“You did great, Fabian,” I said, and was rewarded with a smile from the ghost. Of course, his head went through the car seat to do it.
When I returned my attention to Bones, he was staring at me with such intentness that I immediately glanced away. Cool fingers closed around my wrist, bringing my hand to his face before I could snatch it back. When I felt the brush of his mouth on my skin, I tried to yank away. Even that small touch made my heart leap in a way that was almost painful.
His grip didn’t loosen as he took in a long, deep breath.
“You smell familiar.” His voice was low. “Even though I don’t remember meeting you before today, I swear that I recognize your scent.”
My heart skipped a beat. Scent was the strongest sense tied to memory. Maybe, just maybe, his memory loss wouldn’t be permanent.
Still, it was hard to think with his fingers caressing my hand in feathery touches that belied a grip I couldn’t pull away from.
“Can you, um, let go now?” I asked unsteadily.
He inhaled again. “Not yet.”
Spade pretended to stroke his eyebrow while in reality, his hand blocked from Bones’s view the glare he shot me. Don’t cause a stink, that single look commanded.
Right. I forced myself to relax. Bones was only holding my hand so he could try to place my scent. No need to let everyone know that such a simple touch hit my emotions with the same force as a sledgehammer.
“Okay, well… you let go whenever you’re ready,” I managed to reply in a seminormal tone.
A breath hit my knuckles that might have been a muffled laugh.
“I’ll do that.”
***
Mencheres, Bones’s coruler, was at the residence we arrived at, and for once, I was happy to see him.
“Grandsire.”
I wasn’t the only one, it seemed. Bones embraced Mencheres with something like relief.
“Can you get this worthless barrier out of my head?” he asked at once.
Mencheres set Bones back and placed his hand on his forehead. After a moment, he shook his head.
“The spell is bound by blood, so only Gregor’s blood will lift it.”
Bones ground out a curse. Then he cracked his knuckles. “All right. I’ll track the sod down and get his blood.”
“In your present state, he will kill you,” Mencheres said bluntly. “There can be no retribution for it under our laws, and then he will claim Cat as his. Do you condemn her to that, or will you do as I say?”
“I’m not afraid of him,” Bones spat, but he glanced over at me.
I had a split second of being torn before logic took over. If believing I was helpless would save him, then helpless I would be!
“If you’re determined not to wait until you’re stronger before you confront Gregor, then let me go to him now. If Gregor gets me as victory spoils later, I think he’ll go a lot rougher on me.”
I even manufactured a shiver as if the thought terrified me. It did, but only because the topic was Bones’s death. My act worked because this Bones couldn’t tell when I was piling it on.
His lips thinned and he returned his attention to Mencheres. “Right, there’s more than me to consider now. Very well. What would you have me do?”
“Train with me from morning until dusk to get you ready to face Gregor,” Mencheres replied.
Bones gave the Egyptian vampire a self-deprecating smile. “You haven’t trained me since I was a lad. Was I much stronger before, or will I need all the strength I can get to defeat Gregor?”
Mencheres cupped his face with open affection, making me remember when he’d said that Bones was like a son to him. “You were starting to realize how very powerful you truly were.”
Vagueness. Mencheres was the king of that.
Bones glanced my way again. “Morning till dusk, you say? Then I’ll take myself to bed. I remember how you train, so I’ll need the rest.”
All of a sudden, I was the center of attention. It took me a moment to realize why.
“I snore,” I said at once. “Ask anyone, it sounds like trees being chainsawed down. You need, um, some uninterrupted sleep by yourself. I might kick as well.”
That last part I said with a glint in my eye. Yeah, I might kick, and if Bones whispered someone else’s name in his sleep, I might stab him too.
Bones let out a snort. “Mencheres, if you’ll point me in the right direction? I’ll stay in my doghouse awaiting Catherine’s reprieve.”
Spade turned to me and looked like he was about to argue.
Before he could speak, Bones clapped him on the back. “Don’t fret, mate. Although I’m not certain, she looks as though she’d steal the covers too. Best all around, really.”
Spade laughed, and Bones gave me a cheeky wink as he followed Mencheres up the stairs.
“Sleep well, Catherine.”
***
The house was big. Maybe even a ranch, from the horses I heard outside. The good news was, beyond that, I didn’t have a clue as to where we were.
Mencheres put Bones in the room next to mine, so I heard him feed from two people before he went to sleep. One male, one female, or as I mentally named them, dinner and dessert. That also told me this was a community residence. Either it had a big basement or there was an adjoining cottage, but Mencheres had living snacks close by. Vampire households made me a little uneasy with their throwback to feudalism, not that I had any room to complain. Humans kept their food within easy reach too.
Despite feeling tired, I had a restless sleep, drifting off just to wake up over and over again. It was surreal to be this close to Bones, yet miles apart emotionally. He was still the love of my life; I was only some weird chick he’d found out yesterday that he was stuck with.
The door banged open, revealing a teenage brunette with pigtails in the doorway. “Hello! I’m Heather, and I’m here to get your breakfast. Are you Blood, Body, or Breather?”
She was smiling at me in the friendliest way. Meanwhile, I’d just put my knife back on the dresser.
“What?”
She came in without being invited. Then again, she hadn’t been invited to open the door either.
“You must be a Breather,” she announced. “The others know right off what I mean. Okay, human food, what’ll it be? I guarantee we have it.”
Her initial question finally made sense. Yeah, I guess that would be the first issue when determining what someone wanted for breakfast.
“Just point me to the kitchen and I’ll take care of it myself.”
She laughed like I’d told a joke. “You’re House. You can’t get your own food. Just tell me what you want and if you want it here or somewhere else.”
It was similar to being at Vlad’s, only if I were there, she’d have carted the refrigerator in with her.
“You can’t just point me to the kitchen?”
A firm shake of her head.
“Right,” I sighed. “Eggs and toast, I don’t care how they’re cooked or what kind of bread. Coffee, cream, and sugar. Where else can I eat aside from this room?”
“Oh, wherever you want, but the balcony’s the nicest.”
“Where is it?”
“End of the hall to your right,” she chirped.
I stopped her on her way out. “Oh, by the way, I’m—”
“Don’t tell me your name,” she said, the smile wiped from her face. “I’ll call you Red, but we don’t mention real names. That way we can’t repeat what we don’t know.”
Good God. “Heather, are you okay with being here? You’re underage, from my guess, and I could arrange for you to live somewhere else, with your own kind…” My voice trailed off because she suddenly looked ill.
“Please don’t. This is the best home I’ve ever had. They take care of me, I go to school online, and everyone is nice. I don’t want to go back to foster care, ever. Please don’t tell anyone where I am.”
I’d tried to be nice and instead I’d scared the hell out of her. “I won
’t. It’s okay. You’re doing great. I just… I’m an ass.”
She lost that frightened look, but she was still a little cautious. “Don’t worry. You’re House, so you can say anything. One day I’ll be House too.”
How could I respond to that? Keep working hard and it’ll happen?
Finally all I said was, “House doesn’t guarantee happiness.”
She smiled, bright and sunny once more. “No, but it means someone will be bringing me breakfast.”
***
The balcony was beautiful, as promised. It overlooked a garden-surrounded swimming pool. Wherever this was, I hoped we were staying a while, despite the oddity of being “House.” If I could move around outside, maybe swim or take a walk, I’d be delighted.
“Got some room on that bench?”
My head whipped up. “Denise!”
My best friend staggered back, laughing, when I launched myself at her. I was still babbling out an apology about Vlad burning the house and cars when she shushed me.
“No harm, no foul. Spade billed him, isn’t that hilarious? Three days later Vlad sent a check. Oh, but he didn’t pay for the ceiling that he’d chucked Tate through, because he considered that Spade’s fault for not controlling his guest. Vampires, right?”
I laughed as well, in comic disbelief at the protocol of the undead.
Then Denise tugged on my arm. “I’ve got something for you. It’s one of the reasons why I wasn’t here last night. Come with me.”
I followed her to a second-floor bedroom, though the bed was almost hidden from all the stuff on it.
“Clothes!” Denise announced. “All your size, all new. You must have felt like a Salvation Army fashion model, always wearing stuff that wasn’t yours.”
I was overwhelmed by the thoughtful gesture. It didn’t seem possible that something as trivial as clothes could make me feel better, but it did. Maybe it was girl DNA.
“I also brought some photos and DVDs, but those are for Bones,” she went on. “That’s the good news. The bad news is…” She leaned over and whispered something.
“Oh, fuck!” I burst out.
“So much for subtlety.” Denise quit trying to keep her voice down. “Spade thought that since she’s—ahem—known Bones the longest, he’d feel more comfortable with her here.”
“No, Spade’s still pissed at me and he’s a sly son of a bitch,” I muttered, holding up a hand to avoid her arguing. “Point me to Lady Ormsby’s room. I don’t want to find out her intentions after I’m prying her off Bones’s door.”
Denise gave me a look that said, You shouldn’t go, but I know you will. “One floor down, third door on your right.”
“I’ll be right back.”
One floor down and the third entrance on the right later, I banged on the door. “Annette! I need to speak with you. Wake up or stop what you’re doing.”
Rustling sounds came from within, and then her grumpy reply. “Can’t it wait? I’m knackered.”
I opened the door. Hey, I’d warned her. “No, it can’t.”
Annette was sprawled out nude in the bed. A sheet covered one leg that she didn’t bother to pull up once she saw me. True, out of everyone, she’d known Bones since the days of their humanity, when he’d been a gigolo and Annette had been his best client.
Her light eyes considered me balefully. “I’ve flown a considerable amount of time to be here, and I’m returning to my slumber straightaway after you leave.”
“Are you going to try to seduce Bones now that he doesn’t remember me?” I asked her, ignoring that.
She rolled onto her back. “Always direct, aren’t you? Another woman might have invited me to tea, played my friend, and sought to dissuade me with guilt, but not you. Did you bring your knife?”
“It’s upstairs, and you’re stalling. Answer the question.”
“You find me a threat?”
I gave her figure a blunt evaluation. Annette’s breasts were full, though without the perfect roundness of youth. Faint stretch marks marred her sides, evidence of when she’d once been pregnant with what was probably Bones’s child. Her hips and legs were shapely and generous, exactly the way fashion dictated a woman should look before the past hundred years. She also exuded a sensual decadence, making her flaws somehow more attractive. When she was young, Annette must have been stunning to the point of intimidation, but now she looked gorgeous as well as very accessible.
“Scary as hell, bitch. Flattered?”
A smile curved her mouth. “In fact, I am.”
“Flattered? Or going after Bones now that it’s your best chance?”
She sat up and let out a sigh. “No, I shan’t be scheming after Crispin. Oh, I’d like to. Thought about it the whole bloody flight over, in fact, but I can’t. If Crispin’s memories return, he’d despise me. Nothing is worth that, darling. I love him too much to risk his hatred.”
Any other explanation, I’d have doubted. That one rang true. Faults she might have, and lots of them, but she did love Bones.
“Annette, if I didn’t think you’d take it the wrong way, I’d kiss you.”
The truth was, she’d be formidable competition. Bones hadn’t kept returning to her for hundreds of years because she bored him. Annette one-upped me in many, many ways, so frankly, I was relieved.
“If you kiss me, I promise to take it the wrong way,” she replied, amusement clear in her tone. “Now let me rest.”
“Yeah, happy sleeping.” Since I had the answer I wanted, I was in a hurry to leave, especially after her last comment.
***
Bones came back well after nightfall. Things must have run late, or maybe he was limiting the time he’d have to deal with me. God knows I’d be stalling if I were in his shoes. If Denise hadn’t been with me today, I might have climbed the walls.
Instead, I did feminine things. Tried on my new clothes. Took turns with Denise, giving each other manicures and pedicures, then facials. Let her do my hair in different styles. Denise was in girly-girl heaven.
I didn’t let on, but I wasn’t. Was this what I was supposed to enjoy? Sure, it was nice, and I was so glad that my friend was there, but another day of playing Be a Barbie would send me running for my knives. What was wrong with me? While curls were being put in my hair, I was reminiscing about bloody fights and near-death escapes.
That’s why I was relieved to hear Bones return. Hell, I’d almost flung myself down the stairs to see him before I realized he might just want to sleep. Was it rude to greet him if he was really tired or rude not to? Which was worse, to be perceived as a pouncing spider or the aloof wife? There should be a frigging manual for this.
I opted for Chickenshit Plan C: Dash to the upper-floor balcony and see if he sought me out. I wasn’t locking myself in a room, but I wasn’t wagging my tail by the door either. If only I’d grabbed a book, I could appear legitimately occupied. As it was, I had nothing to do but stare at the night sky.
Downstairs, I heard Bones greet Annette. Spade introduced Denise as his girlfriend since of course Bones didn’t remember her. When he asked, “Where’s Catherine?” my heart leapt. How pathetic to be so emotional over a simple inquiry.
“She ran away when you came in,” Annette said cheerfully.
Bitch, I thought with an inner groan.
“Did she indeed?” Bones replied. “To where?”
“Outer balcony third floor.” Again supplied by Annette. She’d better lock her door tonight.
“If you’ll excuse me?”
There was a general murmur of acceptance, and then his light, quick footsteps up the stairs, down the hall, and outside the windowed doors closing off the balcony. I stood up and turned around.
“I was just giving you a chance to unwind…,” I began, then stopped. The way he looked at me made me more nervous. “What?”
“You told me no flattery, but I can’t help it. You’re extraordinarily beautiful.”
Bones kept staring at me, his eyes flicking from my f
ace to my dress and back again. I sat down because I didn’t know what else to do. Jeez, courtship had been easier when we first met. I’d snarled and plotted to kill him; he’d pummeled me and made fun of my training progress.
So how did I handle our strained new circumstances? With babbling. Idiotic, relentless babbling.
“Denise did my hair, nails, and the rest of it. And the clothes are new, which is nice. Don’t have to wonder who wore the underwear before me. No matter if you know they’re clean, there’s something icky about wearing another girl’s underwear….”
Good God, are you really talking about underwear? the logical part of my mind screeched. Stop talking now, moron! But I couldn’t seem to shut up.
“…although I never bother with doing all this normally. In fact, most of the time I barely wear makeup, and I only do my hair if I’m going out to kill someone—which, since I quit my job, isn’t much anymore. I don’t know why I let Denise talk me into this, because when I don’t do it again you’ll wonder why I only did it in the beginning and everyone will tell you, ‘Oh, things change when the girl gets comfortable, that’s marriage for you,’ and… Aw, hell, I gotta go!”
With that, I bolted from the balcony and went straight to my room, shutting the door. Even that wasn’t far enough. I went into the bathroom and turned the shower on, jumping under the spray still fully clothed while I cursed myself for being ten shades of an imbecile. I could just imagine Bones’s hushed conversation later tonight with Spade.
Has she ever been treated for schizophrenia? No? Oversight, mate. I’ll get right on it.
My head thumped against the tile. A couple of more episodes like that and Bones would be delivering me to Gregor with a big red bow. Maybe I should keep it up. At least then he’d be safer.
In keeping with my new ridiculousness, I stayed in my room and didn’t come out. Denise knocked after an hour, but I put her off with a lame excuse about a headache. She didn’t press it. After several more useless hours staring at the ceiling, berating myself for behaving like a head case in front of Bones, I fell asleep.
Of course, that’s when Gregor showed up.
Outtakes From the Grave Page 31