Billionaires and Bodybags

by Keira Blackwood

  They were His Lordship’s favorite. He’d stolen a variety bag from me the first time I came home with doughnuts. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out where he’d put them. The only reason I knew it was him and not some human thief who’d come into the shop was because I found evidence a few hours later. There was shredded paper, and massacred chocolate frosted and sour cream on the floor. He’d torn the doughnuts apart, and peed on the remains. All were destroyed, except for the missing strawberry filled.

  He’d eaten every bite, aside from the bits of strawberry filling that he’d missed and ended up matted in his fur. He didn’t suffer any ill effects as far as I could tell, and he refused to eat cat food. He didn’t even like tuna or chicken, the big weirdo. The softy that I was, I’d brought him a strawberry doughnut most days since.

  And who was I to complain about weird eating habits? I needed blood approximately every two to three nights. I’d be more content if I could sip a little every single night, but I didn’t enjoy hunting, and I didn’t want to take more than I needed.

  Cordelia grabbed the doughnut I ordered and I paid. Then I stepped aside so the two guys behind me could place their orders and skedaddle.

  Sometimes I’d catch someone purchasing something besides breakfast. The bags looked the same, but the weight and bulk was different. So was the order. No one flat-out said they wanted charms, not when other people were around, but it was clear that Pearl and Cordelia sold more than doughnuts.

  When the last of the customers returned to his car, I returned to the counter.

  Cordelia glanced at my untouched bag and cocked her head to the side. “Hello again,” she said. “Is there something else I can do for you?”

  A flit of nerves carried through my fingers. I fiddled with my bracelet to give myself something to do with my hands. The stakes were too high. I couldn’t screw this up.

  “Yes,” I said. “I need some—”

  A car door shut behind me. I sighed and stepped out of the way to let a woman and her daughter past. Cordelia watched me with a curious expression as she helped the new customers.

  When the mother and daughter left, Cordelia and Pearl both waited for me in the window.

  “Marla,” Pearl waved at me. “Good to see you.”

  “Hi, Pearl. Reconsider that nose ring yet?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “It would look super cute on you,” Cordelia said.

  It really would. She had the perfect nose for it. A tiny ring, or a little sparkly stud.

  “The boogers.” Pearl shivered. “No thanks. Just ears for me.”

  I would have pushed Cordelia to get some more ink, but when I’d mentioned liking the work on her chest, she’d seemed self-conscious about it. So I figured it was better to stick to harassing Pearl.

  “So can we get you another doughnut?” Cordelia asked, looking at my untouched bag.

  “Actually,” I said, “I was hoping you could help me with something a little more—”

  A kid on a skateboard practically slammed into me. I jumped out of the way, just in time to see him catch himself on the window counter.

  “Whoa,” Pearl said. “You need to watch where you’re going. You could have killed Marla.”

  Fat chance of that, as I was already long dead. I wouldn’t be so easy to kill a second time.

  The kid was a tall, skinny thing with hooded eyes and a face full of acne.

  “Sorry,” he said, and placed his order.

  I waited a bit less patiently this time than the last, until he, too, was gone.

  A fresh crowd approached and I cursed under my breath. Cordelia gave me a sympathetic look and climbed out of the truck.

  “Come on,” she said with a warm smile. “Let’s talk over here.”

  I followed her to the back of the truck, and we sat down on the bumper together. This was my chance. I had to get it right.

  “So,” I said. “I’ve been coming here for a while, ever since I moved to Forbidden.”

  She nodded.

  “But not really for the doughnuts,” I said.

  I watched her expression to see if she understood my intention. Her indigo eyes flashed with a swirl of darkness. A deep and hidden power stirred inside of her. It was a stronger sensation than I’d picked up from Pearl, stronger than I’d sensed on anyone since the Collector.

  “What is your nature, and why exactly are you here?” Cordelia asked.

  “I need your help,” I told her. “My life depends on it.”

  Her gaze narrowed, and she gave no sign as to whether or not she was interested in helping. Likely it was because I hadn’t answered the more important of her two questions.

  “I mean you no harm,” I said, before flashing her a fang.

  She sucked in a sharp breath and jumped up from the bumper with wide eyes. “It’s daylight,” she said. “How are you not bursting into flames?”

  “Magic.”

  She put a hand in her pocket and wore a look of concentration. Likely there was some kind of magical object in her pocket, something that would blast me the hell away from her, or worse.

  I raised my hands slowly in a make it clear I wasn’t a threat. “I’ll show you, if you’d like. It’s my bracelet.” I nodded to my wrist.

  Cordelia kept her eyes on my face and didn’t even glance at the charm. “What are your intentions in Forbidden? How many of you are there?”

  “Just me,” I said, trying to keep my tone light and unoffended. “I’m on the run from my sire. I only want to live peacefully.”

  “Your kind feed on the rest of us,” she said. “Not exactly a peaceful nature.”

  “I didn’t choose to be turned,” I said. “I don’t choose what I need to survive. But I don’t kill. I’m a good person.”

  She stared at me a few moments longer before nodding. “Stay here.”

  I watched her go around to the front of the truck and heard the door click as she went inside, likely to confer with Pearl. I did as she said, and kept my ass planted in place on the bumper of the doughnut truck, even as the cold metal started to make my whole backside numb.

  Before long, Cordelia returned, her strawberry blond ponytail swinging behind her.

  “Forbidden is shifter territory,” she said. “You’ll have to plead your case to the alpha before I can commit to anything.”

  I took the meaning between her words as a win. She was taking me to see the alpha because she wanted to help me, or thought she should. It just wasn’t her call to make.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  She gave me a restrained smile. “Don’t thank me yet.”

  Pearl stayed behind to work, and Cordelia and I drove separately. I followed her into the outskirts of town, to where there was mostly farmland, forest, ponds, and hot springs. I’d only been out this way once or twice, and the trip confirmed my suspicion that Declan O’Malley was the Forbidden Pack’s alpha.

  Sure enough, Cordelia turned down the dirt road that led to the town’s B&B, owned by Declan and his human mate Daphne.

  Daphne had invited me to a garden party here not long after I’d moved to town. We’d met at the grocery store and bonded over our mutual love for polka dot dresses. I liked her. I liked most of the people I’d met in Forbidden, and the overall vibe here. This had to go well, because I really didn’t want to have to leave.

  I parked beside Cordelia and we walked up to the porch together.

  Declan was sitting on the swing, a steaming mug in his hand as he watched us with a hard, unreadable look on his face. There was a powerful way about him, even as he relaxed. Just like Grayson. No, Grayson had that whole alpha shifter thing, but a gentle openness, too. I had no business thinking about him at a time like this. I needed to focus. It made me squirm in my heels, knowing my fate was completely in Declan’s hands.

  “Pearl called,” he said, as Cordelia and I approached the porch.

  I stopped at the bottom of the steps, frozen, as Cordelia walked up. I shoul
d have walked up as well, to reduce the obvious showing of the power dynamic. He was the judge, on high, while I was waiting to be sentenced. Maybe that would work in my favor. Down here, I looked smaller, less threatening. I tried to smile, but it probably ended up looking as forced as it felt, and given my giant fangs, small smiles were probably better anyway.

  “Hi,” I said. “Yep, hopefully she said only nice things. I’m Marla, if you don’t recall. I came over for dinner a while back, when Daphne unveiled her flamethrower shrine. I’m not sure if that was what the party was for, or—”

  I was rambling. It was not helping. Declan merely raised his eyebrows. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed.

  “Look,” I said, “I really like it here. And I really, really, desperately need help. You’re the broody-with-a-heart-of-gold type, right?”

  “We’ve had our share of...oddities in Forbidden,” Declan said. “But we haven’t dealt with any vampires.”

  “What about the fifties guy?” Cordelia asked. “Pearl mentioned something about an Elvis baddie.”

  “Not a vampire,” Declan said.

  “Okay, so you probably only know the legends, right?” I asked. “Honestly, I don’t know that much, either. I’m fairly new to being undead.”

  “You’re seeking asylum,” he said. Not a question.

  It was a funny choice of words, given this building used to be an asylum. I decided it was best not to comment on that.

  “Yes,” I said simply.

  “Why?” he asked, still as stern as ever.

  “Because good people don’t deserve to be hunted.” Grayson’s voice preceded him. He pushed the screen door open and stepped onto the porch.

  I should have guessed he’d be here, as this was by far the best place in town to stay on a visit. I’d been so caught up in announcing myself as a vampire, and my worry that my nature would get me booted from Forbidden, that I hadn’t even thought about it.

  He wore nice slacks and a light gray sweater that brought out the color of his eyes and looked super-duper soft. My hands itched to touch him, so I closed them in fists at my side and pressed my nails in a little, the bite of pain reminding me I had to stay put and not threaten anyone. Rushing Grayson to grope him would probably come off as a threat, given the circumstances.

  At the same time, I’d never been so happy to see someone in my life.

  Declan turned to stare at Grayson, just like Cordelia and I did.

  “You trust me, right, Dec?” Grayson asked.

  The two of them had to have some kind of history. Otherwise it would have been a stupid question.

  Declan didn’t answer. Instead, he cocked a brow and smiled into his coffee. “This should be good.”

  “I vouch for Marla,” Grayson said.

  Declan stared at him a moment, then turned to Cordelia.

  Cordelia shrugged. “She’s been here for two months, and hasn’t caused any problems.”

  Declan turned his army green gaze on me. “No killing the townsfolk.”

  I pumped my fist toward the sky. “That means I can stay, right?”

  With a quick glance at Cordelia, he said, “We try not to judge people based on factors outside of their control. You want to contribute to the town, be a part of the community, great. Don’t cause problems I’ll have to deal with and you can stay.”

  “I promise not to kill anyone,” I said, and then I beamed at Grayson.

  There was no doubt about it, Grayson was the reason Declan had agreed to let me stay. He wanted to help me with my incoming bodily harm issue, and he was willing to stick up for me to the alpha. Maybe I’d judged him wrong. Maybe he could get a pass for breaking rule number two and insulting His Lordship, just this time. I mean, the guy wasn’t just hot, but kinda sweet, too. If I let myself, I might just like him when all of this was said and done.

  6

  Grayson

  Declan and Cordelia went inside, leaving me alone with Marla.

  “What was that about?” she asked. “You standing up for me, you being all buddy-buddy with the alpha?”

  “We’re old friends,” I said.

  Marla was gazing at me with a wistful expression. “Must be nice, having those connections.”

  “It can help, sometimes,” I said. “Like you have a network with your vampire friends, right?”

  “My sisters, yeah.” She grinned.

  It had only been a guess, since she hadn’t told me much of anything about herself yet. I was eager to learn more, but I figured she’d be more comfortable if we went for a walk.

  “You want to get out of here?” I asked.

  “Sounds great.”

  I took her hand and led her from the B&B. The contact was nice, and her hand fit perfectly in mine. I wasn’t sure if she’d pull away, because of how defensive she’d been in the alley the night before, but she squeezed my palm and held on. As soon as we were off the porch, she sighed and lifted her face to the sky. It was a gray day, so I wasn’t sure what the appeal was.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “The Collector kept us all in a basement,” she said, opening her eyes to meet my gaze. “I went five years without seeing the sky, feeling the fresh air on my skin. Even though I’ve been out of that place for two months, I don’t want to take this—any of this—for granted.”

  With the look she was giving me, it felt like she meant me. She didn’t want to take me for granted.

  “I was a painter, before,” she said. “He snatched me off the street, took my life.”

  I hated that she’d had to go through that. Yet at the same time, I admired her for her strength now.

  I was falling for a vampire.

  “So you were turned five years ago?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I know, when you think vampire you think relic of eras long past, older than dirt in an ageless shell. I’m not what I expected either.”

  “That’s not a bad thing,” I said.

  She shook her head.

  “And your sisters,” I said. “Are they your sisters from who you were before?”

  “No. Sisters from shared experience, from sharing a sire, and also by choice. There’s no part of my life that is what it was before. After the change...you can’t go back. And even if I could, there’s no one I would want to go back to.”

  Part of me was relieved that there hadn’t been a man in her life, and I felt guilty for it. Guilty for being glad that circumstances had brought her to me, even when it meant she’d had to endure worse than I could imagine.

  We started toward the woods, beyond a walled area covered in climbing vines. Because it was winter, most of the greenery was gone, leaving brown tendrils creeping along the wall.

  “I wonder what this place is,” I said.

  “It’s Daphne’s secret garden,” Marla said. “I went to a big dinner held here a while ago, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Nice.” This bed and breakfast would be a great partnership—if I could convince Daphne it was in her best interest as well as mine.

  A shimmery mosaic of colored glass covered the far edge of the wall, and Marla’s and my reflections were visible. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would see her image in the glass, given that she was a vampire. We had so much to learn about each other. I couldn’t wait. Marla’s blond hair rippled in waves, the imperfect reflections glowing like jewels.

  “We make a nice pair, don’t we?” I said.

  “Yeah,” she said, looking from our reflections and up to me. “Yeah, we do.”

  Holding hands, we walked to the woods. The trees grew thicker, but I knew Marla wouldn’t have any trouble seeing in the shade.

  “Do you go on strolls in the forest often?” Marla asked.

  I grinned at her. “Not as a human, no.”

  “But as a wolf?”

  “Yep.”

  She dropped my hand. “I’d like to walk with you while you’re a wolf.”

  “Really?”

  “I’ve never seen a shif
ter change forms.” She cocked her head at me, looking thoughtful. “And I’m curious. What do you do with your clothes?”

  “I take them off,” I said, unbuttoning my cuffs and then moving to the other buttons on my shirt.

  Her eyes grew wide. “I mean, you don’t have to—”

  “I’ll do whatever you want. Man or wolf. You can turn around if you don’t want to see me naked.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want to see you,” she whispered.

  I just grinned. I was hoping she’d want to see me. As I undressed, she kept her gaze on my face, but I could tell it took her some effort. If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t even be trying to look away from her body. Marla had amazing willpower. I hoped she would indulge herself more with me.

  Once I was undressed, I closed my eyes and called forth my inner wolf. A light shone around me, energy moving throughout to fuel the shift. When it faded, I was standing on four legs, covered in fur.

  Immediately, I looked up at Marla. Her lips were slightly parted in an expression of wonder, and I could see the tips of her sharp canines.

  “That was incredible,” she said.

  I gave a wolfy bark in agreement. I was pretty incredible.

  When she didn’t move, I circled her legs, then started forward down a narrow trail. The woods smelled wet. Piney, too, because the deciduous trees had all lost their leaves. Marla fell into step beside me, and we walked in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. She ran her fingers over the fur at the back of my head from time to time, and if I’d been a cat instead of a wolf, I would’ve purred.

  “It meant a lot that you stuck up for me back there,” she said quietly.

  I knocked into her hip with my snout, hoping to convey the sentiment that I’d stick up for her in any situation from now until forever.

  Shit. I hadn’t realized it until the thought was in my head. Until forever? What was that about?

  Was Marla my mate?

  I didn’t yet have an answer.

  We walked—vampire and wolf—for an hour or so, the sunlight streaming through the branches overhead. Marla looked toward the sky and sighed. “I need to get to work.”