Glory lay in her bed, looking wide awake and happy to see us. Her grin made my mommy heart thud in relief. I hugged until she protested with a loud grunt.
Then Brady hugged her, and she squealed.
“I love you,” I said, showering her face with kisses. “I love, love, love you.”
She kissed my cheek, then patted it, her eyes showing what her voice could not say. I wondered whether this latest trauma had hurt her emotional healing even more. Would she drift away again into that awful place where no one could reach her?
Then she turned to Brady and tapped his hand. She cocked her head and smiled. “Wanna play Candyland?”
I stared at Glory. Oh, my God. My baby was talking. She had the sweetest little girl voice.
Brady couldn’t speak for a minute; I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Softly he said, “Yes, honey. I’d love to play Candyland.”
Gran had brought the game along with some of Glory’s books. So we took out the board and played. And Glory talked to us like she’d done so all her life.
I felt such love and hope. Was this a God-given miracle? I didn’t know. But maybe whatever good there was in the universe had touched us.
And so I said a little prayer of thanks.
We promised to bring Glory some ice cream from the cafeteria, but on the way we decided to search out Dr. Merrick. I wanted to thank her for all that she’d done for us.
Instead, we found Ruadan. He stood in the hallway a couple doors down from Glory’s room. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching us approach.
“Have you seen Dr. Merrick?” I asked. “I wanted to thank her for all that she did for us.”
“She’s gone.”
“When will she be back?”
Ruadan shook his head. “She’s not coming back,” he said. “She broke faith with the one who holds her life.”
“I don’t understand. Who holds her life?”
He smiled bitterly. “My grandmother, Morrigu. An’ believe me, she’s not the kind of woman you cross—not ever.”
I knew a little about Morrigu; it was her dark blood that had Turned Ruadan. She was one of the oldest goddesses in the world. And apparently, one of the scariest.
“Couldn’t you save her?”
“Before I was vampire, before I was married and fathered my sons, I met Ion. I was the son of a goddess and she was a Fate, but the heart does not care about such matters. Never have I loved one like I loved her.
“When the gods revoked the lives of the other Fates, Ion was among those saved. Y’see, I went to Morrigu and begged for her life. And my grandmother agreed, so long as Ion gave up her soul—and her love for me.”
I was horrified. “But why?”
“She’s called the queen of chaos for a reason, you know.” He shook his head, as if to clear away his resentments. “Ion dedicated her life to healing others, but it was not her only purpose. The pact she made included the condition that she never use her powers as a Fate to help or hinder humans.”
Oh, no. “Is she . . . dead?”
“There is no death for one such as her.”
“And we got her in trouble? Because she used her powers to help us?”
Ruadan smiled wearily. “No.” He turned and opened the door next to him. He gestured for us to look. Brady and I took a peek.
Marissa Clark lay asleep in the hospital bed. Holy hell. I glanced at Ruadan. “She’s alive?”
“Ion used her powers to draw the child’s spirit back from the veil. Then she healed her body. Changing the course of a human’s life that dramatically is a no-no.”
“Is . . . Ion gone for good?” I asked. I was truly sorry that Dr. Merrick would no longer be among us. Fate or not, she had been a good person. She deserved mercy from Morrigu. And I hope she got it.
“Who’s to say?” asked Ruadan. “No one can ever know the mind of Morrigu.” He looked again at the child. “Darlene’s ashes were found in her house. We’ve made arrangements to deliver Marissa to her human father.”
I was sad that Darlene was dead. She was ditzy and often self-centered, but those qualities shouldn’t merit the death penalty.
I laid my hand on Ruadan’s arm. “I’m sorry.”
He seemed to understand my sympathy even as I wondered why I felt like he needed any. Still, he flashed another smile, though there was no joy in it. I had a feeling there was more to the story of Ruadan and Ion than he was willing to share.
I thought about all the sacrifices others had made so that we could live.
Now, more than ever, we needed to adhere to vision of the Consortium and our queen. Once the Invisi-shield was operational, everyone who lived here would be safe.
I vowed, right then, that Broken Heart would offer sanctuary to all who needed it—just as it had done so for me as human and as vampire.
“C’mon,” said Brady. “Glory wants ice cream.” He leaned down and nipped my ear. “And I want you.”
“You missed the opportunity to make a lewd comment about licking me.”
He chuckled. “I’ll save that for date number ten.”
Chapter 32
Three months later
“Are you sure that ninety-two dates is enough?” asked Brady.
We stood in my bedroom, toe-to-toe. Lit candles lined my dresser and the nightstands, casting a romantic glow against the silver sheen of the walls.
“Honestly, I think one date was plenty. But I had to make you work for it.”
Brady laughed; then he looped one finger under my spaghetti strap and lowered it off my shoulder. “You look beautiful in this dress.”
“And yet you’re trying to take it off.”
“You know that look that Jessica gets when she unwraps one of her truffles?” he asked.
“Like she fell into a pool of chocolate with Keanu Reeves and Hugh Jackman swimming toward her?”
He looked at me, his lips quirking. “Have that fantasy often?”
Heh. Who, me?
“Nope. Why would I, when I have you?”
“Nice recovery.” He kissed my shoulder, and lust bloomed in my stomach. “Anyway, that’s how I feel about getting you out of this dress.”
We were alone in the house. Ever since Glory decided to start talking, she never stopped. I had the pleasure of being annoyed by her questions and worn out by her storytelling. I loved every minute of it.
I had asked her about her visits to the creek. She said she went down there to talk to Mary, who lived in the water. Doc Michaels seemed to think Mary was an imaginary friend. He seemed to think that Glory would let go of her imaginary friend as she started socializing with real kids. She was in school now, and it was true: Her visits to the creek had lessened over the months.
Damian had taken on the role of raising Adaulfo, a hard task for a boy who still mourned his father. At least Adaulfo had a more normal (well, for this town) childhood. School. Friends. Freedom.
Earlier, in the front yard of the house, we’d had a good old-fashioned wedding. Phoebe Allen, who now had a booming business for the Old Sass Café, thanks to Flet’s wish, catered the meal. She’d made our wedding cake with devil’s food—a little joke about her own demon powers.
Sometimes I wondered about that girl.
Ruadan presided as our preacher, and he did a fine job. Binding was three steps: the word giving, the claiming, and the woo-woo. Brady and I had done the first two steps.
Now, we were at step three.
Brady unlooped my other strap, and I wiggled out of it. The dress fell and pooled at my feet. I stepped away from the material.
“Wow,” he murmured as he looked over my white lace bra and matching panties. I wasn’t a fancy-lingerie kind of girl, but I had to give Victoria’s Secret some props. The money spent on my wedding underclothing was worth it when it put that look in a man’s eyes.
Brady was still in his tuxedo, though he’d taken off the tie. I unbuttoned the white dress shirt and slid my hand along his muscled c
hest. Yowzer.
I made short work of his clothing, though I was slightly (okay, overwhelmingly) nervous about seeing his you-know-what.
I’d been with one man my whole life. Even though Brady and I had gotten hot and heavy during our courtship, we’d never gone this far. I felt like I was a virgin all over again.
I’ll be gentle.
Hey! No fair, mister!
As one of the few men on the planet who can literally read the mind of his wife, you better believe I’m taking advantage of it.
I grinned. Then I cocked an eyebrow and focused on a particularly naughty thought.
His smile was all wicked.
As he slid off those boxer shorts, my undead heart went boom, boom, BOOM.
Then . . . whoa. Wow.
Brady was broad and muscled, with curly hair on his chest and legs. His shaft was already hard. Okay. In for a penny, in for a pound.
I stepped close to him and gripped his member, sliding my fingers over the velvety skin. My whole body went on alert, heat pouring through me like a four-alarm fire.
Brady took my hand and led me to the bed. I scooted onto it, and he did, too. He lay next to me, his fingers dancing on my bare skin.
He skimmed the underside of my breasts, and I gasped. He teased my areolas with delicious strokes. Then he leaned down and suckled one nipple.
Sensations rocketed through me.
He paid homage to the other breast. I wiggled against him, my hands reaching again for his manhood. I gripped it and stroked.
Brady liked it. He responded in kind by cupping my breasts and licking, sucking, tormenting.
Lust liquefied me. I released his shaft, then stroked up his rib cage, my fingers running through hair on his chest. Then I found his nipples. I lightly twisted.
Brady lifted his head. “You drive me crazy,” he murmured, “but in a good way.”
I grinned.
Brady cupped my sex and caressed my outer lips. He pierced me with one finger, then two, and curled those fingers upward.
And stroked.
Pleasure spun out a web that crept from my sex to my womb to every nerve ending.
He stroked in and out in a rhythm that made me gulp and gasp and moan. My whole body tightened and I spun away and up and reached for that rapture he promised.
He kissed me, his tongue mimicking those wicked fingers, the crisp curls on his chest rubbing on my nipples, and then . . . oh, then . . . I fell over the edge.
And as I rode that wave of bliss, Brady lifted away from my body, kneeling between my legs and pushing them up until my feet rested on his chest.
He angled his shaft to my entrance, and slowly, while I still pulsated with that incredible orgasm, he pushed inside.
I gripped the covers as he created a rhythm that pressed that wonderful spot again.
“Touch yourself,” he demanded, his voice hoarse. His greedy gaze was on my breasts.
Feeling oh, so naughty, I cupped my breasts and tweaked my nipples. Razor-sharp pleasure zapped me, and Brady’s eyes went dark and his rhythm went wild, and he groaned and I groaned and then . . .
He shuddered. Stilled. Then he was groaning. Spilling his seed inside me, his hands clutching my calves.
I went over the edge again, this time with him, my hands clawing at the bedspread as I arched, trying to take him deeper.
A minute later, he collapsed next to me. “What do you say to the person who gave you the best orgasm of your life?”
“Thank you, Keanu?”
Brady barked a laugh, then tapped my nose. “Try again.”
I cupped his face and said, “How about I love you forever?”
He smiled. “I love you forever.”
Well, then. There’s just not much more to say, is there?
ABANDONED TOWN DESTROYED BY GAS LEAK
By Susan Rickerson, Tulsa Tribune
One of the oldest cities in Oklahoma, which had been abandoned by the last of its residents more than a year ago, was destroyed by a major gas leak.
Officials are unsure what the ignition source was; however, they confirmed that nearly everything in the small town was demolished.
“There’s not even a road,” said Fire Investigator Samuel Waters. “The highway is being rerouted to go around the damaged area. We don’t recommend that anyone approach the city limits. It’s dangerous.”
Waters also insisted that the explosion was not related to the arson fires that plagued Tulsa in February of this year. The last fire attributed to the still-at-large arsonist was at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
The new section of the freeway will be built at least ten miles around the town.
There are no plans to rebuild Broken Heart.
THE SEVEN ANCIENTS
(In order of creation)
Ruadan: (Ireland) He flies and uses fairy magic.
Koschei: (Russia) He is the master of glamour and mind control. He was banned to the world between worlds.
Hua Mu Lan: (China) She is a great warrior who creates and controls fire. She was killed during her attack on Queen Patricia.
Durga: (India) She calls forth, controls, and expels demons. She was banned to the world between worlds.
Velthur: (Italy) He controls all forms of liquid.
Amahté: (Egypt) He talks to spirits, raises the dead, creates zombies, and reinserts souls into dead bodies.
Zela: (Nubia) She manipulates all metallic substances.
THE BROKEN HEART TURN-BLOODS
1Jessica Matthews: Widow (first husband, Richard). Mother to fourteen-year-old Bryan and nine-year-old Jenny. Stay-at-home mom. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
Charlene Mason: Mistress of Richard Matthews. Mother to one-year-old Rich Jr. Receptionist for insurance company. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
Linda Beauchamp: Divorced (first husband, Earl). Mother to eighteen-year-old MaryBeth. Nail technician. Vampire of Family Koschei.
MaryBeth Beauchamp: Single. Waitress at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
1Evangeline Louise LeRoy: Single. Mother to fifteen-year-old Tamara LeRoy. Owns and operates the town library. Vampire of Family Koschei.
Patricia “Patsy” Donovan: Divorced (first husband, Sean). Mother to sixteen-year-old Wilson. Beautician who owns and operates Hair Today, Curl Tomorrow. Vampire of Family Amahté.
Ralph Genessa: Widowed (first wife, Teresa). Father to toddler twins Michael and Stephen. Fry cook at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Hua Mu Lan.
Simone Sweet: Widowed (first husband, Jacob). Mother to six-year-old Glory. Broken Heart’s mechanic. Vampire of Family Velthur.
1Phoebe Allen: Single. Mother to two-year-old Daniel. Waitress at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Durga.
1Darlene Clark: Divorced (first husband, Jason). Mother to seven-year-old Marissa. Stay-at-home mother. Operates Internet scrapbooking business. Vampire of Family Durga.
1Elizabeth Bretton née Silverstone: Separated (first husband, Carlton). Mother of seventeen-year-old Venice, who lives with her father in Los Angeles. Socialite. Vampire of Family Zela.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONSORTIUM
In 1556, brothers Padriag and Lorcan (now known as Patrick and Lorcan O’Halloran) created the Consortium to facilitate education, communication, and support among parakind. They used their wealth and contacts to aid research in medicine, technology, and the arts.
At the time Padriag and Lorcan created the Consortium, most humans were aware of paranormal creatures, though any discovered living among them were cast out at best, or hunted and killed at worst. Part of the Consortium’s mission became to protect nonhumans.
Largely because of their efforts, many otherworldly creatures and humanoids learned to survive by camouflaging their true natures or by hiding in areas without human populations. The Consortium was instrumental in creating myths, legends, and cryptozool ogy to reinforce their efforts to protect parakind from human discovery.
The Consortium’s first meeting commenced in France at Clos Lucé—
the home of Leonardo da Vinci (his human death was recorded in 1519). Though da Vinci was instrumental in creating the moral codes, member guidelines, and innovative direction of Padriag and Lorcan’s vision, he declined to be named part of the ruling board. (No one knows where da Vinci is now, or even if he still walks the Earth.)
Although Padriag and Lorcan, as founders of the Consortium, are permanent members of its ruling board, a new chair is named every hundred years. Only the thirteen members of the ruling board can offer nominations for a new chair. While the nominated chair is not required to be part of the current board, he or she must be an active, full member of the Consortium with at least one hundred years of service. The ruling board then votes on the new chair. Board members must serve at least one hundred years and can be reelected for a second term. The only permanent members of the board are Lorcan and Padriag. All full members of the Consortium can nominate and vote in a new board.
The Consortium stayed in France until 1788. That year, on-staff psychics began predicting the French Revolution. So the Consortium moved its offices, libraries, and council members to Ireland. In 1849, after working four years to halt the An Gorta Mór (the Great Hunger), the Consortium’s headquarters were discovered by a group of vampires known as the Wraiths.
After fighting off the attackers, Consortium members moved to New York City, in the United States of America. Later, the Consortium found out that the Wraiths had facilitated the potato famine to increase its access to food (Wraiths often drain humans to death) and to create drones, minions, and Turn-bloods. It is still unknown how many of the Irish really died and how many are, even today, Turned by the Wraiths.
The Consortium still has a headquarters in New York City, but constant discovery and attacks by the Wraiths and other enemies have forced the board and active members to keep subsequent locations secret. To protect its ongoing projects, the Consortium keeps its information, scientists, and key staff split into several locations around the world.
Over My Dead Body Page 21