Colour Me Undead (3 page)

Melinda shrugged. “You could but she’s always loved daisies—the brighter the better.”

“This romancing thing is hard,” Basil admitted. He should’ve known his mate wouldn’t be easy. After all, it had taken him hundreds of years to find her—why would getting her be any easier?

The door to the den swung open and slammed against the wall. “How could you?” Deva shrieked.

“How could I what?”

Skintight leather pants and a red silk top that dipped low between her breasts highlighted Deva’s perfect form. Her white flesh glowed against the vibrant colours. Basil had bedded her once but found her too power-hungry for his tastes.

“It’s all over the castle how you went chasing after that little girl. I won’t stand by and let you make a queen out of a mere human.”

Melinda jumped to her feet, her book heedlessly falling to the ground. “I was once one of those ‘mere’ humans and so were you,” she hissed.

Deva flushed. “I didn’t mean you, my lady.”

“No, you meant my cousin. I can tell you that my cousin would make a fine queen if she ever chose Basil.”

Deva looked between them. “I thought she was already here.”

“And what were you going to do if she were? Hmmm. As your king I have the right to pick anyone I choose as my mate. If you don’t like it, feel free to join a different clan.”

“B-but I’ve been part of this one for two hundred years.”

Basil felt a bit of enjoyment in seeing her pale even further. It was a mark of esteem to be a member of the king’s personal household. “Remember you are here only owing to my favour. I will withdraw it if I find you were the least bit rude to my future queen or her cousin.” He tilted his head to indicate Melinda beside him.

He saw the flash of resentment in Deva’s eyes before she lowered her lashes. “Yes, my king.” She gave a reluctant curtsey, making the motion surprisingly graceful considering her tight pants.

“Dismissed.” Basil left no room in his tone for misunderstanding. He wanted her out of his sight before he really did something to get the castle talking.

The door was barely closed behind her before Melinda spoke. “You’re going to have problems with that one.”

“Yep. I’ll have to keep a good eye on her. At one time I thought she might make a possible queen but I decided against it.”

“Why? I thought the leather pants screamed royal potential.”

Basil shook his head at Melinda’s sarcasm. “It wasn’t the pants. It was the fact she likes to scare and chase her victims before she feeds.”

“Why? I thought most of them wandered into the castle to be feeders. I know mine do.”

“She likes the thrill of inspiring terror in her victims and draining them of most of their blood.”

“I thought that was illegal?” Melinda asked horrified.

“No. Only if you drain a person completely. They can still recover when she’s done.” Basil grimly remembered her last victim.

“You might want to assign a watch on Cora. I don’t want psycho woman painting a bulls-eye on my cousin’s back.”

Basil nodded. “Good idea.” He wouldn’t put it past Deva to try to hurt Cora or have someone do the dirty work for her. Her eating habits hadn’t been the only reason he’d crossed her off the potential mates list. She was a mean, manipulative bitch and that was on a good day.

Chapter Three

“I think you’re getting an undead reputation, boss woman,” Becka said, walking into Cora’s office.

Cora looked up from her computer. They were both at the office late trying to finalise last minute projects for an event the next day. “What are you talking about?” Glancing at the vase of yellow daisies, she wondered if Basil had shown up on her doorstep.

“A woman is here and wants to book an event.” Becka lowered her voice. “She’s definitely a vamp.”

“Damn.”

“Here.” Becka handed over a small spray canister.

“What’s this?”

“Garlic spray.”

Cora tried to hand it back, but her assistant shook her head. “Trust me, you’re gonna want to keep it close to you. She really gave me the creeps.”

“Are you heading out?” It was getting past seven and she knew Becka had a young daughter at home in the care of her elderly mother until she got off work.

Becka’s expression showed she was torn. “I could stay.”

Cora shook her head. “I’m sure your mother is exhausted by now.” Six-year-olds had a lot of energy and Becka’s mother was pushing seventy.

“All right, but keep your cell phone close and hold onto that spray. I don’t trust her.”

“Send her back on your way out.” Now Cora was getting nervous. She hadn’t heard or seen Basil since she’d ditched him two days ago. He’d sent the flowers but she hadn’t been back to the castle yet and she wasn’t in a huge hurry to return.

“Hello there.” The woman was sex personified and she knew it. Her neckline dipped almost to her stomach with a few strings holding it together, and her leather skirt could only graciously be called mini if two more inches were added to the length. Add in the spiked heeled boots and she looked like she would fit right in with the S & M crowd.

“Hello, can I help you with something?”

For the first time in her life Cora knew she was looking into the face of pure evil. The woman’s calculating smile sent shivers down Cora’s spine especially since it didn’t touch the vampire’s cold eyes.

“I would like to throw an engagement party.”

“Oh?” As far as Cora knew her cousin was the first vamp to marry and this woman didn’t look like someone Melinda would befriend.

“Well, it is more of a mating party than a true engagement. Vampires don’t get married, after all.” She finished in a mocking voice. Cora resisted the urge to punch her. First, because the vampire was a potential client, and second, because she could probably bench-press Cora before chucking her body out the back window.

“That’s very kind of you to want to throw a party for the happy couple.” If this woman had a single kind bone Cora would eat her laptop, hard shell case and all.

“That’s me. I love to do things for others.” She gave a laugh that almost froze the blood in Cora’s veins.

“When did you want to throw this bash?” Carefully keeping her mind blank, she pulled up her calendar.

“Oh, I think his highness will make a move very soon. Maybe even tonight.” In the brief second Cora looked down at her keyboard the vampire went from across the room to right behind her.

Sharp fingernails dug into Cora’s flesh as the vampire grabbed her by the neck. “You don’t need to check your calendar, pretty Cora, because I can guarantee you won’t be available.”

Cora whimpered as the vampire lifted her with one hand, her feet clearing the floor.

I’m going to die.

Thoughts of her imminent death flashed through Cora’s mind. As she clawed at the hand holding her aloft, the small cylinder bit into her palm.
Bless Becka
.

Barely holding onto consciousness she blindly sprayed the liquid garlic at the vampire.

The vampire screamed, tossing Cora to the floor. “Bitch!”

Cora scrambled backwards as the vampire wiped the spray from her eyes.

“You’re going to die for that.”

She’d been pretty certain she was going to die before. Exactly
why
, was the detail she was unclear about.

“You’ll never be queen. I’ll kill you before then.”

“Queen?” Cora croaked. That was as much as she could get out through her bruised throat.

“I warned you to leave her alone,” a male voice spoke behind her. Spinning with her spray clutched tightly, Cora turned to see Basil in her doorway.

“She tried to strangle me,” she whispered, still unnerved by the events of the evening. Shaking, she wrapped her arms around herself.

“You bitch, you hurt my cousin.”

Cora looked up in time to see Melinda rush into the room and impale the strange woman with a sword.

“Melinda!”

“Shh, cuz. We’ll talk later. Bitch woman has to die first.”

Screaming, Cora’s attacker fell to the ground.

As Melinda moved in for the kill, the strange vampire grabbed her ankle and flipped her off her feet.

Cora cried out as she saw her cousin fall. The female vampire jumped out the window and, before anyone could move, vanished out of sight.

“Melinda!” She rushed to her cousin’s side only to see her sit up and shake her head.

“I’m fine, just a little dazed. Sorry I didn’t get to kill her though.” Melinda gave her a wry smile. “I never did like Deva.”

“Is that her name?”

“You didn’t know?”

Cora shrugged. “She didn’t introduce herself before she tried to kill me.”

She started to shake all over again.

Melinda wrapped an arm around her, a soothing contact she needed after her harrowing night. “Come on, cuz. You come stay with me. I’ll help you with the nightmares and protect you if anyone else tries to take you out.”

“That’s a good idea. Melinda, I officially name you protector of the crown,” Basil said in a solemn, sonorous voice.

Cora gave a rusty laugh when her cousin looked scornfully at the king. “You don’t need to give me an official title to watch my cousin. I’ve been looking after her since she was a little girl.”

“Nevertheless, you have it. It should also quell any rumours about your lack of an official capacity with the crown.”

Melinda sighed. “Whatever.”

Still shaky from her vampire encounter, Cora let her cousin lead her out.

“How did you get away from psycho lady?” Melinda asked.

Cora showed her the canister. “Becka gave me this.”

“Garlic spray?”

Cora nodded.

“Huh. You should double her salary. That stuff’s expensive.”

“I probably should at that.” If it hadn’t been for Becka’s spray, Cora had no doubt this evening would’ve ended differently. Melinda wouldn’t have arrived in time to stop the psychotic vampire from killing Cora. “Why did she want to kill me?”

“Because Basil wants you for his mate.”

Cora laughed. “Great. I finally get a hot guy interested in me and he comes with a lot of baggage.”

She let Melinda help her into the limousine. Apparently, when you went to rescue your relatives from psycho vampires you took luxury automobiles. Who knew?

The ride back to the castle was done in silence. Cora knew Basil watched her but she didn’t have the energy to care. She had no idea how he thought this entire thing was going to work out but she had no interest in being the undead vampire queen even if the position did have one very sexy perk.

When they arrived at the castle, Melinda led Cora to a spare bedroom and tucked her in. “I’ll have someone go by your apartment and get you some clothes.”

“’kay.” She could feel Melinda hovering over her bed but she was too shaken and exhausted to expend energy making her cousin feel better.

“Well, if you need anything…”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, you will.” A maternal kiss landed on her head. She heard her cousin move away, then the sound of the door opening and closing.

Sighing, Cora closed her eyes and tried to will the troubling thoughts away.