There was a crinkling sound and after a moment, a crumpled sheet of paper slid under the door. Zoe bent to retrieve it. She read the scratchy, elongated letters scrawled in red ink.
“I couldn’t take the chance that Lambert would come after you again to punish me. So I made a deal with him. I gave him what he wanted in exchange for him leaving you alone.”
Zoe stared at the note. The words didn’t register, but something about the handwriting did.
She ran across the room and grabbed her purse from the recliner. Bryan’s note to her had been written in red ink also. She found the other page and spread them both out on the coffee table.
The long, narrow letters, the shaky lines. Bryan had written both notes.
Now she remembered. Bryan had bitten her. It happened so fast she hadn’t screamed at first. Only when the pain of the dual puncture wounds registered in her terrified brain had she found her voice. Before she could scream twice, she’d passed out.
She remembered nothing beyond that until Julian’s voice, soothing and sorrowful, along with his gentle farewell kiss. I’m sorry, my pretty little gypsy. She’d been barely conscious then, but she remembered.
Julian was halfway down the stairs when she opened the door—far enough away for her to retreat and close enough for her to see that she didn’t have to.
He looked normal, tired maybe, but strong and sexy, with his jaw shadowed by stubble and his hair mussed as though he’d run his fingers through it. The relief in his eyes arrowed to her heart, and she flew into his arms.
Julian caught Zoe and wrapped her in a crushing hug. He’d almost given up for the night, deciding his best course of action would be to come back in broad daylight when she could see for herself he was still human.
The fact that she’d risked everything to take a chance on him filled him with a mix of nameless emotions.
She felt like heaven in his arms, and when he captured her lips, she moaned into him, a sweet, desperate sound that stirred more than just his heart. How could he have thought for a moment that he could live this human life without her?
With her taste on his lips and the feel of her pressed against him, he was complete again. Some feral part of him still longed to bite her, to claim her that way, but he ignored it. There were other ways he planned to make her completely his as soon as he got her into the bedroom.
He scooped her up, glad that his human muscles weren’t too weak for that, and he carried her up the rest of the stairs. He’d have kissed her while he walked, but he didn’t yet trust his human instincts not to trip with her in his arms.
“I don’t know how I lasted this long without you.” He whispered the words to her. Crushing her against his chest, he felt her tremble, and he liked that. All the way over from the police station he’d thought of nothing but getting her back in his arms, of feeling her give beneath him and surrounding himself with her.
While she clung to him, that thought carried him through her apartment and to the bed where he dropped her the moment something heavy and hard crashed into his skull. Pain exploded behind his eyes and he went down, more surprised than anything to find himself descending into blackness.
Chapter Nineteen
Zoe sat on the sofa, tracking Julian’s movements as he paced back and forth across the living room. He held an ice pack to the lump on the back of his head.
The remains of Zoe’s bedroom lamp lay on the coffee table, and Tanya perched on the recliner, scowling at both of them.
“I’m sorry, I forgot you were here,” Zoe said for the third time. The relief of discovering Julian was still human had crowded all other thoughts from her mind.
“You said he was a vampire.” Tanya’s response came with a sharp, sidelong glance at Julian. “What was I supposed to think when I saw him carrying you up the stairs?”
“Well, I appreciate you trying to protect me. Fortunately, he’s not a vampire anymore.”
Tanya still gave Julian the evil eye. “Can he prove it? He looks sort of vampiry to me.”
Zoe sighed. “Two hours ago you didn’t believe in vampires. Now you need proof there isn’t one in my living room?”
“Well, do they exist or don’t they? This whole thing is just too insane for me. My head hurts.”
That stopped Julian’s pacing. “Try being the one picking shards of ceramic out of your scalp. I never thought I’d be grateful that Zoe has cheap furniture. If that lamp had been brass, I’d be dead.”
“I’m sorry. If you’re not a vampire, I’m sorry.” Tanya didn’t sound at all sincere. She huddled in the recliner managing to look both guilty and defiant at the same time.
“We can iron out the apologies later. Right now, we need to figure out what to do about Bryan,” Zoe said.
Julian went back to pacing and pressing the ice pack to the back of his head. “He’s probably working for Lambert. I can’t believe I left you alone with him.”
Zoe’s resolve softened at the concern in his voice. “How could you have known Bryan was a vampire? We didn’t even know, and we’re his best friends. Don’t blame yourself.”
“He played me so well too. If I’d taken the potion, I would have known the moment I saw him. I could have ki—”
Zoe rose. “Don’t say it. Don’t say you could have killed Bryan. That’s not an option.”
“Do you plan to strike a bargain with him? Get him to agree not to feed from his little harem in the future?”
Zoe narrowed her gaze. She wanted to be angry at that remark, but she didn’t need any magick spells to tell her it was fueled by jealousy. She put her hands on her hips and faced off against Julian. “No bargain. No stakes. We’re going to get the rest of Hester’s devamping potion and—”
Julian’s whole body stiffened and, when he turned his gaze on Zoe, her blood ran just a little cold. She whimpered internally at her slip.
“Hester has a devamping potion?” Julian’s voice was low, smooth and frighteningly devoid of emotion.
“Can we talk about this later?” She cringed a little. She hadn’t exactly promised Hester she wouldn’t tell, but even she saw the value of not poking that sleeping dragon.
“How long have you known about this?” He took a step toward Zoe, and she fought the urge to back away. After all, he wasn’t mad at her.
“Since I found it in her cupboard after you left on your suicide mission to meet Lambert.” Her knees were weak. Would he think she had somehow betrayed him the way Hester had?
Julian held for a moment, then whirled away. “That little witch. She conspired with Lambert.”
“To save you. Lambert was going to kill you, and she talked him out of it.”
He swung back, and their eyes met and locked in a battle of wills. “I won’t forget this.”
Zoe chanced a shrug. “You can thank her someday when you’re old and gray. Save pissed off for later, okay? Right now, we have to get to Hester’s and get the rest of that potion.”
“Ocean City, right?” Tanya piped up.
Zoe nodded, but kept her eyes on Julian. “If we leave now, it should still be daylight when we get back. Then we can corner Bryan somewhere and—”
Julian grabbed her wrist. His touch was gentle but commanding. “Do you realize what you’re proposing? You’re going to do to Bryan what Hester allowed Lambert to do to me. You’ll leave him as lost as I was.”
“He’s our friend, Julian. How can we let him go on like this?”
Tanya rose from the recliner. “We can’t.”
Julian released his grip and turned to her. “If he’s been sired by Lambert, and I’m sure he has, he won’t let you get near him with a potion. The last thing you want to do is corner him.”
“We don’t have any other options that I can see.” Zoe stepped between Julian and Tanya. “We owe it to him to help him.”
Zoe brushed past Julian and joined Tanya at the door. When she looked back at him, there was no mistaking the reluctance in his eyes. “Are you coming?”
&
nbsp; “Of course. I’m not letting you confront a vampire, any vampire, on your own. Besides, I have a score to settle with Hester.”
Fortunately, at least in Zoe’s estimation, Hester wasn’t home when they arrived.
They let themselves in using her magical password which, of course, drew a quizzical look from Tanya.
“Don’t ask,” Zoe warned her as they stepped inside the cottage. “Neither of us really wants to know.”
Julian cast her a sour look. He had every right to be angry at Hester, but it bothered her that he still felt the loss of his vampire life, even after he’d confessed that remaining human was his choice now.
Did he regret the decision to give up immortality for Zoe? That was a lot to live up to, and maybe now that he’d thought about it for a while, he realized she wasn’t really worth giving up eternity for.
What did she have to offer him that could compare with everlasting life?
Before she had a chance to sink further into the mire of self-doubt, however, he grabbed her elbow and marched her into Hester’s kitchen, leaving Tanya in the entryway to contemplate the puzzle of the outwardly invisible second floor.
“Hey, hey…unnecessary roughness!” She yanked her arm away from him and matched his scowl. “Easy with the merchandise.”
His expression softened and he reached for her, this time gently, with concern in his eyes. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
She managed a pout. “No.”
“Look, I know you want your friend back, but you need to think this through.”
She didn’t like the way he said “friend”. That jealousy thing might have been flattering when Bryan was human, but she wouldn’t let it stand in the way of her saving him. “What’s to think through? He needs to be unvamped.”
“But maybe he doesn’t want to be. Have you considered why he might have turned in the first place? Trust me, it’s not something vampires do for kicks. The fewer of us…of them there are, the more food there is. We have to be very careful about population control, and we only turn those who prove their loyalty and their…desperation.”
“You’re not suggesting Bryan chose this?” He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t.
“I did.”
“But that was a hundred years ago.”
“And all of the reasons I had for giving up my human existence are still valid today. He might feel powerless, lost, terrified of death, disease and old age. Those are things you’ll be giving back to him, and he may not want them.”
Zoe turned away. “I’m giving him sunlight, Julian. I’m giving him the chance to get married and have kids and play with them in the park one day. Don’t you think he’d want that more?” She sensed his approach, and when he put his warm hands on her shoulders, she had to draw on every remaining ounce of strength not to melt against him. It would be so easy to forget everything outside the confines of Hester’s secluded hideaway, just like she had before.
“There are other things to consider.” Julian stroked her shoulders while he spoke as if he were trying to ease her into acceptance of his words. “Most importantly, he might have made a deal with his sire. The price he paid for immortality is loyalty, and if he reneges on his end of whatever bargain he struck, there will be another angry vampire to contend with.”
“Then we’ll contend.” She turned in his arms and ran her fingers over his jaw. “You can give me a million reasons not to, Julian, but I have to do this.”
“Because you love him?” The question was laced with doubt.
Zoe met his dark gaze and nodded. “Yes, but not the way I love you.” She leaned in and brushed his lips with hers. Beneath her hands, she felt his muscles relax just a bit. He cupped the back of her head and dove in, deepening the kiss, plundering. She would have lost herself to him all over again, except Hester appeared then, looking windblown and pink as if she’d been for a run on the beach.
“Are you starting your own harem, Julian? I’ve got to remember to change my password.”
If his hands hadn’t been full of Zoe, Julian might have gladly wrapped them around the witch’s neck. Not only had she interrupted a very satisfying kiss, she had the nerve to make impertinent remarks besides.
Slowly, he let Zoe slip from his embrace, and he turned. If his expression held any of the fury he felt, she certainly didn’t seem to notice. She put her hands on her shapely hips and appraised him. “I see you’re—”
“Still human. Imagine that.”
“You didn’t use my potion.” The relief in her voice was unmistakable.
“Interesting choice of words.” Julian advanced on her until they stood toe to toe. “‘My potion’ makes it sound like you have only one, and I’ve just recently discovered you seem to have a whole array of them.”
Hester’s eyes narrowed, and her gaze slid to Zoe. “You told him?”
Behind him, his little gypsy sputtered. “It…just slipped out. Sorry.”
“You’re the one who should be apologizing.” Julian planted his fists on his hips, mimicking her defiant stance. “You’re lucky I wasn’t a vampire when I found out about the little scheme you cooked up with Lambert. I’m sure you can begin to imagine what I’d have done to you. I can’t believe you stood here and lied to me about it in the first place.”
“I didn’t see much choice.” Hester’s lovely lower lip quivered a bit. “Why didn’t you take the potion?”
“She’s why.” Julian glanced back at Zoe. She smiled sheepishly at him, and once again he remembered why he’d grown to like having a heartbeat. She’d made him almost enjoy being human, but there was still a long way to go before he could be sure she was completely safe and he could accept the limitations he’d now have to live with.
One corner of Hester’s mouth lifted in a fragile smile. “I’m glad, Julian. I’m glad for both of you.”
“Be glad for yourself. One thing I don’t like about being human is that your betrayal hurts. As a vampire, I would have respected you for it, even while I was draining you dry.”
Hester’s gaze shifted away. “I had my motives, Julian. I only forgot one basic rule. Be careful what you wish for. I wanted you human so you could love. I just forgot to stipulate that I wanted you to love me.”
“Isn’t that punishment enough?” Zoe chimed in. She put her hand on his arm, and the touch softened his stance and dulled the anger just a little. Ultimately, he owed Hester a debt of gratitude for giving him something he hadn’t even known he desperately needed. “Hester’s done everything she could to help me. That should count for something.”
Julian nodded. It did count, but it didn’t begin to even the score. He turned to Zoe, dismissing Hester for now. “Tell her what you want.”
“We need the rest of the devamping potion. My friend Bryan has been turned.”
There was only enough potion left for one hit and not enough time to make more. Zoe didn’t like the odds. She’d have preferred a gallon of the stuff loaded into one of those super duper water cannons the kids all played with at the shore. That way she wouldn’t be able to miss.
Now, with both Hester and Julian looking at her like she was climbing up to the gallows, her confidence was taking a major beating.
Even Tanya didn’t seem very enthusiastic about Zoe’s plan. She sat in Hester’s kitchen with Zoe, nursing a cup of herbal tea and a multigrain sugar-free biscuit from the witch’s militantly organic pantry. She eyed the small vial of dark amber liquid that Hester had retrieved from its hiding place on the top pantry shelf. “How are we going to get close enough to Bryan to pour this on him?”
Zoe picked up the little bottle and turned it over and over in her hands. The faint citrus scent, which would always remind her of Julian, clung to the saturated cork and to Zoe’s hands.
“The only thing I can think of is to let him get close enough to bite me. That’s what he wanted last night. Hopefully, he’ll be hungry again when I get to him.”
“Do you think he’ll be in his office?”
“That’s where he usually is these days. Who knew being a vampire meant keeping day hours?”
Tanya stirred her tea and regarded Zoe with a stern expression. “How could you not tell me about all this sooner?”
Zoe sighed. She’d never kept things from her friends before Julian came into her life. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything right away, but honestly, I didn’t believe half of it myself.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“It has to.” Zoe had to believe that. “It worked on Julian. It’ll work on Bryan, and everything will be all right.”
Tanya stared into her tea. “Not everything.”
Zoe squeezed Tanya’s hand. “The real Bryan will come back. I know he will. We just have to give him a chance.”
Julian entered the kitchen then, looking grim and anxious. He set two wooden stakes on the table and rolled one in Tanya’s direction. “Take that. It’s your best protection right now.”
Zoe picked up the other stake and handed it back to Julian. “I won’t hurt Bryan.”
Julian took the weapon from her. “This isn’t for you, it’s for me. I might not be able to stop you from trying to douse him with that potion, but if it doesn’t work, I intend to be ready to defend you. I don’t care how long you’ve known him. He’s not your friend right now. If you cross him, he’ll hurt you.”
Zoe eyed him from under her lashes. His jaw was set and his muscles were coiled. He was ready to go into battle, and he meant to destroy Bryan if it came down to it. Zoe had to make sure that didn’t happen. “We’ll get him back. I know we will.”
Julian slid his arm around Zoe’s waist and pulled her against him. He planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I can do this alone. Let me have the potion.”
“No.” Zoe leaned her head against Julian’s chest for a moment and let herself be lulled by the strong, steady beat of his heart. “I can do it. Come on. Let’s get moving.”
Chapter Twenty
Uncross My Heart Page 21