by Jenna Black
“Asshole,” he heard Hannah mutter as he handed the phone to Carolyn.
From the look on Carolyn’s face, Hannah had some choice words for her too, and he got the feeling Carolyn may have hung up on her at the end. Great to know he was sowing discord with everyone he knew. There was a tight, unhappy look around the corners of her eyes when she put the phone down.
“Why don’t we sit down and discuss this like rational adults?” she suggested.
Gray wished he could push Rewind and start over from the moment he’d left Carolyn in his room to answer the door. As a former cop, would she be able to mind her own business after hearing an accusation of murder? Not a chance in hell.
Sighing in resignation, Gray gestured toward the cluster of seats. “Yes, please do come in and join us, Jules,” he said, infusing the words with every drop of sarcasm he could muster.
At least Jules chose one of the ass-numbing chairs to sit on. Maybe that meant he wouldn’t stay long. Carolyn sat beside Gray on the sofa, and he could just visualize her pulling a little notebook from her pocket and scribbling down notes like some TV detective.
“First, let’s establish that I’ve learned Gray’s … secret,” she said in a crisp, business-like voice.
Jules raised an eyebrow, looking amused. No doubt he underestimated Carolyn’s detective skills just like everyone else. “And what is that secret, pray tell?”
Gray suspected that his tone was pissing Carolyn off almost as much as it was pissing him off, for her smile was just a little too sweet when she answered. “That he’s a vampire,” she said.
Gray muffled a laugh at the shock on Jules’s face and at the smugness on Carolyn’s. He hastened to explain before Jules came to the erroneous conclusion that Gray had blurted out a confession. “She broke into my house this afternoon and found me sleeping. Plus, she looked in my fridge.”
Jules shook his head. “And why would you do a thing like that?” he asked Carolyn.
“Because the reason Gray came to my house last night was that he received a threatening letter. The threat was against me, but I was worried it was really directed at him. When I couldn’t get him to answer the phone, I thought maybe …” Uncharacteristically, she let her voice trail off, and a hint of color touched her cheeks.
A tiny spot of warmth glowed in Gray’s chest. She’d been worried about him. No matter how badly he’d treated her, some part of her still cared about him. It was more than he deserved, but he couldn’t help being grateful for it.
“What did this note say?” Jules asked.
Carolyn fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Are you sure you don’t know?”
He blinked. “You think I sent it?”
“Surely that’s not any more ridiculous than you thinking I killed Courtney,” Gray retorted.
The fire returned to Jules’s eyes. “I’m still not convinced you didn’t I’ll take Carolyn’s word for it that you arrived at her house at ten, but I don’t know when you left yours. You’d have had plenty of time to stop by my house and—” He cleared his throat.
Gray felt a moment of sympathy, no matter how much he despised the prick. He’d obviously cared about the girl.
“Just for the sake of argument,” Carolyn said, “let’s for the moment assume that you didn’t send the note and Gray didn’t kill your friend, okay?”
Jules nodded tightly.
“So, the note Gray received threatened to kill me, and was supposedly signed by the Broad Street Banger.”
Jules started violently, his eyes going wide.
“What?” Carolyn asked.
“The way Courtney was killed … The killer used the Broad Street Banger’s MO.”
“One hell of a coincidence,” Gray muttered, though of course none of them could possibly believe it was a coincidence. He wished he had some clue what it meant. He glanced over at Carolyn and could practically see the gears turning in her head as she examined the meager evidence she’d received so far. Her face paled.
“The Banger is a vampire, isn’t he?”
Once again, Jules got that surprised look on his face, and Gray smiled. Damn, Carolyn was good. But Jules soon dispensed with his own admiration.
“I think Gray and I have both said more than we should already. You’ve given him an alibi for last night, but it isn’t an airtight one. You’ve done the best you can under the circumstances, but until I have reason to believe otherwise, Gray remains my prime suspect, and I plan to keep such a close eye on him people will think we’re lovers.”
Carolyn, true to form, ignored the attempted brush-off. “So, do you two have any mutual enemies?”
“I know you were a policewoman in the past,” Jules said, “but this case is over your head. For your own safety, the less you know, the better.”
Gray bit the inside of his cheek. Right now, he was actually glad Jules was here. The asshole would say all the things Gray wanted to say, thus sparing Gray from having to have his head bitten off when he voiced them.
“I’ve already been threatened,” Carolyn reminded him, her voice surprisingly mild. If Gray had said something like that, she’d have bristled. “It seems I’ve been brought into the loop whether you like it or not.”
“For all we know, Gray wrote that note himself just to provide an alibi.”
“If he were going to do that, he’d probably provide one that would actually hold water.”
“I didn’t write the stupid note, and I didn’t kill anyone. Jules, if you put on the blinders and assume I did it just because you don’t like me, then you’ll never find the real killer.”
Carolyn was looking back and forth between them. She opened her mouth to say something, then froze, staring straight ahead. Into Jules’s eyes.
Gray lunged to his feet. “Damn it, Jules! Let her go!”
Jules rose more slowly, and Carolyn watched him, rapt. “She’s heard more than enough. The last thing we need is a helpless mortal poking around on the trail of a Killer.”
“Helpless” was not a word Gray would use to describe Carolyn, but he supposed under the circumstances it was close to accurate. He hated that Jules was using his glamour against her, but Gray had to admit the older vampire had a point. Too bad they were trying to close the barn door after the horse had escaped.
Gray stopped himself from saying anything to that effect Who knew to what lengths Jules would go to protect the “helpless” mortal?
“Show me your bolt hole and show me where it comes out. Then I’ll get out of your hair for the time being.”
Gray glanced at Carolyn, who still sat motionless on the sofa, her eyes glazed, her lips slightly parted.
“She’ll be fine,” Jules said. “Now come on.”
Gray supposed there was no point in fighting it. He led the way down into the basement, showing Jules the trap door and guiding him down the tunnel to its exit in the neighboring courtyard. At least the Guardian who drew this watch duty was going to be miserable—there was no warm, cozy coffee shop to watch from. No, whoever was stuck here would have to sit out in the cold and suffer. Gray hoped for lots of rain and arctic wind-chills.
Carolyn still hadn’t moved when Gray and Jules emerged from the basement. Without another word, Jules moved to the front door. Gray grabbed his arm.
“Let her go now!” he demanded.
Jules smiled, picking up his hat from the hall table. “She’s all yours,” he said, a hint of a sneer in his voice. Then he slipped out the door, and Gray breathed a sigh of relief.
CAROLYN’S CHIN JERKED SHARPLY upwards, like she’d been nodding off, only she wasn’t in the least bit sleepy. She blinked rapidly, disoriented and confused. Shaking her head to try to clear the cobwebs, she looked around the living room.
Jules was gone. And Gray was no longer sitting next to her, he was moving toward her from the foyer. Her heart skipped a beat, and she went cold. What the hell … ?
“It’s called glamour,” Gray said as he returned to the sofa and sat beside her.
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“What?”
“The reason you feel all confused right now. It’s called glamour. King Jules decided you didn’t need to hear any more and put you in a trance.”
She swallowed on a suddenly dry throat. Vampires, Carolyn. These are vampires you’re dealing with. The reality still hadn’t quite sunk in, and she wondered if it ever would. “So. Glamour. Okay. Vampires are real. They drink blood, they only come out at night, and they use glamour to control us mere mortals. So, know any werewolves? What about pixies? You always used to say I looked like a pixie. Is it true?” She noticed a hint of hysteria in her voice and forced herself to shut up before she started babbling about banshees or any other magical creature she could think of. She took a deep, calming breath.
“Sorry,” she said. “I promise not to have a nervous breakdown.” Nightmares, definitely, but she’d worry about them later. “So how long was I … out?”
She could see him considering his options—press her to talk about her new outlook on life and reality, or pretend she hadn’t just started to lose it in front of him. Not surprisingly, he chose the latter. “Just a few minutes. Long enough for me to show him my secret way out and to get him out the door. I’m really sorry about that, but I couldn’t do anything to stop him. As well as being the bane of my existence, he’s also older and more powerful than I am.”
She salted that little bit of information away for later while her mind leapt to the last time she’d felt the kind of confusion she’d just experienced. Her eyes narrowed. “He’s not the only one who’s used glamour against me, now is he?”
He winced and looked guilty, refusing to meet her eyes. “Well, you were about to go into my kitchen and I’d left some, uh, incriminating evidence on the counter. I couldn’t let you go in there. I’m sorry. But whatever you may think about this, I had your best interests at heart. For all your considerable skills, this task is beyond you.”
Rebellion sparked in her veins. Who the hell was he to tell her what was or was not beyond her? “I did uncover your secret you know. I’m a damn good detective.”
“Of course you are. Carolyn, I know I’ve underestimated you in the past, but I learned my lesson. It’s just that dealing with vampires is too dangerous for a mortal. Look at how easily Jules overpowered you!”
“Yeah, and if I met some punk with a gun while I was unarmed, he’d overpower me pretty damn easily too. That didn’t stop me from chasing down the bad guys while I was a cop.”
“But you weren’t unarmed.”
“Sometimes I was. You know that sometimes it would have blown my cover if I’d had a gun on me.” This was starting to feel uncomfortably familiar—like the arguments they’d had as their wedding day neared.
Gray let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s not the same. Look—”
“Is there anything I could have done to avoid getting trapped by his glamour?”
“Carolyn—”
“Is there?”
Another exasperated sigh, and he squirmed on the couch. “In theory, yes. But in practice, it’s a lot harder than it sounds.”
It looked like he was going to try to leave it at that, but Carolyn wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “Well?”
“You have to avoid eye contact. But all it takes is the briefest glimpse, and even if you don’t look in their eyes you’re still somewhat susceptible.”
“But as long as you know better, and you avoid the eye contact, they can’t turn you into a vegetable like Jules did to me.”
“Depends how strong they are. I couldn’t. Jules might be able to, though I doubt it. But it’s not like glamour is their … our … only power. Remember how I managed to avoid getting kicked in the crotch by Hannah?”
Grudgingly, she nodded. Both she and Hannah had been unquestionably startled by his quickness.
“Well, Carolyn, in the grand hierarchy of vampires, I’m what’s known as a fledgling—I’ve only been vampire for three years and my powers aren’t fully developed. Jules can kick my ass without breaking a sweat. And those who kill are even stronger.” He put his hands on her cheeks, leaning forward with the intensity of his plea. “You’ve been hurt enough already because of me. Stay out of this, stay safe.”
She relaxed her clenched jaw. There was no reason for her to be angry with him over his protectiveness. Yes, it was infuriating, but he was a guy after all. It was in their genes to want to shelter the “little woman.”
Gray’s thumb stroked absently over her cheekbone and the last of her anger disappeared as her eyes slid closed. His hands felt deliciously warm on her skin, and the echo of Cool Water teased her nose.
When he’d left her at the altar, he’d had what he thought was a good reason. It hadn’t been the marriage he was running away from, it hadn’t been her. The core of bewildered hurt that had ached in her chest for three years eased and she leaned into the warmth of his hand. His thumb continued its idle stroking, and even with her eyes closed she knew he had moved closer to her on the couch.
Her skin shivered under his touch, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap as her pulse accelerated. She opened her eyes and looked into his gray depths, seeing things there he no doubt didn’t intend her to see. Things like longing, and desire, and maybe even the echoes of love.
She closed her eyes again when he leaned even closer and brushed her lips with his. She gasped at the current of desire that coursed through her. Her mouth opened of its own accord, and Gray wrapped his arms around her as he deepened the kiss.
She’d forgotten how good it felt to kiss and be kissed, but Gray had reawakened all those memories the first time he’d pressed his lips to hers again. Now her body came alive, remembering how good certain other things had felt, things she hadn’t experienced in three long, hard years. When his tongue teased the seam of her lips, then slid inside, she couldn’t control the groan of pleasure that escaped her throat.
His hands slipped under the fabric of her sweater, burning a trail along the length of her back. She crawled onto his lap, desperate to feel more of him, to be closer and drink in his heat, his scent. Under her bottom, his erection pulsed, and she was keenly aware of its heat, even through the layers of clothing that separated them.
Carolyn stroked his delicious tongue with her own as her hands tunneled into his hair. When his tongue withdrew, she followed, tasting the inside of his mouth. His erection twitched restlessly, and she almost smiled at her power to excite him.
Then her probing tongue found something long and sharp and reality came crashing back into place. Fangs. He had fangs! She pulled away. She couldn’t help it. Gray covered his mouth with one hand and slid her off his lap.
“It’s an involuntary reaction,” he said hoarsely from behind his hand. His eyes screamed of misery, and she wanted to offer some words of comfort, but none came to mind.
The heat he had generated in her core cooled, and she wondered if she’d taken leave of her senses. Again. No matter what she’d learned about the circumstances of his abandonment three years ago, the fact remained that he had left her, severed all ties with her. And he had changed, in ways she’d only just begun to see. She didn’t know this Gray well enough to be kissing him, certainly not enough to be tumbling into bed with him.
Gray lowered his hand, and through the slight part in his lips she could see his tongue probing at the tips of his anines as if assuring himself that the fangs were gone.
“I’m sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair.
She sighed. “You said it was involuntary.”
“The fangs, yes. What I meant was …” He met her eyes, a hint of a grimace on his face. “I think I, uh, might have used a touch of glamour there. I didn’t mean to, but …” His voice trailed off.
Carolyn cocked her head and regarded him closely. “You mean you think it was glamour that caused me to kiss you?” He nodded, one brief jerk of his head.
Maybe he was right. No sane woman would be tempted to kiss a real, live vampire! Especially
not one who had jilted her in the past. Even if he had turned into one of the sexiest creatures she’d ever seen. Even if she did still have feelings for him, jumbled and confused, but there nonetheless.
“Let me take you home, Carolyn. You’ve had enough … excitement for one night.”
Carolyn took a step back from the brink. “I think that would be a good idea. If I don’t get home soon, Hannah’s going to call in the National Guard and storm the building.”
That brought a brief smile to his face. “Yeah, she makes you look shy and subtle by comparison.” He stood up, holding his hand out to her.
She tried to pretend she didn’t feel the pulse of desire that stabbed through her when she touched his hand. She wondered how effective she’d been. Together, they walked to the kitchen, where she’d left her coat. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the fridge, but she dragged them away. There were so many questions she still wanted to ask, so much she still didn’t know about vampires, about Guardians, about Gray.
“Now that you know the truth, are you satisfied?” Gray asked softly as he guided her to the front door.
She looked up at him and quirked a brow. “As in, will I stop nosing around?”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head, not in denial but in confusion. “I don’t know yet, Gray. I understand all the reasons you want to keep me out of it, and they’re all perfectly logical. I’m just not sure I have it in me to let this go. Not to mention, I don’t know if whoever sent that note is going to let me let this go.”
He looked like he was going to argue some more, but then stopped himself. Carolyn had to suppress a smile. Was he finally learning?
They had already taken one step out the door when she remembered what had started the whole chain of events that had led to this moment. She put a hand on the door to stop Gray from closing it. “Can I have the envelope that note came in?”
He ran a hand through his hair, and she guessed he was doing some kind of mental countdown to keep himself from snapping at her. “I thought you hadn’t decided yet whether you were going to stay out of it or not?”