Cake (33 page)

“
What the fuck does that mean?” I asked, copying the gesture.

“
Good. You can see. I needed to make sure you were not lying. Your vision is not something to fool around with.” He had a self-satisfied, teasing, smile on his face as he folded my finger back down. “It took three whole days of treatment for me to correct your vision the first time. The suffering you endured then was more than a mere human could handle. And it physically pained me, putting you through that agony. But I knew I could give you back your sight, and so I persevered.”

“
I thought you said you could tell when I was lying,” I said as I continued blinking and wincing.

“
I can. Do you want to know what gives you away, dearest?” I nodded. “The whole right side of your face is what gives you away. Your lower lip curves ever so slightly into a sly smile. And your right nostril flares wider than the left. There is a little crease that appears at the corner of your eye, and also your pupils dilate just the tiniest bit. But it is enough for a vampire to spot. Your mother probably knew these signs as well.”

He had been ticking one finger off with each tell, and now he’d ended up giving me the finger again.

Ha. Ha.

I thought back on all the times I’d been busted as a teenager. I’d had credible lies all prepared too. But both my Mom and Grandma had always seemed to know when I was lying. I’d always wondered how, and now I knew.

“
She knew because she loved you, as I love you,” Marcus said, as if reading my mind. “And just as she probably did not tolerate it, neither will I.” He kissed my forehead, lessening the threat his words implied.

Damn it was so bright in here. Marcus caught me squinting and he began rummaging around on top of Fredrick’s desk, coming back to me with another mug of warm blood.

“
You can savor this one,” he told me as I took it from him. “Now come, bring it with you. We have plastic to burn.”

A laugh broke from my lips. Usually I found Marcus’s way of talking so uptight and repressed. So it sounded funny to me to hear something like that come out of him.

Marcus turned back from the stairs he was about to decend and looked at me, a bright gleam twinkling in his eyes. “I love your laughter, Xavier. You will have to do it more often,” he said.

“
Marcus?” He canted his head at my softly spoken word. “Are you sure it’s alright? I mean, if you want me in these types of clothes, I guess I should just shut up and wear them and not go looking for something else. I know I should be grateful to you for all that you’ve done but…”

“
Are you happy with the clothes I picked out for you?” he asked.

“
You know I’m not,” I guiltily admitted, noting that again he had used a turn of phase I wouldn’t ever have expected to come from him.

“
Then how will I get to hear your laughter if you are miserable?” he reasoned. “The clothes I chose are for seduction. They will still be put to good use. You will wear them when we go hunting…and if I am lucky, you will wear them occasionally and dance for me. Buy what you are comfortable with, but please, no bowling shirts or sweat pants. I do have standards.” And with that, Marcus disappeared down the stairs.

What? Did you just…Did you just disrespect my choice of clothing?

I made to hurry after him, but I missed the first step and almost took a complete tumble down the stairs. As it was, I managed to keep my balance, and barely kept the blood from spilling out of my mug.

“
As if I would sully my stores reputation by carrying such plebeian items!” Frederick was standing at the bottom of the stairs, muttering loudly in protest at something Marcus must have said to him. “The store is yours, Marcus, Xavier. I live only to serve. Oh, try these. They should suit his features most perfectly.”

Marcus handed me the pair of sunglasses that Frederick had passed to him and I put them on. Oh thank God. They were like the round pair he’d given me before, but these had leather flaps that made them almost like goggles, blocking out light around the lens. It felt like my eyeballs were being encased in cooling ice and everything started looking a bit more normal.

“
Cute.” Marcus cocked his head at me.

“
Don’t you forget it,” I said, taking another sip of my drink.

“
Charming, dearest? You are trying to be charming? You do not need that skill, Little One. All you have to do is crook your little finger and the multitudes will come running to do your bidding.”

“
Yeah, right,” I snorted back at him. I didn’t know if he were kidding or being earnest.

“
Frederick, what do you think of my son?” Marcus called to the man who was standing by the cash register. Staring across at him, I saw that Frederick looked just how I thought he might. He was svelte. He was glorious. He was effeminate, with styled blond hair. And he was taller than me. Hmmmm
.

“
I think that it’s too bad he is
your
mate,” was his answer.

“
Why do you say that?” Marcus asked as he pushed the mug up towards my mouth.

“
I shall keep my opinions to myself as you are a most loyal customer.”

“
Would you bed him?” Marcus turned to me and his chocolate brown eyes gleamed with mischief. Marcus and mischief usually meant that I wasn’t going to be sitting comfortably for a while.

“
He would be chained to my bed for a decade before I let him up. How is the blood, Xavier?” Frederick asked me.

I was currently coughing and spluttering on it, because I had just taken a big gulp when he’d mentioned the word chains. I didn’t bother with a reply, I just settled for giving him a dirty look.

Frederick waved a hand in the air as if delighted. “Such expressive features. You are so lucky, Marcus.”

“
See? Didn’t I tell you?” Marcus quipped at me.

What the hell? He’d just offered me up to another bondage bunny, and he wanted me to think of it as a compliment? I settled for wiping my mouth off gruffly with my sleeve as I handed him the half-empty mug to take care of. Frederick gasped, and I thought for a moment that he was going to swoon to the floor.

“
Xavier?” Marcus pressed for a response from me. What can you say to the man who just gave you back your sight for the second time?

“
Asshole.”

I had never liked shopping when I was alive, so I really didn’t expect it to change now that I was dead. And I was right, especially when I discovered that this was the store where Marcus had gotten all those fuck-me-now clothes and that there were racks and racks of the same type.

Frederick hovered around Marcus, leaving me to my own devices, and I happened to find some jeans that weren’t low riders. I stood there looking at the different sizes, wondering what my size was now.

I was reaching around the back of my pants, feeling down inside to see if there was a tag attached to them, when Frederick caught me. He pursed his lips and gave a wink, saying, “Do you require assistance?”

My face flamed red, and I jerked my hand out of my pants, mortified that he thought I was doing something more than just checking the tag. “What size did Marcus buy for me?” I blurted.

“
A thirty-two waist, with a thirty-two leg for the pants. Small sized shirt. Would you like me to find a belt for those jeans?” The vampiric shopkeeper knew which side his bread was blooded, and while his eyes gleamed with merriment, nothing was said about what he thought he’d seen.

“
Uh…sure,” I answered, picking out a pair with a thirty-four waist, mainly because the smaller size appeared painted on and besides, the last time I bought jeans they had been a fifty-two waist, so that was still almost half my old size.

There were some plain white tee-shirts for sale, but they were made with that same spandex cotton-something mix which meant that the small sizes would cling like plastic wrap to me.

I had just picked out some in medium when I felt it…the unmistakable touch of someone trying to bind me. I immediately turned and glared at Marcus, but saw that he was looking down at cufflinks, and I realized then that it didn’t have his feel about it. So that meant that someone else was knocking at my chamber door and since the only other vampire in the place was…

Frederick had some belts in his hands and a smile on his face as he approached me. I dropped the clothing I was holding and straight armed him in the chest. He squawked and staggered back a few steps at my assault, the selection of belts falling from his hands and hitting the floor.

“
Get out of my head,” I yelled. Frederick looked shocked as his back hit up against a circular rack.

“
Xavier?” Marcus came over from the counter in three short strides. “I’m not in your head,” he protested.

“
I know it’s not you, Marcus,” I said, reaching out and catching the front of Frederick’s shirt, getting ready to shake him. I might not be able to get away from Marcus mentally, but having some other vampire play about with me was another matter.

“
You’re purchasing goods. I would never touch you,” Frederick cried.

I winced as the binding was tried again. It felt as if someone was raking their nails down a chalkboard as they attempted it. Hell, whenever Marcus did it, it was like getting swamped with warm water, almost like having a soothing bath surrounding you. This binding felt amateurish and brutal. Letting go of Frederick I raised my hands to my head and tore off the goggles, rubbing my temples and trying to ease the unwanted sensation.

“
Whoever it is, they’re trying again,” I groaned.

Marcus turned and quickly scanned the room. “Frederick, do you have other vampires on staff?” he asked.

“
Humans only during the day shift,” Frederick answered, pushing himself away from the clothing rack.

Marcus seemed to blank out for a moment, and then he turned on his heels and ran for the exit. “Stay out of the light, Xavier,” he called back to me. I just barely had time to duck behind a rack of long coats before Marcus wrenched the front door open, without undoing the lock Frederick had set. I watched him step outside, and that was all I could see before the bright light of the sun tried to blind me again.

Frederick squawked, staring at his mangled front door. Then he turned and looked at me, his expression accusing, as if I had something to do with it. Maybe I did. Marcus
had
reacted because of me.

“
Know any good locksmiths?” I joked, as I continued to hide behind the protection of the rack of clothes.

“
Not funny,” Frederick retorted from his crouched hiding place at the rack next to mine.

I’d never heard haughty before, but I doubted I could mistake his voice for anything else. “I really wasn’t trying to be funny,” I said, hoping to placate him. “I’m sorry about pushing you. It’s just…Marcus and I had a little mind-altering incident on the way over here, and I’m still a bit touchy on the subject, and I guess I over-reacted.”

Frederick’s eyes narrowed as he glared at me. “Just get out of my store,” he hissed.

“
I’ll spend more of Marcus’s money if you let me stay,” I offered, trying to look coy and fluttering my eyes innocently at him.

He turned from me and looked pointedly over at my discarded pile of hard-won, as-close-to-normal clothes as I was ever going to get in this store.

“
Those are all too big for you. I told you the sizes you needed, though why you want more clothes I simply don’t know. Marcus bought you lots of…”

I rose up on my knees, and Frederick’s voice trailed off as I grabbed the hem of the black sweater I was wearing and pulled it off.

“
This
is what Marcus bought for me to wear,” I said, staring at him stolidly while internally cringing for being seen in a metallic green skin tight tee and low hung blue jeans. “I’ve got tons of crap like this. I want something I can be comfortable in,” I told him. Then I noticed the little vampire shopkeeper’s mouth hanging open. Oh crap. Not again.