Storm cast a nervous glance toward the street. “If I promise to let you chain me in your dungeon with silver cuffs, would you let us in? I don’t care if I ever get my next novel finished, but I don’t like being out in the open. I can explain, but I’d prefer to do it from behind the safety of those extra-strong wards that vibrated against my knuckles when I knocked on the door. I’m asking you to take a big risk, given I’m not smelling VPN-13 seeping from your pores. But my sister wasn’t exaggerating. This is life or death for us. I’m throwing myself at your mercy, Darcy.”
I didn’t know why—although the risk of never getting another Storm D’Arcy novel was reason enough to risk nearly anything—but I found myself nodding. “Fine. I’ll welcome you into my home, but if I see so much as a flash of your fangs, then I won’t hesitate to cap your ass with one of my special wooden bullets. And while the dead man’s blood has you on your knees, I’ll cut your head off and throw it in the fireplace. Don’t test me, no matter how much I want your next book.”
Muriel rolled her eyes. “Shoulda known you’d be a fanboy.”
Giving my balls a mental squeeze for courage, I walked past and let them in. “Storm D’Arcy, you are welcome in my home.” As soon as I said so, Storm pushed Muriel inside, and I quickly closed and barred the door before turning back to them. “Okay, now tell me why your ass was worth saving. But make it fast. It’s almost time for dinner, and those of us who don’t live on blood alone are getting hungry.”
Right on cue, Muriel’s stomach growled. She patted it and winked. “Did someone say food? I would sell my firstborn—or even offer to marry you if you’d have me—in return for something in my stomach. We’ve been running for three days, and I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. I was fine until I ran out of the protein bars we’d packed with Stormy’s packs of AB negative stolen from the blood bank in Georgetown.” When I took an instinctive step to the side, Muriel rolled her eyes again. “Relax, Darcy. Stormy only feeds on me, and not unless he’s absolutely in a pinch.”
I glanced at Storm, who immediately nodded. “It’s true. I don’t care to because I’m not clear on how much is needed to complete the transformation, or if it happens over time like the buildup of tartar on your gum line, and neither of us wants a vampire Muriel. I’m not sure what’s involved and haven’t wanted to ask, but I do know a blood exchange is part of it.” He fell silent, studying his sister before seeming to come to a decision as he slowly nodded.
When those entrancing silvery-blue eyes turned back to mine, I forgot all about their red rims and the very real danger of being caught in his thrall. Almost reading my mind, he smiled gently as he began to speak.
“My sister and I are on the run because I was caught feeding her my blood.” I must’ve seemed horrified because he quickly shook his head. “Not for any reason you might be thinking. My blood is healing, and it’s keeping her cystic fibrosis controlled better than modern medicine. Helping a human is not acceptable in the vampiric world. But, then again, neither is remaining close to my mortal family. Muriel is the only one I have left, and there’s nothing I won’t do for her. But after we were discovered, I was turned in to the vampire president of this territory. If found guilty, the sentence is death. Even if I somehow get us to another part of the country, there is no guarantee the death threat won’t follow us.”
Muriel stretched a shaky hand out to take her brother’s. “My brother didn’t give you a clear picture. I would be the one killed while he is made to watch. Normally, they would then change me, but they don’t have much use for handi-capable people in the vampire realm. And while the change might cure me permanently, there’s no guarantee. Storm saw them kill a fledgling vampire because he was still blind from congenital issues after turning.”
Storm looked like he needed to punch something. “People don’t call us soulless beasts without cause. For whatever reason, I retained my conscience after I lost my humanity. I can’t force you to believe me, but I speak the truth. I can pay you triple the normal rate for our rooms—and I wasn’t joking about keeping me chained in the dungeon—but please don’t turn us away. My sister’s life depends on it.”
2
Storm
I heard the beating heart, telling me someone had been eavesdropping, but I hadn’t known who until a tiny woman with a high, overly teased head full of sassy red hair stepped around the corner with a bawdy laugh.
“Darcy had better not take you into my sex dungeon. The boy wouldn’t know the first thing to do with it. Not because I haven’t tried my best to raise him properly, but what can a poor mother do when their child insists on being a prude? Darcy might be no more than twenty-seven years old, but you’d think him closer to ninety with his uptight morals and black-and-white values system.”
This protective human man already intrigued me. I couldn’t blame him for being careful of who he allowed into the refuge he offered behind his wards. Despite my sister’s mean teasing—she tended to be defensive when she thought I needed protecting—he was only slightly pudgy. And I liked it. There was nothing wrong with a little cushion for the pushin’, as the saying went. With a solid body like his, I could go as hard as I wanted to in bed without snapping him like a twig.
He had a high forehead and blond hair held back even further by a receding hairline. And didn’t it merely highlight his kind green eyes and the warmest smile I’d ever seen? I forced myself to remain still and remember to keep my movements slow—so as not to freak out the humans—as I reached out to take the extended hand of the still-laughing woman.
When I made to kiss her hand, Darcy sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam.” I rose and gestured toward Muriel. “Allow me to introduce myself and my sister. This is Muriel, and I’m Storm D’Arcy.”
Eyes widening with pleasure, she turned to Darcy with an excited squeal. “Oh, how thrilling, baby! You didn’t tell me you’d found your favorite author and invited him to dinner.”
Darcy studied her with an impassive expression. “Drop the act, Mama. Given his preternatural hearing, I imagine Storm knows you were listening around the corner just as well as I do.”
Snickering, Muriel watched the pair avidly. Obviously, it had been way too long since we’d been around other people if we were both so absorbed by the way they interacted. Although Darcy and his mama weren’t purposely trying to entertain us.
She went over and patted his cheek. “Quit giving away my secrets, baby. A woman likes to have an air of mystery—which you’d know if you’d ever read any of my books.”
When Darcy blushed, I interrupted to save him further embarrassment. Or so I thought. I couldn’t tell what pushed me to help this adorable creature, even now covered in weapons capable of killing me. “You’re an author too? How lovely. It’s always nice to meet one’s peers.”
She slapped a hand against her cheek. “Look at me, being rude. I beg your pardon, honey. I’m Prudence Valentine. I used to have a morning talk show before the war trapped us in this large—and yet somehow way too small—home of ours. But with my son and I unable to take VPN-13, what else could we do? And yes, I may have written a few books as well.”