Fashionably Dead (37 page)

I slowly opened my eyes and there he was. I would never get used to how breathtaking he was. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked gaunt, but somehow it only enhanced his beauty. He reverently touched my face. Total adoration shone from his gorgeous golden eyes.

I still felt a bit like I was underwater as my lips curled into a smile. Pam, The Kev and Gemma surrounded us.

“I am so proud of you, baby,” Pam said and gently stroked my cheek.

The Kev and Gemma leaned in and kissed me. I smiled my thanks. I loved my family so very much. I could feel Ethan’s impatience—he did not want to share. The feeling was mutual.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him towards me. I pressed my lips to his ear. “I love you Ethan, now bite me already!”

He laughed with joy and then he did. Nothing had ever felt so good as his fangs in my neck.

Pam stared at Ethan and he looked up at her as he drank. She pointed at him and mouthed,
Not a word
. He nodded his head and my magical family disappeared in a breeze of Glitter Dust.

“I’ve missed you, Angel. Will you forgive me?” Ethan’s voice was like a caress on my skin. His power and essence ran through me as mine ran through him. He was my other half and I wanted it no other way.

“I’ll forgive you, if you’ll forgive me,” I said, running my fingertips over his beautiful face.

His eyes sparkled as he lowered his lips to mine and made me forget my name. Finally, everything was all right with my world.

Chapter 33

I opened my eyes, looked around the room and giggled. Vamps. Vamps everywhere. The mood in the room was light and airy. Happy and relaxed. My fellow Elite Guards were draped over couches, watching TV, sitting around a table playing games. Who knew Vampyres were obsessed with board games? They were playing Clue, but from their posture and faces you’d have thought it was a high stakes poker game. I remembered playing Clue repeatedly after a tonsillectomy when I was ten. Nana had been the best sport ever, but these guys had taken Clue to a whole new level.

Samuel looked very serious. I already knew from experience he was a bad loser. His arm had grown back completely. He named his new appendage Astrid in honor of my beheading the two Rogues who’d removed it. I felt honored . . . I think. Somebody Samuel’s age should know better, but a bad loser is a bad loser. Period. David, Luke and Heathcliff seemed to be having more fun, although they eyed each other warily and kept Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the rope close to their chests. Ethan sat in a chair across the room and watched me. I was bundled up in his big beautiful bed. Venus sat nearby flipping through catalogs and fashion magazines and Paris sat at her feet painting her toe nails.

I shot a look to Ethan and he winked at me. Oh help me, Jesus, my stomach got tingly and dropped to my toes. That man reeked of power and sex and he was mine. Mine, mine, mine. I was so tempted to fly across the room and tackle him that I had to grip the bed sheets to keep myself still. I could tell by the smirk on his lips and the green of his eyes that he knew exactly what I was thinking and very much approved. I had a bone to pick with my mate, but it had to wait until we were alone. The commotion at the game table knocked me out of my sexual stupor.

“You’re cheating,” David yelled at Samuel.

“How in the fuck do you cheat at Clue?” Samuel shouted back, slamming his cards down on the table. Heathcliff was laughing and Luke backed away, completely aware that Samuel and David were about to dance and it was going to get ugly.

“You looked at my cards, you bastard,” David accused Samuel, as if he’d stolen national security secrets, not just peeked to see if Miss Scarlet did it in the library with the gun.

“You’re full of shit,” Samuel bellowed back. “You’re just a pathetic player. No skill, no finesse.”

“Take that back, you son of a bitch,” David hissed at Samuel. “I have skill and finesse.”

Oh my God, they were such girls. Skill? Finesse? For Clue?
These Vampyres had too much time on their hands. Both men stood up, knocking their chairs over and circling each other menacingly.

“Enough!” Ethan told them, moving between them. “If you insist on behaving like children, I shall treat you like children. You two,” he indicated Samuel and David “can go outside and beat the hell out of each other. If you destroy my suite or, more importantly, disturb my mate, I will beat the hell out of you.” Everyone froze. Out of pure spite he joyously added, “And I will destroy the Clue game.”

All four grown male Vampyres groaned like eight year olds. This was awesome. I filed the knowledge away for future blackmail use. I was sure he would beat them soundly if he thought they had upset me. As flattering as that may be, I just wanted a bit of peace and no injured friends for a little while. I didn’t want any more appendages named after me.

I was so tickled by how dorky all these hot sexy Vampyres were, I didn’t even notice the suite had gone silent and all eyes were on me.

“What?’ I asked Venus.

“Oooklay at the Ooorday.” she said, confusing the hell out of me.

Seriously, did she really just tell me to look at the door in Pig Latin? The cool factor of these gorgeous Vampyres was diminishing rapidly. I looked at the door and my gut clenched. It was Cathy and a man . . . a very handsome man . . . with the kindest eyes I’d ever seen. He was smiling at me and although I’d never seen him before, I knew him at once.

Heathcliff crossed over to his father, took his hand and began to lead him over to me. Cathy followed about five steps behind, her head hung low and her steps timid. She was breaking my heart. I was amazed at how much she looked like Nana. How had I not noticed it before?

“Stop,” Ethan commanded. “I don’t want her around my mate.” He pointed at Cathy. Everyone in the room tensed.

God
. . .
, talk about humiliation.
“No, Ethan,” I said. “It’s okay. I want to see her.”

Ethan’s anger radiated out from him, bouncing off the walls of the room. Occasionally I was reminded that Ethan was like the President, Prime Minister and Pope all rolled into one. This was one of those times. I quickly moved to him and gently rubbed his arms and chest.

“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered. “You don’t really mean that. Cathy has been loyal to you for over a hundred years. She won’t hurt me.” I put my arms around him to calm him down.

Cathy stepped forward and Ethan’s entire body stiffened under my hands. The suite was drenched in his power and anger. “Don’t take another step,” he whipped out at Cathy between clenched teeth.

She gasped and I could have sworn Heathcliff growled. Sometimes I forgot that Vampyres were very deadly creatures. We were not human, and human emotions and ethics did not fit us very well.

“I understand your anger and reticence, my Liege,” Cathy said quietly. “I deserve it, but I have come to beg forgiveness and humble myself to the Chosen One. To Astrid. I stand in shame of my behavior and request punishment equal to my digressions.”

She dropped to her knees and went prostrate before us.

Ethan turned to Heathcliff. “I will not leave her alone with Astrid.”

Heathcliff looked down. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

This was ridiculous. “Ethan, for God’s sake, she’s my sister, cousin, aunt two times removed or something like that. I know in my gut this is fine. I’d like some privacy with her, because I have a few things I’d like to say.”

Ethan was torn. I think he also knew that Cathy would not try to hurt me, but he didn’t usually reverse decisions after he made them. He’d also never had a mate before who could withhold panty privileges if she didn’t get her way.

“Please,” I smiled and opened my mind to him. I gave him a glimpse of all the things I would let him do to me and all the things I wanted to do to him. He smiled and looked at me with such heat in his eyes I came close to telling everybody to leave the room.

“Fine,” Ethan conceded, giving me a look that implied he expected me to make good on all the visuals he’d just seen. I winked at him and he laughed. He was breathtaking when he laughed. Venus raised her eyebrows in shock and Samuel gave me a thumbs up, but I should have known my Vampyre stud wasn’t finished. “You will wear your shield in her presence,” he said. “Heathcliff, you and Sir James will stay in the room. If one hair on her head is mussed, I will destroy all of you. Understood?”

“Understood,” Heathcliff replied stiffly.

Talk about overprotective. I didn’t dare utter a word, fearing something snarky or smart aleck would fly out of my mouth and he would change his mind. He stared at me and waited. I touched my chest and activated my shield. Ethan seemed satisfied.

Everyone exited the suite, including a reluctant Ethan. I was left alone . . . with my family.

We all stared at each other. Now that we were alone, we didn’t know what to say. It was strange and uncomfortable. It started slowly and no one could stop it as we began to laugh. At first it was that nervous,
oh my God, I’m laughing at a funeral
kind of laughter, then it morphed into joy. All the pent-up emotions and fear and excitement bubbled out, exploding into giddy laughter. Heathcliff, Sir James and I laughed until tears ran from our eyes. It was a perfect moment. Everyone laughed. Everyone except Cathy. Oh for God’s sake, enough of this ‘poor pathetic me’ shit.

“Get up,” I said to Cathy. She did. I circled her and she watched me with wary eyes.

“I would expect that you would want me banished,” she began defensively.

“Then you don’t know me at all.” I cut her off and watched her squirm. “Try again,” I challenged her.

She was so unsure. I wanted to help her out, but from past experience I was very aware of her pride. I waited for her to make the next move. I was not going to fix it for her.

She looked lost as she spoke. “I’m . . . grateful to you for saving my life and I beg your forgiveness. I am devastated about what happened to you.” I watched her carefully. She was sincere.

“I’m not,” I said, walking toward her and removing my shield.

“What?” She backed away from me.

“Stand still,” I hissed. She did. “I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry about any of it. Not sorry about saving you and not sorry about what happened after, because I got to see my Nana, your mother. She was so proud of me. Proud of me for saving you.”

They all froze and watched me and waited. Cathy was trembling. I thought they knew I had seen Nana, but their reactions proved otherwise. A myriad of emotions washed across all three of their faces, longing the most prevalent.

“Did she say anything?” Heathcliff was ashen and his voice was shaky. He looked like a child, insecure and desperately missing his mother. I realized, with great sadness, I’d gotten to have her many more years than they had. “Any message for us?” he whispered.

“Oh yes.” I smiled at my friend. “She told me to tell you how very much she loves you all.” God, it felt good to tell them that.

Cathy fell back to the ground and rocked back and forth as tears streamed from her eyes. Heathcliff wrapped his arms around her and wept with her. Sir James approached me. He radiated power and kindness and love. He extended his hands to me, I took them and a soothing warmth began to creep through my body.

His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Is she coming back?” he asked.

“She said it wasn’t her time yet.” I could feel my own tears escape and spill down my cheeks.

“Oh,” Sir James said. A look of profound pain and disappointment crossed his beautiful face. He quickly looked away and regrouped. I had never realized that one short word could convey so very much. My heart tore for him, and for Heathcliff and Cathy . . . and for me. It was very clear how much this man and his children loved my Nana.

Sir James looked up at me and smiled. “We have waited many years for you, Astrid.” He gently touched my face. “What a beautiful gift to have the Chosen One be part of our family. Part of the mother of my children. Part of the woman I have loved for over a century.”

“I’m not technically related to you.” I was devastated. I wanted this man to be my grandfather. I wanted him to be mine.

“Oh,” he chuckled, “you most certainly are. I was married to your Nana. She and I were connected on unexplainable levels. What is of her blood is mine and what is of my blood is hers. You are as much mine as if I sired you myself, dear child.”

I threw myself into his arms, practically knocking him to the ground. Damn, I’ve gotta watch that. Who in the hell knew that turning into a Blood Sucking Creature of the Night would be the best thing that happened to me.

“Astrid,” he said, “there is much I know about the Chosen One’s path. I believe I can help you understand yourself better. I also would greatly love to hear about everything from your perspective,” he said. His dimples were identical to Heathcliff’s. “We will sit together soon and educate one another.”

“I would like that very much, Sir James,” I said, relieved that somebody knew something about this Chosen One crap.

“Astrid, my child, what would you like from your sister? Or would it be cousin or possibly aunt?” He pondered the options. “Let’s just say sister and leave it at that.” I nodded and he continued. “What would you like from your sister in exchange for saving her life?” Sir James, my new grandpa, kindly asked. His beautiful blue eyes that were so much like Heathcliff’s searched my face.