Vampires Prefer Blondes (Psy-Vamp Book 3)

by Cassandra Lawson

  Trish shrugged. “I guess it’s Aiden since Tempest isn’t here.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Aiden asked.

  “You get to be Trish’s fake date for the night and keep the guys away,” Lydia explained.

  Aiden shrugged and looked at the drink tray before laughing. “Glad I’m the driver for tonight. Is that orange juice mine?”

  Trish nodded and handed it to him.

  Justin grumbled about his drink. Roman, on the other hand, took it with a polite thank you. Lydia couldn’t help but notice that the strawberry daiquiri wasn’t at all girly in his hand. Then again she’d seen him polish her nails and he made that look manly.

  The first band came on and stopped conversation. Lydia covered her mouth to hide her giggle when Roman cringed. She had to agree that the first band wasn’t the best. After the first two songs she decided that while they weren’t great, they had a lot of potential. The lead singer alternated between screaming and singing. Lydia thought punk was a bad choice for him. When he sang he sounded almost like Chris Isaac. With any luck he wouldn’t screw up his voice with the screaming. The guitarist was good but obviously struggling with new music. Same with the drummer who seemed to miss a beat every once in a while. A little more practice and they’d be good. The bass player looked like he was in the zone, and she suspected he picked up all of the new music right away. She slipped out her phone and made a note of the band’s name because they were definitely worth keeping an eye on.

  The second band just plain sucked. They were an all girl band who thought wearing low cut tops and short skirts made up for the lack of talent. Based on the comments from some of the guys in the crowd, the ladies were right.

  Lydia pulled Roman’s head down so she could be heard over the music. “I’m going to the bathroom,” she said as loud as she could.

  “I’ll walk you over,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Nah, I’m not one of those girls who needs her man to walk her to the bathroom. I’ve been to this club before so I know one that’s not as busy. Be back in a few.”

  Lydia worked her way through the crowd and nodded to security as she went through a door that led down a set of stairs. Just as she was about to open the door to the woman’s restroom, an arm snaked around her waist and a hand covered her mouth.

  “I knew if I was patient, I’d get you to myself,” Dominic said against her ear. “Did you miss me?”

  Lydia froze.

  “Good girl,” he said as his fangs grazed her neck. “I wouldn’t want to hurt you too much. Now here is what we’re going to do. There is an emergency exit just down the hall. We’ll go out that door and to my car. I have a place all set up for us. I’ll bet you can’t wait to feel me between your legs again.” He grinded his erection against her back.

  Lydia shuddered with revulsion, but he mistook it for lust. “Always the little slut, aren’t you? I’d ask if you’ve been letting my uncle fuck you, but he’s too uptight to enjoy someone like you.”

  Okay, she really needed to be one of those girls who made her man come to the bathroom with her. Roman was strong and he could save her. She was weak. Then it hit her. No, she wasn’t weak and Dominic didn’t know that. Forcing herself to relax, Lydia rose up on her toes and rubbed her ass against Dominic’s erection.

  Dominic groaned and took his hand away from her mouth. “You want me in you right now, don’t you?”

  Lydia nodded. “Let me see your face when you take me. Please don’t make me wait. Let’s do it here.”

  Dominic hesitated for a minute and released her waist so she could turn to face him. When Lydia turned around, she balled up her fist and punched him in the diaphragm. While Dominic gasped for breath, she slammed her other fist into his balls then grabbed his arm and tossed him against the wall. She was sure Dominic was stronger than her, but she’d caught him off guard so he laid there in pain and shock as she ran up the stairs. She lost her footing and nearly fell face first onto the stairs. His threats spurred her on. She scrambled to her feet and raced back into the main area of the club. Security caught her distress first, but she ignored them and hurried across the room toward Roman.

  The second band was done playing and the headliners were setting up so it was quiet enough to be heard.

  “What happened?” Roman asked as she threw herself into his arms.

  “Dominic was here,” she sobbed, “by the bathrooms downstairs.”

  “Find him,” Roman ordered Aiden.

  Aiden closed his eyes and then a look of confusion came over his face. “I can’t find him,” he said. “This has never happened before. We’ll go check out the area where he was and the street around there.” Aiden and Justin took off across the room.

  “How did you manage to get away from him?” Roman asked as he pulled back so he could see her face.

  “I remembered what you said about me being stronger,” Lydia explained. “He was on the floor before he figured out what was happening.”

  “So you kicked Dominic’s ass?” Caitlin asked.

  Lydia nodded and smiled.

  “That’s my girl!” Trish chimed in.

  “Unfortunately, now he knows and he’ll be better prepared when he comes after you again. For some reason, he’s not willing to let you go,” Roman said.

  “It gets worse,” Lydia said as she fidgeted.

  “How?” Roman asked.

  “I still have to pee,” she admitted.

  Roman walked her over to the main bathroom. After a few words laced with compulsion she was moved to the front of the line.

  When she came out, Aiden and Justin were back.

  “If you guys don’t mind, I think I’d like to go home,” Lydia said.

  “We totally understand,” Trish said and gave her a hug.

  “We’ll get together again soon,” Caitlin assured her and Lydia was shocked to see that Justin had his arms wrapped around her from behind. She wasn’t surprised that Justin wanted to do it, more so that Caitlin was allowing it.

  Roman slipped his arm over her shoulders and she felt comforted by his warmth and strength. “I guess if we don’t catch Dominic, you might be stuck with me forever.”

  He leaned close so that she could feel his warm breath caressing her skin. “I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lydia was disappointed when she woke up alone. Not that it came as a surprise. Roman was obviously a morning person. No one was perfect, and she could live with that flaw most days. After her run in with Dominic the night before, the nightmares had been worse and she wanted the comfort of Roman’s arms. Ugh! Now she was acting like one of those annoyingly needy women. She was acting like her mother. Totally unacceptable! Besides, hadn’t she already proven she wasn’t weak? She’d kicked Dominic’s psycho ass.

  She wasn’t laboring under any delusions. Next time, Dominic would be prepared for her new found strength. As much as she wanted to believe there wouldn’t be a next time, something told her there would. She’d seen the crazed look in Dominic’s eyes more than once now. For whatever reason, he was obsessed. Still, she had reason to be proud.

  Feeling empowered, she slipped on one of Roman’s shirts, only buttoning two buttons. It would show just enough to catch Roman’s interest. First she needed to brush her teeth. When she looked in the mirror, she nearly gasped. How the hell had she forgotten to take off her makeup? Then she smiled. That’s right; Roman had been a little on edge after the incident at the club and they’d barely made it up to the bedroom before he was inside of her.

  While Roman seemed to love the idea that she’d been able to save herself, his inability to rescue her from Dominic obviously frustrated him. The alpha male in him had been almost desperate to hold her close and reassure himself that she was safe. As she looked down at the pile that had once been her pretty new dress and undergarments, Lydia grinned. Definitely acceptable casualties in her opinion.

  Satisfied with her appearance, Lydia headed downstairs to
find Roman. The idea of him taking her on the island in his kitchen made her smile. She’d just made it to the bottom of the stairs when Roman stormed out of the family room looking seriously pissed. When his eyes landed on her, his expression morphed to aroused and concerned.

  A petite woman with long red hair and extraordinary eyes that looked almost purple stalked out of the room behind him. When her eyes met Lydia’s she looked amused, but she quickly masked it with boredom. This woman could probably teach Caitlin a thing or two about bored expressions.

  “And who might this be?” the redhead asked.

  Roman sighed. “Sofia this is Lydia, my wife. Lydia, this is Sofia, my . . .” He paused as though he wasn’t sure what to call her.

  “Mother,” Sofia said disdainfully. “Really, Roman, why are you always attracted to such trashy women?”

  “This is your mother, Roman?” Lydia asked with a sweet smile. “Meeting her makes me understand why you don’t want to have more children. This is a gene that should not be passed on.”

  Roman looked stunned. His eyes moved back and forth between the women.

  Finally, Sofia let out a laugh and she embraced Lydia in a warm hug. “I really like this one,” she said to Roman and then turned her attention to Lydia. “You’re so much better than the last one. Poor girl was afraid of her own shadow. I may not be tempted to kill you whenever you open your mouth. Of course, one never can tell.”

  Roman pulled Lydia away from Sofia and began to button the rest of his shirt.

  Another woman, this one with long black hair and brown eyes came out of the room. “Stop or you’ll frighten the girl.”

  “If she’s not afraid of Roman,” Sofia began, “the girl is either fearless or stupid. Either way, I doubt she’ll be afraid of little me.”

  The other woman laughed and patted Roman on the cheek. “Yes, the boy has always been intimidating. I’m Ursula,” she said with a warm smile.

  “Ursula is Roman’s real mother,” Sofia explained.

  The room fell into stunned silence and Sofia looked embarrassed. Lydia suspected that was a rare occurrence. Roman’s arms were wrapped around Lydia’s waist and she placed her hands on his forearms.

  “Would you care to repeat that?” Roman said with a calm he obviously didn’t feel. The muscles on his forearm tensed under Lydia’s hands. That was the only sign that he was upset.

  “I assumed you knew,” Sofia said with a shrug of one delicate shoulder.

  Ursula shot Sofia an annoyed look.

  Roman shrugged. “I’ve always suspected, but no one ever confirmed my suspicions.”

  Lydia wondered if Roman realized that he was holding her tighter or if it was just a subconscious move on his part.

  “I never mentioned it because I was worried about you,” Ursula said to Sofia. To Roman she said, “As you already know, your father was awful to her, and I didn’t want to make things worse by taking away her position in the family.”

  “Well, I suppose that is a valid worry,” Sofia said thoughtfully. “I always assumed it was common knowledge because you call me Sofia instead of mother.”

  “Everyone calls you Sofia.” Roman said without looking at her.

  “Do you plan to banish me from all family homes now?” Sofia asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

  Roman shook his head.

  “Excellent!” Sofia said with a bright smile. “Ursula can fill you in on the details about Theodosia.” Then her full attention was on Lydia. “Let’s go for a walk. We’re going to be great friends. I won’t lie; I’m not fond of the wives of any of the boys, except you and Tempest. Most of them are too timid by far. There is Phoebe, but she’s too crazy. Most would think that’s the pot calling the kettle black. That phrase has always been one of my favorites. Anyway, I have my own issues, but they are nothing compared to Phoebe. It’s a miracle that her son turned out to be such a sweet boy. My Andrew is the dearest boy. I’ll tell you more about the little scamp on our walk.”

  “I should get dressed first,” Lydia said. Wow! Lydia suddenly had a new found sympathy for the people in her life. She’d never been at the receiving end of a long‑winded talk that seemed to go nowhere, but she gave them all the time. It wasn’t uncommon for her mind to grab onto a thought and move to another and another before realizing she was babbling. Being on the receiving end made Lydia realize that she needed to work on that habit.

  “I’ll walk you back to your room,” Sofia said and looped her arm through Lydia’s. “So you ended up with the hair thing too?” Sofia’s vibrant red hair went to the back of her knees.

  “Yes!” Lydia said. “You are so lucky that yours stopped at your knees. I have to wrap it over my arm when I go up or down stairs or I trip over it.”

  Sofia patted her arm. “I can only imagine.”

  Lydia looked over her shoulder to make sure Roman was okay. This was a big revelation and she wanted to tell the other women to leave so she could talk to him. Although, he didn’t seem upset. His lips were curled up in an amused grin, and he was watching her with laughter in his eyes. “Go ahead and enjoy your walk,” he said. “Grab a snack on the way out and I’ll take you for lunch when you get back.”

  “Okay,” Lydia said and looked down at her clothes, “This morning has certainly taken a strange turn.”

  Sofia nodded. “Yes, I supposed we ruined your plans to convince Roman to do all sorts of naughty things to you.”

  Lydia stumbled on the bottom step and barely managed to avoid falling. “Isn’t this kind of an awkward subject for you?”

  Sofia giggled. “Not at all. I’m surprised it’s awkward for you. You hardly seem the type to be embarrassed by this sort of talk. Please, don’t tell me you’re the prudish type. I can’t stand that in a woman. I took you for a woman who is comfortable having and discussing, sex.”

  Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Was that a not too subtle way of calling me a slut?”

  Sofia looked shocked. “A healthy sexual appetite doesn’t make a woman a slut. Especially not with her husband.”

  Lydia wasn’t at all sure what to think of Sofia’s babbling, but she was sure it was better than Roman’s conversation with Ursula. Maybe she should stay. No, if Roman wanted her to stay, he wouldn’t have told her to leave. Obviously this was a conversation he needed to have alone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Roman stared at Ursula, not really sure what to say. Hearing that Ursula was his mother hadn’t exactly come as a surprise. “We always suspected one of us was your son. When we were young men, I teased Viktor about having sons just like Sofia because she was his real mother.” Memories of his brother brought a smile to his face. As boys they’d been inseparable. “After so many years of not knowing, I never expected to learn the truth. Both of us figured you wouldn’t risk playing favorites. It was probably just as well.” His nails were digging into his palm. With great effort, he unclenched his fist.

  “In my heart, you were both mine,” Ursula said in a distant voice. “Viktor’s mother died in child birth.”

  Roman couldn’t mask his shock. “Sofia wasn’t Viktor’s mother?”

  Ursula shook her head. “Viktor’s mother was twelve years old. The girl was just too young and your father abused her too much during the pregnancy. When Viktor was born, I was still nursing you so I nursed Viktor as well. At the time, your father was off taunting Sofia with her inability to carry a child to term. While your father was alive, no one was allowed to speak the truth. For whatever reason, he insisted that no one speak of the illegitimacy of any of his children. No one crossed your father without paying a horrible price. That was a lesson I learned very early in life.” Ursula’s eyes were haunted.

  Roman wrapped his arms around Ursula. “There are no words to express how sorry I am for what my father did to you.”

  “You and Viktor stopped him. Later, all of your brothers became my protectors. To some extent Sofia even protected me. As unbelievable as it may sound, Sofia tried to intervene when yo
ur father showed any interest in me.”

  “Sofia never liked the competition,” Roman said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

  Ursula pulled back and scowled. “How can you say that knowing what your father was like? Do you really believe Sofia wanted his attention?”

  Roman looked away from Ursula and sighed. “You’re right; that was uncalled for.”

  “Yes it was. Sofia hated it when your father brought new women home but not because of jealousy. The bastard gave Sofia more attention when a new woman was in his home. A new woman was a weapon to taunt her and point out her flaws. I understand why you aren’t close to Sofia. There is no denying that Sofia is difficult to like, but she is under your protection.”

  Roman chuckled. “Actually, I like Sofia more knowing she’s not my mother. Now, tell me what you learned from Theodosia.” He motioned for Ursula to take a seat in the family room.

  “I called Theodosia and she claimed she hasn’t heard from Dominic in more than a month and has no idea where her precious baby boy might be. Naturally, she insists that Dominic would never try to kidnap anyone. After that she went on and on about how you never show Dominic any respect.”

  “Of course,” Roman muttered. “The woman never believes anything bad about Dominic.”

  “Now for the interesting part; when I visited Theodosia after our phone conversation, she said the same thing as she did on the phone. She also said she wants this situation resolved so you can end your sham relationship with Lydia.”

  Roman’s head jerked up. “How did she hear about Lydia?”

  Ursula smiled. “That’s what I was wondering. Now, Theodosia has somewhat of an obsession with you so she could have heard it from other sources, but my guess is she’s spoken to Dominic recently. Most of the family avoids her.”

  “Without a doubt,” Roman said as he considered the situation. “Theodosia has never been able to go more than a few weeks without talking to Dominic. The woman has called at all hours in a panic because Dominic hadn’t called her in forty‑eight hours. Now, I’m supposed to believe he’s disappeared from her life? I don’t buy it. Theodosia knows how to contact Dominic and probably has a good idea what he’s up to.”