DraculaVille - New York - Book One (18 page)

She took a bite. Mmm, simple but delish. “That’s very good, Pip. And stop calling me ‘Mom’.”

He grinned and continued his rolling.

“I have to suspect the root is money.” Drake poured thickened sauce over a dish of cooked tortellini and then topped it with chopped, sun-dried tomatoes. “Find out who needs the money, and you find the source of the problem.”

“In my opinion, changing agencies could cost them more time than a few missed dates with us.” Talia plucked another onion wrap from Pip’s neat little pyramid.

“Are they looking for a way to get rid of you?”

“I can’t imagine why. I came up with the idea and they say they love it.”

The doorbell rang. She slipped off the stool and answered it. Felix and Gerri entered. They smiled at the sight of the table full of food, then followed her into the kitchen.

“Are we giving a party?” Talia asked. She’d made no invitations.

“I thought it would be nice for you guys to have a good meal. You can eat while Pip and I go out and continue our search for the deserted store.” Drake handed wine to Gerri and Felix.

“No luck last night?” her friend asked.

He shook his head. “I divided a map into sections so we can be methodical. It may take a few nights to cover the area I’ve targeted.”

Talia’s heart sank. She’d hoped to talk with him tonight and discuss her concerns about what the Romanians demanded. Maybe she imagined their uneasiness. Maybe they only wanted to ensure steady and constant progress.

“Thanks for inviting us.” Felix reached across Talia and nabbed one of Pip’s creations.

“Everything’s ready.” Drake carried his pasta dish into the dining room and placed it on the table. They followed and settled into chairs, eyeing the delicious looking dishes.

“Have fun and enjoy the food.” He smiled. His eyes focused on Talia an extra beat.

Her face grew hot, and she gazed at her plate. “Be careful,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Pip said, putting his hand in Drake’s.

“Felix told me about the contract,” Gerri said, as Drake and Pip headed for the door.

Talia spooned tortellini onto her plate and passed the dish to her assistant. “Yeah, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“We’re not giving in, though.” Felix topped a toasted French bread slice with bruschetta. “All we have to do is stay one step ahead and have a backup plan for every scenario. No biggie.”

She snorted, despite her chewing a bite of tortellini. “And that’s really easy.”

“Aren’t you worried about Drake and Pip out there?” Her friend glanced sideways at Talia.

She swallowed. They had no idea how much she worried, but she schooled her features and said, “Drake knows what he’s doing.”

“I guess.” Gerri scooped tomato and mozzarella salad onto her plate.

“He’s right,” Talia said. “We don’t know anything about the vampire world. If he’s in danger, he needs help. Providing Carlotta with information on Maron may give us the information and protection we need.”

“Talia?” Her assistant stopped eating and stared at her.

“Yes?”

“Did you ever wonder if there are vampires in Romania?”

She put down her fork. A tremor of dread crawled up her back. “It makes sense that if they’re here, they must be everywhere.”

Her friend stopped eating and glanced at Felix. “Do you think this plan has something to do with them?”

“The campaign request or the rushed deadlines?” Talia swallowed against a lump in her throat. She’d really wanted to avoid thinking about this.

“I’m not sure. But if Transylvania is really the birthplace of vampires, I have to think they’re involved in some part of their country’s plans.” Gerri took a drink of wine.

Talia and Felix shared a look of worry. She tried to imagine why vampires in Romania needed an influx of tourist. The only conclusion sent a wave of nausea coursing through her. Blood. No. That had to be farfetched.

“You think they could be involved in the government?” Felix rubbed his chin.

“Why not?” Her friend shrugged.

“They can’t be out in daylight. How can they hold a position in government? Something like that would be hard to hide.” Talia pointed to a dish of toasted almond Brussels sprouts topped with sautéed prosciutto.

Felix passed the dish to her. “That’s true. Maybe they have a secret lobby or something.”

“You guys are making me crazy,” she said. Not to mention the headache pulsing behind her temples. “Influential vampires? Seriously? Let’s talk about something else.”

“Dessert.” Her assistant grinned.

“Excuse me?” Talia popped a Brussels sprout in her mouth.

“Did Drake say anything about dessert?”

Gerri let out a laugh. “I’ll check the fridge.” She pushed back her chair and hurried into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned holding a cheesecake topped with strawberries. “Eureka.”

“Holy cow.” Her assistant ran his tongue over his lips. He glanced at Talia. “Are you sure I can’t come live with you?”

“I’m positive.” She eyed the cake with misgiving. The waistband of her skirt already dug into her stomach. She reached around and undid the back button.

He finished his meal and put on a pot of coffee. By the time they’d consumed slices of cheesecake and sat slumped in their chairs sipping coffee, Drake and Pip returned.

One glance at them and relief sucked the strength from Talia’s limbs. Drake’s eyes glowed, and Pip skipped along beside him.

“We found it,” Drake said, a slight smile curving his lips.

“That was fast,” she said

He went to the opposite end of the table and sat. The boy took a chair beside him.

“It was on the second street we checked.”

Pip puffed out his chest. “I know it’s the same place I saw before. I remember there was a red circle painted on the door. Dad said I was really smart to remember that. It might be a mark they use, or somethin’.”

She tapped her fingernails on the table top. This
Dad
and
Mom
thing was getting way out of control. She was pretty sure Drake encouraged it. Did having Pip call him Dad make up for his inability to have a normal family now that he was a vampire? She could only imagine the repercussions of creating her own dysfunctional family.

“Hey, that was smart,” her friend said, patting Pip on the head. “We’re proud of you.”

“Thanks, Aunt Gerri.” He beamed.

Drake pulled out his cell phone and the card with the vampire queen’s number. “I’m going to call Carlotta and let her know where it is.”

“What do you think she’ll do?” Felix asked Talia in a low voice as he leaned close.

She glanced at Drake who talked into his phone. “I don’t know. She said she was going to take matters into her own hands.”

“Like attack Maron’s group?” Gerri whispered.

Her assistant hummed a spooky tune. “The vampire wars of New York, coming soon to a theater near you.”

Talia snorted, but fear formed an icy knot in the pit of her belly. She didn’t want anything to happen that would draw Drake into danger. If Carlotta wanted to go after Maron, it was fine with her as long as she left Drake out of it.

“Well?” she asked when Drake ended the call.

“She was very appreciative,” he said.

“That’s all?”

“She didn’t say what she was going to do. She did say that I was welcome to visit her and she would share information about vampires. I’m an honorary member of her flock now.” He smiled.

A chill ran over Talia’s skin. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?” His smile faded.

She didn’t want to admit it was because Carlotta was one hot vampire babe. A wave of possessiveness swept over her. It was like the night she’d watched Drake and Gerri at the photo shoot and wanted to rip them apart. Damn Drake and his strange power over her. She had to break it somehow. This flaming jealousy was torture.

“It could be dangerous,” she said, fingering the handle of her coffee cup, avoiding his gaze.

“She’s promised me protection. It seems to be a matter of honor with them. I don’t think she would go against her promise.”

“I want to see Carlotta,” Pip said. “Dad says she’s pretty.”

She choked, as the jealousy erupted like a fiery volcano in her gut.

Felix cleared his throat. “That’s all relative. What we need to focus on is producing the media the Romanians want by next week.”

She stood and strode to the living room. Her limbs shook from her heated emotions. The bad part was, she couldn’t really define the reason for such overwhelming possessiveness.

“Tal?”

She jumped and spun around. Drake had silently followed and stood directly behind her.

“Yes?” She crossed her arms over her chest to contain the trembling.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes drew her in, soaking her in their warm brown depths.

She tried to look away but couldn’t. “I…”

He gripped her shoulders, his gaze wandering over her face, his eyes narrowed in concern. “Why are you so afraid?”

“I’m not afraid.” She tried to step back, but he held her tight in his grasp.

“Then what is it?” He hugged her against his chest. “You’re trembling.”

“No, I’m not,” she muttered against his shoulder. Something about his cold hard body soothed her, and her shaking ceased.

A soft chuckle rumbled through him. “Don’t worry, Talia. I would never let anything happen to you.”

Dim-witted vampire
. She didn’t worry about herself, she worried for him. She couldn’t find the words to explain, however. She didn’t even understand it herself. Besides, snuggling against him was like an infusion of warm cocoa with a mound of whipped cream, sweet and comforting. She could stay there forever.

Another set of arms encircled her around the thighs. Pip laid his head against her hip. “Dad’s right, Your Majesty. You shouldn’t worry. We’ll make sure you don’t get hurt.”

For some stupid reason, she started to cry.

Chapter 22

Leslie handed Talia a sheet of paper showing the sketch of an advertisement. “We were kicking around some ideas and thought it would make a great promotion for the grand opening. Women will go crazy over this Dracula character. So why not have them enter a contest for a week’s vacation at the new resort that includes a date with the guy? It’ll be great.”

“No.” Talia handed it back, her stomach twisting into a knot.

Leslie’s smile dissolved. “Why not? Harv loved the idea.”

Felix took the sheet from Leslie and looked it over. “It does sound like a good idea. Why not, boss?”

Talia gritted her teeth and tamped the ire that threatened to choke her. She had to get control of herself and this idiotic protectiveness. She’d tossed and turned all night, worried Drake would leave while she slept and go visit Carlotta the vampire vamp. Now this.

“Yes, it’s a wonderful idea. Fine, do it.” She threw up her hands.

Leslie and Felix shared a look. Then the creative director backed out of the room, clutching the ad to her chest.

Talia typed the word
psychic
into the search bar and hit ENTER. She picked up her latte and took a sip as the results scrolled down the page.

Her assistant sorted papers into presentation folders at the table across from her desk. Every once in a while, she caught him staring, but he quickly resumed his task.

Maybe she needed a psychiatrist.

“Here’s a list of sites the Romanians want as backgrounds in Drake’s pictures.” Felix handed her a piece of paper. “I forgot, Harvey dropped it off this morning.”

She gave it a brief scan and handed it back. “Fax it to Anton.”

Or a wizard, yeah a wizard might be able to cast a spell on her to make her impervious to Drake’s strange allure. If vampires existed, maybe wizards did, too.

She bit her bottom lip. Ideas ran through her head, alternating with images of Drake without his shirt. Why did he have to be so damn nice? It just made her like him more.

Felix cleared his throat.

She looked up. “What?”

“Nothing, just wondering what you’re doing.” He shrugged.

“I’m working.” She snapped.

“No you’re not. You’re poking around on the computer, looking like somebody accused you of shopping at Kmart.” He planted his hands on his hips and stared at her.

“I’m getting out of here, that’s what I’m doing.” She grabbed her purse and coat. “I’ll be back later.”

Felix watched her, but didn’t reply.

Outside the office building, frigid air slapped her in the face like a blast of cold water. Her mind cleared briefly. She thought about the shop where she’d bought the bracelet. Maybe they’d have some ideas. She raised her hand and hailed a cab. It was worth a try.

***

“So, you’re saying the bracelet didn’t work.” The red-haired clerk pursed her lips, green eyes narrowed. Her name tag read,
Serena.

Talia let out a deep breath. “Look, Serena, I know this sounds stupid. But don’t you know something that would make me not attracted to someone?”

“Is this the vampire again?” The clerk gave her a pitying glance.

She put a hand on her forehead. “Yes, yes, the vampire. I’m not crazy, okay? Please tell me anything you know.”

The woman’s expression eased. “I might know someone who could help you.”

“Really?” Talia dropped her hand. “That would be awesome. Who is it?”

“Let me call her and see if she'd be willing to see you.” Serena went behind the counter and picked up a cordless phone. She wandered into the rear of the store.

While she was gone, Talia studied other items in the glass display case - elaborate, gothic jewelry, items made from crystals, and other stones as well as a selection of ornate daggers. She couldn’t identify half of it.

“Lydia's willing to meet you.” Serena returned, smiling.

“That’s great. When?” She gripped the edge of the glass case.

“In an hour at the Lotus Tea Parlor in Soho.” She scribbled an address on one of the store’s cards and handed it to Talia.

“What does Lydia do?” she asked as she tucked the card in her purse.

“She’s a witch. A powerful one.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought about witches. They could work spells, right? “Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.”