by Judith Post
"Meeting me?" Enoch stared, surprised.
Feral laughed. "Where else can they bump into you without the threat of being turned to dust? We've all heard the legends. You swoop in to help Caleb's generals and whole armies of rogues go down. You're like a cult hero. You fascinate us."
Enoch pushed to his feet. He wasn't some freak show display to help her bring in customers.
"Leaving so soon?" Feral asked. "I'd love to hear more about your hands."
She was baiting him, trying to get under his skin, and she was doing a damned good job of it. "We have things to do, but we'll be back soon. Don't miss us." He could feel her stare as he walked to the door.
"Oh, but I will."
He turned. "Remember, I don't have to play by rules. I can do whatever I think is best to protect mortals from vampires."
"Can you protect them from themselves?"
"I wouldn't have to if you didn't get them hooked on venom."
She raised her eyebrows, and her eyes glowed yellow. "Would you like to spank me?"
Yeah, she'd like that, but he felt too angry to let her see how she bothered him. It was time he found a way to make Three Rivers look less inviting to her and hers.
In the parking lot, Danny scraped a hand over his short hair. He kicked his car's tire. "How do we stop her? She's playing with us."
Enoch leaned against his Land Rover. "What I told her is true. I don't have rules, but she knows I have morals. I can only bend so much and stay true to myself."
A slow smile turned up Danny's lips. "I've never met anyone better at bending rules than Ulrich."
Enoch thought about that. "Ulrich has to follow Caleb's laws. She has us in a bind. Everything she's doing is legal for vampires, but at least we know why so many people die when she opens a club in a city. Addiction and overdoses."
Danny looked to the heavens, upset. "What if you go in there and destroy the place, smash furniture and rough up vampires?"
Enoch leveled a look at him. "She'd love that. Then she could call you and have me arrested, and what do I say? Sorry, but I don't like having vampires in Three Rivers? How long do you think I'd sit in jail? She could get an injunction to keep me from stepping foot on her property."
"Damn." Danny glared at the club. "Okay, then, let's focus on what we can do. We need to visit the first person you saw when you touched the kid. I can't go today. I have to be in court in an hour. Tomorrow?"
"I have plans. Saturday?"
Danny nodded. "I'll have everyone's addresses by then. You can pick me up, we'll visit the people on your list, and then you can help me paint the nursery."
"Oh, goodie."
Danny laughed and waved Enoch away. They each got in their cars and went their own ways.
When Enoch got home, he called for Caleb. Maybe this time, his friend would have some ideas that might help him. Caleb was even better at bending rules than Ulrich.
But such was not the case. Caleb appeared, when he called, in all of his golden splendor. But after listening to Enoch's complaints, Caleb's scowl matched his own. "She's not breaking any of my rules, brother. She's a pestilence to our kind, but my hands are tied."
"Then how do I help mortals?" Enoch demanded. "How do I keep them safe?"
"Make your own rules. Make people follow them."
"I can't mess with free will."
Caleb gave him a look of pity. "Then maybe this time, mortals have to take care of themselves."
After Caleb's image faded from view, Enoch punched the air. Damn it! He hadn't been this frustrated for a long time.
Chapter 23
When Ulrich walked into the kitchen after sunset, he could tell Enoch was upset. Crystal and Lucinda went out on the balcony and slumped onto lounge chairs. Not in the best moods either. Last night had been a fiasco.
Ulrich cracked a patio door and said, "No training tonight. Let's give it a rest."
Both girls relaxed. Lucinda smiled up at him, and he forced himself not to react. Damn, that woman was alluring. This babysitting gig was proving more dangerous for him than fighting battles.
She sensed his moodiness and said, "How did you get stuck taking care of us? Did you lose a bet?"
Enoch answered from behind him. "It's because he's too good at his job. Ulrich got his territories under control faster than the other generals. No rogues are rebelling in the areas Bart assigned him."
Lucinda raised her eyebrows. "I'm not surprised. And his reward was being sent here?"
Enoch laughed, relaxing a little. "Lucky him, right?"
"I always jump at a chance to work with Enoch." Ulrich watched a breeze riffle Lucinda's copper hair. A strand fell across her lips, and he itched to touch it. He took a deep breath. "I'm not used to all this sitting around. What do you say, brother? Will you walk with me?"
Enoch studied him a moment, then gave a quick nod. "I can stretch my legs. It's a nice night."
The chilly air had given way to a balmy temperature. Clouds still huddled above Three Rivers, but the dampness had disappeared. Enoch grabbed a jacket, and Ulrich shrugged. The long sleeves of his tunic were enough.
They didn't talk in the elevator on their way down to the lobby. Enoch waited until they left to building to say, "She's hard to resist, isn't she?"
Ulrich shook his head. His friend read him far too well. "Damned impossible. There's hell to pay, spending twenty-four hours a day with her."
"You've never tried very hard to resist women before." Enoch turned his head to study him.
Ulrich grimaced. "She's too young, not even a century old yet. She's new, doesn't have a clue what being a vampire is really about. I'd feel like a cradle robber."
"I was wondering what was slowing you down. Usually you'd be flirting and enjoying yourself."
"That would be like a grade school teacher coming onto Angel. Just wrong."
They walked straight down Main Street, past the restaurant Enoch loved, past the fancy cocktail club. Enoch glanced to the left toward the main part of the city as they reached the underpass. An old habit, Ulrich knew, always looking for rogues in the shadows.
"Lucinda's not exactly innocent," Enoch said.
"She's not exactly experienced either." Ulrich jammed his hands inside his leather pants pockets. "She's going to have vamps all over her, trying to convince her to stay with them."
"That doesn't mean any of them will be good for her."
"That doesn't mean they won't be either." Ulrich sighed. "I'm a general. Bart sends me all over the world to destroy rogues who break the rules. What kind of life is that?"
"She might like it. Claudia does."
"But she doesn't know yet, does she? She can't picture what life's like as a general. She's never battled rogues."
"So you're going to be noble and give her time to discover herself." Enoch didn't sound impressed.
Ulrich frowned. "I'm trying to do the right thing here."
"Are you? Or are you running because you've never had anything but temporary fun?"
Ulrich stopped walking to face him. Why was Enoch giving him a hard time? "That's not fair."
"Maybe you should let Lucinda decide…if you're really interested in her, that is. The last time I saw you, you said you were ready to settle down. Are you?"
Ulrich turned on his heel and started walking again. Why did his friend always ask the difficult questions? If that's what being an angel did to you, he was glad he'd been turned vamp.
Enoch easily fell into stride beside him. "You're not sure, are you?"
"I think I am, but what if I'm wrong?"
"Then it's the first mistake you'll ever make in life." Enoch's voice dripped sarcasm.
"Very funny." Enoch knew his past, how he and Gunther had gotten so drunk after a raid that their Viking friends set sail without them. He knew they'd traveled and fought together until they met Huns, and then they'd ridden with Huns until they were changed. "I'm no saint. I admit it."
Enoch stopped walking this time and stood with
his feet apart, a wistful expression on his face. "Since I've come to Earth, nothing is as simple as I thought it would be. I make the best decisions I can, but I'm never sure if I made the right one. Sometimes, it feels like I can't win no matter what I choose. Why should it be any different for you?"
Ulrich blinked. Enoch was a damned angel, for pity's sake. "You always do the right thing."
"Then why doesn't it feel that way? How can you tell?" Enoch asked.
"Oh, shit." Ulrich started walking again. "You're a freaking angel. If you don't know, how am I supposed to get it right?"
Enoch fell into step beside him. "Beats me. I haven't figured it out."
"I guess there's no hurry. It's not like bloodlust goes away overnight," Ulrich said. "I can wait and see what happens."
Enoch grinned. "Don't pass up something good for you…and her. I think Lucinda has a thing for Viking Huns. Think about it. Give it a chance."
Ulrich grumbled, but he wasn't sure how to respond. Usually, he'd toss off some half-ass, smart-aleck reply, but he hadn't felt this unsure of himself for a long time. He'd been single all of his many centuries. Would he feel fettered if he settled on one woman? But part of him, a voice that rarely bothered him, insisted that Lucinda would be enough. Still, was it fair to her? He pushed the thoughts aside. He was going around in circles, not reaching any decisions. He'd give it time.
He and Enoch turned back toward the apartment. They'd reached the underpass when two people moved out of its shadows. An ambush? Ulrich's pace quickened. Bring it on! But when they stepped into the light, he saw Scarlet and pretty boy Lance. Perfect. Just what he needed to make a difficult night worse.
"I'm not drinking from him," Scarlet quickly told them. "Lance asked me to come with him to see you. You two are intimidating."
Ulrich glowered. He didn't believe Scarlet. Lance wasn't smart enough to know when to be afraid. "What does he want?"
Lance stepped forward, as full of himself as Ulrich remembered. He held out a hand with a cell phone in it. "Would you give this to Crystal? She's hot as hell as a vampire. I put my number in it. Tell her to call me."
Really? Did Lance think he and Enoch would jump up and down with joy because the rich, spoiled boy would throw a bone Crystal's way? Ulrich smiled. "You've made Crystal's night. She has a thing for you, I can tell."
Lance crooked his lips in a half-smile. Ulrich was surprised peacock feathers didn't sprout out his ass.
"See you, man. Tell Crystal I'll be waiting for her call."
"Will do." Ulrich watched Scarlet and Lance start walking away. When they were out of sight, he and Enoch turned back toward the apartment. Ulrich curled his palm, with the cell phone in it, into a tight fist, crushing the damned thing. When they passed a trash can by the restaurant, he tossed it inside.
Enoch laughed. "Now that's the Ulrich I know and enjoy."
Ulrich smiled, feeling instantly better. He might have a weakness or two, but he wasn't delusional with his own wonderfulness, like Lance. And what did Pretty Boy want with Crystal anyway? He had nothing to offer her. That kid was nothing but trouble.
Chapter 24
Angel was up before her alarm went off. She'd had trouble going to sleep last night, but today was the Halloween parade at school and tomorrow was the actual holiday. Trick-or-treating. Only no one did that here, Enoch told her. Instead, there was a big Halloween party in the lobby. Two celebrations! Today and tomorrow. And she had a brand new, store-bought costume.
She carefully packed her cowgirl outfit in her backpack. It had everything—chaps, a vest, a handkerchief for her neck, a holster with a gun, and a cowboy hat. She pulled on jeans and a checkered shirt that Voronika had bought her to finish the ensemble. Ensemble—what a word. Angel had never heard it before, but Voronika said it meant she needed every element to pull her look together right. Angel sighed. Every, little detail would be perfect. And she had boxes of cookies and bags of candy to take to school, too.
She pinched herself. Nope, she wasn't dreaming. This was real. She felt like a fairy godmother had waved a wand and made her life perfect. Well, almost perfect. She frowned. Crystal didn't feel like her big sister anymore. She was moody and strange, but that was supposed to change once she got past the bloodlust.
Angel sighed. Who was she kidding? She was worried about Crystal. Afraid things would never be right between them again.
"Hey, are you ever coming out of the bathroom?" Enoch called.
Angel hurried to the kitchen.
"Hungry?" he asked.
She shook her head, too excited to eat. He handed her a granola bar. "Your party's not till the afternoon," he said. "That might hold you a while."
He helped carry the boxes of cookies while she carried the rest. The drive to school took longer than usual…or at least, it felt like it did. He pulled to the curb in the circular drive and said, "Have fun."
She nodded and balanced everything to carry into the building. She'd never felt so important in her life. Mrs. Uslar did her best to keep them focused until the clock reached one-thirty, and then she smiled. "Boys, go into your locker room, and girls, you change in yours. Let's get ready for the parade. And best manners."
No one would disobey now. None of them wanted to sit in the office while the rest of the class celebrated. When Angel walked out of the locker room in her cowgirl outfit, kids gaped. Four boys and two girls wore sheets to be ghosts. A few other kids had masks that had been passed down from older siblings. Some had handmade put-together outfits, but only a few other students had costumes bought at a store.
An orange, trick-or-treat napkin sat on each desk with a ghost cookie on it. When the kids saw the cookies, they hurried to sit down.
Mrs. Uslar said, "We have more treats than usual today. Enjoy a cookie now, and there'll be another one when we finish our parade."
It was an event. A treat before the parade. It had never been done before. But there was more. When they sat down to eat their cookie, Mrs. Uslar placed a matching paper cup on each desk and then went to a large cooler and poured punch into each one. Not water. Punch. From McDonald's, it looked like. This was a day to remember.
At two, they went into the hallway and joined the line that would circle the building and parking lot. It was a perfect day, cloudy, but mild. They filed out the front doors and cheers went up from parents, sitting in folding chairs. They marched to the corner, turned and walked to the back of the school's property, turned again to start up toward the parking lot, and then Angel saw them. Sitting together in two, folding chairs—Enoch and Voronika. Tears stung her eyes. She couldn't swallow. And she knew where the punch had come from. A tear dripped off the tip of her nose. She wiped it away. Cowgirls didn't cry.
When she came even with them, she thought she might faint. Her breath caught in her throat. Her chest felt tight. Then Enoch smiled and Voronika gave her a thumbs-up, and Angel laughed. She'd never known life could be so good. She glanced at Mrs. Uslar, and her teacher looked all choked-up, too. She was happy for her students.
Once back in the building, kids took turns filling Halloween, paper bags with treats. They ate their other cookie and drank more punch, and Mrs. Uslar had games for them to play. By the time Angel left the building, she felt like she was floating. Both Enoch and Voronika waited for her. People couldn't stop looking in their direction. He was tall and dark, movie star handsome and Voronika was tall and lithe—so beautifully pale blond, people stared.
Angel put a hand to her chest. More than anything, they'd promised to keep her and they cared about her. They might not love her. It was too soon for that. It might never happen, but they liked her. And that's more than anyone else had ever done except Crystal.
On the drive home, Angel leaned against the back seat, dazed with happiness. She raced upstairs to the apartment, ready to tell Crystal about the party, but Crystal was still asleep. Vampire hours. She should have thought of that.
When the sun finally set and Crystal wandered out of the bedroom,
Angel ran to tug on her arm, to share her news. But Crystal only half-listened. She kept glancing at Enoch. What was her problem?
"Are you listening to me?" Angel demanded.
"Yeah, glad you had a good day." It was a haphazard answer, designed to get rid of her. Mom used to do that. Angel grimaced.
"I thought you'd be happy for me."
"I am."
Right. Angel finally gave up and walked away, and Crystal slowly made her way to Enoch. When he noticed and looked down to listen to her, she stepped close and rubbed her body against his.
Poor Enoch looked like he might fall over from embarrassment. If it hadn't been Crystal rubbing all over him, Angel would have laughed. Instead, she worried. Her sister didn't act like that. Ever.
Voronika shook her head. "Okay, sweetie, the second phase of being a vampire is hitting you hard."
"The second phase?" Enoch sounded desperate for an answer.
Angel listened, too. How many phases were there?
"Lust," Voronika said. "First comes the hunger. The good news is, that must have passed. Now her appetite will be normal. She won't require as many feedings."
"Will I be safe around her now?" Angel didn't like feeling like a morsel when her sister's hunger raged.
"You'll be safer, as long as she's fed, but you won't be able to hold her interest for a while. The second stage hits the libido. She'll act like a cat in heat."
Enoch sighed and scraped a hand through his black hair. "Will Lucinda be hopped up, too?"
Voronika shook her head. "No, she probably came and went through that already with her time at the club."
Enoch looked relieved.
Angel wasn't so sure. She'd watched the way Lucinda looked at Ulrich. Crystal used to look at Lance like that whenever he passed them on the street.
Ulrich and Lucinda walked out of their room and started to the kitchen. Ulrich stopped and sniffed. "Oh, no." He glanced warily at Crystal, who looked at him with new interest.
Angel sighed. Not Ulrich, too. If Crystal ran to rub against him, she'd cover her eyes. Who knew what Ulrich would do?