“You can and we have.” Julian smiled proudly as he took off to the left. “This way to the detention center.”
Tessa and Sebastian fell into step behind him. She looked at Sebastian. “What else goes on down here?”
“Through a room off one of these enormous tunnel the gargoyles who entertain the tourists at the fountain are hydraulically lifted into place.” He looked over his shoulder. “I believe that’s in the other direction. Also, many of the supernaturals who walk the streets posing for pictures and giving the town color use the passageways to come and go without fear of being followed by overeager tourists.”
She nodded. “I think Disney uses tunnels like these.”
“That’s where we got the idea,” Julian called back. “Although I don’t think Disney has special holding cells built to accommodate supernaturals of any variety.”
“No, probably not,” she answered.
They turned a corner. Deputy Cruz was standing guard outside the locked door that led into the cells. Julian pulled out his keycard again.
Sebastian gave the man a nod. Cruz was a solid deputy and a panther shifter, but Sebastian didn’t know much more than that about him. “All quiet?”
Cruz shook his head. “It was. Then she woke up.” He grinned at Tessa. “I understand you were responsible for that. Nice work, valkyrie. Wait until your sister hears.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Here you go.” Julian pushed the door open and held it for her.
Sebastian wished he and Julian could go in with Tessa, but she’d said the best result would come from one-on-one interaction so that no one else’s emotions would interfere with sensing Evangeline’s true motives.
“Who’s there?” Evangeline called out.
They ignored the question. Sebastian squeezed Tessa’s hand. “You won’t have to get close to her to talk to her. When you’re done, knock on the door and Julian will open it again.”
She gave his hand a squeeze back. “I won’t be long.”
She slipped inside.
Tessa had expected a dark, dank cell. Why she’d pictured something that skewed medieval dungeon, she had no idea.
The room before her was bright white and more space ship than jail. Evangeline reclined on a wide molded bench on the other side of the thick glass that separated the free space from the confined. Small round holes perforated the wall at eye level. More for sound than air, Tessa guessed, seeing as how vampires didn’t need to breathe.
Evangeline scowled at her. “What do you want?”
Tessa walked to the halfway point between the door and the glass wall. “Just to ask you some questions.”
Evangeline snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Anger washed off her in waves. “It could make a difference with the council.”
Evangeline gave Tessa the side eye. “What do you know about the council?”
“Enough.” The woman’s curiosity rose a notch. “Why did you want Sebastian’s ability to walk in the sun?”
The question earned Tessa an eye roll. “I’m a vampire, you twit. We all want to walk in the sun again.” Evangeline shifted, swinging her feet onto the floor. “Can you imagine what it would be like to give that up? When I saw Sebastian in the papers and realized he was out in the sun…” She shook her head. “I was his wife. He should have shared that ability with me.”
“You knew losing the sun was the price to pay for being a vampire. But you also should have understood that Sebastian didn’t owe you anything.”
Evangeline barked out a laugh. “He’s been giving me everything I wanted since we married. Why should his daywalking ability be any different?”
“You could have asked him.”
She huffed out a sigh. “Once I figured out all of the Ellinghams could daywalk I knew that option was out. You don’t know what a tight grip Elenora keeps on that family. And she hates me. There was no way she’d agree to sharing that with me.”
“So you assumed she was the one behind it?”
“Elenora controls everything that family does.”
Tessa had yet to see evidence of that. She crossed her arms. “Did you miss the sun so badly you actually would have killed Sebastian for his secret?”
Evangeline glared at her, then turned away. “I’m not answering that.”
But she already had. Indecision had whirled off her, finally solidifying into a positive. Tessa ground her teeth together to keep from lashing out as anger heated her belly. How dare this woman put her own happiness above the price of Sebastian’s life? “One more question and I’ll leave you alone.” Unless she had been working with someone. Then Tessa would have to do her best to pull that information out as well.
Evangeline shifted toward the wall, putting her back to Tessa, and said nothing.
Tessa lifted her chin. “Were you trying to get his secret for yourself?”
Evangeline remained quiet, but her intentions were clear. She’d been after Sebastian’s amulet because of her own desires.
“That’s what I thought,” Tessa said.
Evangeline shifted. “I didn’t say anything.”
Tessa walked toward the door. “You didn’t have to.”
Julian shut the door and leaned against it. “So what’s your gut say? You think Evangeline is working with someone?”
Sebastian wanted to pace but made himself be still. “I don’t know. Maybe. But who would have the patience to work with her? Although she claimed to have a lover who was teaching her self-defense or some such thing.”
Which meant the possibility existed that she’d been doing this for reasons beyond her own desires. Evangeline could have promised another, more powerful vampire that she could provide him with the ability to daywalk in an attempt to curry favor or protection. Or money.
Or maybe she owed a more powerful vampire money and this was her way of repaying it.
If that was true, it would explain why she hadn’t asked Sebastian for any cash in a long time. And her lifestyle required great sums of the stuff.
It was starting to make sense now. Someone else had to be bankrolling her. How else did she afford her life? He doubted she had the wherewithal to invest and plan like most vampires, learning to play the markets to increase their wealth to unimaginable heights.
No, Evangeline was the sort to rely on the kindness of strangers. Strangers she probably seduced and entertained until she grew tired of them. Or more likely, they grew tired of her. Perhaps she’d overstayed her welcome and had been forced to come up with something to repay the largess she’d been shown.
The secret of daywalking would be just the thing. Most vampires would give their right fang for that sort of knowledge. To be free of the one restriction of their kind would be monumental. Life changing. That kind of knowledge could shift the balance of power in the world if dropped into the wrong hands.
He’d about convinced himself that a horde of vampires were moments from descending upon them when Tessa’s sturdy knock sounded on the door.
Julian whisked it open and she stepped out.
“Well?” Sebastian could barely contain himself.
She shook her head. “Just her. And it’s exactly what we thought it was. She saw those pictures of you in the paper, realized what time of day it was when they were taken and wanted the ability for herself.”
Relief washed the torment of thoughts from his head. Julian heaved out a relieved sigh as well. “All right then.”
“She also figured out your entire family could daywalk and assumed your grandmother was controlling the whole thing.”
Sebastian exchanged a look with Julian as Tessa continued. “She knew if that was true, asking you for the secret would get her nothing, but she thought you owed it to her. Mostly because you’ve given her everything she’s asked for over the years.”
Sebastian shook his head. “All because of that damned promise to her father.”
Julian made a face. “What promise?”
“I�
�ll explain later.”
Sebastian leaned in and kissed Tessa. It was briefer than he’d have liked but being demonstrative in front of others was something he was going to have to work on. “Thank you for doing this. Did she say anything else?”
“Oh, all sorts of things, mostly about you.” A mischievous glint winked in Tessa’s eyes. It matched the playful tone of her voice. “But I don’t use that kind of language.”
Back on the street level, Tessa and Sebastian said goodbye to Julian. As he walked away from them, Sebastian turned to her. “Hungry? Because I’m starving all of a sudden.”
She nodded. She was hungry. It had been a long, long day. “I could eat. But there’s something else we should probably do first.”
“What’s that?”
A strange sadness came over her, but she knew that was nonsense. The game was well and truly over. She pulled the engagement ring off her finger and held it out to him. “Return this.”
He put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. “I don’t want it.”
She frowned at him. “Maybe you don’t, but I’m pretty sure that nice fae jeweler is expecting it back.”
He gazed into her eyes and slowly shook his head. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am mad about you, Tessa Blythe.”
She grinned back at him. “The feeling is mutual, Sebastian Ellingham.”
“I am thrilled to hear you say that.”
She laughed. “Did you think I’d changed my mind?”
“Meeting Elenora can have that effect on people.”
Tessa shrugged. “She did say she was going to buy me an island.”
He laughed and pulled his hands from his pockets. “So you’ll take an island from her but not an engagement ring from me?”
She lifted the ring a little higher. “There’s a pretty good chance I will. Someday. When it’s right. But that time is not today and that ring is not this one. This one was about pretending. I would only want one that’s about being genuine. We’ve both had too much pretend in our lives for a while, don’t you think?”
He nodded and finally took the ring. “I agree with that. But…”
“What?”
“You’ve done so much for me. I feel as though I owe you something.”
“You’re still making me dean of library studies, right? And you already advanced me money for my new wardrobe. And hey, you’re letting me live in your guest house. I think that’s a tremendous start.”
He sighed. “That’s not what I’m talking about. What about a new engagement ring?”
She made a face. “Are you asking me to marry you again after what I just said?”
“Well, I didn’t actually do it the first time.”
She reached out and took his hand. “I’m really not ready for that proposal yet. But I’m not going anywhere either. I promise. Let’s just take it day by day. Acknowledging my valkyrie side again is going to take some getting used to. And you’re about to be free of duty and responsibly for the first time since Evangeline’s father passed. How do you know you’re not going to want to date other women and…you know, do what men do?”
He snorted. “You mean do what Julian does? I know myself well enough by now, Tessa. I am not that kind of man.”
She smiled. “No, you’re not, are you? I think that’s part of why I like you so much.”
His eyes took on the hint of a glow. “I might be that kind of man a little bit. Say, if we’re talking about the two of us doing that thing you were referring to.”
Her cheeks grew warm. “That’s a very different conversation.” And one she was surprisingly ready to have. Sebastian was an excellent kisser. It was an easy leap to imagine he’d be good at other things too. “But one we could…start.”
A moment of silence passed between them until he finally spoke again. His voice was edged with something that sounded very much like desire. And maybe a little disappointment. “Day by day, then?”
She nodded. He might not be completely happy with delaying things, but it seemed like a solid plan to her. A chance for them to really get to know each other. And living in the guest house meant she wouldn’t be tempted to sleep with him until they knew they were right for each other. Well, she wouldn’t be any more tempted than she currently was.
Although, really, how could he be more perfect for her? She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from suggesting they do something very different than eating a meal.
He stuck his elbow out. “Dinner then?”
She looped her arm through his. “Absolutely. In fact, where’s that diner, Mummy’s? I could really go for a milkshake.” Because sugar was a good substitute for just about anything. At least that’s what she was telling herself.
“It’s just up ahead.” He sighed, a sad, melancholy sound. “This is not how I thought I’d be spending my wedding night.”
She made a noise in her throat and stopped in her tracks, staring at him. “Okay, this is not actually your wedding night since we didn’t actually get married and did you think I was going to sleep with you just because we got married to satisfy Evangeline?”
He frowned. “No, not at all. I thought we’d be celebrating or…I don’t know what I thought. I never thought I’d get married again, so I don’t know what I thought I’d be doing, honestly. Not having a milkshake at a diner, that’s for sure.”
She stared at his beautiful face. She’d known him three days. Three long, weird, stressful, mostly wonderful days. Plenty of time for her to realize he was exactly the man she needed and wanted in her life.
The other thing she realized is there had been a time and a place for her to draw her sword, just like there was a time and place for plans and doing things by the book. This wasn’t one of those times. A boost of valkyrie boldness charged through her. “Maybe we should get those milkshakes to go.”
He tipped his head to the side. “Why’s that?”
“Because I have a better suggestion about what we can do tonight.” She leaned up and kissed him, long and slow and deep, then she rested against him until his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her closer.
The kiss was deliciously languid and easy. They were a perfect fit, the recluse and the bookworm. The weapons collector and the sword wielder.
The vampire and the valkyrie.
When they finally broke apart, his eyes were as bright as Christmas lights and just as pretty. Anticipation created a haze around them, blocking out the rest of the world. “What’s your better suggestion?”
From the look in his eyes and the roughness of his voice, she had a pretty good idea he knew perfectly well what she wanted to do but was too much of a gentleman to say so. Well, she was a valkyrie, a class of women who weren’t afraid to ask for what they wanted.
She pressed her lips to his one more time, catching his bottom lip gently between her teeth and giving it a little tug before she let go. He let out a small, strangled noise that was something between desire and disbelief. It spurred her on. “Let’s go home and play pretend one more time.”
His words caught in his throat as he spoke. “D-did you have something specific in mind that you wanted to pretend?”
She nodded as she slid her hand down his chest. How she wasn’t trembling from the buildup of nerves, she had no idea. Being bold wasn’t something she was used to, but it was high time to practice. Which brought her back to her answer. “Our wedding night.”
“Our”—he swallowed—“wedding night?”
“Um-hmm.” She straightened his tie. “You know, just to see if we’re any good at it.”
As it turned out, they were as good at wedding night activities as they were at pretending to be married.
Which was very, very good.
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About the Author
Kristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes paranormal romance in the Sin City Collectors series and award-winning urban fantasy for Orbit Books. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers:
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram.
Other books by Kristen Painter
URBAN FANTASY
The House of Comarré series:
Forbidden Blood
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out For Blood
Last Blood
Crescent City series:
House of the Rising Sun
City of Eternal Night
Garden of Dreams and Desires
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Dark Kiss of the Reaper
Heart of Fire
All Fired Up
Sin City Collectors series:
Queen of Hearts
Dead Man’s Hand
Double or Nothing
Nocturne Falls series:
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride
The Werewolf Meets His Match
The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
The Professor Woos The Witch
The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story
The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée
Nothing is completed without an amazing team.
Many thanks to:
Cover design: Janet Holmes
Interior formatting: Author E.M.S
The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) Page 23