by Kathy Love
For the first time, Jolee realized the man had his hands on Jane’s shoulders. They both wore wedding bands. A measure of relief filled her, although she was still confused by Christian’s strange reaction.
“You were dead,” he murmured, coming to stand in front of her.
“Dying,” the man behind her corrected. “But she returned to me. She’s fine now. We’re fine.”
Christian looked at the other man, still obviously dazed. “Rhys.”
The man then smiled, a curve of his sculpted mouth, the gesture so similar to Christian’s little grins. “It’s good to see you, Chris. You look good doing a little honest labor.”
He released Jane and stepped forward to also clasp Christian in a brotherly embrace. Jolee smiled, even though she didn’t fully understand what she was witnessing.
“How did you find me?” Christian asked, glancing back and forth between his brothers.
Jolee’s stomach sank. Things seemed to be going well, but she was still worried that Christian would think she’d stepped in where she shouldn’t have.
But instead of letting his brothers reveal her involvement, she stepped toward him and admitted, “I called them.”
Christian turned to her. “You?”
She nodded. “I knew you were miserable without your family, so I called.” She winced slightly. She couldn’t tell if he was upset or not. Then he strode over to her, pulling her against him. He hugged her tightly to his chest.
“Thank you,” he murmured against her hair.
Her heart soared. “You’re welcome.”
“Well, shit,” Jed suddenly announced from behind the bar. “A reunion like this calls for a drink.”
He lifted a full plastic beer pitcher into the air, then took a large gulp directly from the pitcher. He exhaled in satisfaction when he was done, using his shirtsleeve to wipe foam from his moustache. Then he held out the pitcher. No one moved.
“What? You pretty boys don’t know how to celebrate?” Jed rasped.
“Oh, I like this guy,” Sebastian stated, walking over to take the offered beer. He took a long swallow. He turned and handed it to Christian. “You heard the man, pretty boy. Celebrate!”
Christian smiled, and Jolee was thrilled to see a full-fledged smile on his lips as he raised the pitcher to his lips. He looked directly at her as he took his drink, and she could see the happiness and the love in his eyes. Suddenly the breakin, the mess, the karaoke system, none of it seemed so bad. Not bad at all.
Jolee rested her chin in her hand as she leaned on the bar, watching the three brothers and Jed, seated around a table, talking animatedly. Several more times, Christian had smiled. And several more times those amazing smiles had been directed at her. She sighed.
“It’s a remarkable sight, isn’t it?” Jane said, shifting on her bar stool to glance from the men to Jolee.
Jolee knew exactly what she meant. “Yes. It’s almost scary that brothers can be that beautiful.”
Jane smiled. “I’m shocked on a daily basis.” She turned fully on her stool. “So how did you meet Christian?”
Jolee raised an eyebrow at that. How to tell that story without scaring this woman to death?
“He rescued me from my drugged out, knife-toting brother. Then he nearly ran me down with his car. Somehow things progressed from there.”
Jane nodded as if she totally understood. “I think meeting the Young brothers is always an odd experience. Rhys saved my life, then very shortly after that started insisting we marry.”
“Fast mover.”
Jane laughed. “You have no idea.” But she looked down fondly at the plain gold band on her finger.
Jolee studied the simple ring on Jane’s finger. Would she and Christian ever marry? The idea thrilled her beyond words. She glanced over at him; another real smile curved his lips at something Sebastian said. She had been right, he was even more staggeringly beautiful with a real smile on his lips.
“Thank you for calling,” Jane said, drawing Jolee’s attention back to her. She gazed at the table, too, although Jolee was certain her attention was on Rhys. He looked very happy, too.
“I knew I had to. Christian was suffering.”
“Rhys and Sebastian were, too.”
Jolee nodded; she could tell. The brothers all seemed very happy to be together again. But as far as she could tell, no mention of Lilah had been made. Christian’s most stunned reaction had been to Jane.
“Christian was really shocked to see you.”
“Yes. I guess he truly believed I died. Poor guy. I kept telling Rhys that we should try to find him, although I don’t think we ever would have looked here.”
Jane’s eyes widened, then she added, “Not here, here, but— well, I meant…»
Jolee laughed at the woman’s agitation. “You don’t need to apologize. Believe me, I know that Christian is as out of his element here as I’d be in some hoity-toity mansion.”
She continued to smile, but her admission caused her joy to dissipate just a little. She didn’t fit with Christian, not really. She glanced over at his brothers with their expensive clothes and perfect looks. Jane also looked perfect with smooth, creamy skin, funky hair, and a cute flippy little skirt and silky top. Then Jolee looked down at herself in her liquor-stained apron. Her heavy hair was falling from its knot at the back of her head. Strands clung to her neck, which was sticky from the humid night air. She knew her cheeks must be flushed from all the cleaning she’d done tonight.
She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling like the ugly duckling of the group. Even Jed appeared less mussed.
“You’d fit in anywhere,” Jane said with a reassuring smile as if she knew exactly what Jolee was thinking. “I grew up in a ramshackle Victorian house in a small town in Maine. Half of the house was a funeral parlor my father owned. What did I know about living in a big city like New York? Nothing, but I figured it out. It’s amazing where you can feel comfortable if you are with the people you love.”
She shot another adoring glance toward Rhys, then she added, “It’s also amazing who you can become.”
Jolee followed her gaze, except she watched Christian. He talked with Jed. The old man reached over and clapped him on his back with almost fatherly affection.
“What was Christian like?” she asked suddenly. “I mean, when you knew him?”
Jane gave a little laugh that didn’t quite sound like amusement. But then she sobered. “The Christian I knew was pretty scary. He was angry and bitter.”
Jolee wasn’t surprised by her description. That was the Christian she’d first met, too.
“But that was the Christian that Lilah created.” Jane winced slightly as if she thought maybe she said too much.
“I know about Lilah,” Jolee assured her.
“You do?” Jane seemed surprised.
“Well, I know a little.”
Jane nodded.
“Did you know her?”
Jane shook her head. “No, thank God. All I know about her is she was a very bad, very selfish vam— ” Her big eyes widened again, then she added quickly, “Vain. Very vain.”
Jolee frowned slightly, wondering what Jane was about to say, but Jane’s next admission pushed that question right out of her mind.
“I think it’s a good thing for all of us that she is dead.”
“Lilah is dead?”
Jane nodded, another pained look creasing her elfin features. “Christian didn’t tell you?”
Jolee shook her head. “No. How did she die?”
Jane glanced over her shoulder almost guiltily, then she leaned forward on the bar. “She killed herself.”
Killed herself? “Why?”
Jane shook her head. “I don’t know. Rhys said she was crazy. Maybe she did just go mad and kill herself.”
Jolee looked over to Christian. Did he blame himself for Lilah’s death in some way? Was that why he’d been so strange in the beginning? And was he truly over the woman? If she hadn’t killed he
rself, would he still be with her? Taking her insane abuse?
Jolee couldn’t think about that. It didn’t matter anyway. Lilah was dead, and she loved Christian now.
“I’ve upset you,” Jane said.
“No. I wanted to know about her.”
Jane nodded.
“Jane, how did she kill herself?”
“She walked out— she walked into a fire.”
Jolee stared at her. Walked into a fire? Who killed themselves that way? Someone who was crazy, obviously. And as cruel as it was of her, all Jolee could feel was relief over Lilah’s demise. She had destroyed, or nearly destroyed, a family and Christian. She couldn’t have any sympathy for the cruel woman.
Then Christian stood, grabbed the handles of the four beer pitchers that they were using as mugs. The plastic had mostly survived Vance’s pillaging. Christian came to the bar, but rather than hand the pitchers to Jolee, he walked to the tap and began filling them. He grinned at Jolee, and she noticed that he was still a little uncomfortable looking at Jane.
Once the pitchers were filled again, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jolee’s lips.
“Thank you,” he said against her lips. She smiled and kissed him again.
Then he scooped up the pitchers and went back to the table to serve them. Jolee sighed as she watched him go. God, she loved him.
“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about fitting into Christian’s world,” Jane said with a small knowing smile. “I think he’s doing fine fitting in right here.”
Jolee smiled, and then laughed as his brothers began to razz him about his bartending abilities. Christian didn’t look offended by the teasing; in fact, he looked quite happy with himself. And he did know how to serve a drink with flare.
Suddenly she didn’t worry about fitting in. It was true. If Christian had managed to be comfortable here, she could manage to fit in with him.
CHAPTER 27
“Jolee’s hot,” Sebastian observed. Then he took a sip of his beer, watching her over the wide rim of the beer pitcher.
Possessiveness flashed through Christian, but then disappeared like a quick jolt of lightning. This was Sebastian, and he was just making a comment. He had always just said whatever came into his head. Christian smiled. It was good to know some things hadn’t changed.
“So are you going to cross her over?” Sebastian asked.
Christian shook his head. Always saying whatever he thought. At least he waited for Jed to call it a night before he asked.
“Sebastian, I think his love life is his own business,” Rhys said.
“Yeah, well, you’d do well to remember those words.” Sebastian leaned closer to Christian. “Thanks to Rhys and Jane, there is just way too much PDA in our house.”
Rhys frowned. “PDA?”
“Public displays of affection,” Sebastian stated.
Rhys snorted, but Christian noticed he didn’t deny their baby brother’s accusation.
“So are you going to bite her?” Sebastian asked again.
Christian gave him a sharp look, then glanced over to Jolee. She was deep in a conversation with Jane and hadn’t heard them. But instead of looking away to answer Sebastian, he studied her.
He hadn’t allowed himself to really, truly imagine an eternity with her. He’d always intended to let her go. He didn’t know how, but he knew he’d have to. But now, now that he knew he hadn’t killed Jane, now that he saw Rhys had found happiness with a mortal, and that Jane had accepted vampirism with no hesitation or regret, maybe he could be with Jolee forever. He wanted that. God, he wanted that. But even if Jolee could accept the truth about his real nature, he had another problem.
“I can’t bite her,” he admitted lowly.
“Oh, please, don’t tell me you are going to be as big a dolt about this as Rhys was about Jane.” Sebastian sighed.
Rhys frowned at him.
“It’s so obvious that you and Jolee are in love,” Sebastian said. “If the air was any thicker with your emotions, we’d have to call the paramedics for oxygen. Between you and Rhys it’s like being on Planet Love, and I need a space suit to protect me from the treacherous atmosphere.”
Christian stared at his brother. “You are weirder than I remember.”
“No, he’s the same,” Rhys said flatly. “You’ve just managed to forget.”
Sebastian ignored them. “So are you going to bite her?”
“I can’t bite,” Christian repeated.
“What?” Sebastian asked as if he must have misheard.
“I can’t bite.”
“What?” Sebastian repeated, but this time Christian knew that he’d heard, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around the information. He stared at Christian in appalled disbelief. Even Rhys looked a little stunned.
“After I bit Jane” — he glanced regretfully toward Rhys—“I stopped feeding from humans. Well, I did drink human blood, from the blood bank, but I rationed it, only drinking as much as absolutely necessary to survive.” He hesitated to tell them about the twelve-step program. It seemed rather silly now.
“Great, another one turning to the bag,” Sebastian muttered, shaking his head. Christian gave him a questioning look, but Rhys spoke before he could ask what he meant.
“That shouldn’t affect your fangs.”
“I also stopped using my preternatural abilities. And gradually they seem to have disappeared,” Christian said.
“Wait,” Sebastian said. “You can’t do anything vampy? And absolutely no fangage, even when you’re getting jiggy?” Sebastian asked.
Christian shook his head.
Sebastian looked as if he might expire at the very thought. But finally he managed to say, “Wow, that sucks. Or doesn’t suck, as the case may be.”
“But you haven’t tried to bite her since you discovered that Jane is fine. Maybe you could now. Maybe it’s guilt-induced or something,” Rhys suggested.
Christian shrugged, but he had a feeling Jane’s existence wouldn’t help. Even now, as he longed to bring Jolee over to him, he didn’t feel the hunger. It was as if the urge to feed had gone dormant inside him.
“I could bite her for you,” Sebastian said, looking quite eager at the prospect.
Christian glared at him. He wouldn’t share her, much less let another vampire, even his brother, cross her over.
“No,” Rhys stated flatly for him however. “According to Dr. Fowler—»
“Oh, God,” Sebastian groaned. “Here we go.”
Christian looked confusedly between his brothers, but waited for Rhys to continue.
“According to Dr. Fowler, if a vampire truly intends to take a mortal to mate, then only he or she should perform the bite. It’s the only way to create an unbreakable bond.”
“Who the hell is Dr. Fowler?” The name sort of rang a bell with Christian, but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen or heard it.
“He’s pretty much the Reverend Moon of the vampire world,” Sebastian said, not hiding his disgust.
Rhys frowned at Sebastian. “No, he isn’t. He’s a scientist who has researched preternatural creatures and has learned a great deal about them. About us, in particular. For example, did you know that more and more research proves vampirism is actually a virus?”
“A virus,” Sebastian scoffed. “That’s so appealing. Give me the good old curse explanation anytime. Thanks.”
Christian ignored him and turned to Rhys. “So you really believe in this guy’s work?”
“I do.”
“Maybe there is a scientific reason for what’s happening with my hunger,” Christian pondered, half to himself.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Rhys said.
“You two are whacked. I’m taking my pitcher and drinking with the ladies.” Sebastian headed over to the bar, slipping onto a bar stool beside Jane.
“Why is Sebastian so opposed to this guy?” Christian asked.
“Because Dr. Fowler is on a campaign to stop vampires from using mortal
s as a food source. He believes that is the primary reason why vampires have never been accepted into society.”
Christian nodded, but he still didn’t follow.
“Sebastian is the most promiscuous biter I know. And he has no intentions of stopping. He doesn’t even want to consider the idea. Hell, he’s created a nightclub that caters just to vampires’ obsession with feeding, and mortals’ fascination with being bitten. He doesn’t want that to end.”
“Well, if this Fowler doesn’t promote biting then he wouldn’t help me. He’d probably be quite pleased that I cant.”
Rhys shook his head. “No. He’s actually a big advocate of integrated mating. He believes that if vampires and mortals are soul mates they should bond. He believes this shows the human population that vampires are actually capable of love and true commitment.”
“No wonder Sebastian hates the guy.”
“Yes, Sebastian is only committed to his own pleasure,” Rhys said, but smiled fondly toward their hedonistic little brother.
“I was the same way,” Christian pointed out regretfully.
Rhys shook his head. “No, you had great commitment skills. You just picked the wrong female.” Rhys looked over at Jolee talking happily to his wife and their brother. “I think you might just do better with this woman.”
But Christian didn’t return his brother’s smile. “I’m so sorry. About Lilah. About what I did to our family. About Elizabeth.”
“Lilah destroyed our family, and she killed Elizabeth.”
“But I brought her into your lives.”
“Christian, I can’t feel anger about the past anymore. I still miss Elizabeth and love her. But if things hadn’t happened the way they did, I never would have found Jane. So I can’t stay bitter.”
Christian could see the sincerity in Rhys’s eyes. Rhys had found his soul mate in Jane.
“How did you know Jane was your mate?” he asked.
“My body knew long before my mind, seeing as I was a little messed up when I met her.”
Christian gave him a pained look. “Sorry.”
“Not your fault either.” Then he added with a wry grin, “Well, maybe a little, but it doesn’t matter now. But to answer your question, I just knew— and so did Jane.”