Netherworld: Drop Dead Sexy (27 page)

The vampire commissioner’s dark gaze
swept the room. “Thank you for coming to say goodbye to this young
woman, Brandilynn Payson.”

Dan whispered in my ear. “Keep an eye
out for strangers. Maybe your killer will show up and you’ll
remember him.”

As Tristan made remarks about how
unfair death could be, snatching away the life of those with so
many hopes and dreams ahead of them, I scanned the crowd. Close by,
I noticed a lovely blond woman standing near Lana and Taylor. Her
hair and makeup were perfect. She had impeccable taste in clothes,
the wine-colored silk dress with color-coordinated strappy heels
classy and understated.

I nodded in her direction. “I don’t
know her.”

“That’s Yelena. She’s the witch who
does most of Tristan’s protection.”

I had a sudden vision of Glenda the
Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz. “The one who warded the
library?”

“Right.”

Yelena’s face seemed kind. She probably
attended out of respect to Tristan, but I appreciated her presence
just the same. “It’s nice that she came.”

Yelena looked right at me. She nodded
with a smile before returning her attention to Tristan. I went very
still as my vampire boyfriend told the assembled that a person’s
life must be assessed not only by their deeds, but also by their
aspirations and what they might have accomplished had life been a
bit more fair.

“She can see us, like
Erica.”

Dan’s grip on my hand tightened with
reassurance. “All witches have the second sight. You have nothing
to fear from her.”

I noted another three strangers, men
wearing wrinkled shirts rolled up at the sleeves and badly knotted
ties. “Don’t know them.”

“
Reporters. One from the
local paper and the other two are from Jacksonville.”

I wondered why my funeral wasn’t more
of a local media circus, especially with Tristan attached to it.
“There aren’t any cameras. No one is here from the television
stations.”

Dan quirked a smile. He looked pleased.
“Tristan wouldn’t allow it. He almost didn’t let any of the media
attend.”

Interesting. I fell quiet to think
about that and listen to Tristan eulogize me.

He did a fine job, in my opinion. His
mellow voice rolled through the room, soothing the edges of my
ragged nerves. “Though I did not have the opportunity to know
Brandilynn Payson in life, I have spoken to those who knew her
best. The media has seized on the more sensational aspects of her
life and her tragic passing, but to those who had the pleasure of
her company speak of a warm, caring individual who deserved so much
more than fate saw fit to give her.”

I glanced at Martin, who nodded slowly,
tears sparkling down his wrinkled cheeks. “Wowsers, it sucks I had
to die to hear nice things said about me,” I said, trying to
distract myself from a fresh wave of pain.

Dan squeezed my hand. “That’s the way
it goes unfortunately.”

Tristan went on, describing me as
funny, effervescent with kindness, and a whole bunch of other
first-rate qualities until he made me sound like Mother Theresa’s
twin sister. Did he really think those things about me?

I said, “You know, I half expected him
to take the opportunity to further his own agenda, make himself
look good for the press.”

“Tonight isn’t about him, it’s about
you.”

As warm and fuzzy as Tristan made me
feel, I was determined to expose any hidden scheme. “He let some
media in.”

Dan’s tone was firm. “Only in hopes
they would give your memory a break. He wants them to stop dragging
you through the mud, so to speak.”

Tristan defended me. Like a protective
boyfriend. Like someone who really cared. I struggled against tears
again. Crybaby Brandilynn. “I need to stop being so mean about him
being a bloodsucker.”

His voice deliberately noncommittal,
Dan said, “If he wasn’t a vampire I don’t think I’d stand a
chance.”

I didn’t have a response for that. If I
could choose one over the other and Tristan wasn’t a vampire, who
would I pick? I honestly had no idea.

Tristan wrapped up his remarks. An
Episcopalian priest took his place at the podium to offer up a
short prayer, asking God to accept me in His warm forgiving
embrace. No bright light transported me away to a set of pearly
gates, and the service ended. People headed towards the
door.

Dan said apologetically, “This is going
to be it for a service. You’ll be interred at Fulton Falls
Cemetery. Tristan has a very nice headstone ordered for you. It’s
got hearts and angels, I understand.”

“That’s fine. This was nicer than I
expected.” Which was true. Best of all, I’d gotten through with a
minimum of tears and no hysterics. I felt proud of
myself.

The room had nearly emptied when I saw
a young woman rise from an armchair in the far corner of the room.
She walked slowly to my casket, her sensible heels sinking slightly
into the plush carpeting. Her red hair, the exact same shade as
mine, was pulled back in a chignon. Her pretty face was drawn, and
dark half-moons no makeup could cover were imprinted under her blue
eyes.

I appeared in front of her without
consciously attempting to transport. When her trembling hand
touched my casket, I tried to slap it away, my hand passing right
through her wrist. She didn’t react, her eyes faraway as she gazed
at the pristine whiteness of my coffin.

Knowing she couldn’t hear me didn’t
keep me from yelling, “What are you doing here?”

Dan dashed across the room as soon as
he figured out where I’d materialized. “Who is she, Brandilynn? She
looks just like you.”

“It’s my sister Ashley.” I turned on
him, needing someone to yell at, someone who could hear me. “How
come she’s here?”

Dan rubbed my back in an effort to
comfort me. “Apparently she came to say goodbye.”

“We already did that!” I turned to
scream in my sister’s face. “Why are you here? Huh? You answer
me!”

Dan gripped my shoulder.
“Brandilynn—”

I stomped, rage exploding from me,
seeking to devastate something, anything. “She never went against
one single thing my parents ever wanted. She got her degree,
followed the right career, married the right man and had perfect
children.” I was more furious than I’d ever been, but darn it, I
couldn’t confront her. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

Ashley turned away from my casket, her
face a mirror image of mine, except she was morose and I was mad.
She walked away from me, heading for the door.

I faced a worried Dan. “She was as
miserable as me, but she never said boo to a thing they wanted, and
when they disowned me she didn’t say boo to that
either!”

I stormed after my sister, yelling all
the way. “Do they know you’re here? I bet they don’t, Miss Perfect.
How dare you show up now when it’s too late. How dare
you!”

Ashley left the room, not hearing a
single word I’d said. Leaving me alone, without family once
more.

A terrible cawing sound eclipsed the
piped-in orchestral music. It ratcheted through the room in
ear-splitting heaves. It took several seconds before I realized the
sound came from me. I sobbed in big, ugly bellows, anguish
eclipsing the anger that had overcome me. I sank to the floor, my
body shaking with violent grief.

I was dimly aware Lana and Yelena had
joined me and Dan in the now otherwise empty room.

Yelena’s soft trill sounded as sweet as
spring rain, but it couldn’t wash away my sorrow. “We could hear
her in the lobby, Dan. Is there anything I can do?”

Lana snuffled tears in gentle
counterpoint to my harsher cries. “Poor Brandilynn. I’m so sorry,
honey.”

Yelena: “I could cast a calming spell
if you like.”

Dan’s voice was thick. “Let her get it
out. She’s overdue.”

I tried to sick it up, all the
loneliness and the pain of rejection. It overwhelmed, sucking me
down a painful piece at a time like a black hole in my gut. As hard
as I tried to exorcise the torment, it only seemed to grow. It
pulled me away from the warmth of the surrounding people, clutching
me in the jagged claws of hell. And it was getting
worse.

Something besides grief had me.
Suddenly terrified, I reached for the perfectly manicured hand of
Yelena, as if she could yank me free of the rending draw of
whatever had caught me.

“Something’s not right,” she cried, and
began muttering like a charismatic preacher speaking
tongues.

Whatever she was doing, it didn’t work.
The pain increased, and the cloying layers of flowers and potpourri
were replaced by the smell of dank dead things. The room began to
smear in the telltale wash of transport.

Dan’s cry rang in my ears, but it
somehow sounded far away. “Brandilynn!”

Yelena’s speech grew louder, more
intense, and the pain abruptly abated. Dan’s strong arms folded
around me, and he drew me to my feet, clasping me hard to his
chest. “What happened?” he yelled.

Yelena drew a shaking breath. “Someone
was trying to take her away. A portal was opened to pull her to
another location.”

“Where?” I asked, my voice raspy from
spent emotion.

Yelena’s pretty face was pinched with
anger. “I don’t know that. As for the who, my bet is the witch
Erica Ford.”

Lana waved a hand in front of her nose.
“Ew, it smells like a gator’s butt in here.”

Yelena stared at her. I didn’t know if
it was from the shock of doing witchy battle or Lana’s lowbrow
statement that made her look affronted.

Lana blushed. “You know, all marshy and
green?” When Yelena continued to look at her as if she’d just
picked her nose in public, Lana waved her off. “Nevermind. I’ll go
get Tristan. He’ll want to know what’s going on.”

Lana bustled off. I burrowed against
Dan, reeling from my near abduction.

My Marlboro Man held me tighter than
ever. “Can you do anything to keep her safe?” he asked
Yelena.

She nodded. “I’ll cast a protection
spell and give Brandilynn the means to strengthen it if needed.
She’ll be safest in a warded location like the library or hotel
though.”

“Meet us at the library.” It was an
order, not a request, letting me know how upset Dan was.

Relief washed over me when he took me
to the safety of the library. Some forms of popularity are
definitely not cool.

* * * *

A couple hours later, I was antsy and
bored silly. Even Sudoku couldn’t keep my attention. After the
emotional turmoil of the funeral and the attempted abduction, I
just couldn’t stay still. The library, as vast as it was, closed in
on me.

I needed a distraction bad. I knew of
one way to keep my mind and body occupied. So I slunk up to the
check-out desk where Dan read, wearing nothing but dangling hoop
earrings, stiletto heels, and a hopeful smile.

“Whatcha reading?” I purred.

Dan glanced up as I approached, looked
back down at his book, then jerked his head back up in the fastest
double-take I’ve ever seen. Oh yeah. I still got it.

“Goddamn — I mean, good gosh,
Brandilynn. Bored, baby?” His eyes were as big as dinner plates,
and he set aside that book in record time.

“A little. A lot.” I rounded the desk
and had a look at his lap. Dan’s not-so-little soldier saluted me
admirably. He moved the chair back so I could sit on the edge of
the desk in front of him. I planted an insanely high heel on each
arm of his leather chair, giving him a clear view all the way to
heaven.

His grin threatened to wrap around to
the back of his head. “Let’s see what I can do to occupy your
time.”

Dan slid the wheeled chair forward, his
face exactly where I needed it to be. He took a nice, slow lick up
my slit. My head rocked back and I groaned my pleasure to the
ceiling. I was dizzy with pleasure as his tongue slid over my clit,
bringing that nubbin to attention. Oh sir, yes sir.

Diligent Dan worked hard to catch every
drop of honey I offered, flicking my clit from time to time to
renew the supply. The air trembled with my whimpers and sighs as he
delighted my secret flesh. That man owned a talented tongue, and I
reaped the benefits of his cleverness for quite awhile before Dan
got to his feet.

He was swollen like a battering ram fit
to bash through the castle gates. “Hard and fast, baby,” he growled
at me. “Get ready.”

I lay back on the desk and brought my
legs up, hooking my ankles over his shoulders. His iron prod nudged
my opening, and I forced myself to relax, readying for the
onslaught.

It still hurt when Dan plunged in, his
thickness threatening to split me apart. I was so wet though that
he slid right on in without trouble. His hands grasped my
shoulders, holding me still and making me take it as he shoved in
and out. As so often happened with me, the intense sensation
twisted itself into bliss, and I verged suddenly on
climax.