One and Only

by Bianca D’Arc

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Lissa said, though this was the first time Carly had spoken about moving to another part of the country. Still, it didn’t sound like she planned to stay there permanently. An extended vacation would be good for her.

  They talked a bit more about their respective occupations, but Lissa kept mostly silent while the others griped. She had to break her news at just the right moment and was worried about how to phrase it, though she’d been rehearsing this scene for days in her mind.

  “So what’s new with you, Lis? Any more news on that hunky guy who saved your life?” Carly asked. She’d been filled in on the whole scenario, though she’d been away on a job when Lissa had been in the wreck.

  “Actually,” Lissa patted her lips with the napkin and realized her time had come, “I have quite a bit of news on that front. He asked me to move in with him.”

  Exclamations sounded from around the table. Some were disbelieving, some excited, but all were surprised. Lissa had been so caught up in Atticus these last days, she hadn’t spared a whole lot of time talking to any of her friends except to reassure them that she was healing well when they called to check on her injuries.

  “Well, are you?” Kelly wanted to know.

  “This is kind of sudden, isn’t it?” Jena, ever the most levelheaded of the group, seemed suspicious.

  “Actually, I’ve been spending a lot of time with him since that first day I got home from the hospital. He’s…um…I’m in love with him and he loves me too. We’re going to get married and I want you all to be bridesmaids.” The words came out in an excited rush.

  Squeals of delight drew attention from around the restaurant as her friends jumped from their seats to clobber her with awkward hugs. Jena still seemed skeptical, but congratulated her along with the rest. They talked more about Lissa’s news and the plans she and Atticus had made so far for the wedding.

  Lissa was careful to explain that Atticus worked odd hours and would probably be available for a dinner one night soon to meet them all. In fact, she told them, he’d asked her to arrange a dinner party at the vineyard so her friends could see where she would be living.

  Atticus and Lissa had discussed the plan at length. While the vineyard was kept private and as secure as possible, Atticus didn’t think letting her friends visit under controlled conditions would be too much of a problem. They agreed to ease her friends into the idea of them as a couple, starting tonight. Atticus would pick her up at the restaurant, taking a few minutes to be formally introduced to the tight-knit group. It was one of many meetings they had planned for the next few weeks during which time the women could learn more about him.

  When dinner was nearly over, an hour and a half later, Lissa gave Atticus a little wave. He was in perfect time to pick her up and meet her friends.

  “Is that him?” Kelly asked, following the direction of Lissa’s greeting. “Invite him over for dessert. We have to look him over and be sure he’s good enough for you, Lis.” Kelly’s tinkling laughter followed her teasing statement.

  Lissa rose, placing her napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back.”

  She stopped on her way to ask the waiter to add another chair to their large table, then walked straight into Atticus’s waiting arms. He kissed her with just the right amount of passion and discretion for such a public place, but refused to let her go completely as they walked to the table.

  This was the perfect set-up as far as Lissa was concerned. Atticus could join them for an after-dinner drink. He wouldn’t be required to eat anything, yet he’d be seen at a restaurant, which helped maintain his façade of mortality.

  “You’re getting good at this covert stuff, my love,” he said in her mind as they neared the table.

  “Every little bit helps, Atticus. I want to help keep you safe and if pretending to be mortal achieves that goal, I’m all for it.”

  He bent to kiss her temple with a soft brush of his lips. “You’re too good to me.”

  He pulled out her chair and smiled at the group of women as Lissa made the introductions. Atticus was at his most charming and he easily won over Lissa’s closest friends. Jena, the doctor, was the last to fall under his spell, but fall she did and by the time they’d drunk their after-dinner wine and nibbled on a few fortune cookies, they’d not only agreed to serve as bridesmaids, but Kelly had promised to help Lissa pack her belongings for the big move.

  * * *

  Lissa and Kelly had been packing all day at her apartment as it neared dusk. The plants were boxed, as were all the dishes and her mother’s crystal. Everything but the kitchen table and the bigger pieces of furniture, which would be taken out by a moving company later in the week. Atticus had arranged it all. Or rather, his staff had seen to the details once Atticus had introduced her to them at a hastily called dinner meeting last week.

  “Any news on the job front?” Lissa asked Kelly as they finished wrapping the last of the knickknacks from her faux mantle.

  Kelly sighed, sounding disappointed. “No luck yet. It’s a bad time to be looking for a teaching job. I just hope I can pay my rent until the job market opens up a bit.”

  “Kel, you know if you need a loan, all you have to do is ask.”

  “Thank, Lis, but the situation isn’t that dire yet. I’ll let you know if it comes to that point, but for now I’m still okay.”

  Lissa would have said more, but the doorbell rang. She dropped the newspaper she’d been using to stuff boxes of breakables and went to answer it. She looked through the peephole, but the man waiting in the hall didn’t look familiar. Still, the movers were supposed to send a guy out to measure things today and he hadn’t shown up yet. Maybe this was him, running late.

  Deciding that must be it, Lissa opened the door, but before she could even ask the man for identification, he pushed the door inward with a violent shove, sending her flying backwards. Lissa stumbled, just barely able to stay on her feet, though it was a close thing. Kelly came running as Lissa felt a splash of something douse her.

  “I’m going to kill you this time, bitch!” The man shouted as he stalked forward, bearing down on her as she backed away in shocked confusion.

  Everything became clear as time seemed to slow. Only the stumble had saved her from being hit in the eyes. She had no idea what the clear liquid was, but it didn’t hurt. At least not yet.

  “Atticus! Oh God!” Lissa screamed for him in her mind when Kelly jumped in front of her to face the madman.

  “What is it?” Atticus was there, in her mind, quick as a flash, seeing through her eyes and sharing her thoughts.

  “This guy’s crazy, Atticus! He’s threatening—”

  “I see him, Lissa. Be careful. He could be a magic-user.”

  The man threw a chair aside as he stalked toward the women, as they retreated behind the small dining table in one corner of the apartment.

  “What are you doing?” Lissa screamed, hoping someone would hear the commotion inside her apartment and call for help.

  “You’re dead, witch. Your kind are not allowed to live.” Insanity looked at her from his wild gaze.

  “Stall him, Lissa! I’ll be there as soon as I can. And I’m bringing help. Remember, you’ll have to invite us inside, otherwise we won’t be able to enter.”

  “Just hurry!”

  “We’re almost there. Just a few more minutes.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Get out of my house this instant!”

  Lissa’s strong words seemed to slow the man. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

  “You can’t fool me, witch.”

  “Why are you calling her that?” Kelly asked. Lissa could see her friend was furious, confused and scared out of her wits. It was a combination she understood because she was feeling much the same thing.

  The man looked over at Kelly, pausing for a moment. He traced some kind of pattern in the air in front of Kelly’s face, then stepped away from her. “You’re in the wrong place
, girl. With no power of your own you can’t rely on this one to protect you. I’m warded against her kind of evil.”

  “Evil? What in the world are you talking about?” Kelly drew the man’s attention again.

  “You really don’t know what she is?” The man seemed suspicious as his wild-eyed gaze slid from Kelly to Lissa and back again.

  “No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?” Kelly was backing away and Lissa saw her friend fumble behind her back for the phone that sat on the credenza.

  “Stay where you are, girl.” The man’s hand shot out and Kelly halted as if frozen in her tracks. Lissa felt a hum in the air that disturbed her. It felt cold and slimy, though she’d never experienced anything like it before in her life. It felt evil.

  Kelly’s eyes widened as she struggled to move but failed. Lissa was shocked. The man had done something that made Kelly literally freeze in her tracks. All with just a flick of his hand.

  “Atticus.” Her voice was a mere whisper of fright through their shared minds.

  “I saw, love. He’s the mage. Try to stay as far away from him as you can, but tread carefully. We’re almost there. Just a few more seconds.”

  “Hurry.”

  The man turned back to her. “Now you die, witch.” His features were grim, his expression maniacal. Lissa had never been so scared in her entire life.

  “I’m not a witch.” She had to stall. Atticus was almost there. She just needed to buy him a few seconds more.

  “Then how did you escape my magic. You should have died in the crash, regardless of how hastily I set the spell. When I scented your power on the street, I acted quickly, but that spell never fails. You should have died.”

  “But fail it did.” The man whirled toward the open door to the apartment and Lissa knew Atticus waited there with his friend Marc.

  “Who are you?” The man sniffed and growled. “Bloodletter.” The word was said like a curse as the man started to make furious motions with his hands. Lissa felt the oily hum grow again to almost deafening proportions.

  “Invite us in!” Atticus shouted in her mind.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Come in, Atticus! Come in, Marc! Help us!” she cried, sobbing as the hum escalated, driving her to her knees.

  In a furious blur of motion, Atticus leapt on the intruder. Lissa couldn’t follow it all. Atticus and Marc both moved too fast for the human eye to follow, but in a matter of moments, the intruder was slumped on the floor, bloody and unconscious.

  Atticus dropped him the moment it was safe and reached for her.

  “Lissa, my love, are you all right?”

  “Atticus.” She sagged against him, burrowing into his strength as she shook in reaction. She’d never seen anything so violent as the fight nor felt anything as malevolent as that man’s magic. It sickened her.

  “He splashed her with something.” Kelly’s voice came to her from beyond the comforting circle of Atticus’s strong arms. “You’d better wash it off in case it’s corrosive or worse.”

  Atticus drew back, examining her wet clothing. He smiled as he touched, smelled and even tasted the residual wetness on her skin. “It’s Holy Water. Nothing more. Such a thing cannot hurt you. You’re not evil and never could be.” He hugged her close for a moment more, then stepped back, turning them both to face Kelly.

  But Kelly’s wide eyes were trained in dawning horror on the intruder and the man who bent over him on the floor. Marc’s lips were bloody as he drew away from the attacker’s wrist. There was no way he could hide what he’d been doing. Marc had fed on the man’s blood and even now, licked his lips as he grinned at them.

  “Magic blood is potent, indeed,” Marc said conversationally as he dropped the unconscious man’s arm back to the floor with a soft thud. “I have his essence. He’ll never be able to escape.”

  “What are you?” Kelly seemed fascinated and not as distraught as Lissa would have expected. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m sorry, Kel.” Lissa tried to catch her friend’s attention, but she seemed mesmerized by the Master vampire.

  “I regret you saw this, little one,” Marc said, moving to stand in front of Kelly and touching her face with one long finger. “But there’s no hope for it now. Much as I’d like to cloud your memories of this, I sense already that your mind is too strong to be swayed for long. If you weren’t so close to Lissa, it might work, but you’ll see her, and Atticus…and me, from time to time and the memories would resurface. You must swear to keep our secret or face the consequences.”

  “Atticus, is he threatening her?” Lissa asked him privately.

  “Yes.” The short answer came in her mind. “It’s the only way to preserve our people and prevent even more bloodshed. Kelly will have to be watched from now until the end of her days. She knows about us and that knowledge must be kept sacred.”

  “Watched by who?”

  “One of us. Most likely Ian. He’s our enforcer.”

  “What if we watched her? I mean, she’s looking for a job. You could give her one at the vineyard, couldn’t you? Would Marc accept that?”

  “It could work.” Atticus’s tone was speculative as he placed a gentle kiss on her hair. “I’ll talk to him about it once this is settled. Ian’s on his way. He’ll take charge ofthe magic-user. We need to question him to find out what he knows. Right now, I want to get you out of here and back to the house where it’s safe.”

  “I’m all for that. But we need to take care of Kelly too.”

  “Marc, may I have a word?” Atticus left Lissa’s side and took Marc off to a corner of the room while Lissa went to Kelly.

  “What the heck was all that, Lis? Is your boyfriend a…vampire? Or am I losing my marbles?” A shaky smile hovered over Kelly’s mouth.

  “No, you’re not losing your marbles, Kel. I know it’s a shock, but Atticus is immortal. He saved my life after the wreck and we’re joined. We can share our minds. He’s my other half, Kel. My perfect soul mate.”

  “God, Lis. A freaking vampire?”

  That startled a laugh out of Lissa. “I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s not. I called to him in my mind and he came, didn’t he? He saved our lives, I think, from Crazy Guy over there.”

  “This is all because of your psychic ability, isn’t it? Damn, girl. I always knew you were spooky with the things you could see sometimes, but this is just too much.”

  “It’s part of it, I think, but Atticus tells me he’s been searching for me for centuries. We’re getting married and sooner or later, I’ve told him, I’m going to let him make me like him.”

  “You’d give up daylight for this guy?” Kelly looked duly impressed.

  “Kel, I’d give up anything and everything for Atticus. He’s my soul mate.”

  “Oh, Lis.” Kelly reached out and pulled Lissa into a hug. Both of them were still shaking from the traumatic events of the evening, but it felt good to have Kelly’s support. “I’m happy for you, though I admit it’ll take a while to get used to.”

  The men returned as they let each other go.

  “Forgive me, ma petite.” Marc bowed slightly in Kelly’s direction. “I’m Marc LaTour. I regret frightening you. That was not my intent.” Marc’s sparkling eyes hardened. “But it was important that one of us retain a connection to this man. By attacking Lissa, he has, by extension, attacked her mate, Atticus, as well. And where Atticus is involved, so must the Brotherhood be.”

  “The Brotherhood?” Kelly repeated.

  “A loose organization of our kind in this region. I am the current leader. Atticus is my second. We protect each other and defend our privacy with zealous intent. Now that you know about us, you will be expected to hold our secret closer than any other you possess. Can we count on you? If not for us, then for love of your friend, Lissa?”

  “I would never hurt Lis. She’s like a sister to me. I promise not to tell anybody about what I’ve seen here tonight.” Kelly laughed with a short, almost hysterical sound. “Besides,
who in the world would ever believe me?”

  Marc stepped closer, crowding Kelly’s personal space. “There are those who would most certainly believe, cherie. Those that would hunt us and murder us simply for existing. That, I cannot allow. And so you must be watched for the rest of your days.”

  “Watched? By who?” Kelly’s shoulders squared in agitation and Lissa feared the confrontation she suspected was brewing. She reached for Kelly’s hand, drawing her attention.

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Atticus and I will be doing the watching. You need a job, right? Well, it just so happens, my fiancé here has a job waiting with your name on it. You can earn a living, work with friends and be watched all at the same time.” Lissa looked from Marc to Atticus and back at her friend. “What do you say?”

  “It is an elegant solution to all our difficulties,” Marc put in.

  “Okay,” Kelly said, her gaze still suspicious.

  “Great.” Lissa hugged her to her side for a quick moment. “I’ll like having you around the vineyard every day. Heck, maybe you could move in. We have tons of room.”

  Kelly held up one hand. “Let’s take this a step at a time, Lis. For now, I’ll take the job. You know how badly I need it. And thank you, Atticus.” She looked toward him.

  Any response he would have made was halted by the arrival of another tall, powerfully built man at the threshold of the apartment.

  “It’s Ian, love,” Atticus said in her mind. “You need to invite him in.”

  Lissa waved at the man at her doorway. “Come on in, Ian. Thanks for coming over on such short notice.” She felt strange to be exchanging small talk while an intruder lay on her rug, unconscious.

  Ian nodded, making short work of lifting the dead weight of the crazy guy off her floor and onto his broad shoulders. Without a word, he turned and headed back out the door.

  “Handy man to have around,” Kelly commented with wry amusement. Lissa was glad to hear some of her usual humor creeping back into her conversation. The events of the past hour had been jarring, but it looked like they’d all be okay, including Kelly, thank goodness. She was taking all these revelations remarkably well.