The Accidental Vampire (37 page)

Elvi followed her gaze and spotted the teenager shaking his head wildly as he tried to duck behind Mr. Albrecht, the high school principal.

Eyes narrowing, Elvi said, "Owen Knight, get over here now, please."

Owen peered out from behind Mr. Albrecht, eyes wide with panic. He shook his head again.

"Don't make me send Victor over there," she threatened. That had the effect she'd hoped and after a brief hesitation, the boy slunk out from behind the principal and started reluctantly forward, weaving through the crowd toward the booth.

"Gee, thanks. Make me the heavy," Victor said by her ear, his hands settling heavily on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Elvi murmured. "But you're scarier than I am."

"And I always will be," Victor agreed. "Besides, there's no need to apologize. This is all very informative. It tells me that '
Wait 'til your father gets home'
will be something our children hear a lot of."

Elvi glanced at him with a start. "Children? Is that your idea of a proposal?"

Rather than answer, Victor gestured in front of her. "Owen has arrived."

Setting aside the subject of their future, Elvi turned to peer at the teenage boy. A small frown plucked at her eyebrows when she saw how pale he looked. Part of it was his fear, but another part wasn't, she decided, as she noted a streak in the white by his eyebrow. Mouth tightening, she leaned over the counter and ran a finger over his cheek. When she took it away, the tip of the finger was covered with white face makeup.

"Teenagers," Victor muttered with amusement.

Elvi let a little sigh slip through her lips and turned her disappointed gaze to meet Owen's. "Let's see these fangs."

Owen closed his mouth more tightly and shook his head again.

"Owen," she growled, "open."

His anxious gaze slid to Victor. Whatever he saw there, made him promptly open his mouth.

Elvi gaped at the canine teeth revealed, and then cast her glare out to encompass the three men who had been creeping up on Mike and Karen. "Edward. Harper. Alessandro… get over here!"

The three immortals glanced at each other, then shook their heads and gave up their positions to approach the booth. Rather than walk around to the side entrance, Edward simply swung the hinged countertop up to lean against the frame, then entered followed by Harper and Alessandro.

"What is it?" Edward asked as soon as he was standing in front of Elvi.

Elvi propped her hands on her hips and demanded, "Which one of you turned him?"

"Er…" Mike moved forward to stand beside his son to remind her, "You did, Elvi, when you bit him on his birthday."

Elvi turned her gaze to him with exasperation. "You can't turn someone by biting them, you have to—"

Her mouth snapped shut when Victor grabbed her arm and tugged her backward behind Mabel and DJ.

"I think it might be a good idea if we keep the
hows
of a turn to ourselves," he murmured as the other immortals closed in around them.

"Why?" Elvi asked with surprise.

"Because I don't think you want someone sneaking up on you while you're sleeping to get some of your blood."

Elvi relaxed and even chuckled at the possibility. "No one would do that! These are my friends."

"Friends?" Edward arched an eyebrow and asked drolly, "Does that include the guy with the crossbow and arrow aimed at your heart?"

Elvi cast a glare the Brit's way, and snapped, "He's looking out for his son. Besides, you'll notice he hasn't used it yet!"

"God, you're right, Victor. She
is
terribly naive for her age," Harper murmured with dismay and Elvi didn't know who to glare at: Victor for apparently saying such a thing at some point, or Harper for agreeing with him.

"I'm not naive," she informed them grimly. "I've spent my whole life in this town and I
know
these people. Unlike you five." She scowled at them and demanded, "Now which of you turned Owen?"

"My dear, Ellen," Edward said with disgust. "We are allowed only one turn in our lives. You can hardly believe any of us would waste it on that young lad?"

Elvi frowned, knowing he was right. They would save it for their lifemate if needed, not fritter it away on a boy who had apparently got over his fear and decided to become a vampire. Sighing unhappily, she said, "Well, someone turned him."

"Ellen," Victor murmured patiently. "Did you see his teeth?"

"Of course, I did. And I want to know who gave them to him."

"My guess would be the costume shop in the city," he said dryly, and then asked with exasperation. "Have you even seen your own teeth?"

Elvi scowled. "Yes. Once."

"Once?" he asked with disbelief.

"Once," Elvi insisted. "In Mexico right after the turn."

She grimaced. "They were kind of scary looking as I recall, so I haven't bothered looking since we bought the mirror."

"I forgot you haven't had mirrors until recently," Victor muttered and shook his head, then said, "Look, his teeth… our teeth…"

Elvi waited patiently when he paused and frowned, and then Victor gave up trying to explain. Stepping through the men, he reached out to put a hand to the back of Owen's neck and dragged him into the booth. He must have squeezed his neck painfully then, because the boy squealed with surprised pain. Quick as a whip Victor reached into his open mouth with his free hand and snatched out one of the fangs.

"Oww!" Owen cried, covering his abused mouth. "That was glued in."

"Glued?" Victor asked with surprise.

He nodded. "The bonding stuff didn't work very well, so I used crazy glue."

"Idiot," Victor muttered, but simply walked to Elvi and held out his hand. The tooth lay in the middle of his palm, nothing more than a cap. "They're fake."

"What?" Mike lowered his crossbow and crowded into the booth, Karen rushing up behind him. The couple stared down at the fake tooth as Elvi did, then peered at each other, then back to the tooth, then to their son.

"Owen Knight," Karen snapped, moving toward her son. "How could you do something so stupid? Your father nearly killed Elvi because of this stunt!"

"I didn't mean to get Elvi killed," Owen squawked, backing away. "I was just—Bev thought vampires were cool, so I thought…" His explanation faded away as he ducked behind the other immortals, doing a side maneuver to avoid his irate mother.

"Ah," Victor said wisely, drawing Elvi's curious gaze.

"Ah what?"

"A female. It explains everything. Mortal males do incredibly stupid things to try to impress females."

"You mean like cutting your hair?" she asked archly.

Victor grinned. "Yes. Just like that."

Shaking her head, Elvi slid through the men and stepped between Owen and his mother. "It's all right, Karen. All's well that ends well and no one got hurt."

"What?" Victor squawked. "You were nearly killed
three
times!"

"Yes, well she knows we didn't mean anything by it," Mike assured him. "We really like Elvi. She's the best neighbor we've ever had. I was really torn by the idea of having to kill her."

A burst of laughter from Edward is the only thing that kept Victor from grabbing the man and snapping his neck. The short, harsh sound drew his vexation instead and he turned on the Brit with fury. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"You," he said easily, and added. "And this whole situation. I don't envy you having to deal with this town. It will make for an interesting—but no doubt exasperating and exhausting—life."

Victor just grimaced, he suspected the man was right.

"I'm sorry I called you a vamp like that," Karen was saying now.

"Don't be silly, I
am
one," Elvi assured her.

"Yes, but it's not your fault. Besides I made it sound like a bad thing and it isn't really. You're a lovely vampire," the blonde assured her. "And we really do love having you as a neighbor. We were just so upset about Owen being a vampire and didn't know what to do. I'm sorry I made Mike try to kill you. I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship?"

"Of course not," Elvi gave her a hug. "If I'd been you I would have done the same thing."

Victor shook his head with bewilderment at how women's minds functioned… if they functioned at all.

"Well," Mabel said mildly, drawing his attention, "I guess that resolves everything."

Victor gave a snort of disbelief. They may have solved the mystery of who was trying to kill her and brought an end to it, but there was still a long way to go before everything was resolved. They needed to talk, and then there was still the town and the council to worry about.

"Oh, oh," DJ muttered, drawing Victor's questioning gaze. The younger immortal nodded to the side and Victor glanced over to see his brother, Lucian Argeneau, head of the council, standing at the edge of the crowd around the booth. It seemed those other issues were going to be dealt with now, Victor thought with a curse under his breath.

Chapter Twenty-one

"Shit," Victor muttered, wondering how long Lucian had been there. "Elvi, come here."

"What is it, Victor?" she asked, returning to his side, concern marring her face. No doubt a response to the panic in his voice. "Is something wrong?"

"My brother is here," he said grimly, his gaze locking with the blond immortal's eyes.

"Oh," Elvi said. "How nice, I'll get to meet your brother."

"Yes," Victor groaned. He could have waited a long time for this meeting. At least until he figured out how to present the situation here in Port Henry in the least damaging light.

"You say that like it's a bad thing for me to meet him," Elvi said with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Victor assured her dryly. "Other than the fact that we're dead once he finds out what's been going on here, everything's fine."

"Oh, you." She chuckled and gave his arm a slap, obviously thinking he was joking or exaggerating, then turned to glance out at the crowd milling around the booth. "He must be the blond who looks so like you."

Victor wasn't surprised she knew which one was Lucian. He was the only stranger to her in the crowd.

"Who is the pretty brunette with him?"

Victor turned his gaze to the petite woman in white pants and a red silk top.

"I don't know," he admitted slowly.

"How do I look, Mabel?"

Victor glanced down to see Elvi peering down at the dress she wore with alarm.

"Damn," she said unhappily. "I wish we hadn't worn these stupid Elvira dresses. Do you think I should run home and change?"

"You're always lovely," Karen assured her. "Both of you could wear potato sacks and look lovely."

"I don't know," Elvi muttered, her gaze returning to the couple now moving toward the booth. She stared at the woman's elegant clothes and then back to herself, bit her lip, and then threw her hands in the air. "I need to change!"

"If you are, I am too," Mabel announced.

"I'll drive!" Karen offered.

Victor's mouth tightened. "Elvi."

She paused and glanced back. "What?"

"You don't have time to change," he said quietly. "Besides, I want you at my side for this."

Her eyes widened slightly, and Victor took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"It will be all right," she assured him soothingly, squeezing him back, and he glanced at her sharply to find her giving him a reassuring look.
Sweet Jesus
. She thought he was the one who needed comfort when it was her he was worried about, and he wasn't at all sure it would be all right at all.

"Just how bad is this?" Brunswick asked, a frown of concern wrinkling his forehead as his gaze slid from Victor's stiffening form to DJ's grim expression.

"Bad," DJ assured him.

"It will be fine," Elvi assured him, scowling at DJ.

Victor shook his head at her optimism and told the police captain, "Lucian is the head of the council and Elvi's broken at least two of our laws."

"The biting and the rest of us knowing about her being a vampire," Brunswick said with a nod, and explained to Mike, "According to Mabel, that's against their rules."

"Laws," Victor corrected. "Laws Elvi could be sentenced to death for breaking."

"Hmmph." Mike scowled at the approaching couple. "Maybe you should take this."

Victor stared at the crossbow that was now being offered, his mind boggling. Minutes ago the man was aiming it at Elvi, and now he was offering it in her defense. This had to be the craziest town—

"Should I go get the rifle Dad got me for my birthday?" Owen asked worriedly, reminding him of his presence. "I could take the car. I'd be back in minutes."

Victor scowled at the lad who had nearly got Elvi killed and said firmly, "No."

"Mr. Argeneau's right, son"—Karen patted his arm—"Leave this to us adults."

"Don't worry, Owen," Brunswick said firmly. "Nothing will happen so long as I'm here."

Victor rolled his eyes. Brunswick still didn't get it. Badge or no badge, he had no sway here. His authority and even his gun would be useless against Lucian's position and abilities. He didn't say as much, however, but simply pushed away the crossbow Mike was still holding out and hissed, "Put that away."

"It's tempting, though, isn't it?" DJ muttered and he didn't deny it. He loved his brother, but would kill him in a heartbeat to save Elvi. And he knew DJ was feeling the same way about Mabel.

"Victor," Lucian said in greeting as he and the woman reached the other side of the counter.

"Lucian," he said warily, his gaze curious as he noted the smile on the man's face and the affectionate way he now slid his arm around the brunette's shoulder.

"Hello, what's this," DJ murmured under his breath. "I've
never
seen Lucian smile. And who's the squeeze?"

"I don't know," Victor repeated as Lucian urged the woman forward into the booth before him.

They fell silent, waiting, and Victor tried desperately not to think about how bad this could be.

"You cut your hair," Lucian said with a grin.

Before Victor could respond, he found himself pulled into a quick hug. His eyes widened incredulously and he was a tad slow in responding to the greeting, his hands belatedly rising to weakly pat Lucian's back as he released him. His oldest brother hadn't been one to show affection in all the time he'd known him, though Victor had been told the man had been openly affectionate before the fall of Atlantis and the loss of his wife, Luna, and their daughters. It seemed that man was back.