He leaned forward. “When I was forcibly changed into a vampire, I thought God had abandoned me. For several years, I brooded over my fate, then I decided that since I couldn’t change it, I’d try to have a grand time being dead. It didn’t work. Truth be told, I thought my heart had died the day my humanity did. And then I met your daughter. You’d be proud to know she hated me on sight and kept that opinion for weeks. I forced her into spending time with me because something had happened that I couldn’t believe. I’d fallen in love, and nothing would do but that she love me too.”
Dismissive shrug. “You know the rest, but this you don’t know. Every night we were apart, that same Almighty who hadn’t heard from me in over two hundred years suddenly had me ringing his phone off the bloody hook with prayers begging for her to be alive. When I saw her again, I knew that God had a plan for even a wretched bugger like me. I’m telling you this so you’ll understand that you will never be rid of me. If a hardened sod like me can be changed by love, I’m convinced that you can be too. Perhaps one day you’ll realize that she is worth all the pain you’ve been through. Maybe one day you’ll even tell her that.”
My tear ducts had been overworked these past few weeks. This was no exception, and steady streaks of liquid coursed down my cheeks. I went to Bones and wrapped my arms around him, kissing his finely sculpted cheek before facing my mother.
“Mom, you can hate me, forget me, disown me, whatever, but I am never leaving Bones again. You will always by my mother, and I hope you’ll still be in my life, but if it’s you or him… it’s him.”
Bones untied the gag around her mouth.
She swallowed several times and, after a long moment of silence, finally spoke. “Water?”
Well, at least it wasn’t vulgarity. That was a start. Bertrand went to fetch some without being asked. He only handed it to me, however, and scurried back over to where he’d stood before.
I tilted the glass for her until she indicated she was finished.
She pursed her lips at Bones and her eyes narrowed. “You have an eloquent way of speaking, but there is nothing you could say that would convince me that you won’t turn on her one day. Perhaps not today, but it’s in your nature as a vampire, no matter how you might attempt to hide from it.”
I sighed in defeat, but Bones gestured to Bertrand. “Tell this woman who made you a vampire.”
“The priests,” was Bertrand’s instant reply.
I blinked.
“Go on, tell her why,” Bones prodded.
Bertrand looked almost shyly at my mother. “I was accused of heresy by a neighbor and sent before the priests for my trial. One of them held a vampire captive. When I refused to confess any wrongdoing, they made her change me over as punishment. Then he found me.”
The ominous way he said the word caught my attention. Bones smiled reassuringly at Bertrand before turning his attention back to my mother.
“‘He’ was Tomas de Torquemada, the head priest of the Spanish Inquisition. Torquemada took Bertrand and had many gruesome years with him. His followers continued to torment Bertrand after Torquemada died. I came across him in 1797 after hearing rumors of a vampire held captive by priests. For over three hundred years, humans had inflicted more agony, torment, and despair on Bertrand than you or I could ever imagine.”
Bones rose and I followed him to the door.
“I wager you’d agree that God is not to blame for the horrible actions of a few of His followers, Justina. Likewise, the entirety of my kind is not to blame for the horrible actions of a few. Free will is given to us all, undead or alive. But if you disagree, you can tell Bertrand all about how you feel that his race is worse than yours. I know that he has much to say on the evils of humanity as well.”
Bones took my hand and we left. He led me up a nearby staircase and then into a bedroom. We were peeling off each other’s clothes before he kicked the door closed.
“He won’t hurt her if she pisses him off, will he?” I asked between searing kisses.
Bones snorted. “He wouldn’t go near enough to her to injure her, Kitten. Don’t fret.” Then he smiled as his mouth slid down my neck. “He’s the only person I’ve met who is as prejudiced against a race as your mum. They’ll be at this all night.”
I smiled as well and pulled him closer. “We’ll be at it all night too. I promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Original Beginning of At Grave’s End
Author’s note: Once again, I had to chop the first couple of chapters of my novel in order to start with more “action.” Therefore, the scenes below aren’t heavy on life-and-death drama. Instead, they’re heavy on character interactions. They show Cat attempting to stretch her abilities, how she handles some vampire prejudice from her team, and an additional sex scene between her and Bones. It’s ironic: the most common complaints I hear from readers are that I have too many sex scenes or not enough of them. For those of you who fall into the former category, I actually don’t publish a lot of the sex scenes I’ve written, so what’s in the books IS the version with less sex. For those of you who fall into the latter category, well, happy reading *wink*.
Oh, and to keep from copying material that hadn’t changed much from what had been published, I skipped some scenes in this section, such as the scene where Bones agrees to change Tate into a vampire.
Wind blew my hair in different directions as I peered at the ground fifteen stories below. “Don’t jump, lady!” a man called from the street. A brunette stood next to him, and even from up here, I could see that her gaze was wide and anxious.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” said the man only ten feet away from me. “You can just come off the ledge and go down the normal way.”
“Since when did normal ever apply to me?” I asked and turned my attention back to the concrete below. Jeez, it really was a long way down.
“Are you going to jump, or do I have to toss you off there myself?” An English accent decorated the words from another male bystander below. “Bloody hell, luv, make up your mind. It’s chilly out.”
One deep breath later, I had gathered my courage. Here went nothing.
I sprang off the balcony as if it were a diving board, keeping my body erect even in the free fall toward the rapidly approaching street. My eyes stung from the rushing air, and that instant surge of adrenaline made my heart pound. Only five more floors to go. Four… Three…
With a burst of inner energy, I willed myself to slow down, picturing waves of thickening water between me and the inevitable impact. The floors I passed stopped blurring together and separated into distinct shapes as my velocity decreased. When I hit the ground, I landed heavily, but I managed to stay upright on both my booted feet.
“Holy shit, Cat, you did it!”
Denise, my best friend, launched herself at me. When she reached me, she threw her arms around me. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”
I laughed and returned her hug. It still felt strange to hear her call me by my real, albeit abbreviated, name. For years she’d known me as Cristine. My mom would forever call me by my birth name, Catherine. As for the English vampire behind her, I would always be Kitten, the name he’d first called me just to be sarcastic.
“You don’t want the side effects that come with being half-vampire, Denise. Although lately the perks have outweighed the perils.”
Bones, my vampire husband, laughed. “Happy to tip the scales for you, Kitten.”
I went from her warm arms to his cool ones, not minding the change in temperature a bit. “You didn’t have to catch me this time.”
“I told you that you could do it yourself. Just takes willpower and practice.”
“I wouldn’t have known it was possible if not for you.”
That was certainly true. Before him, I hadn’t known much about vampires at all, let alone what abilities I’d inherited from my very deadbeat father.
“Can’t you keep your hands off her for even a minute???
? an irate voice asked, signaling that Tate and the rest of my coworkers had finally made their way down from the roof to join us.
Bones didn’t even look up. “No,” he said, and kissed me.
Several long moments later, a familiar cough behind me made me push him back.
“Very impressive,” said Don, my boss and uncle. “I must admit, Cat, your skills have broadened considerably since Bones has joined the team.”
Bones let out a snort of laughter. “You have no idea, old chap.”
I elbowed him, fighting the blush that came so easily now. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Tate scowling at Bones.
“If you’re done cuddling, we have actual business to discuss.”
I ignored Tate’s snippiness and so did Bones. “We’ll be right in, but I promised Denise something. She’s been waiting, and I’m sure she and Randy want to go home. Bones? Ready?”
He uncurled himself from me and gave a theatrical bow to Denise, his leather coat sweeping the ground. She giggled, letting go of her husband’s hand to place her arms around Bones’s neck.
“Hang on tight, madam. One amusement park ride, going up.”
Bones propelled them straight into the air as though yanked by a string. Denise squealed, but not in fright.
Tate shook his head. “Show-off,” he muttered.
Bones took her so high I was the only one who could still see them in the darkness. He flew in a circle around the entire military compound before zooming toward us and then coming down in a rush that had her legs flailing. Bones landed them both neatly on the ground and then handed Denise to her husband, who gaped at him. Randy had never seen him fly before.
Denise was laughing as she wiped away her wind-induced tears. “That was so much fun! If I were you, Cat, I’d make him do that every night! Come on, Randy, let’s go. Cat, call me tomorrow after you get up.”
They waved good-bye and I watched them leave with a smile. She knew that call wouldn’t come until the afternoon. Being half-vampire meant that I wasn’t a morning person.
“Can we get on with business now?” Tate said, pulling on my arm for emphasis.
Bones glanced at his hand on me and then smiled.
“Aw, shit,” Juan, one of my other captains, mumbled.
In the next instant, Tate was tossed straight upward into the night like he’d been fired from a cannon.
My uncle cleared his throat. “Ahem?” he said pointedly.
“You’d better catch him,” I told Bones, speaking louder to be heard over Tate’s screams.
“I’ll catch the wanker,” Bones responded, snatching Tate in his grasp just before the other man splattered on the ground. Then Bones set him on his feet with none of the care he’d shown Denise.
“You keep your hands off her, or I’ll forget where you’re landing next time.”
“Fucking… tomb trash.” Tate panted, struggling to regain his breath. He hated heights, and Bones knew that.
Don gave Bones a reproachful look. “Was that really necessary?”
“You’d think the sod would have learned by now,” was Bones’s short reply.
I rolled my eyes. Don should have learned too. Bones couldn’t care less that my uncle disapproved of him chucking Tate like a Frisbee. As far as vampires were concerned, that was a mild response to Tate’s continued sulkiness.
“This has been great, but I can’t wait to go home,” I said.
“Actually, Kitten, we’re not going home,” Bones said, surprising me. Normally, he couldn’t wait to get away from the compound that served as home base for our clandestine “Homeland Security” operation. “I have to leave for a few days. There’s something I need to pick up in Australia.”
Alone? “You don’t want me to go with you?”
He drew me aside until no one from my team could overhear us. “Not this time.”
I was instantly on guard. “Why? What’s so important you have to go there yourself to get it?”
His face gave nothing away. Over two centuries of learning how to control his features also made Bones an unbeatable card player. “I’ll tell you afterward. Will you trust me and not ask why?”
“Depends. Is it dangerous?”
“Not at all. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, promise. As a precaution, I told Charles to look out for you while I’m gone. Don is aware not to have anyone on your team try to stake him.”
He sounded amused at the thought. Charles, or Spade as I knew him, was one of Bones’s oldest friends. He was also a Master vampire in his own right. My team would have a hell of a time trying to take Spade down.
“You are so paranoid.”
“Yes.” Shortly. Then with a softer tone, “Stay at the compound, Kitten, it’s safer. Max might know roundabout where it is, but he never knows when you’ll be here.”
I grimaced. Max, my father, had hired an assassin to blow my head off when he found out about my existence. Even though my new vampire marriage to Bones meant that I was now under his protection, we both knew that one day my father would come after me. After all, I’d sworn to his face that I would kill him. It was logical to assume he’d try to beat me at my game.
“I’ll stay here,” I said, trying not to let my reluctance show. “Call me when you land.”
He drew me into his arms. “One more thing. Don’t go on any jobs. If something comes up, it can wait until I return.”
“Fine. I don’t like the secrecy of all this, but… I won’t ask about it until you get back.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
***
The next day Tate was waiting for me at the entrance to the administrative floor. “So, where did Mr. Wonderful go?”
“Did Spade get here?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“Yep. He’s in your office, where he’s made himself quite at home. You know, your lover really should give more notice before he orders all operations to come to a halt and takes off.”
“Something came up.” What, I didn’t know, but damned if I’d admit that. “Maybe you can call Bones and tell him he doesn’t have your permission? I’m sure he’ll turn right back around.”
Instead of snapping back a reply, Tate was silent. Then he said, “I’m such a dick sometimes, aren’t I?” in such an abashed tone, I stopped in mid-stride.
“Well…,” I hedged.
He laughed a trifle grimly. “Half the time he smacks me around, I know I deserve it. I hear some of the things I say, and I can’t believe it’s me talking. It’s hard, Cat. You know I love you; hell, everyone knows it. The team jokes behind my back about it. And you’re so happy with him. I never realized how depressed you were before he showed up. It also doesn’t help that he’s got one hand in your panties at every opportunity, but who can blame him?”
I didn’t know how to respond. His directness was refreshing, and his attitude problem of late was now gone. I finally settled on saying, “I wish it wasn’t this way, Tate. One day you’ll feel differently about me, I know it.” And since Bones wasn’t there to throw him a hundred feet in the air, I patted his arm.
He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips, faster than I believed him capable of. I should have remembered that he’d been imbibing heavily of vampire blood in preparation for his upcoming change into becoming a vampire.
A slow whistle interrupted whatever Tate had been about to say. I turned around and saw Baron Charles DeMortimer, aka Spade, at the end of the hallway.
“Now I owe Crispin money,” he drawled. “He said your fellow would have his hands on you in five minutes. I bet on fifteen. Appears I lose.”
Spade always called Bones by his human name, Crispin. Vampires were downright confusing when it came to remembering how the hell to address them.
“Tate, back away,” I said, flashing Spade a rueful grin. “Bones probably gave him orders to terminate.”
Spade’s chuckle didn’t deny anything.
Tate let go of my hand and his attitude was back with full force. “I s
hould be flattered. If Boneyard thinks she needs a chaperone around me, I’m further along than I realized.”
“You can both cool it,” I said tartly. “I’ve worked almost five years with you, Tate, so I think I can handle not falling back with my legs open in less than three days.”
Spade came forward and kissed my cheek. “Crispin doesn’t doubt your fidelity. He simply feels that your empathy toward this sod would give him false hope. When you’re in love with the unattainable, any scrap of pity can be misinterpreted.”
“You arrogant piece of—” Tate began.
“Have you met Don?” I interrupted. Bones might take Tate’s incessant insults, but I didn’t know how Spade would react. He might snap his neck.
“The gray-haired gentleman? I saw him, but we weren’t introduced. This one forgot his manners. He led me straight to your office and then practically guarded the door.”
I sighed. “Come with me, Spade, I’ll show you around. Tate, don’t even start. He and Bones have been friends for over two hundred years, so he has no intentions of infiltrating our operation. God, sometimes you’re as suspicious as my mother.”
I brought Spade to Don’s office and introduced the two men. Don eyed the hand Spade extended to him for a long second before finally shaking it.
“Don’t be offended by that,” I said with a laugh. “Don’s always wary to shake a vampire’s hand after seeing what Bones did to someone else’s with a handshake.”
“Ah, of course,” Spade said, his mouth curling down. “Crispin told me he should have just killed Danny Milton that day instead of years later.”
Don was shocked. “Bones was the vampire who kidnapped Daniel Milton out of his hospital room when he was under Witness Protection? And killed him, you say?”
Had I forgot to mention that? “Yeah. He went to Ohio looking for me and found Danny instead. Bones green-eyed him into spilling what he knew about me, then killed him so he couldn’t repeat it.”