Tall, Dark & Fangsome

by Michelle Rowen

  “But, Quinn—”

  He squeezed my hand again and this time it actually hurt.

  Okay, I got it. Shut up, Sarah.

  We left the coffee shop and walked slowly down the street, hand in hand. I eyed him from the corner of my dark sunglasses. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  “Not here,” he whispered, then picked up his pace. “Somebody might be following us. All you need to know is that we’ve started seeing each other again and all is well with the world.”

  “Who contacted you?”

  “Who do you think?”

  Thierry, of course. Instead of being impressed by his planning skills, the thought that he’d done something like this without even giving me a heads-up kind of pissed me off. That man kept too many secrets from me—about the Red Devil and now this with Quinn and Janie that Amy had to tell me about like a fanged Nancy-Drew-in-training.

  “I never knew how much I adored you until I left,” he said loud enough for anyone we passed on the sidewalk to hear. “I’ve traveled all over. Arizona, Las Vegas, Florida. I was in New York before I came back here. But you are the ray of sunshine in my dark, dark life that led me back to you.”

  “Spreading it on a bit thick, aren’t you?” I couldn’t help but smile a little despite my current annoyance at Thierry. I really did like Quinn a whole lot. When he’d left I thought that he hated me, even though he said he didn’t, and that I’d never see him again. We’d been through a lot together with the whole vampire-fledglings-united thing. He’d be another aspect of my vampire life I would have forgotten if The Darkness had performed that curse eradication.

  We turned a corner and his cheery smile faded at the edges as he glanced over his shoulder. “Okay, I think we’re clear. Thierry contacted me.”

  “I find that hard to believe, but go on.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, I know. We’re not exactly poker buddies, are we? Anyhow, he explained the situation. Shit, Sarah. I feel like I’m to blame here. I’m the one who told you all that Gideon was dead.”

  “He’s not.”

  “Obviously. He’s like a cockroach; he can survive anything. The man is dangerous. Even more now that he’s desperate.”

  My cheeks felt tense as I tried to smile. “And now you’re supposed to pretend to be dating me. What a great way to deal with a desperate killer like Gideon.”

  He shrugged. “You don’t know Gideon like I do. We were friends ten years ago until I realized he was a complete sociopath. Don’t underestimate him for a moment.”

  “I don’t.” I frowned hard. “So you don’t think there’s any part of Gideon that can be reasoned with? Some part of him that still has a chance of being redeemed?”

  “He kills vampires.”

  “So did you and you turned out okay in the end.”

  He grimaced. “I never took pleasure in it like he does.”

  I’d helped Quinn. In fact, I’d helped him when I probably shouldn’t have, back when he thought I wasn’t any better than a mosquito that needed to be squashed. It had taken him a while to realize he didn’t feel any different as a vampire than he did when he was human. He saw what he’d done in the past was wrong. He was a hunter who wasn’t truly evil.

  Now Gideon was going to become a vampire—if all went according to his master plan. Would he see the light? Was it possible that he wasn’t completely evil? That there was a kernel of goodness somewhere inside him?

  Hey, you never know.

  “Thierry also told me about your curse,” he said in a near whisper and glanced at me sideways. We began to walk again. A few average, harmless pedestrians—at least that’s what they looked like—moved past us going in the opposite direction. “And he thinks it’s a good idea for me to be around just in case.”

  My stomach lurched at that. “Just in case what?”

  “Just in case the Ring sends somebody to investigate you. And by investigate, I mean eliminate. Consider me a layer of added protection at the moment.”

  I swallowed hard. One more thing to obsess about.

  “What about Janie?” I asked quietly.

  “She’s willing to help out, as well.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I saw a picture of her kissing Thierry.”

  His jaw clenched and his expression darkened. “Maybe I’ll kill Thierry just for old times’ sake. I’m sure I still have a sharp stake lying around somewhere.”

  “So it’s true? You and her are together?”

  He was silent for a moment. “Unless she decides she prefers ancient humorless vampires with zero personality, like some women I know.” He glanced at me and gave me a slight grin. “Yeah, we’re together.”

  “You have strange taste in women.”

  “You have strange taste in men.”

  “Touché.”

  He laughed at that. “I know it might seem crazy, but I love her. Completely. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  “But she’s human. Won’t that be kind of awkward when she’s eighty and you look exactly the same as you do today?”

  “She’s… well, she’s not exactly human anymore. She’s a vampire, too.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Long story, okay? Life or death situations call for rash decisions.”

  I tried to keep the shock off my face. Everybody seemed to want to become a vampire lately. Were vampires the new black? The old black? We were in fashion? Maybe being a vampire was cool and desirable.

  Sure, I believed it. If I was still as naïve as Amy. I kind of wished I was.

  I let out a long breath. “I’m sure Janie probably wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of you pretending to be with me.”

  “She said something about slicing you open and eating your heart if you touch even one square inch of my body.”

  My eyebrows shot up.

  “She was kidding, of course. Well, mostly.” Then his eyes narrowed as he looked farther up the block. “Speak of the devil.”

  We’d turned a corner that brought us back onto Yonge Street. We’d walked around the block during our rushed and half-mumbled conversation. Up ahead I saw two very familiar vampires leaving the upscale restaurant they’d allegedly spent a good chunk of the afternoon at—the site of Amy’s earlier stakeout. Quinn slid his arm around my waist as we approached.

  Thierry narrowed his gaze at Quinn, and then at me. “What a coincidence. Sarah, a pleasure as always.”

  His words were warm, but his expression was not. In fact, it was subzero.

  For that matter, so was mine. Half of me was happy to see him. The other half wanted to give him the cold shoulder for not being forthcoming with the info. Any info.

  So annoying.

  And yet I was supposed to just go along with everything and keep a smile on my face.

  “Thierry,” I said, not trying to sound the least bit pleasant. “I see you have a new friend.”

  “Old friend.” He took Janie’s hand in his and kissed it.

  I felt my cheeks heat up and forced myself to relax and play along. For now.

  Janie’s gaze fell on me like a death ray. “Great to see you again, Sarah.”

  “Likewise,” I said tightly.

  “What an ugly necklace,” she said. “But I guess you don’t have much of a choice in accessories these days, do you?”

  I touched my gold chain. “Bite me.” I glared at Thierry. “You, too.”

  His dark eyebrows went up at that. “Is that an invitation or are you trying to be rude?”

  “Let’s try door number two,” I said.

  I could tell that amused him. Super. I should charge admission for my afternoon comedy show.

  Janie smiled thinly. “Geez, I was just kidding. Somebody’s not as lighthearted about life as they used to be.”

  “Somebody’s roots are darker than they used to be.”

  She touched her hair. “Take that back.”

  I tried to control my inner bitch. It was like my nightwalker was poking around in her cage, growling, and
trying to find a way out while I still wore the gold chain.

  “You know, Janie, I never would have thought Thierry was your type,” I said. A couple emerged from the restaurant and crossed between us to get into a cab. When they pulled away from the curb, I continued. “I mean, the last time I saw you two together you had him handcuffed and were going to stake him.”

  She leaned against his tall, solid form. “No more stakes in our relationship. But the handcuffs are always fun to have around.”

  I dug my fingernails deeply into Quinn’s side.

  Quinn cringed and cleared his throat. “We should probably get going.”

  Janie’s expression softened when they looked at each other and I felt like they shared an unspoken moment. “Wouldn’t want to keep you and your new girlfriend from… whatever it is that Sarah does with her unemployed free time.”

  “Tons of sex,” I said. “And maybe a movie later if Quinn’s not too tired. You know, from all the sex.”

  “Right. Well, likewise,” she said curtly, hanging tighter to Thierry’s arm.

  Well, this was uncomfortable.

  “Bye now,” I said, as we brushed past them. Thierry reached out and grabbed my hand in his. His touch made my heart thump wildly.

  “It was very nice to see you again, Sarah,” he said. I could have sworn I saw some regret slide behind his silver-colored eyes. Did he know why I was peeved? It must have been written all over my face. Luckily it just would have looked as if I didn’t want to be anywhere near him—a believable reaction to being faced with one’s ex.

  Our fingers brushed against each other as he let go of me.

  I blinked and nodded, fighting the sudden lump in my throat.

  I finally managed to tear my gaze away from his. Thierry briefly eyed Quinn and, despite the fact he was the one to ask the ex-hunter to help out, there wasn’t an ounce of friendliness in the look.

  Quinn and I started to walk away down the street.

  “That wasn’t a lot of fun,” Quinn said. “And now I even have to turn down the tons-of-sex suggestion since I’m a one-woman kind of guy.”

  “Then it’s good that I was kidding.” I turned back to see Thierry and Janie moving in the opposite direction. Thierry glanced briefly over his shoulder at us, his expression still tight.

  I was glad that seeing me with Quinn seemed to still bother him. Call me petty.

  Quinn smiled. “Honestly, Sarah, back when I was all fixated on you I didn’t think there would be another woman for me. But Janie slammed head-first into my life at the completely wrong time. I couldn’t have been less interested in starting a new relationship, but it’s like fate intervened to let me know she was the one.”

  “Yeah, she seems like a real sweet girl.” Sarcasm at no extra charge.

  “She actually is. But she can hide it when she wants to.” He was quiet for a moment. “Thierry told me the Red Devil’s back and he’s keeping an eye on you as well.”

  I sighed. “So many people are watching me I feel like I’m starring in a reality TV show.”

  “It won’t be long before everything’s back to normal.”

  “Except for my nightwalker curse and the fact that I’ve sired Gideon to become a super vamp.”

  “Except for that, yeah.” He actually laughed. “You’re a magnet for trouble. Anybody ever tell you that?”

  “It’s a gift.” It was a bit funny, actually. If I turned my head to the side and squinted—and if this was all happening to someone else—I guessed I could see the humor. “So is there an actual plan you and Thierry discussed that I should be aware of or is everyone just planning to run around the city all helter-skelter?”

  Quinn pulled me off the main sidewalk and away from the growing crowd so we could speak in virtual privacy. “Gideon has to die. After we’re sure who his assassins are and that everyone is safe.”

  I don’t know why that surprised me. “And who’s planning to pull the trigger? You?”

  He shook his head. “Thierry’s given that job to the Red Devil, or whoever the guy actually is. He loves you, Sarah. I know I doubted that in the past. Hell, I didn’t think there was actually a living, breathing person behind that miserable prick exterior—” he grinned “—no offense.”

  “We can agree to disagree about each other’s significant other.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  “Do you think the Red Devil is trustworthy?” I asked. “Don’t you think he’s dangerous? I mean, where’s he been for a hundred years?”

  “No idea. But Thierry seems confident in his abilities. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”

  “I guess.”

  It seemed fair, actually. Gideon wanted to kill the Red Devil. Now the Red Devil was going to kill Gideon.

  Then why did it feel so wrong?

  Did I think this story was going to have a happy ending for everyone involved? Not very likely, was it?

  I crossed my arms. “So you condone killing Gideon in cold blood?”

  Quinn cast a wary glance at our surroundings and pulled me closer to him as if we actually were going out and he couldn’t keep his hands off me. His voice dropped even lower in volume so I had to strain to hear him. “What is this, Sarah?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The man is a murderer. You’re not going soft on him, are you? Because that would be a huge mistake.”

  “Of course I’m not.”

  “Thierry says you’ve seen him a few times at his hotel.”

  “Thierry seems a lot chattier with you than he has been with me lately.” I crossed my arms. “But it’s true. What am I supposed to do? Say no? In fact, I’m seeing him again tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe he can’t get pizza delivery where he is. I don’t know. Are you going to stop me from going?”

  “No.” Any humor left his expression. “But I know it’s in your nature to see the good in people. It’s an asset, but it can also get you in serious trouble. Like now.”

  “I saw the good in you, didn’t I?”

  “That was different.” His expression was tense. “I don’t know what he’s said to you or how he might act, but he is a vicious killer. Remember that.”

  “I can handle Gideon.”

  “Gideon thinks vampires are a lesser form of life that needs killing. I don’t give a shit if he’s proclaimed his desire to become one to everyone he knows or if he likes to flash that billion-dollar smile at you. He’s dangerous. And because you’re a vampire he thinks you’re disposable. Don’t ever forget that.”

  I flashed back to a cold, dark warehouse. Pictures of my friends and family laid out on a table to show me he knew where everyone lived. His cold, desperate warning in my ear.

  “I will kill them all.”

  Since that night, I hadn’t seen that particular side of Gideon again. He’d either been amiable and happy to see me when I came to his hotel room or he’d been wracked with pain and suffering.

  But I couldn’t forget what he really was. What he could do.

  I swallowed. “I won’t forget.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Just be careful. And also be careful if you see the Red Devil again. Not sure I trust him as far as I can throw him, either.”

  “Me neither. You don’t have any idea who he really is, do you?”

  He shook his head. “All I know is I wouldn’t want to be Gideon right now.”

  I chewed my bottom lip. “If Gideon dies, he’ll go to hell. The hellfire will drag him there.”

  “Gideon was bound for hell anyhow after everything he’s done in life. Don’t lose any sleep over him, Sarah.”

  “I won’t.”

  And I wouldn’t. I hated Gideon. He deserved to die.

  If that was the case, then why did the idea of leading him to that fate make me feel a bit sick inside?

  Quinn was right. I was a softy. Like a wimpy marshmallow.

  I wouldn’t think of Gideon as anything more than an u
nrepentant serial killer. He wasn’t Quinn, who’d changed his ways, and he wasn’t Thierry, who’d had his own share of darkness to deal with in his long, immortal life.

  I had to remember that. There was way too much at risk if I forgot.

  Chapter 7

  I was as tense and jittery by the time I arrived at Gideon’s hotel room as if I’d been mainlining double espressos all day. Thierry would be upset if he knew I was there again. I also knew he would likely find out due to my potential tattletale tag team of Quinn and the Red Devil.

  But there I was.

  I’d deal with the aftermath in due course.

  Gideon sat, waiting for me, in the same chair he’d been in last night. His glamour held up well—I still couldn’t see any scars marring that undeniably handsome face of his. The scars were still there, of course, but now they were hidden by magic. He wasn’t dressed for company, however. He wore only the bottoms of loose pajamas, and his toned chest was bare.

  On the table next to him I couldn’t help noticing a dagger with a curved blade.

  He hadn’t said anything since I’d entered his room. He simply stared at me from where he was seated.

  It made me more uncomfortable than I was to start with. Which was saying something.

  “Is it nice out?” he asked after a long moment went by.

  “Nice?” I repeated. “What do you mean?”

  “I noticed it was sunny earlier. I didn’t go outside today.”

  Small talk about weather with the deadliest man I’d ever known. Sure. Why not? “It was fine. Not too cold.”

  “The sun doesn’t bother you at all as a vampire?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. It’s a bit glary, like if you forget your sunglasses and you’re driving into the sun, and prolonged exposure makes me feel like taking a long nap, but it’s not too bad.”

  “And when you’re a nightwalker?”

  I swallowed. “Then I do my impression of the Wicked Witch of the West and melt into a puddle of death.”

  “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”

  No, it didn’t. And that’s why I needed the witch’s grimoire he mentioned. Badly. The teenaged wizard didn’t give me the impression he was likely to attempt the eradication again, even if I agreed to give up a half year’s worth of memories. I think he mentioned something about needing a lobotomy if he tried. But how was I supposed to get the grimoire without selling out my current enigmatic bodyguard? Whether he deserved my loyalty was up for debate, but there had to be a way for me to get the grimoire and yet also avoid being an accessory to murder.