When he returned to the room she was dressed in black jeans, a black crochet sweater over a white tank top, and lace-up boots. As always, she wore her Celtic cross and the jewelry had had given her. Seated at her vanity, she was carefully applying makeup to her eyes. Though Armando loved her face when it was free of all cosmetics, he appreciated the dramatic look she’d adopted. It spoke of her growing confidence and boldness. Slouching into the reading chair near the vanity, he gazed at her thoughtfully.
“What?” Her lavender eyes flicked toward him, but she kept applying the black mascara.
“You’re gorgeous.”
“Uh huh,” she said.
Armando wondered what had happened during the day. What was she now keeping from him? There was a secret looming in her eyes.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“It’s taking all my willpower not to drag you back to bed.” It was the truth, but not all of it.
Tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes. “You have that look,” she said, waving the makeup wand at him.
“What look?”
“That look.” She pointed with the tip of the brush at his face “The ‘Armando’s being all mysterious’ look.”
“That’s a look?” He grinned, trying to dispel her suspicions.
“Now you’re being evasive.” Checking her eyes one last time in the mirror, she tucked the mascara away and rummaged through her makeup bag.
Armando leaned toward her, cocking his head. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you’re shifty as hell.” She gave him a knowing smile that held no animosity before lightly patting a frosty pink shade to her lips.
“We just made crazy, mad love and you’re accusing me of being shifty? Why would you say that?” Her accusation hurt a little though it was essentially true.
Fastening an incredulous look on him, she said, “Really?”
The playfulness between them was refreshing and he did enjoy sometimes teasing her, but he discerned the growing seriousness in her voice. “Okay. I’m shifty.”
“At least you admit it.” Vanora stored the lipstick away and zipped up the little bag. Resting an elbow on the vanity, she angled her head toward him. “Will you tell me what you’re keeping from me?”
Armando sighed and directed his gaze away from her.
“I thought so.” Vanora slid off her stool and started to walk away.
Lashing out, he caught her hand. “I love you.”
“I know you do.” When she glanced down at him, he could see the resolve in her eyes. She would somehow uncover the truth and when she did, he would be at the mercy of her wrath.
“I wasn’t supposed to love you.” The words slipped out before he realized what he was saying.
“Because of my age?”
“No.” Armando strained to find a way to phrase things properly. “I came to Houston a very different man. Meeting your brother changed me significantly. Loving you has changed me completely.”
Vanora swiveled toward him slowly. “Okay.”
Resting his hands on her hips, he peered at her through his dark lashes. “I...have not always been a good man. I don’t even know if I am now.”
“Is this about your past?” The expression in her eyes was one of relief.
“Yes.” Armando nodded, relieved that he could express that truth.
“Oh.” Vanora slumped onto his lap and wound her arms around his neck. “So you’re hiding things you did in the past from me?”
“I can’t discuss my past with you, Vanora,” he said honestly.
“I know you’re a vampire,” she answered. “And you’ve killed people.”
He nodded.
“And had an affair with Carlotta.”
It amused him that her voice held much more distaste in the second comment than the first.
“Before you.”
Vanora studied his face thoughtfully. The one thing he always loved about her eyes was how the outer ring of darker purple and the silvery flecks in the lavender hue caught the light in such a way they had the aspect of jewels. “Armando, you said we’re not destined to be. That we’re doomed.”
Armando reluctantly inclined his head.
“Do you still believe that?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean I’m giving in to the fates.”
Vanora kissed him lovingly. “Me neither.”
Armando clung to her as he relished the moment. For one beat of her heart, he felt hope and happiness.
“Seriously?” Alisha exclaimed. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing after all she’d done the night before to make sure nothing would happen between her younger sister and the handsome vampire she was so obviously in love with.
Vanora met her sister’s gaze and didn’t falter. Clutching Armando’s hand, she stood at the base of the staircase and met the stares of the gathered vampires defiantly.
Sheila winked and gave Vanora a thumbs up while Alexander grinned with approval. Tracy, Ben, Zachary, Angel, and Emily, the vampires Alisha depended on the most, averted their gazes from the stare down between the two sisters. The other vampires who had decided to stand with her and fight just looked amused.
Armando had the decency to look a little guilty, though the look that he bestowed on Vanora made Alisha’s heart clench. It reminded her of how Sin used to gaze at her.
“Are we all that’s left?” Vanora asked, ignoring her sister’s wrath.
“We’re the ones who are going to try to help you find Carlotta’s Master and kill him,” Angel answered. “There are others staying in Houston, but are hiding.”
“We’re ready for a fight,” Ben said with a firm nod of his head and flashed a wicked-looking dagger.
“We were just discussing the plans for tonight,” Alisha informed Vanora. She noted the large over-sized purse slung over her sister’s shoulder. It was bulging and she panicked at the thought of Vanora running off with Armando. But hadn’t her sister been the one who was insistent on them staying and fighting? “We’re assigning vampires to help the human guards I hired.”
Vanora fidgeted with the strap of her purse, but her fingers remained intertwined firmly with Armando’s. Though Alisha wanted Vanora to at least look a tiny bit remorseful about her relationship with Armando, she could see that she actually was not. Much to her dismay, Alisha realized that her mental image of Vanora no longer matched what she was actually witnessing with her own eyes. Vanora really wasn’t her Snow Pea anymore. It hurt to recognize that truth.
“Is it all set up with the incubus?” Vanora asked Sheila.
“He’ll meet with you, Vanora,” Sheila replied. “He’s cool with me and Alexander tagging along, but he doesn’t want anyone else going with us.”
“Oh, I’m so going with you,” Alisha said sharply.
“I won’t let her go alone,” Armando said almost at the exact moment.
Vanora released Armando’s hand and folded her arms over her breasts. Armando’s protective – and maybe slightly possessive – hand settled on the small of her back beneath her leather jacket. “There isn’t time to fight about this, okay? Armando is the strongest vampire among you. He’ll go with me.”
“I want answers, too! I want to know what’s happening!” Alisha protested. “Roman was my brother, too, and I loved him! Besides, I should go because I’m a vampire and can defend myself.”
“And I’m a witch. I can defend myself, too. I knocked Lorelei away from me with just a look.”
“What?” Alisha gasped.
Only Armando didn’t seem startled by this revelation.
“Cool,” Zachary said at last.
“I’m the oldest. I should go,” Alisha insisted. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she swiveled toward Sheila. “I’ll go.”
“He actually asked for Vanora specifically,” Shelia said, slightly wincing.
“What?” Alisha gaped at her friend. “How does he even know about her?”
“Carlotta, of course,” Armando said. “She m
ost likely told him all about us.”
Sheila bobbed her head, agreeing. “He said he’d talk to the mortal witch and only her. He was very insistent about this.”
“He’s an incubus. What if he wants to...sex her up!” Alisha gave Armando a significant look as she set her hands on her hips. “Did you think about that?”
“All the more reason for me to go with her,” Armando said briskly.
Alisha had to admit he had a point.
Approaching her sister, Vanora caught Alisha’s gaze with her own. “Alisha, I love you. I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me. I also know that there’s a certain hierarchy among you vampires. But whatever is going on may be about me. It might not just be about old vampires killing off the young upstarts.” Vanora pressed a hand to her forehead. “God, Alisha, you’ve seen your own paintings. Do you really expect me to sit in my room and wait for it to happen?”
Alisha sighed, hating to admit Vanora was right. “I wish you would, but no I don’t.”
“I’ll go talk to the incubus. Once we know where Carlotta is, we’ll all go and confront her. Okay?”
The older Socoli sister gave another curt bob of her head, but was not happy about the situation. Her gaze settled on Armando. “You better take care of her, or I’ll kick your ass.”
Armando stiffened at the threat, but he inclined his head. “Of course.”
“We’re on our bike,” Sheila said as Vanora headed toward the front door.
“We’ll take Roman’s car.” Vanora hesitated next to Alisha, her fingers snaking around her sister’s. She planted a sweet kiss on her cool cheek. “I love you.”
Alisha squeezed her hand and regarded her with sad, worried eyes. “I love you. That’s why I worry.”
“Trust me, okay?”
“It’s not you I don’t trust...” Alisha answered, briefly eying Armando.
Then Vanora was gone, Armando following in her wake.
Alisha listened to the front door shut before lifting her head to regard the remaining vampires.
“Humans,” Zachary said, grinning.
“She’s a witch,” Tracy reminded him. “Which is worse.”
Alisha couldn’t argue with that assessment.
The delicate vampire with the raven hair that reminded Alisha so much of Vanora despite the difference in their coloring settled onto the bottom step of the stairs. Emily was a sweet girl, not very old for a vampire, and Zachary had the worst crush on her. Alisha wasn’t certain if Emily returned the affections or not, but the girl smiled when the redhead scooted to the stair next to her.
“So does this meeting start soon?” Emily asked as the front door yawned open.
“It starts now,” a female voice answered.
Morgan strode briskly into the hallway with her people in tow. Two large stainless steel containers with huge locks were set on the tiled floor with a heavy thud. The tall blonde woman signaled for her people to open the first chest.
Alisha gasped when icy air flowed out of them and revealed bags of human blood within the refrigerated interior.
“First off,” Morgan said sweeping her gaze over the people gathered before her, “you’re weak as hell from drinking animal blood. That needs to change. All of you need to drink at least two of these bags. They’re fairly fresh having been drawn only an hour ago. It still has enough kick to empower you.”
The second container was opened, but this one contained several layers that spilled out like a stepladder. Each section was filled with weapons tucked into black foam.
Morgan picked up a silver stake. “As you know, silver kills vampires. Plunge this into your opponent and watch them burn from the inside out. The rubber grip at the non-pointy end will protect you. Silver daggers are also in this container as well as Holy Water. Don’t splash it on yourself. Since you’re all vampires, I’m sure you know that you kill vampires with a stake through the heart and decapitation. Rosewood stakes are also a very messy way to kill a vampire, but it takes much longer. There are some in here as well.”
“How about exploding bullets?” a vampire dared to ask.
“You’re young, huh?” Morgan smirked. “You can heal from that, unless you hit the head. Can you shoot a gun?”
“Uh, no,” came the answer.
“Then stick with the melee weapons,” Morgan answered.
Alisha was listening, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the bags of human blood. Did she dare drink after so long? The last time she had fed, she had lost herself.
“I can take a vampire head off with my knife, so you can, too, Rick,” Ben assured the nervous looking vampire.
“I’ll take one of those stakes,” Tracy decided.
“Make sure you take one of the sheaths and put it on correctly. You want to be able to draw your weapon quickly.” Morgan crossed her arms over her chest and looked every inch the soldier. “Of course, you’re vampires, so you can use your teeth, your nails, and your strength to fight.”
“Some of us know how to fight,” Angel said, obviously taking offense at her words.
“But not all of you,” Morgan answered with a shrug.
Angel exhaled, then agreed. “True.”
Picking up one of the chilled bags of blood, Alisha stared at the red liquid with great yearning. Roman wasn’t even dead a day and already they were abandoning his ways. But what choice did they have?
“Drink up. Arm yourself. We have a long night ahead,” Morgan said, then turned on her heel and strode out of the mansion with her people close behind.
“She’s scary for a human,” Zachary decided.
Emily giggled beside him and nudged him with her elbow.
“Well she is!”
Alisha picked up a second bag of blood and held both in her hands. She could feel the vampires watching her, waiting for a signal. Was she now the leader of Roman’s vampires? Were they even Roman’s vampires anymore? Once they started drinking human blood and living as vampires, wasn’t Roman’s dream dead?
Lifting one of the bags to her mouth, her teeth elongated within her mouth as the hunger stirred.
“We have to feed,” Angel said soberly. “To be strong.”
“Do it,” Emily urged, her blue eyes bright.
Alisha’s sharp fangs punctured the bag and she fed.
Vanora didn’t want to argue with her sister, so she hurriedly escaped out the front door. Armando followed in her wake, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. Together, they strode past the security van where Morgan stood with her people. She gave Armando a brisk nod, then continued briefing the night shift guards.
In the garage, Vanora entered the security code to the key box and grabbed the set for Roman’s Mercedes convertible. The rumble of Sheila’s Harley drew Vanora’s attention to the entrance of the garage doors. Alexander sat behind his partner, his arm around her waist while Sheila adjusted her leather gloves.
“Just follow us there,” Sheila called out.
Tossing the keys to Armando, Vanora scooted around Alisha’s car and Roman’s SUV to the convertible. Once settled in the leather seat, she set her bag at her feet and buckled herself in.
“Roman never let me drive this car,” Armando mused as the engine purred to life.
“Me neither. But he’s not here,” Vanora said sadly.
“Are you sure you don’t want to drive?”
“I can’t drive stick,” Vanora lamented.
Shifting gears, Armando edged the classic car out of the garage and onto the drive. Sheila sped off and Armando drove after the growling motorcycle.
Armando ran his hand lightly over the steering wheel. “This is a beautiful car. I had one like it back in 1962. It was red though.”
“1962...” Vanora mused. “God, you’re old.”
“Forever twenty-two,” he corrected her.
“Nah, old.”
Armando adamantly shook his head. “Forever young and handsome.”
“Who told you that you’re handsome?” Vanora teased.
“Oh, I know I’m handsome,” Armando assured her.
Even with the top up, Vanora felt a draft fluttering against her exposed neck and face. She wrapped her scarf around her throat in an attempt to stay warm. “Says who?”
“Your lips on my-”
“Armando!” Immediately, her face flushed at the memory of her first blow job. He had seemed to enjoy it, but she didn’t want to talk about it.
“-on my lips!” He grinned rakishly at her.
Despite the direness of the situation, she couldn’t help but smile back at him. It was a horribly schizophrenic time in her life. Terrible things were happening, yet at the same time she had him. How could anything good exist among such pain?
“And that look on your face is further confirmation.”
“It’s not all about your sultry Spanish good looks, Armando, or your pretty amber eyes.”
Whipping the little car around a corner in order to keep up with the speeding motorcycle, Armando nodded somberly. “I know. It’s the big dick.”
“Oh, my God!” Vanora guffawed. She knew he was teasing her to keep her spirits up and she did appreciate it. “Did you really just say that?”
“I’m sure it’s much bigger than that idiot Dan’s.”
“I wouldn’t know since I never saw the idiot’s penis. Yours, for your information, is the only one I’ve seen in real life.” Vanora felt the heat in her face rising again, but she was also smiling.
Armando took another curve, the tires squealing. “Well, if you had seen or experienced others, you would know what I’m saying is true.”
Vanora appreciated what he was trying to say to her in a subtle way. Dan’s hang up on her supposed purity had really hurt. To have value placed on her only because of her supposed virginity had stabbed deep into her. It was as if none of her other qualities mattered.
“Well, I only want yours,” she said at last.
“Good. Then I don’t have to kill anyone.”
Rolling her eyes, Vanora watched as Sheila maneuvered the Harley through the evening traffic. Alexander’s long black hair flowed in the wind like a rippling flag. A few times the turns they took were so sharp, Vanora thought their knees would brush the ground.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 Page 27