“That’s your imagination. Wishful thinking.” I could admit that I had needs, who didn’t? Jerry had reminded me of his often enough. But I didn’t have to give in to mine. “I’m not doing this.”
He stared at my jugular. “Look at that. I didn’t erase the marks. Bad vampire.” He licked the spot where he’d taken my blood then kissed it tenderly. “I never take a woman against her will. Are you too drunk to know your own mind, Glory? Jerry calls you Gloriana. He says you are his. If you are not free, say so.”
“I’m free, Dom.” I inhaled. “To say yes or…no.” He looked so disappointed I almost pulled his head down and kissed him. He was different, not Jeremiah. Was I too drunk to make a clear decision? I didn’t belong to Jerry. If I wanted to take another lover, I could, and Jerry be damned.
I rolled us over until I was looking down at Dom. “Read my mind. Am I willing? Or not?” Gods. Even I didn’t know the answer to that question.
He grinned and rolled us again, until he was on top of me. “I—” He collapsed on top of me.
I managed to get him off before I felt the dawn take me. Relieved or disappointed? I didn’t have time to decide before I, too, fell dead.
I woke to see Valdez staring at me from the foot of the bed. “Go away. I have a headache.”
“I think you’re hung over.” He nodded toward where I could hear the shower running in the attached bathroom. “I sniffed what you two were drinking last night. Alcohol laced blood. No wonder you have a headache.” He walked over and picked up my bra with his teeth. He flung it on the bed. “I won’t pick up your bottoms but it’s obvious you had a high old time last night.”
“He’s singing in the shower.” I could hear a Broadway show tune coming from the bathroom—"The Impossible Dream.” Dom had a nice voice. “I’m not sure…”
“Don’t tell me you can’t remember. Doesn’t matter. As you say, you are free to do who or what you want.” Valdez snorted when Dom came out wearing nothing but a towel.
“You’re awake! I was surprised you didn’t wake with the sunset.” He sat beside me on the bed, toying with the bra Valdez had put there.
“I’m blaming that on the drink last night.” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m hung over.”
“I have the cure for that.” Dom walked to the door. “Caroline! Find the bottle of Zesty in the fridge. Bring that up and two glasses.” He turned to me. “That’s a nice little synthetic one of the chemists in New York invented for just such a problem.” He looked at Valdez. “Get out of here. Glory and I don’t need you staring at us. Go downstairs and wait for us there. We’ve got to go to the club in a while.”
“I don’t obey you, vampire. I answer to Glory.” Valdez planted his butt next to the bed just as Caroline entered the room with a tray.
“I cannot deal with an argument now.” I couldn’t manage a smile. “He’s right. Thanks, Caro. Both of you can wait for us downstairs. We do have to go to work so we won’t be long. Shut the door, Caro, on your way out?” I waited for them to leave then took a glass from Dom. “What’s in this? I won’t allow you to drug me again.”
“I didn’t drug you. You got a little drunk. No big deal. Nothing happened.” He grinned. “Or at least I don’t think so.” He gulped down his drink then dropped his towel. “But we have time to fix that right now.”
“Dom, please. Give me a break.” I looked away and sipped. It was a bit spicy but had that tang of synthetic blood that I was used to. “I’m serious. What’s in this?”
“An old recipe for hangovers, adapted for vampires. It’s nothing that’ll make you high or harm you. I promise.” He crawled on top of the bed, tossing away my bra. “We almost made it last night. I owe you an apology for dying on you. Literally.”
“Perfect timing. I wasn’t going to go through with it. I’m sorry if you were frustrated, but I’m not in the market for an affair with my boss.” I finished my drink and set the glass on the wooden night stand. Now that I was clear-eyed, I noticed a theme in the heavily carved furniture. It featured naked nymphs in sexual poses. Like the Kama Sutra but in wood. Satyrs frolicked with the nymphs in woodlands. It was artistically beautiful if a little lewd.
“Forget that I’m your boss. I think you felt something. Admit it, Glory.” He pulled the covers off, grinning when he saw the shirt I wore had become unbuttoned. “What’s wrong with a little fling?”
“I don’t do flings, Dom. It’s obvious that we both died at the right time. I didn’t come here to sleep with you.” I was feeling warm in all the usual places. Naked man on top of me combined with sexy scenes all around me proved I wasn’t immune. Dom kept smiling, sure he could talk me into something. I had to admit, his weight on top of me was not unpleasant. I needed to be careful or I could do something I might regret. I saw him almost every night. He didn’t stick with any one woman for long. Could I deal with being one of his discards? Or would he try to erase my memories like he did the mortal’s minds?
“I know you aren’t a slut, that’s obvious.” He toyed with my hair. “I’ve been watching you since I hired you. You stay aloof from the customers and resist the opportunities there are to take some primo blood from them.”
“I’m glad you’ve noticed.” I sniffed my hair. “I really need a shower and to wash my hair, Dom. Do you mind?” I managed to wiggle out from under him. He let me, rolling away and onto his back.
He stared at me. “You know, your hair does smell like mortal food. Strange.”
“Not so strange. I have to feed Valdez. He’s not like Caro, able to fix his own meals.” I got out of bed and scurried across the floor to the bathroom. There was a huge glass enclosed shower with multiple heads. Compared to the dinky shower in the bathtub in my apartment, it was paradise. I was happy to see shower gel and shampoo in a hanging rack inside.
“Use whatever you see there.” Dom had followed me into the bathroom, of course. He opened the shower door and turned on the water. “Check the temperature.” He turned his back to pull out towels from a closet.
“Dom, I don’t need help here.” I pushed him toward the door. “I mean it. Give me privacy.” I shoved him out of the bathroom, ignoring his curses, then locked the door.
I dropped the shirt and stepped into the enclosure. I relished the hot water as I soaped my hair. I was not going to sleep with him. It would complicate my work life. And my relationship with Jerry. I had rinsed my hair and picked up a wash cloth when the bathroom door crashed open.
“Glory! We’re being attacked!” Dom reached into the glass enclosure and turned off the water. “Listen. Do you hear that?”
I held the cloth in front of me and grabbed for the towel he tossed at me. Oh, gods, what now?
17
“ W ho? What?” I wrapped the towel around me.
“Wolves!” He leaped out of the bathroom, his eyes wild. “They’re attacking the house. Lock yourself in here. Or in the closet. I’ll take care of this.”
“Like hell.” I was right behind Dom as he pulled on his pants then raced out of the bathroom. I stopped when I saw him suddenly turn into a bat and fly out of the open bedroom door and down the stairs. Of course, he’d changed. That was something I just could not do.
I found his shirt and jerked on my shorts and tennis shoes. In that odd costume I ran down the stairs. I looked out the window and braced myself to join the fight. There were at least six werewolves snapping and attacking Valdez and Caro. Caro had turned into a beautiful Bengal tiger and she was huge, deadly. She raked a big gray wolf with her claws, drawing blood. He howled, snarled and snapped at her but was no match for jaws that gleamed with lethal fangs that made me shudder. She leaped, grabbed him by the shoulder and shaking him like a stuffed toy before she tossed him across the clearing. He landed unconscious against a rock garden.
Dom? He’d changed into yet another creature. This one was a mountain lion, roaring a challenge as he faced off with a wolf whose fur matched Bob’s hair. This must be the leader of this pack, coming to prove
he couldn’t be denied entrance to a topless club without payback. The two threw themselves at each other with screams of rage, fur and blood flying.
I had to do something, but what?
Then I remembered the crossed swords I’d seen above the fireplace mantle. I climbed up and grabbed both of them. A quick swish in the air and I knew they were good Toledo steel. It had been a long time since I’d had to use a sword. But back when it had been the defensive weapon of choice, my pal Florence da Vinci had given me lesson after lesson in swordcraft. She’d finally pronounced me polished enough to survive a fight, even if I’d never be a master swordsman. In her opinion I wasn’t bloodthirsty enough. She was bold and brave enough for both of us.
She didn’t hesitate to shift and fly out of a dangerous situation if she didn’t see a way to win. There was a deep fear inside me that held me frozen when I’d tried to shape-shift. That meant I had to fight like a mortal unless I could use mind control or my fangs. In the frenzy of an assault, neither of those options had ever worked well for me and wouldn’t work now. I didn’t see any of these wolves standing still for a little eye contact.
I dropped one sword by the door before flinging myself outside and into the fray. I could smell the wolves now. I would remember this animal scent and be wary of them forevermore. I faced a wolf who leaped at me, bloodlust in his eyes. I crouched, remembering how to hold the sword and how to wait for my moment. He dove for my legs, teeth and claws eager to take me down.
Now . I couldn’t afford pity or weakness. I struck hard, my blade finding that tender underbelly that would make him helpless. Blood gushed, matting his dark fur, while he screamed and clutched his wound. He sounded almost human as he yelped and tried to run away. He staggered then fell, lying still. Had I killed him? I prayed not.
“Glory, get back inside.” Valdez was bloody and limping slightly when he came up beside me. “We’ve got this.”
“I can help. Didn’t you see what I just did?” I wiped my sword on my shirttail and got ready for whatever came next.
“I saw. You scared the life out of me. Stay close.” He was panting. “I think Dom needs help.” He ran to where the mountain lion was still locked in battle with the wolf. Growling low in their throats, they had their jaws clamped on each other’s shoulders and neither would let go. Valdez threw himself at the wolf from behind and that was enough to break the standoff.
“You dare attack my home!” Dom, the mountain lion, screamed at the wolf as they both stood panting on wobbly legs, their chests heaving. Blood dripped from their muzzles and their shoulders were bloody where they’d managed to gouge each other. “I’ll see you dead, you bastard.”
“Just wait, vampire. I’ll burn your house down with you in it during the day.” The wolf smirked, then wiped his bloody face with his paw. “How can you fight against that?”
I ran over and stepped between them, slashing the air with my sword. “Stop! Don’t you see this has become a war with no one the winner?”
“I can win. Stay out of this, Glory.” Dom snarled and tried to lunge past me.
I wasn’t about to move and dared him to push me out of the way.
“Move, Glory! I’m going to take this asshole down!” Dom snarled.
“No!” I faced Bob. “That threat you just made has sealed your fate. Attack him during the day? You give him no choice. Dom will have to kill you and all who follow you now. Don’t you understand?”
The wolf spit out a tooth. “He can try.”
Dom’s lion form shivered and he became a man. “I have friends, wolf. Just wait. We will rain hell on you and your family. Go ahead, burn down this house. You think I will stay here and wait for you to destroy me?”
I touched his arm. He was already healing, but his shoulder looked torn and bloody. “He’s right, Bob. Burn down one house and he’ll just build another that you’ll never find. All you’ll have done is create a bitter enemy. No, many bitter enemies. Every vampire in Las Vegas will know what you did and be eager to put an end to you. You and your pack will have to watch your backs forever.”
“You think we fear vampires?” The wolf paced then looked around at his fellow wolves who were waiting for some kind of signal from him. “We will see who is the last one standing.”
There was no rallying cheer from his packmates. They were all suffering from wounds. The one I’d cut with my sword was bleeding heavily and suddenly woke with a cry, changing into a man who was pale and holding his stomach. Two wolves suddenly changed and picked him up, carrying him to a jeep that was parked with two others on the road at the end of Dom’s driveway. They drove away in a hurry, scattering gravel in their wake.
Caro’s Bengal tiger stood close behind us, her stare so menacing that even I shivered. I still held my sword, bringing it up as a reminder that I hadn’t hesitated to use it.
“That wound looked bad.” I said it calmly but I did hate the thought that I might have killed him.
“He’ll heal.” Bob faced Dom. He was not backing down.
“Are you willing to risk your wives and children?” Dom suddenly shifted into a hawk and screamed, before he landed next to us then just as swiftly became a man again. “You see how I can become anything, anyone, and at any time? How are you going to guard against that, wolf?”
“Stop threatening each other.” I had heard enough. “Coming out here was an act of war, Bob. You may have cost yourself a man because of this. But Dom started bad feelings by throwing you out of his club. You know he has the right to do that. We all have baggage, history that makes us dislike a certain type of,” I glanced around, searching for a way to spin this. I gave up and told the unvarnished truth. “animal. I’d say you two are even. What do you think, Bob?” I waited while Bob looked again at the damage done to his men. His own shoulder was bloody, his left arm hanging uselessly by his side. He’d heal too but it would take a while.
Another man spoke up. “We have no desire to go back to your club, Mayer. We can look at women elsewhere, Bob.” This man was also wounded, claw marks seeping blood where someone had made him pay for his decision to attack.
That seemed to have done it for the pack leader. Bob gazed at his men who nodded, agreeing with the one who’d dared speak out.
“Very well. I will not shake your hand, Mayer. Nor will I torch your home as long as we understand each other. I have pride. Insult me in public or disrespect me and mine again and I will make you sorry.”
Dom stared at Bob, probably reading his mind. “I cannot pretend to like wolves. Come against me again and I will not spare any of you. Am I being clear?”
“Clear enough.” Bob turned toward his men then led them to their jeeps. In moments they were gone.
“My God, are you all right?” I could see blood seeping from a cut on top of Dom’s head. Besides the shoulder wound, he had claw marks on his chest. He still wore his pants and was barefoot.
“I’m fine. I’m already healing. But look at you!” He grinned and gestured at the sword in my hand. “Defending us all! Valdez, was she really the one who may have sent one of those wolves to hell?”
“Yes. Look at the wolf blood on her sword.” Valdez sat next to me. He looked a little bloody himself. “She tried to clean it, but there’s still some there.”
I leaned down and looked Valdez over. I didn’t want to think that I’d killed that man. I hoped Bob was right and he’d heal. “Are you okay? Injured anywhere?”
“No, this is wolf blood on me too. I’ll have Caro stick me in the shower so I don’t reek of it.” He trotted over to where she was now looking mortal again. “Hey, shifter, are you up for a shower?”
“Nice try, Valdez. There’s a garden hose right here. I’ll wash you off with that.” Caro winked at me. “If anyone cares, I’m fine too. No injuries.”
“I was going to ask you next.” I flushed. I really had wondered how she’d fared. “You were one scary tiger. Did you learn that from Jerry’s shifter Sherie?”
“Yes, she’s aweso
me. I decided to try it out. I’m glad it worked. Those wolves didn’t know what to make of me in that form.” She was grinning. “I’ll have to text Sherie and thank her.”
“Glory, come inside. We didn’t finish our shower.” Dom took the sword from my hand. “I need to clean this.”
“It’s a beautiful weapon. Did you ever use it or is it just part of a collection?” I followed him into the house. He pulled out cleaning supplies and made sure the sword was spotless before he put both swords back above the fireplace.
“I was in a fencing club in New York. I always enjoyed the sport. You must have used the sword for something more than sporting the way you went after that wolf and scored a hit.” He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of synthetic. “God, I can’t get the taste of wolf out of my mouth.” He unscrewed the cap and took a drink. “I hope the truce holds. I never want to bite one of those furry creatures again.” He went on up, obviously expecting me to follow him. “Come back upstairs.”
I had no choice since my bra was there. “Too bad you missed seeing it. I had my share of battles back in the day.” I found my bra and thong near the bed. I needed to get to the club where I had fresh clothes. My hair was going to be a fright since it had been left wet and had almost dried in the desert air.
“Here, have a drink. It’s harmless, just an ordinary A-B Negative.” He held out the bottle.
I sniffed then took a drink. I was still pumped after the fight and needed something to bring me down. Ordinary? Compared to the cheap synthetics I was used to, Dom’s drink was like a gift from the gods. I took a second, long drink before I handed back the bottle.
Dom grinned and pulled me into his arms. “We never finished anything, Glory. Come on now. Back in the shower? Or to bed?”
“I need to get to work. Are you going to ride back with me or do I try to get a cab to come out here? You know that’s going to be impossible.” I didn’t push him away but I wasn’t going to encourage him. I had decided sleeping with Dom wasn’t going to happen. That window of opportunity had closed.
Real Vampires: Glory Does Vegas Page 18