Over My Dead Body

by Michele Bardsley

  “I’m giving you this warning, Simone. You cannot escape what you have started, but you may be able to save those you love.”

  “And myself?”

  Dr. Merrick looked troubled. “I don’t know. What will find you? Revenge . . . or justice?”

  After Dr. Merrick finished giving me her doom-and-gloom predication, she said I was okay to go home. I wanted to see Gran and Glory. I wanted to drink some of Gran’s lemonade and have a warm chocolate chip cookie and pretend like everything was okay.

  I got dressed in the clean clothes that Gran had apparently brought on her last visit. My cell phone was clipped to my denim overalls.

  I was more subdued when Brady returned, but he didn’t call me on it. Instead he tucked me into a wheelchair and rolled me to the front doors of the hospital. I could walk just fine, and I was glad when Brady took my hand and held it all the way to his truck.

  As he drove out of the parking lot, I opened my cell phone and called Gran to let her know that we were on the way.

  “Oh, honey, I’m so glad!” Her voice held relief. “We were worried.”

  “I’m all right now. Let me talk to Glory.” I waited a few seconds, then said, “I’m coming home, baby! I love you.”

  She tapped the receiver—her little way of saying, I hear you and miss you, too.

  Gran took the phone again. We talked for a bit longer, then hung up.

  “What did Dr. Merrick tell you?” asked Brady.

  “I told you. I should be okay so long as I just drink your blood.”

  There’s something else. Why won’t you tell me? Why won’t you trust me?

  “I do trust you.”

  Brady glanced at me. “What?”

  I turned toward him, my seat belt pulling against my shoulder. “You asked why I didn’t trust you. I do.”

  He was silent for a long moment. “I didn’t ask why you won’t trust me, Simone.”

  “Yes, you did. I heard you.”

  He pulled off the road, parking the truck on the shoulder. The engine rumbled. I was so glad Brady kept the air-conditioning on high. The summer heat was atrocious; the humidity felt thick in my useless lungs. He turned toward me. “I didn’t say it,” he repeated. “I thought it.”

  Jesus. He’d thought the question, and I’d heard him. “Maybe it’s the blood. Or the nanobytes working their science mojo.”

  “Maybe.” He took my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. “Or it’s an indication that we’re mates.”

  It was true that vampire mates shared the ability to read each other’s thoughts. But there was a problem with Brady’s theory.

  “You’re human.”

  “So what?”

  “Vampire mates share a telepathic bond, Brady. It makes more sense that the nanobytes are somehow linking us.” It made me nervous that he’d even suggested the whole we’re-mates idea.

  Don’t get me wrong. I liked him. A lot. And I owed him for his kindness and care of me and my family. But I couldn’t commit to the L word, much less the whole let’s-get-married-for-a-hundred-years thing.

  “Don’t you think we should try for a second date?” I asked, smiling. I was trying to lighten the mood, but Brady didn’t seem to appreciate the attempt.

  “I know what I want, Simone.” He straightened and started driving again.

  Neither one of us bothered making small talk. We settled into the uncomfortable silence, which made the rest of the trip oh, so fun. Brady pulled up to the house, then turned off the truck. He unbuckled his seat belt.

  “I want you, Simone. I’ll take as much time as you need, but I’m not going anywhere.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not Jacob. I swear on my life I would throw myself into a pit of rusty spikes before I hurt you or Glory.”

  “I know.” I unbuckled my seat belt and slid across the space between us. He took my hands and held them tightly. I didn’t know how to reassure him. I wanted him, too. But I was scared of commitment. Of making another really big mistake. That wasn’t fair to Brady and I knew it. Yeah, I knew it, and it didn’t matter.

  “You’re still trying to decide if you can confide in me,” he said softly. “There’s nothing, Simone, nothing you could do that would change how I feel about you.” He kissed me gently and pulled back. “Is that it? Are you afraid to tell me what happened with Jacob?”

  No, I was afraid to tell him what I had done to Jacob. Brady could say whatever he wanted. In the end, how could he look me in the eyes as I confessed the details of that night, and say that he still lov—I mean, respected me?

  “I just need time,” I said. “We have that, right?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled and then kissed me again. I melted against him and took all the solace I could from his embrace. God, he made such wicked promises with that mouth.

  Finally, we pulled apart. He was panting and dazed, and I was all hot and bothered. Oklahoma summers had nothing on this man. Hoo, boy.

  “I need to get back to the Invisi-shield. It’s almost done. It should be operational before the festival begins.”

  “That’s good news.” And it was. More protection we’d need if Dr. Merrick was right about the lurking evil. (Why did evil always lurk?)

  Brady kissed me good-bye and left. I felt torn up inside, knowing I’d disappointed him. He’d wanted more of a commitment from me. He deserved as much—the whole damned truth, for one thing.

  You know what? I’d disappointed myself, too. As I walked up to the porch, I realized that I had to take Dr. Merrick’s warning seriously. Maybe the ripples of past events had caught up with me. Had I really believed I could escape from what had happened?

  What could I do? Take Glory and Gran and go somewhere else? Yeah, and leave Brady and the citizens of Broken Heart to their fates. Why should they bear the consequences of what I had set into motion? No, I couldn’t do that. The alternative was to admit to everyone the truth, all of it, and hope we could find a way to deal with whatever was coming for us.

  I paused on the porch steps, clutching the railing. I had to get my emotions under control. Acting rashly wouldn’t get me out of trouble. In fact, anger and anguish had been the key ingredients to the biggest fuckup of my whole life.

  Maybe working on one of my little projects would clear my head. I kept several in the house, just things to tinker on during my free time. I needed to think this through before deciding what to do next.

  I entered the house. Glory sat on the couch, watching television, Flet glowing gold and sparkly on her shoulder. I heard the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song blare.

  Glory noticed me. She squealed and scrambled to her feet, running toward me. I picked her up and hugged her tightly.

  “I love you so much.”

  Glory leaned back and cupped my face. Then she gave me a big, sloppy kiss. I longed for the day my little girl would speak again. I wanted to hear her voice so badly. That anxious-love-ohcrap-whoawow mommy feeling flowed through me. I wanted to laugh and cry. God, she was precious. She deserved to be in a safe and loving environment. If I did nothing else, I would ensure that for my daughter.

  I hugged her again, but she was already wiggling out of my arms. She took my hand and led me across the living room. I entered the kitchen, my greeting to Gran dying on my lips.

  Opening-a-nudist-colony George sat at the kitchen table with Gran, drinking coffee. To my utter shock, he was holding my grandmother’s hand.

  “Simone!” Gran popped up from the table. She swung around and with her usual unerring aim (did she have sonar, or what?), grabbed me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right. When you called and said you were okay, I thanked God.”

  I hugged her back, very glad I was still around to do so. Then I let her go and looked at George. Well, maybe I glared. His guileless gaze met mine. He smiled. You don’t fool me, buddy.

  “So, what’s been going on since I’ve been unconscious in the hospital?” I asked. Yikes. Did that sound like an accusation?

  Gran’s cheeks went red
. Oh, my God. What had she been doing? No, wait. I didn’t want to know.

  George patted her hand. “Well,” he said, grinning up at me, “the best news is this: I’m courting Elaine.”

  Chapter 20

  “You’re what?” I screeched.

  “We’re dating, honey. George’s been here every day, just helping out and . . . well, being real nice.”

  I. Just. Bet. I stopped short of demanding more information, too afraid of what they might tell me. What if they kept dating? What if Gran moved into the nudist colony?

  I felt woozy.

  Okay. Way to project, Simone. Calm down.

  “He’s a vampire.” Sheesh. I sounded like I’d implicated him as a serial killer.

  “Yes, dear. So are you.” Gran was using her patient tone. “I’m blind, and he drinks blood for dinner. We all have our little quirks.”

  Oh, gawd. Did we ever.

  “By the way, Reiner was asking after you.”

  “He was here?”

  “Just about everyone dropped by and checked on us. We have so many casseroles that I don’t think we’ll be able to eat them all.”

  Well, that was the Oklahoma way. Tragedy + comfort = casseroles.

  Obviously, I’d missed my Monday night appointment with Reiner to help him complete the queen’s gift. I wondered if he’d gotten someone else to fix it. Or maybe he was still hoping for my help.

  “I need to go, buttercup,” said George. “I’m meeting with the construction team.”

  Had he just called Gran buttercup? Ew.

  “You don’t let the grass grow under your feet, do you, George?”

  “Nope. I see what I want and go for it.” He was looking at my grandmother when he made this announcement. “See you later, ladies.”

  He leaned down and kissed Gran right on the lips. He saluted me, then patted Glory on the head. I hadn’t seen another vehicle parked in front of the house, so I could only assume George liked to walk.

  He left through the back door, whistling softly.

  “He’s Family Ruadan,” said Gran, as if she’d realized that I’d been wondering about his mode of transportation. “He took me up.”

  “In the air?” I asked, trying not to flip out. “You went flying with him?”

  Glory returned to the living room. The annoying giggle of SpongeBob floated into the kitchen. Thank goodness my daughter was more interested in the sponge that lived in a pineapple under the sea.

  I turned to stare at Gran, unable to form any words.

  She shook her finger at me. “Don’t you give me that look, young lady. I’m a grown woman.”

  I didn’t bother to ask her how she knew she was getting The Look. “If you tell me you have needs, I’m going to yark.”

  “Well, I do, Simone. Seventy-three isn’t dead, you know.”

  Vampires didn’t get headaches, so the pain throbbing behind my eyes wasn’t real. I couldn’t blame my body for trying to deal with its stress in human ways.

  The phone rang, saving me from having to respond to the whole needs comment. I flipped open my phone. “Hello?”

  “Ah, Simone. I heard you were released from Dr. Merrick’s tender care. How are you feeling?” asked Reiner.

  “Just dandy. What can I do for you?”

  He paused, maybe to consider if I was being sarcastic or not. (I was.) “I still need your help with the project we discussed on Saturday. Is it possible for you to meet me at the garage this evening?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”

  “Very good. Half an hour?”

  “See you then.”

  Gran was frowning at me. She rose from the table and took the empty mugs to the sink. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  “Just for a bit. Reiner needs my help with something.”

  “Three people dead and two missing. Damian’s got guardians patrolling our property, so we’re safe. But you, all alone in that big ol’ garage . . . it makes me worry, child.”

  “I’m sure the guardians are in town, too.” Now I was feeling nervous about leaving my family. I had no doubt that the lycanthropes could kick just about anybody’s ass, but Gran was right. And the two dead bodies had been found on our property. The possibility of the shadow man lurking in the woods, watching the house, made me sick to my stomach.

  “You feel safe here?” I asked Gran. They’d done well enough without me for the last three days.

  “Always have, always will,” said Gran. “You going to the garage?”

  “I’ll get done quick as I can, promise.”

  “All right.” She walked to me and gave me another hug. “I love you, Simone.”

  “I know,” I whispered into her hair. She smelled like talcum powder. Like a grandmother. She was soft, too. How could I be angry that she was dating? She deserved some happiness. We all did.

  I let go. I was feeling all weepy, and for a vampire who couldn’t shed tears, it wasn’t exactly satisfying to cry.

  Before I left, I called Flet to me. “I want you to stick by Glory, no matter what. Protect her as much as you can.”

  Flet nodded. “Is this the favor I owe you for the wrongdoin’?”

  “Yes. If you keep Glory safe, all debts are paid.”

  “All but one,” he reminded me. “I prefer her company, you know.” He cleared his tiny throat. “All the same, I’m glad you are . . . still among us.”

  I was surprised at the fairy’s admission. “Thanks, Flet.”

  “Yes, well, don’t get used to it. You’re still a pain in the ass.”

  “So are you.”

  I saw the quicksilver smile before he whirled around and buzzed back to Glory. I guess the little bastard wasn’t all bad.

  I went out to my truck, which was parked in the front yard. It seemed weird that I’d woken up in the hospital—what?—an hour or so ago, and now I was carrying on with my life like usual. But then that was the natural order: The world didn’t stop just because you did.

  I was almost to town when my phone buzzed. Wow. I was popular tonight.

  “Hey,” said Brady. “How are you doing?”

  “I just talked to you twenty minutes ago.”

  “I know. I missed you.”

  Aw. I grinned and my insides went all ooey-gooey. “I miss you, too. What are you doing?”

  “I’m nearly to the build site. In a few minutes, I’m going to get all sweaty and use my manly muscles.”

  I laughed. “I wish I was there to see that.”

  “If you’re good, maybe I’ll show ’em to you later.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  He laughed. Then in a voice that made my womanly parts clench (yowzer, he was go-od at that), he asked, “Can I tuck you in tonight?”

  Ooooh, baby. My mouth went dry, and my undead heart turned over in my chest. “Yeah,” I said softly. “I’d like that.”

  “Okay. See you an hour before dawn.”

  We said good-bye. Five minutes later, I arrived at the garage.

  Reiner was waiting for me.

  I didn’t bother with opening the office. We went directly into the garage and over to my worktable. Reiner unloaded the box he’d brought with him.

  The statue was in three pieces: the base, the Moon Goddess and Tark, and the crystal orb.

  Two hours passed, and all I managed to do was put the pieces together. The staff wouldn’t lift at all, much less light the damned orb. I shook my head. “I hate to say it, Reiner, but I think you might need magic to make this thing work. I’m sure Zerina or one of the Wiccans could create a spell that would do the trick.”

  “Perhaps you are right.” Carefully, he boxed the statue. Then he held out his hand. “Thank you, Simone. You have helped me more than you know.”

  “No problem, Reiner.”

  He held my hand for a little longer than was comfortable; then he let go. He said good-bye, then took his precious gift and left the garage.

  As I cleaned up my workstation, I puzzled over the strange icon
. Its metal was odd. I’d never worked with it before. I wondered if Zela, or even Elizabeth, would recognize it. Maybe the stuff was somehow made by lycans, or something particular to Germany.

  I was bummed I hadn’t been able to figure out how to do more than just put it all together. It wasn’t really designed to include clockwork pieces. It didn’t look as if it was meant to move at all. Magic was probably exactly what Reiner needed. I wondered if he’d thought of it before, but if so, why drag me into the process?

  My brain was starting to cramp. Too much was going on, and the stress was making my shoulders bunch and my neck tingle.

  I no longer had the ability to suck in a deep, calming breath. Maybe when Brady came to tuck me in, he’d be willing to do a little massage. He could start at the top and work his way down.

  Heh.

  I locked everything up and headed around the back to where I’d parked my truck. The night air was thick with humidity. It was the kind of quiet I noticed before a thunderstorm rolled in.

  I put my hand on the door latch.

  The scrape of a boot against gravel. Behind me.

  I whirled around, adrenaline driving a spike of terror into my belly.

  No one was behind me. But I still felt as though someone were nearby, watching. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

  “Who’s there?” I yelled. I didn’t exactly sound brave or confident.

  Screw it. I jumped inside my truck, locked the doors, and jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I felt immediately better.

  I shifted into reverse and looked over my shoulder as I started to back up. A man stood behind the truck. I slammed on the brakes. What the hell?

  I swear my poor, dead heart wanted to leap out of my chest and crawl away. The man was dressed in black from head to toe. He was big, tall, and broad shouldered. There was a familiarity to him, but I couldn’t place him. Not Brady. He wouldn’t stand there scaring the crap out of me.

  “Simone,” he taunted. “Sweet, sweet Simone.”

  My vampire ears had no problem hearing him. That voice sounded like . . . oh, hell, no. No! I didn’t care who the guy was, I was getting the hell out of here. I pressed the gas, and the truck fishtailed.