Broken Heart 07 Cross Your Heart (16 page)

“She told me that when I met my mate, I would know and the knowledge was absolute—two pieces clicking together perfectly. Mom said I would always feel like half a person, until I met the woman who made me feel whole.”

“Well,” I said, somewhat dismayed by this news, “I will be happy to be yours until that happens.”

Tez looked at me as if I were crazy. “It already has, Ellie Bee. That night on the path, even in the rain, I could smell you. Feel you. Mine. It beat in my heart, pulsed in my veins. I saw you, and I knew.” He cupped my face. “You are my mate.”

I gaped at him. “I’m not a were-cat.”

“We’ve established that.”

I pointed to my stomach. “I can’t have your babies.”

“Again, facts in evidence.”

“Why would a vampire be your mate?” I asked, still grappling with the idea Tez thought I was his by virtue of an absolute feeling wherein he suddenly felt whole. Talk about a leap of faith! (Not to mention a really screwed-up version of the birds-and-bees talk.) No wonder he’d been unconcerned about the hundred-year-marriage contract. The delusional man thought I was his destiny.

“I don’t know how to feel about this,” I said. “It’s… it’s a little…”

“Crazy?”

“Overwhelming.”

He nodded. “I understand. But I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed my forehead, and then let me go. “Couple hours before dawn. You wanna watch a movie and make out?”

I laughed. “You sure know how to change a subject. Yes, I’d love to do both of those things.”

“All right. You got popcorn?”

“And an air popper.” We separated to gather the needed supplies, and that’s when I remembered the pendant in my room. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. The idea of spending my last awake hours snuggling with Tez was a temptation I couldn’t resist. Almost. I had to tell him about seeing that stupid necklace; we had to deal with it. Once we’d solved the problem of the demon shadow, I’d have plenty of time to spend with Tez. At least, I hoped so.

“Tez, I found a pendant in my room, just hanging on my lampshade. I don’t suppose you left me a present.”

He stopped poking through my cabinets, and turned to face me. “What pendant?”

The hope for a cozy evening with Tez evaporated. “It’s in my bedroom.”

We went downstairs and I led him to the nightstand. “If it is from that thing, I don’t know how he got in here. Last time, he used Rand as a delivery boy.”

“Maybe he’s trying a more direct approach. Where is it?”

“There,” I said, pointing to the shade. “It’s on the—” I stopped abruptly as I saw exactly what Tez saw.

Nothing.

No pendant necklace.

“I swear it was there. It was a gold chain with a large sapphire.”

“I believe you,” said Tez. “But it’s not here now.”

We searched the nightstand, looking behind it, and then inside the lamp itself. A perusal of the floor revealed nothing more than a need to vacuum up dust bunnies. I couldn’t believe it had just disappeared. Had I imagined it? Was it some sort of ominous gift from the shadow, or a ghostly vision from Elizabeth? I doubted she was still around. What I didn’t understand was why Patsy so clearly hadn’t seen any ghosts around me.

“He put Patsy out of commission on purpose,” I said, suddenly sure. “She’s the biggest threat. She can see ghosts and she can raise the dead. If she could see him, she could bind him with her powers. He drove her crazy enough to attempt murder.”

“Why not just kill her?” asked Tez.

“She has another purpose to serve. Or maybe he knows that killing Patsy means the end of all vampires—and he wants that pleasure himself.”

“Whoa. Wait a freaking minute. If Patsy dies, you all die?”

“Well, she is really hard to kill,” I said. “But, yes. The vampires lost one-eighth of their population thousands of years ago because a demon killed an Ancient named Shamhat.” I waved my hand. “That’s a long story, one for another time. Before Patsy became our queen, the vampires were ruled by seven Ancients. Two were banned—sent into paranormal limbo—and a third named Lia was killed. If Patsy had not assumed all the powers, then a lot of vampires would’ve died with Lia. At least, that’s the working theory.”

“It seems kinda stupid to put all your eggs in one basket,” said Tez. “That has gotta be hell on her. She’s gotta be a wife, a mother to triplets, and ruler of an entire species?”

“The lycans, too,” I said. “They follow her edicts as well.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t go crazy way before now.”

He was right. Hadn’t I thought the same thing? I worried about Patsy. I very much sympathized with anyone trapped by duty, as I had so often felt trapped by my own circumstances and choices made to benefit others. Women were predisposed, most of the time, to take care of others, but not themselves. Patsy had Gabriel, of course, which surely helped—but she bore the full responsibility of leadership.

I shook off thoughts of Patsy, and returned to the issue at hand. Chased by a vengeful… something.
Spirit.
Shadow.
Bogeyman. I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling miserable. “He can get in and out of here anytime he wants. I don’t think I’m ever going to feel safe again. Not until we catch him.”

“I could sleep with you down here,” offered Tez. He put up his hands. “Just sleep. Promise.”

I hugged myself, feeling unaccountably chilled. “It’s this house,” I said. “I don’t want to be here. I hate feeling afraid.”

“Let’s get out of here for the night. You got somewhere we can go?”

I considered all my friends, and one by one discarded them as potential spots to spend the day. Jessica had her hands full with her own children plus the triplets, Phoebe and Connor had returned to Tulsa, Patsy was mad as a hatter, and Eva and Lorcan really didn’t have the extra space. Then I thought of the perfect place.

“We can go to the Three Sisters,” I said. “It’s the bed-and-breakfast that Lenette and her sisters run. They have special rooms for vampires.”

“Call ’em up, princess. Get a room for two.” He waggled his eyebrows, and leered outrageously. I laughed. I had to admit staying the night at the Three Sisters with Tez made me feel much better.

I resented not feeling at ease in my own home. It was disturbing to realize the shadow could come and go as he pleased, although he seemed to wait until I was alone to attack me.

If he had left the necklace… why take it away again?

There was so much I didn’t understand about the situation.

“Hey, Velma,” said Tez. He took my hand and squeezed it. “Let it go. We’ll sort fact from fiction tomorrow, okay? Everything’s gonna be all right.”

You know what? I believed him.

Lenette, and her sisters, Dorica and Nell, welcomed us warmly. Even with a mere hour before dawn, the pull of vampire sleep already upon me, Tez and I took up their invitation to enjoy tea and scones. The sisters were very well known for their excellent baked goods. I often purchased their mango-lemon muffins to enjoy with my afternoon tea.

As I mentioned earlier, Lenette and her sisters practiced Wicca, and wielded quite powerful magick. They often added little enchantments to their aromatherapy products, which they sold in the gift shop.

We went into the cozy kitchen. The table occupying the breakfast nook was already set. Lenette was tall, her hair a stunning red, and, as Tez might say, stacked. She nodded toward her sister.

“Nell told us you’d be arriving soon,” she said. “And that you might be feeling unsettled.”

Nell was blond, thin, and quiet. She offered us a smile. “We’re glad you’re here,” she said in a whispery voice. “You are always welcome.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Yeah,” said Tez. “Thanks.”

Each sister held a particular gift: Lenette’s was, as she called it, necromancy lite; Nell could see into the future, but only by hours; and Dorica read auras. Her hair was brown, and freckles splashed across her dainty nose like cinnamon. She was the middle sister, and fit the designation well: shorter and thinner than Lenette, but taller and plumper than Nell.

Dorica studied both me and Tez, and frowned slightly. Oh, this can’t be good. Tez didn’t seem to notice the scrutiny. He chose the chair next to mine, and waited for the sisters to join us. We made small talk while I sipped their excellent jasmine tea, and Tez tried for a world record in how many scones he could eat in five minutes.

“How did it go at the mansion?” I asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much more information to share. Connor and Phoebe said the symbols of Mammon’s shadow were knotted. It might take a while to remove the circle. I added some protection spells in the attic and some around the house, too. But that demon magic… it’s not something I’ve ever felt before.”

Tez ate yet another scone, and I turned to look at him.

“These are awesome,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Lenette. “I’ll make some for you to take with you on your trip tomorrow.”

“You know about us going to Tulsa?” I asked. I snared a scone and split it so I could add some clotted cream. Except I didn’t think Tez would be accompanying me. Not with the were-cat party to attend. I really needed to stop worrying so much about it.

If only I could stop, though.

“Gabriel told me about you and Tez doing some extra research into Broken Heart’s past.” Lenette seemed content to sip on her own cup of tea. “We love this town, but we only arrived a few years ago. Unfortunately, we have no history in it. Not like you, Elizabeth, or Jessica or even Eva.”

“History.” My teacup clinked loudly as I clumsily dropped it on its saucer. I don’t know why Lenette’s comment sparked the information, but now I knew why “five” had been so important. “Five families.”

I turned to Tez. “During the Oklahoma land run, five families staked out claims around this area. The Silverstones, the LeRoys, the McCrees, the Clarks, and the Allens.”

“You’re the Silverstone,” said Tez.

“Jessica is a McCree. Phoebe is an Allen. Eva is a LeRoy.” My excitement turned to ashes. “Darlene was a Clark, but she was killed.”

“Aren’t you all technically dead?” asked Tez.

“Darlene was vampire, too,” I said, “but we had some problems with a military group named ETAC. One of the soldiers killed her. All we found was her ashes.”

“Harsh,” said Tez.

“Her daughter, Marissa, lives here,” said Lenette. “She’s eleven now—she was six when she almost died from drowning, if I remember right. Her father is Dr. Clark. He moved back to town after he realized he needed help with his daughter’s special needs.”

“Special needs?” I asked. I didn’t know Dr. Clark or Marissa very well. Actually, I hadn’t particularly liked Darlene Clark. She was a decent mother, I supposed, but much too concerned with appearances. And she didn’t seem to have a lot of common sense.

“Marissa crossed the veil when she drowned,” said Dorica in her whiskey voice. “She was touched by death.”

Lenette nodded. “We’re helping her deal with her powers.”

“Which are what?” asked Tez. He eyed my scone, and I pushed my plate toward him. He happily devoured both halves.

“It’s difficult to explain,” said Lenette. “She has a connection to death. Her gift manifests in different ways. We’re still trying to figure it out.” She turned to me. “You think the entity that attacked you is somehow related to an old secret.”

It wasn’t a question. “Yes, I do.” I explained about my vision, finding the bones of the other Elizabeth, and the two strangulation incidents.

“You’re on the right track,” said Nell. “You’ll find more answers in Tulsa.”

“Be careful,” said Dorica. “Danger is all around you.” Her gaze snagged mine. “You’ll have a decision to make soon, Elizabeth. You might find neither choice will be palatable.”

“Dire warnings from witches,” said Lenette. She sent an admonishing look to her sister, who shrugged it off. “Don’t let it bend your brain, okay?”

Tez reached under the table and squeezed my hand. “We’ll be all right.”

His reassurance eased back the fear creeping through me. How in the world had I come to rely on him so thoroughly in such a short amount of time? If I were to believe Tez’s story, then I was his mate and felt exactly as I should. Or, more likely, I had hidden from myself how desperately I missed male companionship and I eagerly accepted every ounce of affection and comfort he gave. I wasn’t sure which scenario was worse.

“I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep in my tea.” I wanted to dismiss the talk about unfair decisions, and all thoughts of mating with Tez. All right.
Maybe not all thoughts.

“I’ll show you to your room,” said Lenette.

Tez and I said our good-nights to the sisters, and then followed Lenette down a set of stairs into what had once been the basement of the house. She walked us down the hallway.

“How’s Meyer?” I asked.

“Still loves numbers. The more complicated the equation, the happier he is.”

Meyer P. Dennison was Lenette’s fiancé. He’d arrived in Broken Heart as an IRS agent under the mistaken impression he was going to audit Jessica, and had no idea she was a vampire. He’d been accidentally bitten by a zombie; Lenette’s necromagick saved him. He wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t quite alive, either. He stopped aging, ate rarely, and required little sleep. He was, I supposed, a half-zombie. He’d taken an accounting position with the Consortium, and he and Lenette seemed very much in love.

She opened a door at the end of the hall and turned on the light. She swept inside, turning down the covers on the four-poster bed, and doing a general inspection to make sure all was in order.

“Please don’t worry so much about Dorica’s warning,” she said. “My sister can be dramatic.”

Tez put his arm around me. “We’ll take it as it comes,” said Tez. “Thanks for the room.”

“You’re welcome. While you’re here, you’re safe. No evil can penetrate our magick,” she said. “Sleep well.”

She left, quietly shutting the door behind her.

My suitcase and Tez’s duffel bag had already been put on luggage racks in the opened closet. I took the bathroom first, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and putting on my nightgown.

Tez whistled when I stepped out of the bathroom. “Nice nightie, princess.” He grinned wickedly. “Hope you don’t mind. I like to sleep in the buff.”