by Nadia Heaton
“That’s right.”
“What? Rashid, do you realize how insane that is? The last thing I need is Lisette’s new lover coming after me with vampire powers! What have you done?” Teo didn’t much like the idea of going into hiding, but he liked less the thought of being torn apart by a jealous vampire.
“Why would he hurt you? Stop overreacting, this is the best thing that has ever happened to you.”
“I’m competition for him! Why would he not hurt me? Lisette has probably fed him some rubbish story about how I wasn’t good enough to her, and that’s why she left. What makes you think he’s not on his way here right now?”
“Relax, Teo, that’s not going to happen. You don’t understand – Lisette hates vampires. Despises them. She’ll be disgusted by Nobu now. He won’t be going on any vendetta against you because he has no reason. He’s lost her.”
Teo sat back, mulling over Rashid’s words. “Won’t he want revenge? I could still be in danger.”
“Only if he knew that you had anything to do with me going after Lisette in the first place, which he doesn’t, and there’s no way for him to find out. If he comes at anyone for revenge, it’ll be me, but I can take care of myself.”
Teo nodded absently. “I didn’t even know Lisette was aware vampires existed. She never told me.”
“She knows, and she has no love for our kind.”
He got the impression that Rashid wasn’t telling him everything, but Rashid never told him everything, so this didn’t particularly bother Teo. “I suppose that’s alright, then.”
“It’s better than alright! You wanted revenge? You have it. This is the worst thing I could have possibly done to Lisette. Her heart is broken.”
Teo’s anger stirred again. What right did Lisette have to be brokenhearted over a guy she’d just met, when she had left Teo at the altar only weeks ago? She should be mourning his loss, not another man’s.
“She’ll just find someone else. Lisette goes through relationships quickly. I thought I was different… I guess I was just naive. She’ll move on.”
“I don’t think so. This one seemed different.”
That did nothing to improve his mood. “How dare she? After everything I did for her!”
“She returned home today with her sisters. They practically had to carry her into the house. She’s a mess, spending her days in bed weeping.”
“Good,” Teo said, a vicious pleasure filling him at Rashid’s words. “That’s what she deserves.”
“Exactly, my friend. Rest easily. Your revenge is complete. There are many more profitable avenues you could turn your attention to.”
That much was true. Teo’s business deals had been suffering in the months he’d been with Lisette. He’d never revealed much about his work to her, showing her only the legal side of things, rather than the nasty underside.
Now that he was free of her, he could put his mind back to where it should be. Yes, he’d loved her, but if she was stupid enough to leave him, then he would keep going without her. He’d go on living a life of success and luxury while she grieved over her latest fling.
“Do you want a drink?”
Rashid raised his eyebrows. “I was beginning to think you’d never ask. I have a better idea, though. Why don’t you join me at my chateau? I have five lovely ladies staying with me at the moment, and they would certainly be open to a party.”
That sounded much better than the beer Teo had in the fridge. He’d been to Rashid’s parties before. The things the vampire could do with drugs and alcohol were truly exceptional. Teo would be an idiot to turn such an offer down.
“You know I’d never say no to that. What about your guests?”
“Vampires, obviously. They wouldn’t be averse to spending some time with a human.” He gave Teo a cheeky look. “Maybe it’s time for you to get back in the saddle. Have you ever been fed on by a vampire before?”
“No.” Teo’s enthusiasm for the party dimmed. “Would that be a requirement?”
“Of course not. You might want to consider it, though. With the right drugs, it can be quite a rush, especially when combined with other… pleasures.”
Teo had never been one to shy away from new experiences, and this one sounded both pleasant and intriguing. “I wouldn’t become a vampire?”
“Not unless you are bitten. Most vampires who can find a human volunteer to feed on make the cut with a knife or other implement and suck without biting in.”
What better way could there be to get back at Lisette than spending a night immersed in pleasure with the very creatures she hated so much?
“Let’s go.”
“You know, Lisette’s house is on the way. We could go take a look – let you see your revenge for yourself.”
“She’d see us.” Lisette must have excellent hearing, because she could always tell when Teo was near. It was something he’d never entirely gotten used to in the whole time he’d been with her.
“Not if I don’t want her to. We’ll have to stay back, but I should be able to get us a safe view.”
Of course, vampire powers. “You, my friend, are proving yourself very valuable of late. I suppose you have a return favor in mind?”
“Naturally. But enough business talk. Let’s go take a look at the results of your revenge.”
Teo drove them to Lisette’s house, but Rashid stopped him a block away. They walked the rest of the way, halting a little way down the street. They were opposite Lisette’s window, but they were too far to see anything but a spot of light.
“I don’t have vampire sight, Rashid,” Teo snapped. “If this is your great plan, you need to think again.”
“Relax, I was just making sure we weren’t setting off any of the warding.”
“The warding?”
“Never mind. Just watch and listen.”
Teo huffed as he looked back at the window. He didn’t know what Rashid did, but suddenly, it was as though he was looking through a telescope. The window jumped closer, and Teo could clearly see Lisette. The telescope effect seemed to work for his ears too, since he could hear her.
It was just as Rashid had promised. She was lying in bed, crying. Bethany and Tristan were on either side of her. Neither of them spoke, but Teo could see the concern in their faces.
He found himself smiling. Yes, this was what he wanted. Lisette deserved to be miserable after what she’d done to him. It would never truly make up for the humiliation he had suffered, but Teo would settle for this. He didn’t know how long it would take her to move on to another guy – she’d certainly moved on from him quickly enough – but for now, she was suffering beautifully.
His sight flickered, and Teo was once more staring at a distant window. “Hey, I wasn’t done looking yet!”
“I can’t hold it for any longer. Come on, you’ve seen what you needed to. Now it’s time to wash away the old memories with some new ones.”
Laughing, the two of them walked away arm in arm. Teo didn’t think about Lisette once more that night. Rashid’s guests were truly enchanting, and they showed him many new things. Whatever Rashid wanted in return for this, it would be worth it.
17
Tristan sat quietly doing her homework. Lisette preferred Tristan’s company nowadays. Fleur and Bethany kept trying to talk to her about Nobu, but talking about him hurt too much. Tristan, at least, offered her silent company.
Lisette always did better dealing with heartbreak with her sisters around her. She’d gone through this so many times, it was practically routine. At least one of them would be with her at all times during the day, and share her bed at night.
This time, though, everything was different. It wasn’t an ordinary heartbreak. This was her last one, because she would never love anyone after Nobu. It was also one that wouldn’t heal. Lisette knew that much already.
Bethany and Fleur came into the room, giving Tristan significant looks. Tristan nodded, gathered her books and left. So, she was in on it. Lisette had known
this talk was inevitable, but Bethany and Fleur had been gracious enough to grant her a few days of recovery.
Apparently, her recovery time was up. Lisette braced herself, waiting.
“You’d think we were shoving screw drivers in your ears,” Fleur muttered. “Is talking to us really that bad?”
“It is when I know you’re going to bring up a subject I’m specifically trying to avoid.”
Bethany snorted. “Really, Lis? A subject you’re trying to avoid? When have you ever let us get away with that?”
Beth had her there. Lisette knew the best way through these sorts of troubles was to talk them out, and she had no compunctions forcing her sisters to confide in her for their own good.
“This isn’t the same. It’s not a breakup; the man I love died.”
“And came back,” Fleur pointed out.
“As a vampire.”
“Yes.” Bethany sighed sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you have to. Nobu is still there. It’s not too late. You can still be with him.”
“I don’t want to be with him.”
Bethany shook her head. “Yes, you do. It’s as clear as day.”
“I want to be with Nobu the man, not Nobu the vampire!”
“Well, being with the man isn’t an option and you know it. There’s no way to cure vampires – our coven has already investigated that, remember? If there was a way, Mirabelle would have found it by now. Vampire Nobu is all you’ve got, and you’d be crazy to throw away true love when it’s still within your grasp.”
“You don’t understand, Fleur – I can’t love a vampire.”
“Why not? I do. Bethany does. How is this any different?”
“Look, you know I support you, but that doesn’t mean I’d make the same choices as you. You may be ok with being with a vampire, but I’m not. I don’t even want to be in the same room as him. It just makes me remember him as he was. You and Beth fell in love with vampires. I fell in love with a man, who then turned into a vampire. I love the man, not the vampire.”
“Ok, I’ll grant the difference, but it’s still him, Lis.” Bethany’s eyes were shining with sincerity as she spoke. “I talked to Jermaine about this. He said that while physical aspects change, someone’s personality doesn’t change at all when they become a vampire. Their values, emotions and thoughts are still the same.”
Lisette would love nothing more than to believe that, but she’d seen Nobu, spoken to him. “He was different. I talked to him. It was like he was a completely different person.”
“He’d just been through a trauma,” Bethany told her sternly. “Who wouldn’t act a little differently after that? Would you abandon him if he was attacked as a human and needed to work through some issues?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you can’t take that into account when deciding whether you still want to be with him. Look, we’re not saying to commit to a lifetime with the guy. Just give him a chance,” Fleur urged. “You’ve got nothing to lose.”
That much was true. She’d already lost everything. “He doesn’t want to be with me. He left.”
“You told us, remember? He didn’t leave because he didn’t want to be with you, he did it because you were afraid of and disgusted by him. If that changed, he’d jump at the chance to be with you.”
“How do you know that? Love is my specialty, not yours.”
“I know enough from what you’ve told me. Don’t do this to yourself, Lis. You still have a chance.”
“I’ll… consider it.”
Bethany looked like she wanted to talk more about it, but Fleur seemed to realize this was the best they were going to get for now. The two of them left Lisette to her thoughts, though sent Tristan in a few minutes later, who was a silent comfort.
For two days, Lisette mulled over what she’d been told. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see Nobu again, but she was willing to grant that maybe he wasn’t a completely different person now that he was a vampire. After all, the first thing he’d done was seek her out. Some of his old feelings must remain.
It was a welcome respite from the crushing grief, but Lisette didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing. If she tried things with Nobu, and found she couldn’t get past his being a vampire, she’d be heartbroken all over again. She didn’t know if she could live through that a second time.
Perhaps Fleur had sensed something of her thoughts, because Jermaine and Savion stopped in for a visit which Lisette suspected was something more than simple coincidence.
They had dinner with the family, which went surprisingly smoothly. Everyone had gotten somewhat used to vampires since Bethany and Jermaine had fallen in love. Lisette hadn’t told her parents all the details of what happened, but she’d given them the broad strokes.
She waited for a break in the conversation, then hesitantly brought up what was on her mind. “Jermaine, Savion? I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?”
“Ask away,” Savion said easily.
“Could you check on Nobu? I doubt he went back to Rashid, which means there’s no one to teach him about being a vampire. He may need help. He said he wasn’t a strong swimmer, but now he can turn into a manta ray, so I’m not sure if that negates that factor.
Still, there’s plenty he needs to learn. I expect he’ll want to join a coven, and find a place near the ocean to live. I told him the basics of what I know, but I’m hardly an expert.”
“Of course we’ll check on him.” Jermaine gave her a kind smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll teach him anything he needs to know, if he’ll have us.”
“Here, show him this.” Lisette handed over the bar token. “He dropped this outside our hotel room before he left. I think he wanted me to have a way to find him.”
Jermaine and Bethany exchanged a look. “Lis, are you sure you don’t want to go with them? Jermaine and Savion can help Nobu with the vampire stuff, but it’s you he really wants to see.”
“No. Not now, at least. I’m still trying to process all this.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Fleur warned. “Nobu isn’t going to hang around forever. If he thinks you never want to see him again, at some point he’s going to move on with his life.”
That was a sobering thought. As much anguish as the whole thing with Nobu caused, Lisette desperately didn’t want him gone. She hadn’t realized how much until Fleur had pointed out that it was a likely option. She couldn’t expect him to wait forever for her. Lisette knew he loved her, but if she rejected him, Nobu wouldn’t force himself on her.
“Just… just see how he is.” She glanced between Savion and Jermaine. “If he’s even there.”
Jermaine frowned. “If he’s not, do you know where we might be able to find him? Where does he live? He’ll likely return home if he decides not to wait around here.”
“Nobu hasn’t had a home since he was sixteen. He’s always on the road, staying wherever is most convenient for his job. He owns a couple of houses around the world, but he doesn’t really consider any of them his home.”
“That makes things more difficult.”
“It’s ok, Sav, I can do a location spell if necessary.” Fleur paused to kiss him before continuing. “Just check if he’s in the bar – I imagine he’ll wait there for Lisette, at least for a while.”
“It’s agreed, then. We can head out there tonight.” Bethany looked disappointed at Jermaine’s words, but she didn’t protest. This was important to Lisette, and her sisters could see that.
Lisette wanted to ask them to go now, as she was eager for news on Nobu, but she reminded herself that Fleur and Bethany wanted to spend time with their vampire loves.
A couple of months ago, the idea that two of her sisters would be in love with vampires would have been ludicrous. A lot had changed. Lisette had hoped she wouldn’t have to change with it, but she wasn’t sure she could give Nobu up, vampire or not.
As she’d expected, the hole in her heart wasn’t hea
ling. Nobu had taken a piece of her, and she could never get it back. She belonged to him, and he to her, in a way she’d never before imagined possible.
“Lis? You still with us?” Fleur shook her gently.
“Sorry – I was daydreaming.”
“I bet. Will you be ok with Tristan for the afternoon?”
“Of course.”
Lisette was sure that Bethany and Fleur wanted to spend time with Jermaine and Savion. She wondered how long her sisters would feel the need to shadow her this time. Maybe they wouldn’t give it up until she let Nobu back into her life. The thought was both exasperating and comforting.
They’d all been through this before, her sisters nursing her through more heartbreaks than Lisette cared to count, but they also all knew that this time was different. Her sisters seemed to be erring on the side of caution, as though Lisette might fall apart if not attended properly. She wasn’t entirely sure they were wrong.
The afternoon passed slowly, as all time had since Nobu had been turned. Lisette said goodbye to Jermaine and Savion as they left for the evening. If they didn’t find Nobu, they promised to search the town for him. It was quite possible he was staying nearby. After all, he couldn’t be in the bar twenty-four-seven. If he was waiting for Lisette to meet him, he likely would have arranged accommodations.
They had told her not to wait up, but Lisette knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep while waiting on news of Nobu. She flicked through spell books, not able to settle to anything. Long before she expected it to, the doorbell rang. Lisette rushed downstairs and was the first to answer.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Savion or Jermaine. It was Mirabelle.
18
Lisette opened the door. Mirabelle was shocked at the sight of her niece. Lisette looked awful. It was clear she had been crying. She was pale and her hair hung limply around her face.
“Hello, Mirabelle.” Lisette gave her a wary look. “Please, come in.”
“Thank you.” Mirabelle followed Lisette to the lounge to be met by Emily and Barrett. After customary greetings were exchanged, Mirabelle turned to her brother. “I would like to speak to you alone, please, Barrett.”