I Kissed a Dog

by Carol Van Atta

  “I will have you. You will be mine. To show you how much you already mean to me, here is what you were looking for, I believe.” He took my hand in his and pressed the coin in. “Your vampire friend arrived too late. A mutant had already retrieved it. I disposed of the beast and kept your trinket safe.”

  “Uh, thank you,” I whispered. “Do you know what these coins mean? And who the cloaked creatures are?”

  “I know many things. Things that I would be willing to reveal should you choose me.” He shrugged. “Until then …” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, then vanished in his trademark glittery swirl.

  I collapsed back on the bed. How in the world would I explain this one? For someone who hated secrets, I was sure keeping a list of my own. Visualizing myself telling Zane the truth about everything seemed impossible. I could see it now …

  Honey, I was making out with that strange, really ancient vampire, and he gave me the coin because he wants me to leave you and go with him. He rocked my world without even making it to third base.

  Like that would go over well. I’d have to leave the coin behind somewhere Zane would find it when I was in Portland. I didn’t want to hold up the search because of my own issues. I needed to get out of town now. I needed to think.

  There were some major decisions that needed deciding.

  Remarkably, I was exhausted, probably due to my impromptu blood donation, expelled sexual energy, and my dazed condition. I slid the coin under the mattress on my side of the bed. It would be safe there until I figured out what to do with it.

  Where are you? I sent my question to Zane.

  Letting my princess sleep. We’re all out in the barn, chatting with our new partners.

  Partners? How did that happen?

  Go back to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.

  Goodnight, I said, relieved I wouldn’t have to face him tonight. Werewolves could stay up for days without sleep, yet another of the many major differences between us.

  Flipping onto my side, I realized the window was still open. Not such a good idea. I couldn’t handle anymore late night visitors.

  Wishing I could flash myself to the window or shut it with my mind wasn’t going to get the job done. I’d have to get up and do it with my own two, very human hands.

  “If you’re going to come in through my window, you could at least be polite and shut it on your way out,” I said to no one in particular as I reached up to pull the framed, glass pane down.

  A familiar, but unexpected, ghostly face appeared. “I think we need to talk,” Alcuin said, looking none too pleased. “By the way, you reek.”

  “Sorry I’m not up to your smelling standards.” I was borderline furious that all the damn supernatural men, who didn’t need any sleep, kept interrupting mine.

  “Come on in. Everyone else does.” I wished right then for a giant eraser that would erase the last hour in one big swipe.

  Alcuin slipped into the room’s one chair. “Vampires are very aware of each other.”

  I faced him with my arms crossed, deciding to remain standing in hopes I looked somewhat authoritative. “No. I didn’t know. I’ve been aware of your world for one week now. My entire life has been turned upside down, and I’ve got werewolf and vampire suitors vying for my attention. I got married when I was drunker than a …”

  “Slow down, Doll. I am well aware of your supernatural overload. I’ve suggested to Zane more than once that he take you to Europe or somewhere far away from here for a month, but he feels too obligated to his pack and their problems.”

  I was surprised by Alcuin’s revelation. I also remembered my earlier desire to talk with him about Valamir. That heart to heart was taking place here and now whether I was ready for it or not.

  I decided to spill every detail of my three encounters with Valamir, well, most of the details. I didn’t go so far to tell how attracted I was to him or about my erotic experience. From the way Alcuin was watching me, I assumed he already knew. He was, after all, a bloodsucker. Well aware of vampire tactics and tastes, and the potential human responses.

  “He brought you the coin?”

  Surprised he didn’t have more to say, I nodded and retrieved relic from its hiding place. “How do I explain this to Zane?”

  Ignoring my question, Alcuin flipped the coin over in his palm, examining it. “I wonder if your vampire admirer could translate these sigils. It’s is not my area of expertise.”

  I had a feeling that Valamir was privy to lots of useful information. Getting him to divulge that information without signing over my soul, and my blood supply, was the problem.

  “Sorry to change the subject, but what’s all this ‘you’re mine’ stuff?” I needed to know why my scent was so appealing to Valamir and Zane.

  Alcuin stopped rolling the coin and studied my face. “You are quite attractive. And you do smell intoxicating. I detected your unique fragrance that first time we met.

  As a rule, vampires can find pleasure feeding from a wide range of donors. On occasion, a specific human catches our fancy. Kind of like a choice dish at your favorite restaurant.”

  “So I’m a good meal?”

  He looked at a loss for words. “It’s difficult to explain. We want only to feed from that one special person. I’ve never experienced it. Not all vampires do. Just like werewolves, and even humans, not everyone finds their own favorite flavor. When we do, we want to hang on, permanently, if possible. I guess the question is: who is your favorite flavor, Chloe?”

  I found, much to my dismay, I couldn’t answer.

  Chapter 2918

  I tried to hide my relief when Alcuin presented the fourth, and what we hoped was the final coin, to Zane over breakfast. My vampire confidant didn’t stay long, complaining the sun was getting on his nerves and giving him a blistering headache. He promised to return when we were ready for our “ride” to the board meeting.

  Zane had readily accepted Alcuin’s explanation for obtaining the coin. My late night worry session had been unnecessary. As he’d promised last night, before leaving, Alcuin kept the more sensitive portions of our conversation to himself. Something I knew he disliked in light of his longtime alliance with Zane.

  I’d also filled Alcuin in on my parental problems and my plans and reasons for traveling to Portland minus Zane. In lieu of time constraints, we determined he’d handle Bob on his own. In truth, I didn’t want see my stepdad bedazzled regardless of the reason.

  Uneasy, Alcuin swore secrecy on those revelations as well. He had even gone so far to admit that he’d never once chosen a human’s wishes over his own, and made it clear he wasn’t planning to make it habit.

  Whatever his reasons, I was grateful to have him for an ally, even temporarily. He would make sure I arrived at my destination unscathed.

  Thank goodness I’d adapted to teleporting since I’d be traveling Air Alcuin twice in one day. Actually, three times — a round trip to and from Seattle, and a one way ride to Portland.

  In addition, Luke had remembered his role in my escape-to-Portland scheme. He’d called, as planned, at 7:15 AM to request an evening meeting. I’d explained to Zane that Luke wanted to have a long overdue sit-down with me and Rhonda. Something my werewolf mate was none too keen about. He considered her an arch enemy to be avoided at all costs.

  In the end, I’d won the argument by reminding him that Michael or Mack would be close by and that Luke wouldn’t let Rhonda harm me.

  Overall, he’d been pretty receptive considering he was scheduled to meet with Rita later about the coins, a meeting that promised to be long and arduous, according to Rita’s predictions. She’d invited another linguistic scholar to collaborate with them, and believed they might decipher at least a portion of the coins’ script this evening.

  I promised to let Luke follow me home, and if circumstances warranted, I could even unleash (forgive the pun) Stryder from the barn for additional protection. Zane was planning to release him when he returned home.

  Zane and
the two M’s had determined the mutant should have one final day of captivity to seriously consider the implications of switching sides. I was supposed to read his thoughts later and confirm his decision to leave the mutant cause for good.

  Tom, on the other hand, wasn’t being quite as receptive. The dreadlocked mutant had so far refused to comply. When I’d taken a peek into his mind, I’d been startled to discover he was crushing big time on the redheaded wolf-woman. He’d seen her from a distance, just once, but it had been enough to ignite his interest. Tom wasn’t real intelligent. From what I could tell, he was downright dumb.

  Meanwhile, Zane had gone out to feed Tom and Stryder, leaving me to shower and figure out what an administrative assistant should wear to her first ever board meeting.

  I’d also asked Zane what would keep the board members from identifying me. After all, they’d sent Zane here to investigate the murders and find the girl who could chit chat with animals. According to him, no one had a clue what I looked like. Logan alone knew my identity, and Zane promised he was to be trusted.

  I hoped he was right.

  After trying on at least five potential outfits, I decided on a traditional beige suit, ideal for summer weather. I’d purchased it two years ago for my interview at the animal park. Luke had admired its sleekness, but made sure to remind me that wearing it to work would be overstating my position.

  “Wow!” Zane said approvingly, causing me to gasp. He’d managed to catch me off guard.

  “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” I pivoted to look over my shoulder in the mirror before facing it again to tuck in my silk blouse.

  “No need to check, you look fantastic from every angle. Sorry for the scare.” He came closer and looked over my shoulder into the mirror, where our eyes met. I glanced down, my cheeks flushing.

  If Zane discovered my indiscretion and lies, I doubted he’d be so appreciative. Pushing the thoughts aside, I focused on my husband. “Are you sure this is appropriate?”

  He shook his head, chuckling softly. “Chloe, Chloe. You have no idea just how enticing you are, do you?” He didn’t wait for my response. “That suit shows just enough leg to be appealing, but not overly flashy. Ivory is the perfect shade for your skin tone, and by wearing a wine-colored blouse, you’ve added the perfect touch. Not to mention, I’ve never seen you with your hair like that.”

  Taken aback by his detailed appraisal, I eyed my hair. A majority of the time I left my long ringlets to hang loose, or, occasionally, in hot weather, I’d pull my hair up high in what my mom referred to as my “pebbles ponytail,” named after little Pebbles from the Flintstones.

  This morning, I’d used a hair-straightener to force my curls into submission. And, with the miraculous help from some over-priced hair products, I’d managed to manipulate my hair into a smooth twist on top of my head. Zane’s continued admiration confirmed I’d made a good choice.

  Alcuin’s — who is your favorite flavor question — continued to harass me.

  Who is my favorite flavor? — Vampire or werewolf — bark verses bite.

  Standing here in the daylight, without Valamir’s vamp magic messing with my mind, I felt certain that the magnificent man behind me was exactly who I needed and wanted in my life. The choice seemed so obvious.

  However, I couldn’t stop replaying last night’s erotic interlude with the vampire warrior. His fangs piercing my neck had caused me to climax — an embarrassing incident I’d take to my grave.

  A grave that I just might find myself buried in if I wasn’t careful.

  Both my so-called flavors had vicious sides to their charismatic personas. Should they turn their anger toward me ...

  “Are you all right?” Zane leaned down and nipped my neck, sending a jolt of excitement everywhere at once. When had I developed such a sensitive neck?

  “I’m just nervous.” At least that wasn’t a lie.

  Nervous. Anxious. Terrified of losing you. The last thought startled me.

  After everything we’d experienced together, I couldn’t imagine my life without Zane. I didn’t want to need anybody, least of all someone whose approval mattered enough for me to fear losing it.

  “There’s no need to be nervous. You’ll do great. Remember, turn on the mini-recorder.” He handed me the tiny recording device. “It will pick up everything. That way, you can concentrate on the animals. Make notes about your discoveries and let the recorder handle the meeting. We’ll find someone to transcribe later.”

  “Where do you come up with all this?” I wondered out loud.

  Before meeting the werewolves, I’d been pretty much a day-to-day, go-with-the-flow kind of gal. All this planning and plotting was new to me, although I was adapting fast enough to have already devised a plan of my own. I hoped I could find the Smart boy.

  I had three plausible locations to check out. The first, not far from my parent’s house, was a well-known institution for mentally disturbed boys and girls, ages five to eighteen. It was the largest of the three, and housed the most residents, making it, in my opinion, the least likely. The other two were closer to downtown Portland. One in the West Hill’s area served just eight clients at a time. The cost for this program was astronomical. As far as I knew, the Smart’s salaries were modest, but what did I know? They could have saved their money wisely, or relied on a rich relative.

  Thirdly, and what I considered my best option for finding Joshua Smart, was a newer, state run, research facility that specialized in helping children recover from traumatic experiences. They’d been featured on a special news report awhile back and had a reputation of taking on high profile cases. Joshua fit that category.

  One problem with this location was the intense security. Some of their patients had committed pretty heinous crimes. Alcuin had again offered to remedy the situation. I’d make it my first stop, giving him the opportunity to enter and observe.

  Worried about the old vampire myths that required blood suckers to obtain permission before entering, I’d made sure to question Alcuin. After all, Valamir had been blocked from entering The Crab Cove without my invitation, but had slipped into my room unhindered.

  According to Alcuin, because Valamir had fed on my blood, he’d been granted certain rights when it came to me. In short, wherever I was he could enter — with one exception — a strong ward. The Crab Cove had been magically warded against uninvited, supernatural visitors, making entry for him impossible. Under normal circumstances, vampires could enter public buildings even if people dwelled there. The locations requiring a personal invite were private residences.

  I realized then that Zane was staring at me with one eyebrow arched.

  “I did that drifting off thing, didn’t I?” I shrugged.

  “I get it. You’re stressed. Did you still want me to answer your question?”

  I couldn’t even remember what I’d asked him. Not good. If I wasn’t careful, he’d figure out that I had more than information overload going on in my head. My husband was no dummy, and he’d gotten to know me faster than anyone else. I’d never felt so many emotions in relation to any one person.

  “What are you thinking?” He gave me a longing look. “Tell me it’s good.”

  I was amazed how in an instance we’d gone from a simple conversation to one charged with heated energy. “It’s very good.”

  Watching him watch me in the mirror suddenly seemed very sensuous. I looked so prim and proper in my current attire. He looked all man. No. That wasn’t quite true. His eyes were changing to the golden hue I loved so much. The color signaled that his libido had kicked into overdrive.

  “How much time do we have?” I asked.

  He leaned down and kissed my neck. “Not enough for what I want to do to you.”

  I shivered at the thought, realizing right then, without doubt, Zane was the flavor I liked best. He didn’t need any mind-magic to melt me like butter. He was warm, funny, sumptuous, powerful, and very much alive ¯ nothing undead about Zane.

  “
That’s disappointing,” I pouted. “By the way, I was thinking that you are one of a kind, my kind of guy.” It wasn’t until after I’d spoken that I realized just how corny I sounded.

  Much to my relief, Zane seemed to find my comments endearing and rewarded me with a big grin. “I love it when you call me your guy.”

  “Go on. Get ready. I don’t want to mess up my hair anyway.” I regretfully shooed him away.

  “Good point, Mrs. Marshall. Good point.”

  I was tempted to follow him into the shower, but refrained. We’d have time to enjoy each other later — that is if he still wanted me after uncovering all my secrets.

  Chapter 3019

  The one benefit to the packed space was my ultra-close proximity to Zane.

  With my back pressed firmly against his front, and his hands deviously teasing my fanny, I was in elevator heaven.

  A woman leered at us through wired spectacles. She was focused on where his unseen hands were busily hiding. I decided to ignore her sardonic smile. She was probably just jealous. What woman wouldn’t be?

  A man like Zane did more than attract attention. He demanded it. His artful caresses were demanding a response that I was unable to give. Had I responded with the level of passion I was forcing myself to ignore, Miss Nosy would have gotten an eyeful.

  Not a moment too soon, the doors slid open revealing a long hallway on the tenth floor. The hotel housed its conference rooms on the upper levels. Our meeting was in the Mystic Mountain Suite. How appropriate. My life was about as mystical as one could be.

  We exited into the hall leaving our snooty spectator behind. In less than ten steps, we were facing the only thing between me and a group of potentially adversarial board members. Muffled male voices drifted from behind the closed door, marked with a gold plaque. My stomach clenched, sending a swirl of butterflies through my midsection.

  “Use our silent communi …” Zane started.