He’d gotten off the turbo at the first town past Rafferty’s stop long enough to make a few phone calls. As luck would have it, one of his distant cousins was up for a little adventure. Riley had long ago burned any chance of ingratiating himself with the current senior generation.
Riley might not be overly smart, but he was greedy. With the promise of money and power, Banan reeled him in with almost no effort. Fool! As if Banan would ever trust anyone whose loyalty could be purchased so cheaply.
Banan checked the time. He had hours left to be cooped up in this metal cage as it rattled along on the track. He couldn’t wait until he checked into a decent hotel. One with room service, the kind where they kept willing humans on hand who would offer up their vein for the right price—and their bodies as well, for a slightly higher fee.
Of course, he’d have to be careful not to do any permanent damage. He’d always been hard on his toys, and right now he couldn’t risk drawing unwanted attention to himself.
When Riley arrived, they’d make plans for his next visit to the O’Day estate thanks to one of his shady friends who could fly them in and out of a remote section of the estate. From there, they’d have fun checking off all the things he had on his special to-do list. A few drained-until-dead humans would be the perfect start to this particular adventure.
With luck, they’d lay all the blame right at Seamus Fitzhugh’s doorstep when they found Megan Perez’s body dumped in the woods near the infirmary. Seamus would be lucky if Rafferty staked him before he offered him up to the noonday sun.
And this time, when Banan left the O’Day estate behind, he wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed. His parents would be so proud of their granddaughter. They’d hire the best of nurses to take care of her until she was capable of civilized behavior. Say, around age twenty or so. It was, after all, a family tradition.
Chapter 12
Stress was running high in the room. Megan couldn’t control the slight trembling in her hands, so she kept them out of sight in her lap. Conlan shot her a sympathetic look, no doubt picking up on her tension despite how hard she was working to hide it. He sat with his leg crossed over his knee, his foot keeping time to a rapid beat only he could hear while Joss methodically tore a paper napkin into small pieces.
Seamus, on the other hand, sat rock still, his mouth a straight slash except for the slightest hint of fang showing. He looked like he’d been through hell and barely lived to tell the tale. Joss and Rafferty had called this meeting to discuss his future, although so far only Joss was seated at the table.
Seamus clearly didn’t appreciate anyone having that much control over his life, but the truth was the estate was theirs to run as they saw fit. All decisions were final, but at least they’d invited her and Conlan in on the session, perhaps to ask their take on the situation.
It had been less than a week since Rafferty’s brush with death. Without Seamus’s quick action and superb medical skills, they’d have been gathered to bury the scion of the O’Day clan. Instead, they had other business to attend to.
She still didn’t know what had brought Seamus to the O’Day estate, but it had been bad. Surely he wouldn’t have lied about who he was and what his intentions were without good cause. But then her judgment when it came to men wasn’t always trustworthy.
Obviously his path had crossed Rafferty’s at some point in the past. Other than Seamus himself, only Joss and Rafferty knew for sure and they weren’t talking. The only consolation was that Conlan looked as frustrated at she felt.
Finally, she heard the clomping steps of Rafferty making his way toward them. He came around the corner, awkwardly trying to manage his crutches and his injured leg while not dropping a file folder. After maneuvering himself into his own chair, he looked around the table. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Things took longer than they should have.”
“Did it come?” Joss nodded toward the file folder.
“Yeah, but I had to grease a few palms to get those greedy bastards moving.” He shot a hard look across at Seamus. “I thought the vampire clans had cornered the market on power plays and manipulating people. Those bastards you studied under could teach even the oldest of us a few lessons.”
Seamus frowned. “Why were you talking to them? I already told you the reason I didn’t finish school.”
“Yeah, let’s say I hate anyone being backed into a corner through no fault of their own.” He reached for the cup of coffee Joss had poured for him. “Dusty work, but it’s done.”
“What work?” Conlan asked as he reached for a couple of cookies.
Megan watched both of the O’Days, trying to guess what was behind the looks they exchanged. Finally, Joss nodded as Rafferty tangled his fingers in hers, presenting a united front.
“Seamus, here, lied to us about his reasons for coming here. After a long and private conversation on the subject, we’ve come to terms with the circumstances that made that necessary. The details are not mine to share.”
Rafferty waited until Seamus nodded in agreement before continuing. “Our official policy has always been to permanently expel anyone who has misrepresented themselves to us, no excuses accepted.”
Megan gasped, ready to protest, but Seamus wasn’t acting either surprised or upset. Why?
“In this case, however, there are extenuating circumstances. We’re prepared to overlook the misrepresentation for a variety of reasons.”
Joss interrupted, “Not the least of which is that he saved Rafferty’s life.”
Conlan shot Seamus a conspiratorial look. “Which may show a lack of good judgment on Seamus’s part.”
“Bite me.” Rafferty flashed his fangs at his security officer before returning his attention to Seamus. “So, Seamus, we’re officially offering you the chance to remain here on the estate. We’d like to think you’ve found the work to your liking and have good reasons to want to stay.”
No one looked in Megan’s direction, but she blushed anyway. Was she one of his reasons? She had to wonder, especially because he’d been avoiding her once everything had blown up in his face.
Rafferty tapped the file he’d laid on the table. “However, we don’t want you to stay here because it’s the only choice you have. Your school had no right to do what they did, and I’ve encouraged them to rectify their mistake.”
Conlan’s eyes opened wide as he grinned. “And how many were left bloody and bruised by your style of hands-on encouragement?”
Ever the predator, Rafferty’s own smile showed a lot of fang. “Enough to make it fun.”
He pushed the file across the table toward Seamus. “This is only a copy. The originals will be arriving by courier in the next couple of days.”
Seamus pulled the papers from the file and stared at them, looking a bit bewildered. He glanced at Conlan for some answers. “I don’t understand.”
The security officer leaned over and quickly scanned the papers scattered on the table. “It’s all couched in the usual legal gibberish and fancy words. However, the bottom line is you are now a board-certified physician and surgeon, free to practice medicine anywhere in the Coalition.”
Then he clapped him on the shoulder. “I guess congratulations are in order!”
“We’ll second that,” Joss said, smiling. “As Rafferty said, we wanted to make sure you had a choice, although we’d really like it if you chose to stay here. What do you think?”
Seamus finally looked up from the papers, his eyes a brighter blue than Megan had ever seen them. He looked at each person in turn, starting with Joss and Rafferty, then Conlan and finally her. She felt the heat in his gaze all the way to her toes. Her heart fluttered in anticipation as they all waited for his answer.
Seamus broke off the eye lock he had on Megan and forced himself to look back down at the stack of papers Rafferty had handed him. His medical degree. He’d given up all hope of ever having it, but there it lay—or at least a facsimile of what it would look like when it was delivered.
Months ago
choice had been stripped from his life along with everything that had held any meaning for him: medical school, his sister, his status among their kind. Once his life had veered out of control, he’d been driven solely by his need to avenge his family honor.
He was well aware that everyone was watching him, waiting for him to respond to the amazing gift that had just been handed to him. It was at once too much to take in and not nearly enough to make up for what he’d lost. But again, this was about beginnings, not what-could-have-beens.
He settled for the simple truth. “I don’t know what to say.”
As he glanced around the table, he could pretty much guess what most everybody was thinking. Joss was proud of what her husband had been able to do, and Rafferty himself was well aware that the stack of paper would give Seamus back his pride, if not the life he’d lost. Conlan was pleased for Seamus and probably relieved that he wasn’t going to have to evict Seamus anytime soon.
There were a lot of thoughts going on behind Megan’s lovely lavender eyes, but he wouldn’t presume to think he knew what she was contemplating. He’d guess she was relieved in much the same way Conlan was. And like Joss, she was happy that Rafferty had straightened things out for Seamus, although she had no idea why Seamus had run into problems.
And maybe, just maybe, she was hoping he’d stay.
Where else did he have to go? Nowhere.
Who else wanted him? No one.
Did he want to stay? God, yes.
He allowed himself the privilege of reaching over to take Megan’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He kept his eyes firmly on hers when he announced his decision. “I guess you have yourself a doctor, Rafferty.”
Then everyone was hooting and hollering, with Rafferty ordering Joss to fetch the champagne he had on ice in the other room “just in case.” She was back in seconds with a tray full of glasses and the wine.
She handed him the bottle. “Here, this is your celebration, Dr. Fitzhugh. You pop the cork!”
Seamus managed to do the job with only a minimum amount of the bubbly stuff spilling onto the floor before Joss managed to catch the rest in her glass. When everyone had some, Seamus held his glass up to make the first toast.
“Here’s to running toward the future.”
The chime of crystal against crystal rang out as they all bumped glasses.
“Here, here!” Joss said.
Even Conlan managed a small smile as he lifted his glass. “Here’s to trust well placed.”
The words seemed to solidify and hang in the air between them, sending a chill through Seamus. Yes, for the time being they would trust him, but he had to wonder how strong that newly forged bond really was. But for now, he would sip the wine and enjoy the company.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to start planning for his future.
The night was pleasantly cool. The perfect temperature for walking home, his arm wrapped around a warm, lovely woman. He could see it now—him, Megan, at her front door as she debates whether or not to invite him in. He weighs in on the argument, not with words but with a kiss designed to sway her opinion.
But there was another pretty female who had to be taken into consideration—Phoebe. So rather than holding Megan in his arms, he held her daughter. Not that he was complaining—exactly.
The youngling was wide-awake and happy. If Seamus had to venture a guess, Phoebe was ready to be the center of attention for quite some time to come. He shifted his cheery burden to his other arm and snagged Megan’s hand. He liked that her fingers felt so right tangled with his as they walked along.
“If I didn’t say so before, I appreciate your being there for me tonight.”
“Yes, well, I love my cousin and her husband, but no one should have to face the two of them at the same time without backup.” She smiled up at him. “However, you would’ve done fine on your own. They’re smart enough to know that they were lucky to get you.”
Luck had little to do with it, but he wasn’t going there. “I hope it didn’t cost Rafferty too much to get them to issue my credentials.”
“You’ll probably never know, but he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t want to. Either way, it was only fair that the school fixed your records for you. You’d spent years working to become a doctor and surgeon.”
“Yes, it’s all I ever wanted to do.” And would’ve given it up in heartbeat to get his sister back.
Right now, though, he had an entirely different goal in mind as they turned off the road and walked up to Megan’s cottage. She unlocked the door and turned on the lights inside.
“Would you like me to take a quick look around?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.” Megan looked relieved. “I know it’s silly because Banan is gone, but I still worry. I can make tea if you’d like some.”
“That sounds good.” Well, not the tea, but he’d settle for that just to spend more time in her company.
He started to put Phoebe down in her crib, but she immediately started to fuss. “Okay, little one, you can take the grand tour with me.”
The cottage wasn’t much bigger than his apartment at the infirmary, but Megan had somehow transformed it into a real home. There were feminine touches throughout: houseplants, soft pillows, bright-colored curtains. When he stepped into her bedroom, he wished that it was Megan and not her daughter in his arms.
“All clear.”
He followed her scent into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Phoebe in his lap. He picked up a string of beads and dangled them just within reach of the baby’s tiny hands. She cooed happily as she caught at them.
Megan set a cup a tea within easy reach and sat down in the chair next to him. “Do you want me to take her?”
“No, she’s fine.” In fact, she’d snuggled in close and was starting to look drowsy.
“You have a real gift with her. She’s never that content with anyone else, including Joss.” Megan snickered and added, “Rafferty always looks like he’s worried that she’s about to do something disgusting on his favorite shirt.”
Seamus brushed Phoebe’s soft cheek with his finger. “Then there’s Uncle Conlan. He’d die to protect her, but is terrified by the thought of changing her diapers.”
“He caught me nursing her once. I’ve never seen a chancellor turn that particular shade of bright red before.” Megan sipped her tea. “Look, she’s already asleep.”
“I’ll go put her down in the crib.”
He slowly stood up and carried Phoebe into the small bedroom that Megan had made into a nursery. The baby stirred slightly and then settled back to sleep. He covered her with a blanket and gently patted her on the back. Not for the first time he realized how much he wished he could lay claim to her.
Banan Delaney was a fool for throwing all this away.
Megan was waiting out in the hallway. He supposed he should head back to his place. Dawn was a little over an hour away. As much as he’d like to stay longer, he couldn’t risk being trapped here by the sun.
“Well, I should go. Thank you again for being there for me tonight.”
“I had a good time. How does it feel to be officially Dr. Seamus Fitzhugh? I’m so pleased for you.” Megan opened the door and stepped outside with him. “Does it seem real yet?”
“Not as real as this does.”
He tugged her into his arms and kissed her. She smiled against his lips, teasing him with little forays with her tongue over the points of his fangs as they dropped down.
The sensation was exquisite, making him wish they had hours and hours instead of mere seconds. “You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to do this all evening.”
He nuzzled her neck, allowing himself the privilege of nipping at her throat right where her blood pulsed closest to the surface. She bent her neck to the side, offering him easier access and encouraging him to continue with a soft moan.
Finally, he stopped for the simple reason he had to, now, before it was too late. With her scent and the heat of her blo
od driving him crazy, he had to walk away or he’d end up taking both her body and her blood right there up against the door. Or maybe in the cool grass at their feet. Either way, she deserved better.
He rested his chin on top of her head as he struggled to regain control. From the bruising hold she had on his shoulders, she was skirting the edge of control as much as he was.
“I’m going to walk away now, but not because I want to.” It took him several more seconds to remember how to actually let go of her and step back. “Your kisses should require a warning label, woman.”
When he let go of her, she leaned back against the doorway. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was meant as one.”
“Um, Seamus, I was wondering. Would you like to have dinner together tomorrow night after we get off work? I know emergencies might interfere, so I understand any plans we make have to be flexible.”
“You’re a mind reader, Megan. I’d love to have you for dinner.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, that came out wrong.”
She giggled, her light-colored eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Yes, it did. I was talking about a meal with real food.”
“Let me try that again. I’d love to have dinner with you. At my place.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She slipped back inside, but before she closed the door, she whispered, “But if you play your cards right, you can have me afterward.”
He all but flew home. The sooner he got to bed, the sooner tomorrow would arrive. The whole way, her whispered promise played over and over in his head. Was it too soon to be counting down the hours until he could coax Megan into his bed? Probably, but that didn’t stop him.
“So tell me, how does my leg look?”
Rafferty hobbled over to peer over Seamus’s shoulder at the X-rays backlit on the screen. Seamus let his patient look his fill. Finally, he turned off the switch, letting the stark black-and-white film go dark.
Vampire Vendetta Page 16