I stood and paced away from the table. “Lochlan, I… I can’t,” I said, turning to face the two men. “I can’t tell you.”
“Saphrona, you just told me you don’t know who’s behind this—now do you or don’t you?”
My eyes flickered toward Mark. He looked at me steadily, and in his eyes I saw that he was ready to stand with me should I decide to come clean. With everything that had happened—the barn, Juliette, my father, even me biting him—the fact that he was here supporting me made me feel a lot stronger that I had ever felt when I was alone.
Besides, Lochlan was my brother. Surely if he knew he would help me get out from under the mess I had created for myself.
And so, taking a deep breath, I said, “Lochlan, what I do know is that Vivian Drake isn’t behind this.”
“Oh really?” he scoffed. “And just how the bloody hell do you know that?”
I eyed him squarely. “Because I am Vivian Drake.”
Lochlan stared. He blinked once, twice, then shook his head and stared a little more. “You’re mad. You’ve gone completely, undeniably, irrevocably around the sodding bend.”
He stood then, and Mark followed suit, standing beside me but slightly in front. “Oh, a nice display of bravado, my friend, but I daresay that my sister is more a threat to me than you are,” he said snarkily.
“That would be true, Lochlan, if I didn’t know how to kill you,” Mark replied.
Lochlan harrumphed then smiled slightly, his sudden ire already deflated. “I’d welcome you to try, but I don’t want my sister to kill me before I’ve had a taste of my own pair-bond, thank you very much.” He then dropped back into the chair he had just vacated, rubbing his hands over his weary face as he looked back up at us. “Saphrona, what the devil were you thinking? I could see all that blather that the dragon lady said about why the books were written being true if you had written them when you first left, but you didn’t write them for more than a century and a half!”
Mark sat again and I shrugged as I returned to my own chair. “I don’t know, Loch. To be honest, the first book started out as more of a diary. I had just gotten another lavish gift from Diarmid, and I remember wondering when he was going to get it through his thick head that he couldn’t simply buy my affection. I was frustrated with the fact that even after all this time, he keeps trying. That he can’t seem to understand that what he did to my mother is unforgivable.”
I sighed and began spinning the glass in my hands slowly as I stared down at it. “I just remember one day sitting down at the computer and just…writing. I put down everything I had learned, everything I had felt, my frustrations and angers and fears and hopes …everything. I read over it the next day and I remember thinking, ‘Now here’s some vampire lore that could make someone a hell of a lot of money.’ And I’ve always thought of being a writer, so I carefully crafted the Vivian Drake identity, then restructured the material I’d written and made a book out of it. Sent it off to a publisher thinking there was no way it would ever actually get published, and then it did and everything just exploded from there.”
“You know…given what I know about publishing, it’s no small wonder that no one’s ever seen Vivian’s face,” Lochlan said. “How on Earth did you get out of doing a press tour—book signings and all that?”
I had to smile. “Easy: I made Vivian agoraphobic. In my communications to my agent and publishers, I explained that the condition made me unable to leave my house, and the books were my way of reaching out, of being part of the world I inexplicably feared.”
He nodded. “As damn good a cover as any, I suppose. But if you’re Vivian, then either your secret’s been compromised or we’re completely back to square one as to who the hell is behind all this.”
“I don’t see how my security’s been compromised,” I said. “All the people that know I’m Vivian are in this house right now.”
“That you know of,” Loch pointed out. “Is it possible that your publisher or your agent have been approached? Would one of them have given your information out?”
I shook my head. “They can’t give out information they don’t have—not even they know where Vivian is from. All my books have been sent in by e-mail because of Vivian’s agoraphobia, so we’ve never met face-to-face. All they have is a social security number and a bank account to wire my royalty payments to.”
“My, my… Aren’t you a clever girl?” my brother said.
“Believe me, Loch, I made sure all my bases were loaded before I went through with this,” I told him. “So I just don’t see the barn fire or the attack on Juliette having anything to do with Vivian Drake.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Mark spoke up then. “Loch, vampires are supposed to have a super sense of smell. I remember how you and Evangeline reacted to me. Anyway, if that’s true, I’m wondering if you picked up anything when you first found Juliette?”
Lochlan shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid not. I was too distracted by the smell of her blood, and distraught by the condition in which I found her. I could think of nothing at that moment except getting her inside so that I could tend to her.”
“And she’s been bathed, so the scent will have been washed away,” I added.
Mark looked between us. “But what about outside? Wouldn’t there be what you guys call a scent trail?”
“Possibly. But there’s no way to tell precisely when she was left there, and there have been petrol vapor trails run across the spot that would obscure it in any case. We must also consider that they simply threw her out of whatever vehicle they brought her back in.”
“Actually,” I began, “We couldn’t have been gone from the house more than half an hour when you called me. Mark’s parents were obviously already back in town when I called them with the news, seeing as they got here before we did.”
My brother’s face fell for a moment. “And I must thank God that they didn’t arrive while I was having to re-break and set her broken bones,” he said. “She screamed horribly, poor child, but did not wake even then. Whatever that drug is they used on her, it was strong to keep her asleep through that pain.”
“She didn’t wake once?” Mark asked.
Lochlan shook his head, then looked at him squarely, saying, “I know that I have no right to ask, but I would like to have a part in finding whoever did this. I want to help you make that bastard pay.”
Mark returned his steady gaze. “You care about my sister, don’t you?”
Lochlan nodded. “Aye. More than I’ve any right to, given we’re both rather looking forward to being bonded. But I’ve always been fond of a woman with spirit, and she has it in spades. Juliette is a marvelous verbal sparring partner, and I would very much like to one day call her my friend.”
“She might not admit it anytime soon, but I think I know her well enough to know she feels the same,” Mark replied.
My brother nodded again, then sighed. “So, kids, how the bloody hell do we go about finding this git?”
“Your truck,” I said to Mark. “Call the police and report it stolen—surely wherever they find it will give us a lead.”
“True,” Mark said. “But we don’t know if Juliette actually made it anywhere or if they ambushed her on the side of the road somewhere. It would help if she was awake to tell us that much.”
Lochlan cocked his head to the side as if thinking of something, then looked at us and said, “Well given the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and her breathing, she’ll be asleep a while yet. But that’s a good thing in that it will help her recover faster. Now, you could certainly call the police now and report the truck stolen, and just get Juliette to support whatever story you tell.”
I shook my head. “No. Mark’s right. I think we should wait for Juliette to wake up and tell us what happened to her. I mean, what if we report it stolen from the driveway, but they find it in some mall parking lot, and the security cameras show Juliette getting out of it?”
Lochlan growled. “Damn, I hate i
t when you are right, sister.”
I grinned tiredly. “I know you do.”
I noticed then that Mark was trying vainly to stifle a yawn. I put my hand on his shoulder and rubbed it comfortingly, saying, “I think it’s time I get Mark here into bed.”
“No need to be subtle, my dear sister,” Loch said with a wide grin. “You want to go and have your way with him—I understand that. But if you wouldn’t mind, keep the noise down to a minimum. I’d very much appreciate you not disturbing me or my patient.”
I rolled my eyes as Mark chuckled. “We’ll be going to bed to go to sleep, nothing more—not that it’s any of your business, nosy. And I had a feeling you’d want to stay and keep an eye on Juliette, but do me a favor and behave yourself.”
Loch pretended to be shocked. “I am insulted by that insinuation, Saphrona! I am a doctor and a gentleman, thank you very much.”
“Better be a gentleman,” Mark muttered as he stood.
I grinned at Lochlan as I pushed Mark toward the living room. I followed at first then suddenly stopped, a hand flying to my mouth as I gasped. “Moe and Cissy! Where are the dogs? I can’t believe I forgot about them!”
“They’re in the basement,” Lochlan said rising and walking over to the basement door to open it. The two Chihuahuas came tearing up the stairs and through the door, barking loudly and nipping at Lochlan’s ankles. I could tell they were not happy about having been locked in the basement, which was something I never did with them.
“Looks like Moe and Cissy are mad at you, Loch,” I said with amusement as he shut the door behind them.
He snickered and squatted down to pet the dogs. “Nah,” he said mildly. “Moe and Cissy love me.”
Moe proved just how much by latching onto his hand in that tender space between his thumb and forefinger, growling as menacingly as a three-pound dog could growl. I had to force myself to hold in a laugh as I scolded the dog and commanded him to let go.
“Yeah, they really love you,” I said to my brother as Moe released his hand, barked loudly one more time, and then promptly turned and led Cissy away into the living room. Mark shook his head as the two marched by him and headed up the stairs.
Lochlan inspected his hand. Moe had bitten down just hard enough to leave a mark, one that was already fading to nothing—he hadn’t even broken the skin. “See?” he said, holding it up. “He loves me. If he didn’t, he’d have been more forceful and actually tried to do some damage. That was just a ‘Don’t ever put me in the basement again’ bite.”
I did laugh this time, and after bidding my brother goodnight, led Mark up the stairs. We quickly peeked in on Juliette, who seemed to be resting comfortably, and then headed to our room, where we undressed and climbed into the bed in our birthday suits. I turned so that my back was to Mark’s chest and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the top of my head. I sighed contentedly, said a quick and silent prayer that Juliette was going to be alright, and then fell softly into sleep.
*****
The next morning when I woke, I found Mark’s side of the bed empty and cold. A little disappointed that he wasn’t there to kiss me when I woke, I rose and dressed quickly, crossing the hall to rinse my mouth and use the facilities before going in to check on Juliette. I found Lochlan in her room sitting in one of the chairs. His chin was resting on his chest and he was snoring lightly, her hand with the I.V. clasped lightly in his.
I turned to leave but stopped when I heard Juliette speak lightly. “Don’t go.”
I turned back and smiled at her as I crossed the room. She had dark circles around her eyes, but they were otherwise bright and clear as she looked up at me.
“Hey there,” I whispered softly. “I’m so glad to see that you’re awake.”
She glanced over at the hand that Lochlan held. “I woke to find him like this. I’m kinda afraid to take my hand back because I don’t want to wake him,” she said. “I assume he’s been here all night?”
I studied my brother’s face for a moment and then nodded. “He’s been here all night, yeah, but I don’t think he’s been asleep long. It’s still pretty early, judging by the amount of light outside.”
Juliette turned her head to look out the window for a moment, then looked back at me. “How’s Mark taking this? Has…has he said anything to my mother?”
I took a deep breath and told her what I had seen the night before. She was shocked and somewhat dismayed by her father’s reaction, but agreed that beguiling him so that he would forget was for the best. “I’m glad he won’t remember seeing me like that. It couldn’t have been easy for any of you.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t. I won’t lie, Juliette: you looked like hell. If you weren’t a shapeshifter, you might have been dead or comatose. They really did a number on you.”
She shuddered mildly. “No kidding,” she muttered.
I tilted my head to the side. “What happened to you? Do you remember anything?”
She nodded, and I noticed her eyes tearing up. Juliette drew a breath in slowly to calm herself, then told me how she had just gotten out of the truck at Easton when she’d smelled the scent of vampire nearby.
“More than one, in fact,” she said. “I started looking around, trying to find them, and then I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had just enough time to recognize the smell of the guy from the movie theater as I turned around and got decked. He hit me hard enough to knock me out, ‘cause the next thing I remember is waking up in what I assume is a basement.”
Juliette continued her tale, her tone growing more animated and angry as she recalled waking up naked and chained to a wall, her arms over her head. She wasn’t alone in the room—the vampire from the movie theater was there, as was another male vampire, the second man from the parking garage at the mall. They both leered at her in the dim light of the single bulb she could see, smiling lasciviously and flickering their tongues at her. She’d growled and demanded to know who the hell they were, why she was there, and what they planned to do to her. She tried breaking the chains holding her arms up but they were too thick even for her extra strength. She tried to change her form, and when she couldn’t she realized that they’d given her some kind of drug that inhibited her ability to transform. It was then that she knew she was in real trouble.
Then in a flash, the vampires came at her. They took turns alternately feeling her up and hitting her, ignoring her howls of protest and laughing at her attempts to fight back. The vamp from the theater had a cigar in his mouth, and decided that it would be fun to put it to her skin. Every time he ground the lit end into her skin he would snuff the fire, and so he would relight it and do it all over again. When the cigar was gone, he took the lighter itself to her skin. I was glad then that Lochlan was asleep so he didn’t have to hear the sordid details, as I had no doubt he’d shatter the windows yelling with rage.
A thought occurred to me then, and I gasped in horror. “Juliette, please don’t tell me…don’t tell me they raped you?”
Tears she’d until now held in check spilled from the corners of her eyes. “The second guy, the one whose scent I didn’t recognize, he wanted to,” she said softly. “Make a crack about wondering what shapeshifter pussy would feel like on his cock, and would it taste as sweet as the virgins he preferred to fuck. Movie theater guy wouldn’t let him, said they were under orders just to give me a good beating. Didn’t stop the bastard from shoving his fingers inside me more than once.”
“Then he as much as raped you, that son of a bitch,” I whispered. I was crying by the time she finished telling me all she had endured. I wanted so much to take her into my arms then, to hold her and comfort her. And I wanted to break the necks of those two men with my bare hands for hurting her. I didn’t give a damn if that made me a monster—because in my mind they deserved to die.
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Eighteen
“Where’s Mark?” Juliette asked, wiping at the tears on her face.
I wiped my
own tears away. “I don’t know. He wasn’t in bed when I woke up,” I replied. “I’ll go see if he’s downstairs.”
She nodded and I rose. Peeking in my room, I noticed Moe and Cissy were gone, and so I figured he was outside with them. Downstairs I saw in the kitchen that Mark had indeed fed them, and a glance out the back window showed me that they were in their kennel. A glance out the side window, however, showed me that my truck was gone, which meant Mark wasn’t even on the premises.
This didn’t concern me right away. Although I had already come to expect him to let me know his comings and goings, he was obviously not required to. Perhaps he had gone to check on his parents, or even the horses and Angus, and he just hadn’t wanted to wake me. I went for the phone and picked it up off the base, dialing Harry’s number.
He answered on the third ring. “Morning, Saphrona. You coming to see your animals today?”
Well, that answered my question. Still, I asked him, “So Mark hasn’t been by there today?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Harry replied. “I just came in from feeding all the animals, including yours. No sign of him. Why, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing wrong. Just that my truck is gone. His was stolen yesterday from the mall that his sister drove it to.”
“Well there ya go. He probably just went to talk to the police again.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. He probably just didn’t want to wake me unnecessarily. Thanks, Harry. I’ll come by later today to see to my animals, and change that dressing on Angus,” I said.
“Well, like I said, I just gave ‘em their breakfast, so you go ahead and take your time,” Harry told me.
“Alright. Thanks again.” After hanging up, I realized I was frowning. It just didn’t feel…right…that Mark had left without telling me where he was going. I looked at the front of the fridge and didn’t see a note under any of the magnets. I went back into the living room and didn’t see anything on the end tables or the coffee table so I dashed into the office, finding nothing there, either—I even turned on the computer to see if he’d typed a note and left it on there. Running back upstairs to my room, I found no note on either bedside table or the dresser.
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