His lips puckered, she knew he wanted to protest but somehow resisted. She left the room before he changed his mind and said anything else.
She suspected Richard had told Ethan about her plans, but apparently he decided to wait until morning to confront her about it. She was relieved he chose not to bring it up right after hunting, when he wasn’t in the best mood. “We can’t let you go alone,” Ethan said the next morning.
“It makes sense that I would. If I don’t act like I’m invincible, they’ll figure out I’m not.”
“Which you are not.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s just one tube of paint. It won’t take me that long and I’ll take the red beast if it makes you feel better.”
“What would make me feel better would be for you to go with several men to watch over you.”
“Fine, send them in separate cars. They’ll be close enough to help if there’s a problem, but I’ll be surprised if anyone attacks me at the art supply store.”
* * * * *
Danielle tossed her purchase onto the passenger side seat and then paused when she heard a shoe scuffle along the rocks in the parking lot. That sound was too close. She turned, and was confronted with a psychotic-looking male holding a knife. He looked too haggard and unhealthy to be a vampire.
Feeble ... and easy for her to defeat ... even while she was a mortal, and even while she was pregnant.
With his free hand, he shoved his matted blond hair from his face, as his other hand, clutching the knife, trembled. His gray-blue eyes appeared lost, violent, and unpredictable as he shifted his gaze from her face to her bag. His posture was slouched and menacing. The man had to be drunk or on drugs, and probably needed her money to purchase more. She knew his intentions. Still, she couldn’t help but be surprised by the fact that he meant to accost her in broad daylight!
The man lunged toward her, and grabbed for her purse. She responded just as she’d been trained to do. She blocked his knife wielding arm, grasped his wrist and twisted. She cringed when it cracked. She’d broken his wrist, and he wailed in pain as the blade dropped from his grip.
Next, Danielle stepped out, and swung him into the side of the Humvee, wrenching his fractured wrist to his back. His head bounced off the frame, and he grunted. With one kick to the back of his knees the man crumpled. As he fell, she shoved him so that he would land face down. And as soon as he met the pavement, she jammed one knee between his shoulder blades to make sure he stayed that way.
Less than a second later she noticed her guards taking hold of the assailant’s arms, just in case.
“Call the police,” she heard Merrick say.
“Already done,” answered Cedric.
“I’m gobsmacked,” said Richard. “That was brilliant!”
“Wow, mon chér! You took out an armed man while laden with a babe. Incredible!” the guard with the French accent said. She still didn’t know his name.
“Not really,” she argued, “I don’t think he’s all there. And he appears to be wasted.”
“Which would make him more dangerous, in my book,” said Merrick.
After a few moments of the men babbling on about how impressed they were, she could hear the sirens as the police neared, and considered the many large men standing around her. “I think some of you should faze back into the bushes. This may look really strange to the police.”
They looked around at each other. “She has a point. We look like a bunch of fools standing around while this slip of a young lady holds the villain in place.”
More than half of them disappeared and the others pretended to be witnesses when the authorities arrived.
* * * * *
“Apparently that made the news,” Ethan said. His tone was thick with concern and fury as he ground the words out through a set jaw, muscles pulsing.
“That just means that they’ll be more fooled into thinking I’m a vampire, right?” Danielle said, hoping to calm him.
“Why didn’t you guys get to her faster? She shouldn’t have had to deal with this on her own,” he demanded. His overprotective nature was really showing again.
“We were on our way, she just simply dealt with the cur so fast and efficiently we weren’t actually needed.”
“Ethan, don’t be upset. I’m fine. I had no idea there was a serial, daytime mugger on the loose. Plus, he wasn’t really that hard to defeat—” She feared that if she didn’t get him to calm down about this she just might be stranded inside this house for the remainder of her pregnancy, if not longer.
“Yes, he was quite unhinged,” Cedric said.
Ethan winced at that.
“Cedric, not helping. Ethan, he was just a little drunk—”
Merrick jumped in. “He seemed completely foxed to me. And not just with liquor, drugs as well.”
Danielle sank further into the sofa and moaned when Ethan’s knuckles turned white.
“I sure wish I’d witnessed this,” Max muttered, as he entered with Nadia. “I’ve always wanted to see how she fares against a real threat.”
“He wasn’t a real threat!” Danielle argued. “He looked like he was about to keel over anyway.”
“Danielle, you’ve done a huge favor for so many women around here. On the news, they said this man had attacked several ladies while they merely shopped. You’re a hero.”
“You’re not helping either,” she muttered to Nadia, then swept a look over Ethan’s face, trying to interpret the emotions raking across his features.
“Truth be told, it was quite impressive,” The Black Prince added, his eyes twinkling with admiration.
“I know what she’s capable of!” Ethan shouted. “She just shouldn’t have to! My wife shouldn’t have to apprehend mad thieves without aid!”
For some reason, this screamed comment struck her as funny, and she started laughing. The others joined in, and then so did Ethan after a long hesitation.
Chapter 19
Or Worse
Danielle walked in on Ethan doing the budget or bills again. And this time he wasn’t wearing glasses….
“We need to go out, socialize, see my parents, anything,” she said, tired of being cooped up inside.
A line formed between his brows.
“Wouldn’t we do that if we were both immortal?” She tried again.
He appeared to chew on that for a moment or two, and then lifted his gaze. She clutched onto the edge of the desk to keep from crumbling to the floor. A combination of pregnancy and vampire magic ... so not fair….
Ethan chuckled softly, and motioned for her to sit with him. “I suppose we could invite them over for dinner. I could cook,” he offered.
She settled onto his lap, and then said, “What about going out to eat? You went out with me before, to put on a show, can’t we do that for my parents?”
“I think the show that’s more important at the moment, is the show of immortality, and what if someone notices that you’re enjoying the food more than a vampire should?”
“Mmm, right.” Of course she saw his point and it was a valid one. But after the mugger incident Ethan had been even more paranoid with her safety. It was kind of starting to drive her a little batty.
“And you have been seen hunting with me in a group.”
Her eyes rounded when the comment pulled her mind from her thoughts of freedom, of being normal.
“Merrick’s wife is about your size, we’ve had her dress up as you when we’ve been out, and we’ve gone in groups to add to the confusion.”
“Where is she staying?”
“She and many of the other’s wives are staying at a home a few blocks away. They didn’t want to spend this much time away from their men.”
“All because of me.” She felt the sting as the guilt smacked her in the face.
“No, because of us.”
“Why do they care? Why do they bother? They’re still doing all of this for free, aren’t they?”
“Yes, But this is war…”
War still wasn’t something she fully understood, and because of that Danielle chose to accept his reasoning and let the matter drop. “Is it hard for that many vampires to hunt around here? And remain hidden?”
“It’s a plus that we’re basically surrounded by mountains here. It makes it easy ... but there are also problems with having wildlife so close.”
“Such as?”
“Well, you remember the pixies, don’t you?”
Danielle shivered as goose bumps sprang up along her arms and neck. “How could I forget? Are they here?”
“We haven’t seen them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.”
“So that’s why you don’t want to take me out on the town?” War and Pixies....
“Precisely.”
She exhaled and twisted around on his lap to face the laptop. Danielle grabbed the sides of it and slid it closer. “Mind if I check eBay to see if my paintings have sold?”
Ethan shifted and tipped forward, setting his chin on her shoulder. “Go ahead.”
The web browser popped up on the monitor when she clicked on the little icon, and then she went to her seller’s page. She gasped and squeaked. “They sold! All of them! And with several bids!”
Her husband laughed against the back of her neck, which tickled. “Good for you, darling.”
“Let’s see where I need to mail these…” She leaned forward, unable to believe what she was seeing. “Colorado? What?”
“Hmm,” Ethan said. “Didn’t you tell me earlier that the guards didn’t want you to sell your work?”
“Yes, the prince—”
“Looks like he’s your buyer.”
“Why would he do that?”
Ethan didn’t answer that and she twisted to face him. A couple of conflicting emotions appeared to be dwelling in his expression. Irritation being one of them, and she wasn’t sure about the other.
“Are you bothered by that?” she asked him.
“Should I be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should you be bothered by it, Danielle? You told him you wanted to sell the art.”
She thought about that. “Well,” she hesitated. “I did get the money I wanted. So I suppose we both should be happy, right?”
Ethan didn’t look happy about it at all, and the old jealousy and suspicion had filtered back into his tone when he asked, “Do you think he really wanted the art, or did he purchase them for another reason?”
“I hope he didn’t do it for that other reason…” Was Richard interested in more than just her safety? “I need to ask him about it. Will you come with me?”
Helping her from his lap, Ethan stood. “I need to hear his reasons as much as you do.”
They made their way down the hallway to where the men could be heard talking.
“I can’t believe how hard it was to get them. There was a user called fairyfanatic247 who really gave me a fight.” That was Richard, and he had to be talking about the auctions.
“Plus you had us bidding against you to bump up the price.”
“That too,” Richard paused. “I was beginning to think you wanted to steal the blue fairy from me, Merrick.” His tone deepened and the sound had taken on a dangerous quality.
This sent Danielle into a fit of giggles. Merrick was mid-sentence with, “My wife would have liked it,” when their guilt-ridden gazes traveled in her direction at the sound.
“Very well, then, you may have it,” Richard muttered to Merrick from the corner of his mouth.
“Why?” Danielle asked, and she wasn’t talking about why Richard was giving one of them to Merrick.
“Are you distressed about it?” Merrick asked.
“Well, no, not really. I guess if you got what you wanted, and I got what I wanted, then it’s all good? That is if you really wanted the art? Do you really want it?”
Both Richard and Merrick started nodding. “It will cheer the home the wives are staying in,” the Highlander said.
“And I wasn’t fooling when I said I liked your work,” said the prince.
“You paid for shipping, would you like that refunded since obviously they won’t actually be shipped anywhere?”
“No, keep it.”
“But—” She halted her argument, because she could see that the prince was stubborn enough to not listen, so she shrugged her shoulders and said, “All right then, but what are you going to do when I want to sell more?”
“We’ll decide that after we’ve seen the work.”
* * * * *
That night Ethan decided to go hunting after she’d fallen asleep, but she woke up with that feeling that she wanted something to eat but she didn’t know what.
Danielle slipped out from under the covers and shrugged into her robe. Then on the way to the kitchen she felt as though someone was watching her and tossed a look over her shoulder.
She shrieked when she found Richard right there only inches away and automatically stepped back. Her hand rose to her heart, and her eyes dropped to the floor. “What are you doing?” she asked, barely having enough breath to get the words out.
“Just keeping you safe, sweeting.” When he used words like “sweeting,” it really showed his age.
“From what? I’m inside—”
“That’s no guarantee.” He stepped closer and she took a couple more steps back as Ethan’s warnings flowed through her thoughts. Was Ethan right? An impression that she needed to be protected from Richard more than anything else swirled up from her imagination along with the natural instinct to defend herself. But she couldn’t defend herself against him, and that reality stung. Yes, she had some skills ... skills that did her no good when it really mattered. Fighting off the medieval prince wouldn’t be anything like fighting a feeble, mortal, loser.
“What’s got you up at this hour?” he asked gently. Kindly.
If this man was a threat to her, he sure was good at disguising it. But Ethan never said he felt the prince was a danger to her in that way. So would kidnapping her be a more likely scenario? More his style?
His expression remained benevolent as he waited for her answer. Was he a threat or not? He didn’t look like one. Before her stood the charming Black Prince, not the moody, quick-to-anger one that she’d seen before. And so she wasn’t sure. Danielle felt really confused.
Absentmindedly her hand touched her stomach. “A craving,” she managed.
He smiled. “I see. Off you go now.” Again his words were amiable. And when he talked like that, she definitely felt the age difference.
She turned and continued on her way to the kitchen. The sound of his heavy heals clapping against the floor completely covered any sound her bare feet might have been making.
The house was dark except for the glow of moonlight that filtered in through the windows. The curtain-covered panes of glass looked much like back-lit rectangles surrounding the front room as she passed. She turned right toward the kitchen and that too glowed as moonbeams painted a square of gold on the tile flooring.
As she entered, she noted the stream of illumination that flowed through the French doors leading to the back porch from the kitchen, and Danielle almost didn’t feel the need to turn on the light, but she did.
She paused to consider what she was in the mood for ... definitely something sweet, and then she frowned. She knew they were out of strawberries at the moment; she’d eaten the last of them earlier that evening. Her eyes landed on the double-layer cake under the glass dome in the center of the counter.
Danielle turned to retrieve a plate, a fork, and a knife and then shrieked because Richard was in her space again. “Uh, excuse me,” she said stepping around him.
“Can I be of service?” he asked, his voice uncomfortably close.
“I’ve got it, thanks.” She sidestepped him again.
As she opened the cupboard and drawer she could feel him staring at her, and shuddered.
“Are you cold? Should I fetch you a blanket?”
&
nbsp; “I’m fine, really.” She lifted a dull knife from the drawer.
He snatched it away. “Please, princess, let me do the honors.”
Figures.
She carried the plate and fork to where he stood with the butter knife and the open cake dome. He didn’t ask her how much she wanted he just sliced off a large piece and dropped it onto her plate. “There you are.”
Danielle settled at the table to eat, then dwelled on the fact that he sure did stare a lot, just as Ethan had said. It made her feel uneasy. After taking two bites with an intent audience, she decided that maybe she could finish this in the privacy of her room. Lifting the plate, she tucked the fork under her thumb and stood. “I’m going back to bed.”
“But you’ve only taken a couple of bites.”
“I’m taking this with me.”
He shoved away from the counter to escort her back. But her eyes locked onto the French doors when movement caught her attention, and then they both stilled when a man yelled from the yard. It was an alarm, a warning. And then another shout rang out. It sounded just as intent as the first.
Richard’s expression twisted with concern and became quite fierce. He snatched her by the shoulders and tugged her to his chest. His action knocked the plate to the floor and it shattered on impact. The frosted cake on it plastered pieces of stoneware to the floor.
Danielle screamed when the glass door behind Richard exploded and he was forced to use his body to shield her from the shower of shards slicing around them. Then a second later, he shoved her to the floor as two large beast-like arms burst through the opening and latched onto Richard’s throat and chest.
A grunt was forced from him. “Run,” he whispered as he was dragged through the doorway like a victim in a horror film, except he didn’t look appropriately terrified.
She knew she needed to run, karate would be useless against these things as well, but she couldn’t run, she couldn’t stand, and there were no bones in her legs, and no air in the room.
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