Holy Crepes

by Melissa Monroe

  “Where’s Arthur? Or anyone else for that matter?”

  Gabriel sat on the edge of her bed. “Dean is in Bellmare, minding your shop with Maddison and Anna. Your friend Olivia was just here this morning, but you weren’t awake. And Arthur wanted to be here when you woke up, but hasn’t been able to pull himself away from his desk. A lot has happened in the last few days.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, Perry is facing a battery of charges and he’s not getting out of jail anytime soon. You did well, by the way. If you hadn’t been there, he probably would have died from the fire or even the initial explosion.”

  “And the Sons?”

  Gabriel let out a laugh. “Very shaken and planning to leave, but no one died. A few people suffered burns, but nothing extreme. They’re planning to ship out in a few days.”

  She frowned, settling back into her pillows. “I thought they wanted to stay and purge the town of evil?”

  “Apparently Bellmare is beyond saving,” Gabriel said. He laughed, a deep, full-bellied sound. “But I think that it’s because they don’t really have anywhere to stay. Perry’s plan did work. The place went up like tinder. He was just very lucky there was no one inside it at the time. I think the Sons finally got a taste of their own medicine and they didn’t like it much.”

  Priscilla had to admit the news was satisfying and something of a relief. Maybe she’d actually be able to have a decent business day without a member of the Sons camping outside of her store to shout at people or tagging the outside of her store.

  “Is Arthur all right?” she asked. “I know he was tired when we saw him last.”

  “He needs sleep, but I think he’ll be fine when this whole thing blows over.”

  She eyed him. “And where does that leave you? Are you still investigating me?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I can’t say why there are so many murders in proportion to the population, but I know there are no vampires involved in this one. I have, however, put in to stay near Westwend.”

  She raised a brow at him. “Any reason why?”

  “For now, I’m going to remain a presence near Bellmare. There is something going on in that town that’s not right. I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

  “Good luck,” Priscilla said with a sigh. “Bellmare has always been like this. You might be waiting centuries.”

  He flashed her a wide, toothy smile. “Good thing I have that long, eh, Pratt?”

  She couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Are you feeling up to moving?” Gabriel asked suddenly, checking the clock. “We have somewhere to be in ten minutes, and I was hoping you’d be conscious to see it.”

  “See what?”

  “We’ve been invited to a wedding.”

  She and Gabriel probably could have entered the chapel. Like all hospital chapels, it was designed to cater to different faiths. That didn’t mean that she wanted to test the theory after what she’d recovered from recently. Priscilla stayed perched on the threshold of the tiny, well-lit room and peered in from her wheelchair. The nurses had insisted she stay in it for the remainder of the evening, and it was probably for the best that she not be flashing her back to anyone who passed. Honestly, hospital gowns were the worst.

  The stained glass inside the chapel cast odd color combinations on the pair at the end of the aisle. There weren’t many people in attendance—it was nearing midnight, after all—but at least two small pews had been packed out. Matilda Reid was beaming at her son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law from the front row.

  Tilly’s belly wouldn’t accommodate for a traditional wedding dress. Instead she’d donned a flowing white maxi dress. She clutched a bouquet of sweet-smelling daisies that had no doubt been purchased at the gift shop not long before. Zachary looked nervous but pleased in a simple black dress shirt, trousers, and a tie. It was a simple affair, but that was probably for the best.

  Gabriel had explained that Tilly had practically begged Zachary to elope with her as soon as she’d been let out of the hospital. He hadn’t wanted to say no, but had asked her to wait a few days, at least until Gabriel had been discharged. He had, after all, saved her life.

  So they’d set up this small ceremony in the church chapel. As of midnight, they’d be married on the Fourth of July. It would at least make remembering and celebrating the day easy on Zachary.

  “In the name of God, I, Zachary, take you, Tilly, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, and for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish until death do we part. This is my solemn vow.”

  Zachary slipped a ring on her finger. It was not the one that he’d apparently planned to use, but he and Tilly had agreed months ago on a larger ring until the post-pregnancy swelling went down. Gabriel had been suspiciously well-informed about the ceremony, and Priscilla suspected that Matilda had been up to her room, sometime while she was dead to the world, to talk about it.

  The chaplain declared them husband and wife, and the pair shared a brief but loving kiss. Priscilla clapped along with everyone else. Tilly and Zachary paused in the doorway as they made their exit. Tilly leaned down to hug Priscilla.

  “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “Arthur said you figured it out. I don’t know what would have happened if you two hadn’t shown up.”

  Priscilla fought not to blush. The disadvantage to blood transfusions meant that she actually could. “We were just trying to do our jobs.”

  “We know,” Zachary said. “But I’m still grateful. Thank you both so much. You guys can come see little Gabe anytime.”

  “Gabe?” Gabriel echoed.

  Tilly rubbed her belly. “We were going to keep it a secret until he was born, but they had to do an ultrasound when I checked in and the tech blabbed.” She shrugged. “Oh well.”

  They thanked them both again and then exited, walking arm in arm down the hall until they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight.

  “Gabe,” Gabriel repeated. “Wow.”

  “Look who’s the hero,” Priscilla teased. “Is this the first baby you’ve had named after you?”

  Gabriel flushed. “It’s not that funny.”

  “It’s cute,” she said, reaching up to give his hand a squeeze. “Thank you so much. This could have ended so much worse if you hadn’t been with me.”

  “I’m sure you would have figured it out,” Gabriel said dryly, steering her wheelchair away from the door. Some of her discomfort eased when they got away from holy ground. “You seem to have an uncanny knack for coming away from situations alive.”

  “Undead,” she sighed, closing her eyes. She slumped in the chair, exhausted from even this brief outing. She was ready for another long nap. “But it’s the same thing, I suppose.”

  “Sleep,” Gabriel said, squeezing her shoulder. “We’ll talk more when you’re recovered.”

  Epilogue

  “You can’t go out wearing that!” Ava said, glaring at Priscilla’s blouse as though it had done her a personal wrong. “I won’t let you. I refuse!”

  “It’s silk, Godmother. You won’t find much in my closet that’s this dressy that I’m actually willing to wear.”

  “But you’re wearing trousers!” she exclaimed. “How can you expect to land this man without showing a little ankle?”

  Priscilla fixed her godmother with a glare. “It’s not a date. It’s a federal debriefing.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of!” Avalon exclaimed. “I bet you’re not even wearing sexy underwear under those!”

  Anna bit her own fist to stifle a giggle, curling even lower in the backseat of Priscilla’s van. Avalon didn’t see because she was keeping her eyes on the road.

  Priscilla had recovered sufficiently from her injuries to drive, but had opted not to. She wasn’t sure why Gabriel wanted to meet her in Boston of all places, since he’d recently purchased a house in Westwend that was much closer. Priscilla still didn’t want to
drive in the city in the middle of the night. Drivers seemed to be less cautious when the sun went down.

  So she’d asked Avalon to be her chauffeur, which she’d done happily when she discovered where Priscilla was going and who she’d be meeting. The shop had been closed for a few days while Priscilla recovered, but that hadn’t stopped Anna from hanging around. Arthur hadn’t been home much, too busy sorting out the wreckage that was the remains of the Sons’ compound.

  Anna had spent the last several days helping to clean and get ready for the bakery’s reopening. After they’d finished that, an informal crowd of friends and family had gathered to play games in her lobby. Dean and Logan were surprisingly good at poker, but no one could beat her and Anna at bridge.

  She had expected Gabriel to call or visit, but the first contact she’d had with him after being discharged from the hospital was a card she received in the mail, asking her to meet him in Boston at a specific address.

  Despite what she’d said to Avalon, she was a little nervous to meet with Gabriel. What if he’d grown cold again?

  Priscilla raised an eyebrow when Avalon pulled up to the front of a café that she recognized. She’d mentioned it once to Gabriel when he’d been pelted with pie at the fairground.

  “Tasse de Sang?” Anna read. “Sounds fancy.”

  “It literally means ‘cup of blood,’” Priscilla said. Living with her sire for a number of years had allowed Priscilla to pick some French. To the average passerby it probably sounded sophisticated, but she knew better.

  “Oh,” Anna said, sounding a little disappointed. “Well, at least you’ll be able to eat.”

  “I think that’s the idea,” Priscilla said, undoing her seatbelt. She grabbed her purse from the floorboards and jumped out. “Thank you, Godmother. When can I expect you back?”

  “Oh take your time,” Avalon simpered. “We’ll find a way to entertain ourselves while you’re on your date.”

  Priscilla closed the door a little more firmly than necessary and strode away before Avalon could get in a last parting shot.

  Tasse de Sang was a cozy little hole in the wall. The interior was made up of solid gray stone and sported a fireplace against one wall. It wasn’t currently lit. Boston was experiencing a heatwave, and even vampires didn’t like to be that warm. Clusters of little wire tables and chairs were arranged across the café, and many of them were occupied by conversing vampires and humans. Some vampires were clearly here with their partners, but it appeared like a few of the vampires were courting humans. It explained the smell of coffee and scones coming from the back.

  She spotted Gabriel sitting next to the fireplace and strode over to meet him, settling herself in a chair across from him. He was still examining a menu.

  “Did you know they’ve added carbonation to blood?” he asked mildly. “It doesn’t sound appealing to me.”

  “Me either,” she admitted. “But I suppose people have to find novelty somewhere.”

  Gabriel set his menu aside and smiled at her. It looked a little strange. Somehow the suit and tie looked more casual than his duster and button-downs.

  “I suppose.”

  “Shouldn’t you have pen and paper out?” Priscilla asked. “Or at least a tape recorder? I thought you wanted to talk.”

  Gabriel’s smile shrank a few molars but he still looked pleased to see her. “I may have tweaked the truth a little bit. I wanted to talk, but not about the case.”

  Priscilla’s stomach did a nervous flip-flop. “Oh?”

  A petite waitress sauntered over to their table and smiled broadly at Gabriel. Priscilla envied her long hair. After seeing a barber about the damage done to hers, her black locks only brushed her shoulders. She missed the weight of it on her back.

  “Can I take your order?” she asked.

  “I’ll have a mug of type A,” Gabriel said smoothly. “Do you know what you want, Priscilla?”

  “O negative, please,” she said.

  The waitress jotted the order down, seeming a little disappointed she hadn’t had a chance to speak to Gabriel for longer.

  “I’ll have that right out,” she said, and beamed at him.

  “Thank you,” he murmured, but didn’t glance up at her.

  Priscilla waited until the girl had retreated into the kitchen before she spoke. “What did you want to talk about then?”

  “Well,” he cleared his throat and suddenly looked a little less confident. “I was going to see if you might want to court.”

  Priscilla blinked. “As in?”

  “As in courtship,” Gabriel said. “The process by which a pair of people develop a romantic relationship, hopefully leading to marriage.”

  Oh crap. She was never going to live this down. For once Avalon had been far more perceptive than she’d been. Priscilla opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, and was surprised by what came out.

  “No.” She held a hand up before Gabriel could interrupt her. “No, I’m not going to ... court anyone. I had enough of that when I was a girl. And I don’t even want to think about marriage. We’ve only just met. But,” she took a deep breath. “I will date you.”

  Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “What’s the difference?”

  “We take things slow. We don’t jump into anything, and we see if we’re compatible. No promises, no commitments yet, all right?”

  He didn’t seem as pleased by her answer as she’d hoped, but he nodded. The waitress arrived not long after with their mugs. He sipped his thoughtfully.

  “Is it because you don’t think I’m marriageable?” he asked.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. The insecurity on display was ridiculous. Why on earth would he think that he was the issue here?

  “No. But I’ve been married before and I’m not eager to jump into anything binding again. Besides, I think my faerie godmother would just combust if she thought I was on a fast track to the altar.”

  Gabriel’s eyebrow shot up. “A faerie godmother, hm? That sounds like an interesting story. May I hear it?”

  And so she told him about Avalon. She purposely left out any bits of the story that mentioned Jacques, her scoundrel of a sire. Anna had once told her it was impolite to mention one’s exes on a first date.

  In return Gabriel told her about his turning. How he’d be been trapped in a plague-ridden house for several weeks in the summer of 1481, waiting to die. He told her about his sire, a vampire who’d sought to turn the sick in a misguided attempt to heal them. And he told her about his sire’s execution not long after.

  “You know the rule,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t drink from the diseased or the dead. He was risking creating carriers. In fact, some of my brothers and sisters were carrying the plague, infecting people as they fed. They were killed along with our sire.”

  She winced. “That’s awful.”

  He shrugged. “I learned to respect the law early. A vampire woman named Maria took me under her wing and became my surrogate Maker. I’m grateful to her. It’s why I stay with Parliament, no matter how harsh the punishments may seem. It’s for the best.”

  Priscilla changed the subject quickly after that. Several mugs and stories later, Priscilla was startled to realize that dawn was approaching. How long had they been sitting here, talking?

  “Oh crap,” Priscilla groaned. “I’m guessing my ride has returned to Bellmare without me by now. I didn’t intend to stay so long.”

  Gabriel smiled. “I could drive you home, if you like. Your faerie godmother won’t turn me into a toad for keeping you out so long, will she?”

  “I doubt it. She’d probably congratulate you on a successful debriefing,” Priscilla muttered.

  “What?”

  “Never mind. I’d appreciate a ride, thank you.”

  He escorted her out, tipping the annoyed wait staff generously as they went. Priscilla felt a little guilty for preventing them from closing shop. Priscilla slid into the smooth upholstered seat of Gabriel’s Hummer. It slid off into the night with ba
rely a sound.

  “You’re quiet,” he remarked. “A penny for your thoughts?”

  “I’m trying to figure out how to avoid Avalon,” she said truthfully.

  “You could always stay at my house,” Gabriel said. “If you don’t mind moving a little more quickly. I’m under the impression that sort of thing happens later in the relationship.”

  She sighed. “No. I mean it. I want to go slow.”

  And she did. She didn’t want to ruin a good thing by blundering forward blindly. Nothing was going to ruin this for her if she could help it.

  Not even a nosy faerie godmother.

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