The Vampire Bracelet: Erotic Paranormal Romance ( # 2: Blood Genies series) (2 page)

He finished his food. “You can borrow Nicholas.”

Nicholas? “Why can’t I have Anthony?” Her childhood favorite. The one she trusted.

“Anthony isn’t a gen-vamp anymore. He’s mortal now.”

“Oh, my goodness, how did he manage that?”

“There was a spell on the ruby pendant that freed him. It was enacted a long time ago, but none of us knew about it until it recently. The spell was contingent on him finding true love, which he did.”

Well, then. That explained why Darrin was being so opinionated about matters of the heart. “I’m glad Anthony is free and that he found someone.” It made him seem even more like the prince she’d imagined, only now he was living happily-ever-after with his princess.

Darrin said, “The same spell was placed on the ring and the bracelet, too. Luckily there isn’t anything Mathieu can do about it. He’s pissed, of course, but the spell is beyond his control. ”

“How does Nicholas feel about the spell?”

“He’s eager to become mortal. I think he would take whoever came along if it meant getting out of the emerald bracelet for good. I warned him that true love can’t be rushed. But he thinks he knows it all.”

Marie frowned. “He better not look my way. I don’t need a supernatural creature trying to romance me.”

“Nicholas isn’t a fool. He isn’t going to pursue a woman who wants to marry another man. He’ll flirt with you. He’ll probably drive you nuts with it. But it won’t mean anything.”

“I’d still rather not deal with him.” She contemplated her options. “What about Simone?” The fierce female. That wasn’t appealing, either. But at least Simone wouldn’t make a pest of herself.

“Simone is on loan to someone else.”

“Then I guess I have no choice but to take Nicholas. I want to make my wish. Today, if possible.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He stood up. “Then wait here.”

He left the room, and she cleared the table, keeping busy. She’d never met any of the gen-vamps. She’d never even seen their jewelry. This would be a first for her, all the way around.

A short while later, Darrin returned with the bracelet. The elegant design shimmered with diamond-encrusted emeralds, and the center stone, the brightest of the emeralds, was adorned with a white-gold cross.

He said, “I explained the situation to Nicholas. I told him that you were my niece and I relayed your wish about the proposal to him. He’ll appear to you after you put the bracelet on.”

“You spoke to him through it?” That was something she’d never considered. “Can he hear us right now? And see us?”

Her uncle nodded, and she tried to keep from being self-conscious. The sudden knowledge that a gen-vamp was watching and listening made her feel strange.

“Do you want me to go over the rules before he appears?” Darrin asked.

Marie shook her head. She was too anxious to keep chattering. Besides, she knew the gist of it. She would have to wear the bracelet for the next two weeks. She couldn’t remove it, not even to bathe. She would also have to let Nicholas feed from her each night. That was going to be the tough part. The idea of allowing him to drink her blood roiled her already sensitive stomach. But at least he couldn’t turn her into what he was. Or attempt to kill her.

She fastened the bracelet to her wrist, and a sparkling green mist floated out of the center stone and manifested into a man.

Nicholas, in the flesh, staring straight at her.

Chapter Two

Marie’s heart punched her chest. Although Nicholas was immortal, he looked about her age, with tousled dark hair, hazel eyes, a bad-boy smile, and a hot-as-sin body clothed in a black shirt and slim-fitting jeans. No scarves, no headdress, no genie attire from her childhood imaginings.

A gap of sexy silence passed between them. Or that was how it felt to her. But maybe she was reading more into it because he was so gorgeous. She’d expected handsome, but not the holy-fucking-hell kind.

“Hello, Marie.” His voice was as devilish as the rest of him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She could little more than reply, “You, too.”

He gave a slight bow. “I’m at your service.”

She was glad he hadn’t offered to shake her hand. She didn’t want him to touch her, not until it was absolutely necessary. Already the main artery in her neck was pulsing, from fear, no doubt. It certainly wasn’t from a latent fantasy to be fed upon. Blood still grossed her out.

Didn’t it? Yes, absolutely. His hotness hadn’t changed that.

He said, “So you want your boyfriend to propose. Keith, isn’t it?”

She nodded, and another stream of silence sizzled by. She didn’t like the effect he had on her. She wanted him to stop staring. But no such luck. His gaze remained riveted to hers.

He said, “You’re going to have to give me verbal permission to feed.”

She answered quickly, her tone jumpier than it should have been. “You have my permission.”

“Then we’re all set, aren’t we?”

“Yes, I suppose we are.” She shuffled her feet. He didn’t seem the slightest bit anxious. But why would he? Taking blood in exchange for wishes was his job. Besides, with his supposed pain-in-the-butt personality, he was probably enjoying her discomfort.

“I’ll come to your house later.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “Let’s say, around nine?”

“That’s fine.” She didn’t need to provide her address because he would be monitoring her from his connection to the bracelet, aware of where she was at all times. And now that they were face to face, the notion of being tracked by him heightened her nerves. Was this how criminals felt when they were under house arrest?

He angled his head. “You’re a pretty little thing. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy.”

She barely managed a polite, “Thank you,” before he added, “I’ll bet you’re going to be a tasty treat, too. Lip-smacking good.”

Damn him. She took a deliberate step back. There went his “gotcha” side.

Her uncle came to the rescue. “Don’t act smart, Nicholas. Especially with my niece.”

“Sorry.” The smarty in question shrugged one shoulder at a time. “I was just playing around.”

“I know,” Darrin replied. “Like you always do.” He turned to Marie. “Don’t let him intimidate you, Baby Girl. He’s harmless.”

The gen-vamp grinned and leaned against the wall. “My wisecracks are worse than my bite.”

She suspected that his bite was going to sting something awful. Worse yet, he winked at her when Darrin wasn’t looking. Harmless, her foot. Already he was turning into a heap of trouble, and she’d only known him for a few minutes.

She lifted her chin, attempting to put him in his place. “I would have preferred Simone over you. But she was already on loan.”

Nicholas tapped a hand against his heart. “You wound me, woman.”

“Yes, I can see how broken up you are.”

“I am.” He flashed his lazy grin. “I’m dying inside. Oh, no, wait. I’m already dead. And for the record, you’re better off with me. Simone has a raging temper.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“I’ve dealt with it for decades, sometimes in the most intimate of ways. Did you know that Simone and I are lovers?”

Marie started. She had no idea that they were bedmates. But it wasn’t the sort of thing Darrin would have been compelled to tell her when she was a child, and now that she was older, he probably hadn’t seen the point.

She said to Nicholas, “Your sex life is none of my concern.”

“I don’t mind telling you about it. You can tell me about yours, too.”

Good Lord. “I’m not discussing something like that with you.”

“But I want to talk, like regular peeps.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re not a regular peep.”

“I will be.” The grin resurfaced. “Once I find the love of my life.”

“I can’t imagine anyone falling for your baloney.”

“Someone will. I’m a great catch.”

Marie rolled her eyes. He was still slouched against the wall, like a vampy James Dean, a rebel bloodsucker without a cause. She tossed his conceit back at him. “Gee, and so modest.”

“If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” He stopped smiling. “So what’s this Keith fellow like?”

She wasn’t going to provide information he could poke fun at. Of course with his devious sense of humor, who knew what would strike him as fodder? “He’s a musician.”

“Really? Well, what do you know?” He tunneled his fingers through his already-messy hair. “So am I.”

As if she was going to believe a convenient story like that. “You are not.”

“I am so”

“You are not,” she argued again.

“Am, too.”

Darrin jumped into the conversation. “Knock it off, both of you.”

Nicholas wouldn’t drop it. “Tell her I’m a musician.”

“Fine. He’s a musician.”

She turned to face her uncle. “Is he really?”

“Yes, he is. And a damn good one.”

She backed down, easing the bickering. Only it didn’t work.

Nicholas arrogantly said, “I could play your boyfriend under the table. I could play anyone under the table.”

Bicker back on. “You wish.”

“No, you wish,” he mimicked, then laughed. “
You wish
. Get it?”

Yes, she got it. But her wish didn’t have anything to do with a play-off between the man she wanted to marry and the supernatural smartass who was going to turn the next two weeks into a game or a duel or whatever. “You’re annoying.”

“Likewise, Baby Cakes.” Before anyone could reprimand him for mocking her nickname, he morphed into mist and circled the room.

Darrin shook his head. “I hope he does find love someday. I’ll be glad to be rid of him.”

Just then, Nicholas shaped himself into a heart.

With a smiley face inside it.

Her uncle went ahead and chuckled. Marie almost laughed, too, but she caught herself, refusing to give the bloodsucker more attention than he deserved.

She said goodbye to Darrin, promising to keep in touch, and with the bracelet secured to her wrist, she left the magic shop, dreading her next encounter with Nicholas.

Nicholas stood on Marie’s doorstep. She lived in a suburban neighborhood in Buena Park, California, just a hop, skip, and jump from where the Movieland Wax Museum used to be. He thought touristy-type places were cool, especially the Wax Museum, and he was disappointed that it no longer existed. Old Hollywood was part of his youth. He’d grown up around the film industry. He had good and bad memories of it. But at least he’d been human then. Nicholas didn’t like being immortal. It was tedious and boring. He would rather be part of a fast paced, live-and-die world.

He’d been thrilled to discover that he could become a real person again. So, by damn, he was on a quest to find “true” love, whatever the hell that meant.

He frowned into the dark. Wasn’t it just his luck that he couldn’t court Marie and force a love connection between them? That the first assignment he’d been given since learning about the spell was with a woman whose wish was to become engaged to someone else?

This bites, he thought, no pun intended.

He rang Marie’s doorbell, making it chime longer than necessary. At least he could have a little fun, making a nuisance of himself, considering how easily she became riled.

She flung open the door and the first thing out of her mouth was, “You’re late. You said nine, and it’s nine fifteen.”

“You need to chill, Baby Cakes.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“I considered bringing you a baloney sandwich.”

“To prove that I’m going to have to put up with your baloney during the duration of my wish? Just so you know, I’m a vegetarian.”

“Lucky for me, I always liked my meat rare. Bloody,” he added, reminding her of his purpose. He flashed his fangs, too, for the hell of it.

“Oh, my God. Don’t do that out here. Somebody might see you.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him into her house. But she released him just as quickly.

Not that it made a difference. Her touch had gone straight to his cock, shocking him senseless. Nicholas flirted with mortals for the fun of it, not because they stirred his desire. Gen-vamps weren’t prone to sexual yearnings toward humans. Of course, his brother had had a raging affair with the woman whose love had made him mortal. Was that a sign that Nicholas was supposed to have an affair with Marie? That she was
the one
? Given the circumstances, he didn’t see how that was possible.

“Can we hurry, please?” she asked.

“Hurry?”

“Get the feeding over with.”

“I want to talk first.” Besides, he didn’t want to be quick about it. He suspected that drinking from her was going to be damned fine, and he would rather savor her blood than gulp it down.

He glanced around and noticed that she’d decorated with a western flair. She collected American Indian artifacts, too, bows and arrows and the like. Strong, powerful stuff. Nicholas was secretly impressed. But it fit her, he supposed, since she was part Cherokee, like her uncle.