I didn’t want to shake it, but I didn’t want to be rude either. As it turned out, her hand was ice-cold. I pulled away quickly. “And you are…?”
The woman looked around with an expression that said she was even less impressed with the shop. “Please. Call me Catherine.”
“Is there something I can help you find? Are you shopping for yourself?” Honestly, this woman didn’t look like the artsy-craftsy type, but I had to ask. “Or are you looking for a gift?”
“I’m not interested in this,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m an old friend of Luka’s. I was interested in seeing his flavor of the month.”
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. Instinctively, I looked around for Walter and saw him standing near the refreshment table.
He raised his brows in a silent, You okay?
I nodded slightly. Seeing Walter there made me feel better.
The woman jutted her chin in Luka’s direction, where I could still see the green of Jasmine’s dress. “Looks like he’s grown tired of you already. And if he hasn’t yet, he will.”
“Excuse me, but who the hell are you?” I wanted to use even harsher language, but I somehow restrained myself.
“Luka and I were romantically involved for quite a few years, so I know him better than you do. You won’t be able to satisfy him for long. Trust me. You’re too simple. Too unworldly.”
I took a step backward, but her arm shot out, blocking my way. “He’s got class, Penelope. Whereas you…you’re bargain basement. He may be having fun with you now, but you won’t be able to keep his attention for long. He’ll stray as soon as you start to bore him. And from the looks of it, he’s starting already.”
I turned my attention to where she was looking. Jasmine was up on her tiptoes now, arms draped around Luka’s neck.
“They’re just friends,” I said, aware that I’d said the same thing about my cheater ex-boyfriend.
The woman laughed. “So naive. So willing to believe what a man tells you in order to be his plaything for a while. From what I’ve heard about your mother, you sound just like her.”
I felt as if I’d just been slapped. I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t. Luka cared about me a lot. Maybe even loved me. I, for sure, was crazy in love with him.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Walter making his way toward us.
Willing away the tears that were threatening to flow, I straightened my spine and held the door open for her. “Please leave.”
Catherine gave the shop another withering glance. “Gladly.”
Walter arrived at my side a moment later. “You look a little shaken up. Who was that?”
“I’m fine now.” I took a deep breath and exhaled the negative. “I need a glass of water.” Walter followed me back to the refreshments table where I grabbed one of the half-filled cups that Alice had so neatly arranged. “She claimed she used to be romantically involved with Luka.”
Walter frowned. “What was her name?”
“Catherine.”
His eyes turned ice cold. “Stay there. I’m going to see which way she went.”
“Is everything okay?” Alice asked me after Walter left. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” That was a favorite joke among Aunt Sylvia’s friends. They all knew she was a medium.
“I wish,” I said, smiling weakly.
She chattered on about what a wonderful event this has been and all the people she’d met, and then she asked about where the extra paper cups were. “I went back to look for more but couldn’t find them.”
“Hold on. I’ll go get them.” To be honest, all her chit-chat on top of that delightful conversation with Catherine had given me a headache.
“Oh, and can you toss that while you’re back there? It’s a little heavy for me.” Alice pointed to a full garbage bag that she’d tucked under the table.
“Of course.” I grabbed the bag and headed for the back of the shop, grateful for the chance to grab a quick breath of fresh air.
It had just started to rain when I poked my head out the door to the alley and tossed the bag into the trash. I was surprised to see a limousine parked a few feet away. Its windows were tinted, its engine running.
How fun, I thought, as I waved to the darkened windows. A group of knitters must’ve rented a limo to take them to all the shops. I’d have to remember that for next year. What a great idea for a VIP package.
12
Luka
* * *
I’d just arrived at the front of the shop when Walter burst from the door, looking left and right.
“What’s wrong,” I asked. “Where’s Penelope?”
Walter jerked his chin. “Inside at the refreshments table.” Through the front window, I could see her standing near the back. “Catherine was just here.”
“Catherine?” Instantly, my blood was boiling with anger.
“A woman I didn’t recognize came up to her and started talking, so I assumed she was a customer. It wasn’t until she left that Penelope mentioned who she was.”
“Don’t let Penelope out of your sight,” I ordered. “And call Sheriff Merrow. Tell him that someone threatened Penelope.”
Anger barely in check, I jogged down the street, trying to get a glimpse of where Catherine had gone. It had just started raining, so the crowd was thinning quickly, which should make it easier for me to locate her. The fact that she was in town and had talked to Penelope made me want to destroy something. What had that vile creature said to the woman I loved?
If only I hadn’t let myself get distracted by Jasmine and her boyfriend asking for hotel recommendations in Paris. This was all my fault. Catherine was my problem. She’d always been my problem. But that was ending tonight.
She had to be the one behind the attempts to acquire the scarab. I didn’t care how wealthy and powerful she was. I would make sure that she went before the vampire council for this.
By the time I reached the corner, I still hadn’t spotted her. Turning around, I scanned the street behind me. There was no sign of her. I debated if I should find a quiet alley where I could shift into my bat form to get a better view. Since it was full dark, it wasn’t against the town rules to shift, as long as there were no human witnesses.
Just as I was starting to wonder whether Catherine had stepped into a nearby shop, my phone rang. It was Walter.
Penelope was gone.
13
Penelope
* * *
Catherine sat across from me in the limousine, a glass of champagne in hand, while her associate, a man with a fairly disfiguring facial scar, drove. I had no idea where they were taking me. It was too dark outside, the windows too tinted.
“Thirsty?” Catherine asked, holding up the bottle.
“No thank you,” I said, trying to stay calm. I hated to think what Luka was going through right now. Given how he’d barely let me out of his sight for the past few weeks, he had to be sick with worry.
She sat back in the leather seat and crossed her legs. “Okay, let’s get down to business, shall we? I think you know why I’m here. You have the scarab, and I want it.”
I thought about denying it, but didn’t. “If you think I’m going to tell you where it is, you’re crazy.”
Catherine’s eyes turned ice-cold. I could see the tips of her fangs behind her ruby lips. “Then you’re going to take me to it.”
“I’m not susceptible to your vampire charms, Catherine, if that’s what you’re trying to do.” I remembered what Luka had told me after our escape from the library that you have to be open to a vampire’s charms for it to work on you. That was probably how the rumor started of vampires not being able to enter a house without permission.
Catherine reached behind her and patted the driver’s shoulder. “Rex isn’t my only man. I’ve got another one, lying in wait, at your aunt’s house.”
My eyes widened, and Catherine laughed. “Once I have what I came for, we’ll leave town. It’
s as simple as that. You and your aunt will be safe.”
“So you can become a daywalker?”
Catherine didn’t bother to conceal her fangs. It was rather disconcerting. “I see you’ve done your research. Or did Luka tell you? He knows quite a lot, you know.”
I resisted the urge to touch the scarab where it rested between my breasts on a pendant. It was Luka’s idea. His research had revealed that a scarab was almost impossible to trace if it remained in physical contact with its rightful guardian. It was my idea to wear this knit scarf to conceal the fact that I was wearing a necklace.
“I know you’re just the temporary guardian,” Catherine was saying. “The Others can’t expect that you’d be willing to lay down your life to protect the artifact like they are. Just tell me where it’s at and this can all be over.”
Rain pelted against the tinted window. Feeling helpless and trapped, I closed my eyes and wished I knew what to do.
Catherine was still talking. But I wasn’t listening, because a sudden rush of heat had descended over me. Oh man, was I on the verge of throwing up? It took me a moment to realize it was coming from the pendant. Normally ice-cold, it was heating up.
The air inside the limousine seemed to thicken and swirl, then a large turquoise shape materialized in the front seat, behind where Catherine was sitting.
Ghost Reverend!
The driver cursed and jerked the steering wheel hard to the left, sending Catherine and me crashing to the right. The glass and the champagne bottle flew out of her hands, and her fancy purse upended its contents at her feet.
“Are you insane?” Catherine shouted to the driver as she struggled to right herself. Her perfect coif was askew, the mink hung off one shoulder, and her red lipstick had smeared across her cheek. She looked drunk and trashy, which gratified the catty, rather shallow part of my personality.
The air thickened again, and I was stunned when two more ghostly forms appeared: my dog Frito, who had died when I was ten, and my grandmother.
Holy moly! Grandma?
Frito was barking. I think he could smell Luka’s cat on me.
Catherine gasped and backpedaled, moving as far away as possible in the small space, then did a little freak out when she saw Ghost Reverend behind her in the front seat.
Although I had limited personal experience with ghosts, I knew this wasn’t normal. People, including supernaturals who weren’t mediums, rarely saw ghosts.
“Look at you, all grown up!” Ghost Grandma said to me as she hovered in the open area between the facing seats. “I’m so proud of you. Tell Sylvia that I think she should move to Florida. At least during the winters.”
“Okay…I will,” I said haltingly, not quite believing what I was seeing.
Ghost Grandma’s expression turned grave. “Please, honey, fasten your seat belt. Do it now.”
And then the vehicle swerved violently again, and I heard myself screaming.
14
Luka
* * *
I changed into my bat form and flew up into the night sky.
Below me, Sheriff Merrow pulled into the alley, the lights on his squad car flashing, and Walter jumped in. They’d have to follow the roads, watching out for pedestrians and cars, but I could fly in a straight line, unencumbered, and get there faster. A minute or two could mean the difference between Penelope living or dying.
I spotted a black limousine speeding past the Nocturne Falls welcome sign toward the main highway. It had to be them. I flew faster.
How had Catherine slipped past the private surveillance I’d hired in New York to keep an eye on her? When Penelope had told me she was the temporary guardian of an onyx scarab, I’d taken precautions and had Catherine watched. For as long as I’d known her, she’d been obsessed with acquiring them. Her network must be bigger than I’d thought.
The thought of Penelope in the same car with her made my blood sear with rage. If Catherine harmed her in any way, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions.
Up ahead of the limousine, the road started to wind. They would have to slow down to take the corners. I needed to get out in front of them and transform back into my vampire form, if I wanted to stop them.
The limo swerved in its lane a few times, then crossed the centerline, almost hitting an oncoming tractor-trailer before swerving back into its own lane.
Fear gripped me like a vise. What the hell was going on in there?
The vehicle swerved a few more times and then straightened out before the first bend in the road. I’d get ahead of it and—
The terrible sound of screeching brakes filled the night and the limo skidded sideways. I watched in horror as it flipped over and over before coming to a rest in a cloud of smoke on the edge of an embankment.
Touching down, I transformed back to my vampire form and raced to Penelope. Blood pooled on the wet pavement, but one whiff told me it wasn’t hers. The driver had been ejected from the vehicle and was impaled on a caution sign.
Down the side of the embankment, Catherine lay, unmoving. I was fairly certain she’d been impaled as well. And if not, the sheriff would arrest her.
Wrenching the door off its hinges, I found Penelope inside, and my undead heart nearly stopped beating. Her body was twisted. She was covered in blood. Her blood. She was dying.
There wasn’t much time.
I pulled her out quickly and cradled her in my arms. Dipping my head to her neck, I located her artery with the tip of my tongue and bit. Her delicious blood filled my mouth at an alarmingly slow rate. Her heart was still beating, but just barely.
She tasted so good that I wanted to keep going, the bloodlust threatening to consume me. But then she would be gone. We would never again be together. All this would be over.
Somehow, I managed to find the strength to stop. Then I sunk my fangs into my wrist, opening my own vein, and dripped the blood into her mouth.
“Come on, Penelope. Drink.”
With my wrist pressed to her lips, I rocked her in my lap.
In the time we’d known each other, she’d enriched my life in ways I hadn’t known needed enriching. Changed me for the better in ways I hadn’t known needed changing. Because of her, I was happier and more content with myself and my own life than I had ever been.
Spending an eternity without Penelope wasn’t an option. Not anymore. I’d face the sun before I’d live another day in a world without her in it.
By the time Walter and Sheriff Merrow arrived, she still hadn’t moved.
15
Penelope
* * *
The first thing I noticed when I woke was how good I felt. Strong, rested, and extremely content. I could tell I was in Luka’s bed, his warm, snuggly covers pulled up to my chin. And I was naked.
I smiled to myself. We must’ve had an incredible night of love-making. Too bad I couldn’t remember it.
Opening my eyes, I saw his handsome face looking down at me.
“Luka!” I exclaimed, as if we’d been apart for ages. I reached out and cupped his cheek. He nuzzled into my palm, and I laughed. “Just like Claude.”
“Great,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be compared to my bad-tempered cat.”
“Nah. He bites. You don’t. Remember?”
Instead of chuckling at that, faint lines of worry marked his normally smooth brow. That was when I noticed he hadn’t shaved in a while. How long had I been sleeping?
“How do you feel?” he asked. “Do you recall the accident?”
Accident?
At my puzzled expression, he continued. “You were riding in the limousine when it went out of control on the rainy highway and flipped three times.”
I blinked, and then it all started to come back to me. Catherine. That man with the scar. The screaming, the broken glass, the horrible screeching sound of metal against pavement. My grandma?
“Just bits and pieces of it,” I said. “How…how do you know that it flipped three times?”
“I’d
shifted into my bat form and saw the whole thing from above,” he said. I’d forgotten that he’d told me he could shift into a bat. “You were nearly dead when I reached you. I…I had no choice.”
I was confused. “Choice? What are you talking about?”
“I…I had to bite you, Penelope,” he said haltingly, as if it hurt to tell me this. “Not once, but twice.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, still not sure why he seemed so conflicted.
He rose from my bedside and paced to the far side of the room. “The first bite on that first night didn’t heal you like I had hoped. You stayed in a coma. To save your life, I had to bite you on the second night, which turned you…rook.”
“Rook? So that’s what I am now?”
Lips pressed into a thin line, he nodded.
Running my fingers through my hair, it felt glossier than ever. I touched my face. It was porcelain smooth. And my vision…it was perfectly clear without glasses.
“No wonder I feel so good.”
Luka was looking at me warily. He’d moved to the other side of the room. “I love you, Penelope, more than life itself. I’m so sorry.”
Had he taken crazy pills? Those two statements were incongruous. He loved me? “Oh, Luka, what’s to be sorry about? You saved my life.”
“But you didn’t have a choice in the matter. I didn’t ask you about becoming rook. This will change your life forever.”
I recalled telling him about the times in my life when I’d had no choice and felt powerless. His reaction now made sense, which made me love him all the more.
“Come here, you,” I said, crooking my finger suggestively. “I want to ravish you and show how much I love you.”
He brightened for a moment, fire burning in his eyes, then took a reluctant step toward the door. “I can’t. It’s not been twenty-four hours yet. I can’t risk the bloodlust. We’ll discuss all of this tomorrow.”
How Knot to Marry a Vampire Page 9