“Fine,” Lucian said abruptly, drawing her attention.

Jeanne Louise peered at him uncertainly. “Fine? What does that mean?”

“He lives and keeps his daughter as well as his memories,” Lucian said, and then added solemnly, “That’s punishment enough.”

Jeanne Louise felt her father squeeze her shoulder, but just stared at Lucian.

As expected he wasn’t done. “However, the minute, and I mean
the very minute
, that the girl is through the turn I want the three of you on a plane to Toronto. I’ll have someone pick you up and take you to Marguerite’s.”

“Aunt Marguerite’s?” Jeanne Louise said with surprise, aware that Etienne had gone still at mention of his mother. “Why?”

“Because she obviously knew what Paul was up to when she ran into him before he kidnapped you, and rather than tell me so that I could do anything about it, she merely gave him a nudge in your direction,” he said dryly.

Jeanne Louise’s eyebrows rose at these words. With everything else on her mind the memory of that conversation with Paul hadn’t been on the top of her memories. Her uncle had done a thorough search when he’d read her mind. That or the memory had been on the surface of Paul’s mind for some reason.

“Since Marguerite helped bring about all this,” Lucian continued dryly. “She can help with the fallout and at least start training Livy to be an immortal.”

Jeanne Louise bit her lip, but nodded in consent. She liked her aunt, and knew Paul did too. And she was sure Livy would love the woman, but . . . “How long do we have to stay with Aunt Marguerite?”

“Until I decide what to do with Livy,” he said bluntly.

“Do with her?” Jeanne Louise asked worriedly.

“Well she can’t go back to her normal life, can she?” he asked dryly. “She can’t go back to her school, can’t play all day outside in the sun with friends in her neighborhood, can’t live the same life she had before. But she needs an education.”

“Yes,” Jeanne Louise agreed with a frown. She hadn’t really considered that problem.

“And what I decide for Livy depends on whether you and Paul stay together or not,” Lucian added, bringing her eyes sharply back to his. Meeting her gaze he said, “I’m not entirely sure you will.”

“But he’s my life mate,” she said weakly.

“And he’s mortal,” Lucian said quietly. “We’re similar in many ways to mortals, but there are differences, Jeanne Louise, and every minute you spend with him will make those differences clearer to you. He’s weaker than you physically, more fragile. He’ll get ill, or he’ll hurt himself, and even if by some good luck he doesn’t, he’ll age and wither . . . I’m not entirely sure you can stand by and watch that. It will most likely tear you apart inside. And if he is injured and dying, I’m not positive that in that moment you will be able to resist saving him with a turn as you did Livy.” He paused and then added grimly, “And if you did that, you’d be forfeiting your own life. Until I’m sure you won’t do that, I want someone around to protect you from yourself.”

“I . . .” Jeanne Louise paused and frowned, unsure herself if she could stand by and watch Paul die.

“Of course, the two of you parting leads to other problems,” Lucian continued. “It’s difficult for a mortal to raise an immortal. Children pick up skills like reading and controlling mortals faster than adult turns, and faster than their conscience and sensibilities form. Paul trying to raise her on his own would be like a monkey trying to raise a child. Before this year is out, she’ll be running circles around him, controlling him and doing what she wants if an immortal isn’t there to stop her. I won’t allow that either. I have no desire to hunt down a child rogue my niece turned.”

Jeanne Louise bit her lip. She hadn’t considered any of this in that moment when she’d turned Livy. She hadn’t considered anything but saving the girl, for Paul, but also for herself, because she’d come to love the sweet little blond child.

“So,” Lucian said quietly, “The three of you will stay with Marguerite until I say otherwise. Or until you part and I make alternate arrangements for Paul and Livy . . . understood?”

Jeanne Louise gave a jerky nod, her mind reeling under the weight of all the problems he’d just made clear to her. She hadn’t thought of a single one of them before this, and wasn’t happy to have to contemplate them now.

“Good. As long as we’re clear,” Lucian said and then glanced to Anders as he arrived at the cottage door behind them. Urging Leigh out of the way for the man to enter, he asked, “Everything all right next door?”

Anders nodded. “Livy didn’t manage to bite the neighbor girl. I wiped her memory anyway and then checked around to be sure no one else had witnessed the attack.”

“Good,” Lucian said, and then announced, “I want you and Bricker to escort Jeanne Louise, Paul, and Livy to Marguerite’s after the girl’s done her turn. Call when it’s time and I’ll send a plane for the five of you.”

Anders nodded, but Lucian had already turned to the others in the room.

“Armand, I’m guessing you’ll stay till they leave?” Lucian asked.

“Yes,” he said quietly, squeezing Jeanne Louise’s shoulder.

Lucian obviously wasn’t surprised. He turned his gaze to the other two couples. “Can you bring back the SUVs Bricker and Anders were in?”

There were murmurs of agreement at once. While Anders and Bricker had been solo, Nicolas and Jo had ridden together as had Etienne and Rachel, but the couples would drive back separately to return the SUVs to Toronto.

Lucian didn’t thank them or even comment, he merely nodded, took Leigh’s arm, and led her from the cottage without even bothering to say good-bye. No one was terribly surprised, but there was a collective sigh of relief amongst the group once the door closed behind the couple. It was rather obvious how tense they’d all been as a group, as if they’d all been holding their breath and were only now breathing again.

Jeanne Louise, though, wasn’t sure she would ever breathe again. She knew she should be happy that Paul wasn’t going to be punished, but all she felt was worry, and anxiety and a terrible weight pressing down on her as she contemplated the future. Sighing, she ran one hand wearily through her hair. “I should go tell Paul—”

“Why don’t you go get some rest and let me do that?” her father suggested quietly. “While the rest of us took shifts and caught naps, you didn’t sleep at all last night.”

She hadn’t wanted to leave Livy. Jeanne Louise hadn’t wanted the five-year-old to wake up hurting and confused to find herself in a room full of strangers. As it had turned out, however, Livy hadn’t woken up until after they’d left, and now Jeanne Louise was exhausted. But that wasn’t why she was tempted to accept her father’s offer. She just didn’t think she could face Paul right now without bursting into tears or something else just as weak and ridiculous. Just hours ago she’d been the happiest she’d ever been in her life, sure her future was set, and now that rosy future was a shambles around her and all she wanted was to sleep.

However, her father was pretty angry at Paul over the whole business and she didn’t trust him not to use the opportunity against him.

“I’ll be nice,” Armand Argeneau said dryly, obviously still reading her thoughts. He then added, “I promise.”

Jeanne Louise hesitated, but was just so bloody tired and depressed. She needed sleep . . . and time alone to sort out her thoughts . . . and a good cry. Not necessarily in that order. Sighing, she nodded and then simply turned and left the room to head to the master bedroom and the bed that waited there.

P
aul was seated in a chair on one side of the bed, avoiding looking at Justin Bricker who occupied a chair on the other. The two men hadn’t exchanged a word since coming down here. Bricker seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Paul was just too upset at that point to want to talk. That scene with Livy outside just kept replaying in his head like some horrible nightmare and he was left wondering what he’d done to his daughter.

And it had been him, no matter that Jeanne Louise had turned her. He’d kidnapped her to have her do that. But the blood-covered mad thing that had chased after Kirsten and then lunged for his own throat like some mindless fiend hadn’t been his sweet child. And the blond man’s words kept playing through his head too.

Not quite what you were expecting is it, mortal? All you were thinking of was Livy healthy and well. A happy ever after. It didn’t occur to you that she’d change. That it might be a nightmare rather than a dream.

That was exactly how Paul felt, like his life had become a nightmare, and one he’d brought on himself. The man had then said something about Livy not being herself at the moment and still being in the turn. That she probably wasn’t even really conscious, and once the turn was done she’d be the girl he remembered. “
Mostly
.” But Paul didn’t find that very reassuring. What had the man meant by
mostly
? He kept asking himself that, as well as wondering what he had done to his daughter.

The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he glanced to it, expecting it to be Jeanne Louise. He was actually relieved when it was her father instead. Paul didn’t think he could face her right now. He was too upset, and was wondering if immortals were as human as they seemed.

“We’re human,” Armand Argeneau said dryly and then glanced to Bricker and said, “Go have your sandwich. I need to talk to him.”

Bricker stood at once and left the room, leaving the two men alone.

Paul waited until the door had closed behind the Enforcer before glancing to Armand, who was moving around to take the Enforcer’s vacated seat. Once the man was seated, he said, “Let me guess. I’ve been found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to death.”

“No,” Armand said quietly. “You’ve been found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to live.”

Paul stared at him, knowing he should feel relieved but he was just numb at the moment, his thoughts so full of horror and confusion he couldn’t feel anything else. “So what are they going to do? Take Livy away from me to be raised by immortals?”

“Is that what you want?” Armand asked.

Paul turned to peer at his daughter. She looked as sweet and innocent now as she had from the day she was born, like the same child he’d been willing to give his life for as recently as that morning. The scene in the front yard had taken him aback though. He wasn’t sure who or what she was anymore. Except that she was his daughter, his little Livy. He hoped.

“No,” he said finally.

Armand relaxed back in his seat. “Lucian was telling the truth when he said what you saw in the front yard wasn’t her. She’s still in the turn. Her brain is scrambled at the moment. She wouldn’t have been capable of cognitive reasoning or even realize what she was doing. Once it’s done she’ll be your Livy again.”

“Mostly,” Paul muttered bitterly.

“There will be some differences, of course,” Armand allowed. “She’ll be stronger, faster, resistant to illness and even death. And she’ll need to feed like the rest of us do.”

Paul grimaced at the word
feed
.

“On bagged blood,” Armand said dryly. “Though she’ll need to be trained in feeding off the hoof too so that if there’s ever a situation where she has no access to bagged blood and needs to feed from the source, she can do so without unduly harming or even killing her donor.”