Evangelina Green (10 page)

She began counting on her fingers.

"One: Never invite them into your home. Two:
always ensure you have ALL the facts of their offer. And three:
Always ask the price. Am I correct Mr. LaFontaine? "

"Please, call me Victor. And may I call you
Evangelina? And you are Antoinetta?” He was avoiding the answer to
her question.

He again spoke in Lina’s mind. "Forgive me
for intruding once again, but rather than be blunt, I must inquire
of the lady sitting with us. Is she the one with the blood
disorder?"

Netta was gnawing on her lower lip and
looking anxious, but Lina thought she actually looked better than
she had in days. It could the excitement of meeting her first
vampire.

"Yes, Mr. Uhhh...Victor...she is ill.
Alright, so you can help us? With what problem and how do we
proceed?”

Lina was cautious but
curious. Vampires drank blood, raped bodies as well as minds,
stayed out of the sun, slept all day, basically lived forever, and
never aged. What else? Nothing else came to mind. Lina did have
some questions. Like can they fall in love, with someone other than
themselves? Can they procreate the regular way or were they
sterile? Sheesh! What did
that
have to do with anything? What did Mr. Vamp want?
Best way to find out...just ask.

****

Tashi came around the house from the
backyard where she’d been sketching ideas for the antiques store,
to find Netta, Lina, and a gorgeous man sitting on the front steps
talking in hushed tones.

"What the devil is going on here?" She
demanded.

Her sisters nearly jumped
out of their skins, but the man hardly moved, until he slowly
turned...no wait...he
rotated
, to look at her. Time stood
still. His eyes! They were silver with just enough of blue to make
them seem...almost human. Tashi had goose-bumps on her arms and
suddenly her nipples were hard and showing thru her t-shirt. But
his eyes…icy blue and glowing? She wondered if he was human. She
should have been scared to death, but he was something else. She
sensed it but why? He was not normal but
O.M.G.
! He was the most
studly-stud
she had ever
met!

She drifted closer, unable to stop herself.
Just then he frowned, all the time staring deep into her eyes, as
he stood to greet her.

"Allow me to introduce myself beautiful
lady. I am Victor LaFontaine. At your service, now and always.”

Wow
, now that was an introduction!

“
How do you do?
I’m...uh…my name is... I mean, I just…well I was just walking
around the corner...then I was here and... I uhhh...I was
coming...I mean... I’m glad to meet you.”

Duhhh! What was the matter
with her? She was acting like a teenager meeting some celebrity
from a
wall poster
on her bedroom wall! Good lord! She was past blushing and
well onto light headed, passing out from embarrassment.

"I don’t believe I could
have said it better, as I was
coming
also." He smoothly whispered
in her ear as he held her hands captive in his. All she could do
was stare at his chest and arms and oh… those eyes.

****

"Ahem!" Lina trying to politely get their
attention, and get back to discussing this problem for which Victor
supposedly had a solution.

"Ahhhh yes…business first. Pleasure, perhaps
later?" He turned to face Lina. "I have more than an idea of how to
cure your ailing sister from her blood disorder. And you have to
admit, I could be called an expert on blood.”

He left the meaning to
that unspoken. Tashi shivered and gave him a raised eyebrow. The
universal Tashi
what the fuck
look.

"I’m sure you could but
how could you even begin to know what ails my sister? And what
could a vampire do to change anything—other than drain that very
blood and leave my sister to either die or become a blood sucker
like you?" Lina was angry and getting more so by the minute.
Arrogant bastard
, she
thought towards him, while smiling all the while.

"Uhhh, Lina? Who is a
what? Tashi whispered, and then almost screamed, Oh! Noooo! Victor?
A vampire? Noooo!" Tashi barely squeaked out the last word, as she
stumbled back and plopped down hard, into one of the lawn chairs.
She’d gone white and actually looked
more
like a vampire than Victor
did.

Lina almost laughed until she realized her
sister might have a heart attack or seizure… wait… Tashi had a
thing for Victor? Oh my God. This can’t be good. Groaning...she
turned to sit down in her glider and looked at Netta, who was now
avidly interested in Victor and the interaction between him and
Tashi!

****

"Yes, lovely lady, I am a vampire. But I
assure you, I am not, nor will I ever be, a danger to you or your
family of beautiful sisters. I am here to help and am presently
more than delighted to have made your acquaintance, although you
have yet to honor me with your name.” He couldn’t take his
silver-blue eyes off her! She was perfect. She drew him in as he
watched her every move. She was so familiar as if he recognized
her…from somewhere else. He felt his heartbeat quicken. Impossible!
She couldn't be...could she? His thoughts were interrupted by
Netta's explaining.

"Mr.
Whatever..
.that’s my sister Tatianna
or Tashi, who usually has more verbal skill than she’s exhibiting
at the moment. And I am Netta. Apparently I’m the subject of this
discussion, and now I would prefer to participate in the
conversation rather than be the pathetic, sick shadow on the
sidelines.” Netta sounded calmer and stronger than she looked.
Victor’s one eyebrow rose, just like Tashi, as he regarded the tiny
human with what appeared to be a measure of respect.

“
So... exactly why are you
here?” Netta brought him back to the situation at hand. He reminded
himself that the matter of Tashi would be dealt with, however not
soon enough to suit him.

“
It has come to my
attention that you, Ms. Netta, have been the focus of a rather
nasty individual, a witch to be exact, and she has, as an example
of that focus, infected you with a spell. I can offer you a means
to counteract that spell and at the same time, it would offer me a
small amount of pleasure at her dismay. It will, let me see, how
shall I put this? It will free me of an obligation.”

****

Man, he was smooth! It
didn’t even matter what he was saying. It all sounded so deep, dark
and delicious! Tashi couldn’t take her eyes off his hands as he
spoke. Well except when she was looking at his chin, his lips, his
hair, his wide shoulders, his smooth hairless chest as it showed
thru the deep V of his...robe? Seemed an odd garment, but on him?
Oh yeah! Yummy! Oh...and it really showed off his ass, and she
couldn’t tell if he wore boxers? Or briefs? Or was he
commando?
Oh! Dear Lord!
Now she really was dizzy. And she swore she heard
him gently laughing in her head.

"I am without under garments, lovely lady.
If you gaze upon me any further with that look in your eyes, proof
of that lack of barrier will be evident below my waist, and...at
your eye level.”

She gasped and immediately
moved her gaze to his eyes. Wrong move! He was inside her head,
touching her soul and whispering soft love songs in her heart. How
could she
know
this
man
?
Yet she felt he was someone she'd always known.

"Oh my God!" Tashi’s eyes glazed over and
she fell back in the chair, limp and unresponsive. Netta rose to go
to her, but Victor was at Tashi’s side before Netta could blink.
Literally.

"She will be fine. I believe I may have
overwhelmed her with my...attentions.” Victor assured them as he
stroked her hair with a gentle, soothing motion.

"Okay. Everybody.
Sit
!” Lina was losing
patience.

“
Now, tell me again. A
witch put a spell on my sister and now she’s dying? Do I have that
right? And now, would you explain how you can help with
that?"

Lina’s voice was pitching higher with every
word. Netta gently pulled her arm to get her to sit down and calm
herself. “No sense pissing off a vampire”, she whispered. "It’s
okay, Lina. Let’s hear what he has to say. Tea anyone?”

CHAPTER SIX

The
tree frogs
were chirping, the moths
circled the porch lights and four people, make that three people
and one vampire, all sat comfortably chatting about witches and
spells. Lina chuckled at the thought. After Victor joined them on
the porch, he explained the situation. He owed another witch a
small favor. If he could dismiss the spell, his words, it would
take the black witch, Martiss, down a notch in witch-hood, so to
speak. Her
master
would not be happy with her over this mishap. This would make
her more vulnerable to spells cast by other witches, and with that,
the witch to whom he owed the favor could be-spell Martiss and gain
notoriety for herself. Something to be prized in witch-dom
apparently. Martiss then would not be able to be-spell the sisters
and her other powers would be greatly diminished.

His plan was simple but
dangerous. He had to get Martiss alone, but that was the simple
part. She had a
thing
for Victor, and he would use that to his advantage. The three
sisters had to help him
bind
her with a simple chant. That was the dangerous
part. Martiss would attempt to stop them from chanting and she
could be deadly. She wasn’t the good witch. This would not be a
walk in the park.

This is just fucking great. Victor seemed to
think everything would be fine, but Lina was having her doubts.

"Martiss will, of course, try to prevent you
from uttering a single word. However, there are ways to keep her
from throwing a spell. That can be accomplished by holding her
hands and arms against her body, as she must gesture for any spell
or ward to be sent out from her dark soul."

Tashi interrupted. "Can you get that close
to her? Won’t she suspect something? Will you be in danger?"

****

It almost sounded like she
cared, sweet Tashi. Victor was not happy that he had to get that
close to her, wishing it could be Tashi he was holding. She had
looked so lost after her discovery of his vampirism. Not that he
blamed her for that reaction. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen
the fright in someone’s eyes after meeting him. However, he knew
she would come to love him. He just
knew
. She was his one. His
only
.

After eight hundred years no other essence
had ever drawn him in like hers did. None other had mesmerized him
with just the sound of her voice. It was obvious to him, but now to
convince her while fighting a powerful black witch. No problem!
Child’s play! Maybe... He would not allow any of the sisters to be
harmed because of his actions, but he felt sure he could distract
Martiss from the sound of the sisters chanting.

Martiss had always teased
him that one day he would beg for her company and he would have
been happy to prove her wrong. Her darkness was so pure evil, it
became painful to gaze upon her face. Her eyes so black and empty,
it invoked hopelessness and despair, and could drive almost any
being insane. Many a stronger
man
had committed suicide after meeting her eye to
eye, something Victor was striving to avoid. Especially now he had
Tashi to look forward to.

"I doubt it will be a problem, as Martiss
has a fondness for me and has spoken of such.”

He sighed as he thought of the time he had
spent keeping Martiss at arm's length for. Tashi was regarding him
with a lethal glare and he smiled. She did care. That was enough
for now.

****

"Such a shame you have to
put yourself out. Want one of us to twist your arm?" she gritted
out, and then went into the house to help Netta grab some food for
the
humans.

She stomped into the house
mumbling to herself.
"He’s a vampire,
damnit. Why? Sure, the one guy I really like and he’s not
even
human
! He
eats them! God! I still want to touch him or better yet have him
touch me! His eyes are so warm and inviting.
And those arms!"

His upper arm was almost
as big around as her thigh
. Oh
crap
! Now she was thinking about his
thighs and what she might have been trying to see during their
first meeting. She giggled as she thought of that. His robe, tented
in front just by talking with her?
Crap
. This thinking was just getting
her into more trouble. She figured if he stood and took her hand,
even just to say goodbye, she’d be lost and would do anything he
asked.

She felt a whisper-soft touch and heard in
her mind, "Anything love? I will have many requests of your obvious
attributes. Would you allow me the chance to wander through your
fantasies and produce one you might like to attempt?”

Tashi stumbled. "Get out of my mind! How
rude!" All she heard in response was his deep, sexy chuckle in her
head.

"Until later then, love."

Weird. She missed him as soon as his
presence lifted from her. In just a few hours she had become used
to his deep timbre and his scent. It was just a hint of the
ocean...that perfect day at the beach.