Red (22 page)

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Authors: Kate Serine

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy

BOOK: Red
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I looked at her through hooded eyes. “One of?”
Her head bobbed up and down excitedly. “Uh-huh! You should be
so
honored. The competition is pretty fierce.”
I resisted the urge to smack the poor girl upside the head to knock some sense into her, deciding it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. She was too far gone. Instead I said, “Amanda, have you considered the possibility that at some point Vlad might choose just one woman to be with?”
Her face fell a little. “I try not to think about it too much,” she sighed, nonchalantly double-parking in front of the restaurant. “I just hope that maybe it’ll be me. Of course, I’d be okay if it was you. I like you the best!”
“Amanda—”
“Ms. Little,” she interrupted, turning around in the seat to face me, “could I ask you something?”
I eyed her warily, put on my guard by her sudden shyness. “Sure.”
“If the Count . . . If Vlad
does
choose you, would you . . . I mean, if he still needs someone to feed from . . .”
“Would I consider you?” I finished for her.
Her face flushed with color and unabashed hopefulness as she nodded.
I shrugged, mentally mapping out the many ways I was going to tell Vlad to go fuck himself. But I didn’t have the heart to crush the poor kid’s woefully misguided aspirations. “Sure,” I sighed. “Why not.”
With a gleeful squeal, she clapped her hands and probably would have turned a back handspring had she not been sitting in the car. “You are so
awe
some!”
Before I could respond, she hopped out of the car and opened my door. As I stepped onto the sidewalk she cried, “Oh, I love your boots!”
I blinked at her, taken aback by the exuberance of her compliment. “Uh, thanks.”
She leaned forward and squeezed my arm. “If we are both Vlad’s mistresses, we could maybe even share clothes!” she whispered. “Wouldn’t that be
so
much fun?”
I took in her fluffy pink sweater and micro-mini and felt a little frightened at the thought. “Dear God.”
Unfortunately, my reaction seemed to only fuel her excitement. “We could be like
sisters
! That would be
so cool
!”
Now, truly horrified, I just gave her a placating and noncommittal smile. “Uh-huh, okay.” I peeled her fingers from my arm. “Well, I’d better get going. Can’t keep Vlad waiting.”
She gasped. “Oh, my gosh! You’re right!” She gave me a little shove toward the door, then waved cheerily. “Buh-bye, Ms. Little! Enjoy your dinner!”
I gave her a tight smile and waved, ducking a little into the collar of my jacket in an effort to shield myself from her enthusiasm. I didn’t look back for fear she’d take it as an invitation to cement our newly established bond of sisterhood with a super-duper hug or something else equally nauseating.
It took all I had not to sprint to the door.
Chapter 27
 
After my decidedly surreal exchange with Amanda, ducking into the crowded, too warm hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant was a relief.
“Hey, Tony,” I said to the portly, balding owner of the establishment. “What’s doing?”
Tony’s round, friendly face brightened with a good-natured smile. “Tess! I haven’t seen you in weeks!”
“Sorry,” I told him sincerely, my mouth watering at the familiar aroma of garlic and oregano. “I’ve been busy.”
Tony took me by the shoulders and gave me a hearty kiss on each cheek. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters. I’ve got some fabulous veal on the menu tonight.”
I smiled at him, warmed by his unfailing hospitality. “Thanks, Tony.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and peered out into the dining room. “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend of mine. Has anyone asked for me?”
Tony rubbed his very round belly, pondering my question. “No, no one has asked for you. But we had a guy come in and ask for a table in the corner. Longish dark hair—looks like a friggin’ rock star.”
“Pasty white skin?” I added.
Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “That’s the guy.”
“Lucky me,” I drawled.
Tony eyed me knowingly. “You don’t sound so happy to see him. You want me to have my guys throw him out?”
“No, that’s okay,” I replied, heading into the main dining room. “I got this.”
I walked straight back to the shadowy corner where I knew Vlad would be sitting. As I expected, he was reclining patiently in his chair, hands folded in a deceptively placid manner. As I approached the table, he rose and came to meet me, brushing a kiss to my neck as he pulled out my chair.
“Good evening, my own,” he said, his voice low and sultry in my ear.
“Yeah, about that,” I began, scooting my chair in. I reached for a chunk of bread already waiting in the center of the table. I methodically broke it into several pieces, using those moments to draw up all my mental strength, then looked up at him through lowered lashes to mitigate the power of his gaze. “How serious were you about giving things between us a go?”
Vlad’s lips curved into a sensual smile, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Extremely.”
I nodded solemnly. “Really . . .”
“Indeed.” He lifted a glass of what I assumed was red wine and brought it to his lips. “I simply must have you, Red. I will not be thwarted in this.”
I started to say something snarky in reply, but a lovely young waitress suddenly appeared at my elbow.
“Can I take your order?”
Vlad smiled at the girl, visibly affecting her when she got the full-on glory of his stunning good looks. “I believe I have all I require at the moment.” He turned his gaze to me as he added, “I will have a bite later.”
I held his gaze, daring him to give it a try, and said to the waitress, “I’ll have the veal scaloppini. Make sure the chef adds extra garlic.”
“Garlic?” she repeated, frowning. “Are you sure?”
I arched my brow defiantly at Vlad. “Yep. Load it up. I want it to
ooze
from my pores.”
He let out a low, angry hiss, but his expression remained placid. As soon as the waitress turned away with a shrug, his face grew hard, anger distorting his gorgeous features and transforming them into something bordering on hideous. “You must forgive me if I do not know the rules of the game you play this evening, Red.”
I popped a piece of bread into my mouth and gave him an indifferent shrug. “Right back at ya.”
I saw him flinch ever so slightly. “I beg your pardon?”
I leaned back in my chair, mimicking his nonchalance. “How many women do you have on retainer right now, Vlad?”
He studied me for a moment as if trying to divine the trajectory of my inquiry. “You know I cannot feed from the same woman for very long without harm coming to her.”
“True,” I conceded. “But you only need to sleep with one. Who’s it going to be?”
His eyes narrowed. “You obviously have something to say. You might as well proceed.”
“I don’t like to share,” I said, grabbing another hunk of bread and dipping it in olive oil. “And, apparently, neither do your other booty calls.”
“Ah, I see,” he drawled. “You object to my more libidinous needs. I must say, this shade of green is very unbecoming on you, Red.”
“Oh, I’m not jealous,” I told him calmly. “I’m just laying it down for you. You really want me around, you’ll have to pink-slip the others.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched ominously. “Like it or not,” he said slowly, his voice growing deeper, “I shall be the one to decide with whom I lay. I shall not have my
dinner
dictate my choices.”
I cocked my head to one side. “And who would that be? I mean, seeing as how I’m just icing on your fuck cake and all, some other lucky gal must be this
dinner
you speak of.” Watching his expression darken ominously, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table, and glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening in. “Come on—you can tell me. Who’s the main dish?” I gasped theatrically. “Wait a minute—is it the
Mistress
?”
Vlad stared at me for a long moment, his expression an unreadable mask except for the blazing fury in his eyes. Finally, he said, “To whom have you been speaking, my dear girl?”
“Who’s the Mistress, Vlad?” I pressed, ignoring his question.
Vlad took another sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving my face. He swallowed slowly, savoring the taste, then licked his lips. “Tell me what you want from me,” he said at last, “and I will comply. Consider it a show of my affection for you, a pledge of my sincerity.”
I popped the last bit of bread in my mouth. “Is that right?”
He inclined his head. “Say it, and it will be so.”
“Oh, so now it’s okay for your food to talk back to you?” I replied, pretending confusion. “Because, you know, I wasn’t sure.”
Vlad darted forward in a blur of motion, his eyes glowing, his cool facade slipping. “You have never been just sustenance to me,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “You know how I crave you.”
I nodded. “Is that what you tell the Mistress, too?”
“That woman is . . .” He paused, searching for the words. “She is merely an associate. We have a mutual understanding about the nature of our acquaintance.”
“You sure about that?” I challenged. “Sounds like she doesn’t much like the competition. She fired one of your other women because you were enjoying her too much, right?”
Vlad’s face registered surprise at my knowledge of that event, but he quickly recovered, barely missing a beat. “She was a dear girl. It was a pity to have to let her go.”
“I bet. So, if I were to tell you to get rid of all your other women, what would you say?” I tested. “Would you do it? For me?”
“Red, it would not be safe for me to feed only from you,” he replied, evading the question. “We have discussed this before.”
I shrugged. “I’m good with having a spare blood donor. That girl Amanda seems willing. I’d be okay with her being on the menu. She’s a sweet kid.”
Vlad’s mouth curved down into a frown. “Yes, she is. A darling. I have enjoyed her immensely.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “You talk about her like she’s a nice Bordeaux.”
Vlad’s scowl morphed into condescending indifference. “Well, in a sense, she is.”
“She’s a
person,
” I hissed quietly. “And an
Ordinary
one at that. The Ordinaries won’t turn a blind eye to your activities the way Tales do, Vlad. They will never say, ‘Oh, he’s a vampire. That’s just his way.’”
“Being a vampire was a valid defense once upon a time,” he pointed out, reminding me of a technicality that had been his saving grace in the past.
“For a Tale,” I retorted. “You’re treading on some dangerously thin ice by spending so much time with an Ordinary, Vlad. What if she decides to out you to her kind? We’d have a full-scale panic on our hands.”
Vlad lazily waved away my concern. “Amanda would never do such a thing—she is far too enamored with me.”
“You are one arrogant bastard,” I said, shaking my head and wondering how the hell I’d ever found that so charming. “You aren’t untouchable, Vlad—no matter what you think. But if you’re going to completely disregard the risks to yourself, you might stop and consider the risks to Amanda.”
“What risks?” he asked, a harsh edge to his voice. “Do you believe I would harm her?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe about you anymore,” I told him, unable to hide my sorrow at that fact. “But I was referring to this Mistress of yours. My gut tells me she wouldn’t mind if your darling little Amanda met an unhappy end to clear the way for herself.”
“You say this as if you know her,” Vlad said.
“Maybe I do. Tell me her name, and I’ll let you know.”
Vlad gave me a tight smile. “I shall handle my own affairs, I assure you.”
“You’re doing a bang-up job so far,” I retorted. “The Mistress has already made you get rid of one of your favorites. What’s to keep her from convincing you to send someone else packing?”
“She would not dare defy me where
you
are concerned, my own.” He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the center of my palm. His fangs gently grazed my skin, sending a lightning bolt of desire up my arm and down my spine.
I met his gaze and felt that old familiar hold tightening around me, dragging me closer to a dangerous precipice. It would have been so easy to allow him to pull me over into the darkness below. It would have been so easy to fall into his arms once again and lose my mind to the bliss I knew awaited there.
“Now, forget about her,” he cooed softly. “I would prefer to focus on you.”
My eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed against the hammering pulse in my wrist.
So easy . . .
Fortunately, I was never one to do anything the easy way.
My eyes snapped open, and I snatched my hand from his grasp. “Then focus on my back as I head for the door,” I snapped, shoving my chair from the table. “I’m outta here.”
“Red, you’re being unreasonable,” Vlad hissed through his teeth, his voice losing its hypnotic gentleness. “You shall belong to me. You shall be mine. You cannot deny me.”
I met his gaze and slowly leaned down onto the table so that my face was only a couple of inches from him. “Vlad,” I said in a low whisper, “this is me, telling you, to fuck off.”
I turned to go, but his hand closed around my wrist like a vise, and he jerked me down so hard I lost my balance and fell forward, knocking into the table and sending his wineglass sailing to the floor.
“Do
not
resist me,” he warned, his voice little more than a growl. “I am offering you my devotion, my protection. I do not do so lightly.”
I glared at him angrily, seeing him more clearly than ever before. “So noted.”
“You silly little fool—”
I wrenched my arm from his grasp and straightened, peering down my nose at him. “Thanks for a lovely evening, Vlad,” I said haughtily. “It’s been illuminating.”
As I stormed out of the dining room, I passed the waitress carrying my dinner on her tray. “Are you leaving?” she asked. “Should I box this up so you can take it with you?”
I shook my head. “Nah, give it to him,” I told her, jerking my head toward where Vlad still sat fuming. “He
loves
garlic.”

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