“Then it’s settled. I’ll carry you upstairs and then I’ll come up and get you at seven. I can sit with you if you like, to make sure if you wake up you can get through to the bathroom and back to the bed.”
Inwardly, I groaned. Here it came—the hovering. Aegis felt so guilty over what happened that his natural protectiveness had gone full speed ahead. I appreciated his concern, but I didn’t like people hovering over me.
“Okay, but you have to promise me to go about your usual routine tonight. Go ahead and check on me a couple times but please, if you sit by the bed I’m not going to get any sleep. Knowing somebody’s watching you while you’re asleep seems kind of creepy. All stalkerish, you know. And dude, you don’t sparkle.”
He carried me up the stairs, stopping in front of my door to open it. Bubba and Luna came bouncing along behind us.
“Did you remember to feed them tonight? Or did Kelson?”
“Oh, the little beggars got fed. Trust me, their stomachs aren’t empty.” He opened the door to my room and carried me in, sitting me on the bed. “What do you want to wear? If anything?”
I thought about it. I preferred to sleep in the nude usually, but considering I might need help at some point during the night, I decided to opt for a loose nightgown. “The short lilac gown, please. It’s in the top right-hand drawer of my dresser. Also, the matching panties.”
Aegis carried my lingerie over to the bed, grinning. “I remember the last time you wore these,” he said, leering.
“So do I, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m so tired it’s hard to keep my eyes open, and I’m so dizzy that I have a feeling any foreplay, afterplay, or anything in between would make it worse.” The thought of sex sounded pretty good, but I knew my body and I knew how I felt. I had to listen to reason, even though my hormones were urging me otherwise.
“Spoil all of my fun, why don’t you?” But he winked at me. “Would you like a bath before bed? I can draw a bubble bath for you. Or if you’d like a shower, I can take one with you and make sure that you don’t fall. I promise no funny business.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Or if you’d like a sponge bath, I can help you with that. I can rub lotion on your back too.”
“Stop! Give me a chance to think.” A bath sounded heavenly, especially a bubble bath. Part of me just wanted to fall asleep right then and there, but I knew that a little time in a hot tub would serve me well. “I would love a bubble bath.”
Aegis went to draw the bath while I pulled off my clothes. When he returned, I tried to stand, but he was over by my side in a flash. Vampires could move incredibly fast at times, so fast that it often seemed like teleportation. He had startled me more than once with his speed. He carried me into the bathroom and I realized I was starting to feel like some teacup dog.
The tub was filling with toasty warm water, and he had added lavender bath gel.
“I wasn’t sure what scent you’d like, but I thought lavender would be soothing.”
I actually preferred vanilla, but I wasn’t going to tell him that, not after how much he was doing to help me. And the lavender was faint enough to be calming. As he lowered me into the tub, I leaned back against the cool porcelain and rested my head on the bath pillow. I closed my eyes as the bubbles rose around me.
At first, the soothing scent began to relax me, and I was just starting to drift as a sudden whirl jerked me out of my reverie. All I could see were the rolling waves around me and the icy cold water that threatened to drag me down. Crying out, I shot straight up, clutching the sides of the bathtub as I frantically looked around.
“What’s the matter, love?” Aegis was on his knees immediately, leaning over me.
“Everything began to spin and I felt like I was back out in the water, drowning. On second thought, I don’t think a bath is such a hot idea. Let me rinse off and then you can carry me back to the bed. I know I’m not going to be able to stand up on my own now.”
In truth, the entire room was spinning. I accepted a washcloth and scrubbed myself quickly, trying to soothe the vertigo with the feel of the cloth against my skin. When I was done, Aegis let the water out of the tub. I wanted to rinse off the soap, so he took off his shoes and then, holding me in his arms, stepped into the shower fully dressed, and turned it on.
I pressed against his chest, trying to keep the feeling of motion from overwhelming me. “You silly man, I love you so much. You’re getting soaked, though.”
“I don’t care. Clothes will wash. But you, my love, are worth more to me than anything in this world.” He stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel, then carried me back to the bed. He tossed the towel on the comforter and lowered me onto it. Then, he brought me back a thick bath sheet, and vanished back into the bathroom while I dried off. When he returned this time, he was naked, wearing a towel around his nether regions, much to my chagrin.
“Well, this has been one hell of an evening, hasn’t it?” I thought again about Sandy, and thought about calling her, but I knew that Alex would have given her my message. She’d call me as soon as she was ready.
“You can say that again. It’s been one hell of a weekend, actually. The Boys of Bedlam broke up with DreamGen, Jenna lost her mother, and I almost accidentally drowned you.” He shook his head. “I hate to say it, but what’s next?”
“Don’t ask. I don’t want to know. And don’t forget—there was a vampire kill this weekend and Fata Morgana is hanging around.” I slid under the covers, breathing a sigh of relief as the dizziness started to wane. “This helps. Lying down.”
“I’m glad, love. I’m going to take my clothes down to the laundry, and then I’ll be back with a bottle of water and a snack in case you get hungry. I promise I won’t hover, but I am going to check on you every hour or so. Do you need anything else right now?”
I shook my head, my eyes heavy. As Aegis left the room, Bubba and Luna bounced up on the bed and snuggled next to me, one on each side. I turned on my side so that Luna was snuggled against my back and Bubba was curled in my arms, and before Aegis could return with my water and snack, I fell into a deep, restful slumber.
Chapter 6
I WOULD HAVE overslept my alarm, but Aegis woke me up promptly at seven. I dressed in a black and green plaid skirt, and a hunter green V-neck sweater. I asked Aegis to find my big tote bag in my closet, because it would be easier to carry everything I needed around in it. The dizziness seemed to be under control until I stood up, but even though I could stand on my own, one step told me that I was still incredibly unstable on my feet. He carried me down the stairs and into the kitchen, set me down, and I leaned on his arm as I made my way to the table from the door.
“An email came in for you about four a.m. this morning. I was updating our accounts, and I saw the notification. I think it’s from Gregory.” He fixed me a steaming mocha, piled high with whipped cream, with cocoa powder dusted on top. “There are five shots of espresso in there to get you started.”
“You know how to make a girl’s heart sing,” I said, smiling. “I want to see what he said.” I started to stand, but Aegis shook his head and motioned for me to sit down.
“Wait right here. I have a surprise for you. This one, I think you’ll like.”
He hurried out of the room, and I noticed he was wearing sneakers. I blinked. An unusual fashion choice for Aegis. I preferred the motorcycle boots, but he had the right to choose his own footwear. He returned carrying a laptop.
“I bought this for you so you can take your work around the house, instead of staying in the office. The password is ‘enchant,’ but you can change it to anything you want.”
I blinked. I’d been meaning to buy a laptop soon, but hadn’t got around to it.
“Thank you,” I said, stroking the smooth black surface. As I opened it and turned it on, I saw that the laptop was loaded with just about every program I could want. And then I realized it was top of the line, probably costing about five thousand dollars.
“I can’t believe you bought this for me. When did you get it?”
“It was a secondary anniversary present. I was going to give it to you when we got home the other night, but I didn’t foresee us ending up as fish food. I almost forgot about it with all the aftermath, but then I remembered after I put you to bed last night. I transferred all of your email and documents over to it as well last night. The wireless is strong, so you can take it anywhere out in the backyard, up to the edge of the trees.”
He glanced at the clock. “I should get to bed, love.”
As he leaned down, gazing at me with those deep, brown eyes of his, they pierced into my heart and once again I felt a surge of love and gratitude that he was in my life.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
He stroked my cheek. “I have an idea, but I like to hear you say it.”
“You are unlike any man I’ve ever known.” I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, kissing him long and deep. A wave of hunger rushed over me, but we didn’t have any time this morning. “Tonight, I need you.”
“Tonight, I’m all yours.” And with that he kissed me again, this time on the nose and, waving good night to Kelson, who was entering the room at that moment, he headed downstairs to sleep before the first rays of sun touched the sky.
“He’s a keeper,” Kelson said. “He’s really quite extraordinary.”
I waited, but she didn’t finish it the way I expected her to. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not finishing your sentence with ‘for a vampire.’ ”
“Those who qualify their compliments don’t usually mean them.” Kelson winked at me. “What do you want for breakfast? Eggs, bacon? I’m in a cooking mood, so just ask.”
“I want English muffins, sausage, and a cheese omelet.”
As she got to work, I brought up my email. The laptop ran extremely fast. Aegis hadn’t skimped on the memory or the CPU speed. And there it was, an email from Gregory Oakstone. With shaking hands, I tapped the touchpad and opened the letter.
Dear Maudlin: I can’t believe I’m writing this. I’m still in shock over your email, but first let me say how grateful I am that you wrote to me. I always knew I was adopted, but my parents would never tell me where I came from, or who my real parents were. They just told me that I was given to them with love, and to let sleeping dogs lie. I would love to talk to you after I have processed all of this information. As you can probably guess, I never expected to discover who my birth parents were, not after all this time. I will be in the United States next year for a conference. Perhaps we can meet then, as I will be passing through Seattle on my way home. Meanwhile, I’ll be taking some time to think about what you said, and I will email when I know how I feel. Ever grateful for your note, Gregory O.
I stared at the screen, not sure about what to think. I was glad he had actually written back, but I had expected one of two responses: either he would freak and tell me to fuck off, or he would immediately swamp me with questions.
“Are you all right?” Kelson asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, just a little disheartened.”
It was then that I realized I had been hoping for an exuberant email instead of a noncommittal thank-you. I closed my email after scanning the rest. It seemed obvious that Gregory didn’t want to hear from me until he had processed through the information I had left him with, and I wasn’t the type to bother someone when they made it clear they didn’t want to be approached.
“Your breakfast will be ready in a moment. I just need to butter the toast,” she said as the bread popped out of the toaster.
I stared at the laptop. I had no clue that Aegis had been planning such an elaborate anniversary. And here, I had almost forgotten it. I frowned.
“Kelson?” I asked as she set my plate in front of me.
“Yes?”
“Can you help me plan a romantic evening for Aegis and me? He tried, but luck was stacked against us.” Luck and the weather. And possibly Fata Morgana, if she had driven the storm into Bedlam on purpose. “He has rehearsal tonight, but I think he’s free tomorrow night, so let’s shoot for then.”
“Should you plan it for next week, when your vertigo should be gone?”
I let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t want to be staggering all over the place.”
“All right.” She grabbed a pen and notebook and sat down. “What do you want?”
“For one thing, we need a romantic dinner. Since we couldn’t have a picnic at sea, and I’m not about to try a do-over on that one, see if you can get us reservations at the Surf Side.”
The Surf Side was a new restaurant, beautifully decked out, with a menu that had made my mouth water when Sandy told me about it. Max had taken her there two or three months ago. I had laughingly pointed out that if she went there again, she would be competing with her own seafood bar, now that it was newly built in a safe location. But she pointed out that the Oyster Bar was fast food. The Surf Side was haute cuisine.
“I’ll call them as soon as we’re done.” She paused. “Should I see if they have an no-vampires-allowed policy, before making the reservations?”
I blinked. I hadn’t even thought of that, but it made perfect sense. “Yeah, good idea. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask, and that would be a quick way to ruin the evening.” I thought over what I wanted to do. The Surf Side had dancing, too, so I’d buy a new dress. “See if they have a dress code? I may need to surprise Aegis with a suit jacket and tie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him all decked out in fancy clothes.”
“I’ll get right on this after I serve breakfast to Henry. Did you want to buy Aegis a gift?”
I thought about it. What could I give him that would mean as much as the key pendant he had given me? The laptop was a lovely gift, and I was going to enjoy using it, but the key—now, that packed a punch. Then it occurred to me. “I need to go down in the basement today, or send you down there. I need to know what his ring size is.”
She frowned. “How do we do that?”
“You—because I don’t think I can make it down the stairs—measure his right ring finger with a string and mark it. Then we take it to the jewelry store.” I was going to buy him a gift he’d never expect.
“Oh, so much joy on that one.” Kelson grimaced. “It’s all too much like measuring a corpse, you know? I don’t mean any disrespect, but—” She paused.
I snorted. “That’s because you are, in a way. I don’t mind you being blunt. He’s a vampire. He’s no longer alive—at least not in the normal sense. But let’s leave it at ‘He’s a vampire’ and drop it, okay?”
Kelson laughed. “All too happy to. I suppose we should get right on this, given you want to surprise him next week.”
I beamed. “You got it. I’m going to eat breakfast, then we can get moving. I’ll need you to drive me to the jeweler’s as soon as you’ve finished the other errands. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look online to find out which one I want to go to.” Cranking up the laptop, I got busy.
DELIA CALLED SHORTLY after I had decided on which jewelry store I wanted to visit. I still hadn’t heard from Sandy and was starting to get worried.
“Hey, I just got Essie’s email with the attachment listing the whereabouts of her nest members. Thank you for talking to her.”
“It wasn’t pleasant, but at least it’s done.”
Delia paused. “But do you trust her? Really? If you tell me you think she’s telling us the truth, I’ll accept what you say.”
“I wish you wouldn’t put it on my shoulders like that.”
“I’m not, but I do trust your opinion and it’s probably more accurate than mine.”
I thought about Essie and how she had acted. “She was almost…afraid. I think she really doesn’t know who the rogue vampire is, but the news about the vampire kill spooked her. She was her usual high-and-mighty self, but there was an edge of fear behind the pretense
.”
I paused, gazing outside where the wind started whipping the trees with stiff blows. One of the younger birch trees in my yard was bending back, and for a moment, I was afraid it might snap. “Hell, are you getting the wind I am here? I checked the weather last night and it said blustery, but this is a gale-force gust.”
“Yeah, same here. Hold on.” She put me on hold for a moment, then returned. “There’s a major wind advisory coming through. We’re in the path of an incoming storm that’s likely to rival any Bedlam has had in the past ten years.”
“Typical November weather, but in October. We’d better batten down the hatches, then.” I thought about Essie. “I wonder if Essie thinks another vampire is targeting her territory. We know how vamps ascend to the throne.”
“You could be right. Well, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any more attacks. Meanwhile, take it easy and recover.” She paused. “Maddy, that was a dangerous thing to do, going out onto the water. Next time, listen to your head instead of your heart. I know that Aegis meant well, but sometimes when you’re damned near immortal, you can forget other people aren’t. And I don’t care how long of a lifespan you have, you aren’t anywhere near as invulnerable as he is.”
With that, she signed off.
I put in another call to Sandy while I was waiting for Kelson to finish cleaning the sink. She was meticulous about never leaving a dirty dish on the counter and I didn’t complain. I enjoyed having a clean freak in the house.
This time, Sandy answered. “Maddy?” She sounded like she had been crying.
“Are you all right? How’s Jenna doing?” I knew I shouldn’t bombard her with questions but I couldn’t help myself.
“Me? About as good as can be expected. But Jenna, I’m not so sure about. She’s locked herself in her bedroom and won’t come out. I’m worried. She won’t talk to me. She won’t talk to Alex, and she won’t even talk to Max. I’m at my wit’s end.” Sandy sounded exhausted. I didn’t even want to think about how tired she must be.