High Stakes (26 page)

Oh, yeah, that she was. Alexis meant to say something flippant meant to blow it off, as she played with the chili pepper-shape" chip dish. But instead she blurted, "He asked me to live with him."

"What?" That drewBrittany 's astonished gaze right to hers. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Now Alexis was sure she was the one who was blushing.

Her cheeks felt hot and it wasn't the margarita, even though she'd already finished half of it. "Isn't that just insane?"

Her burrito platter was dropped in front of her by the waiter, and Alexis stared at it. No answers in the guacamole.

"That is a little crazy, but it's very cool." NowBrittany gave her a real smile, one that wasn't distracted.

"Can I have your house?"

"Brittany!" She should have known her impulsive sister would see nothing wrong with moving in with a man she'd known for all of four days. "I just met Ethan! I'm not going to shack up with him so soon."

"But you love him."Brittany sipped hermojito and delicately reached for a bean with her fork.

"What makes you think that?" Did she?Maybe.Probably. Weird as it sounded, yes. But she didn't want anyone to
know
that. "And he's a vampire."

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"That doesn't matter.Seriously. And if it bothers you that he is, maybe someday he'll be able to return to a mortal man.Maybe sooner than you think."Brittany shook her head. "The thing is, if you love him,which you do, and he loves you, which he must if he asked you to live with him, then why throw that away? Go for it, Alex, letyourself be happy."

The thing was,she wasn't sure she knew how. Purposeful, she could do.Happy?Content? That could take some work.

"I have something to tell you, Alex."

'I have something to tell you," she said, almost simultaneously. Then whenBrittany laughed, she added,

"You go first, Brit."

Instead, her sister took a bite of her food and Alexis's cell phone started ringing. "Damn, let me just answer this. It could be work related. She flipped her phone open. "AlexisBaldizzi ."

"Alexis, this is Seamus Fox."

"Seamus," she said in surprise. "How can I help you?" Since she got the distinct impression from Ethan that Seamus was not at all pleased with the amount of time he'd been spending with her, she couldn't imagine why Seamus was calling her.Unless she was going to be treated to a lecture on the proper behavior of a vampire first lady at social engagements.

If so, she'd tell him to stuff it. She could write the manual on political savvy and appearances, and it wouldn't sound asinine likeSeamus's speech had.

"I'm calling because Ethan asked me to. He's had a little accident and he would like to see you."

Her heart about stopped and she fumbled with the chip in her hand, letting it fall to her plate."An accident? Is he okay? Was this another assassination attempt? I told him he needed to take that more seriously."

Seamus made a sound that was impolite, but Alexis wasn't sure if it was directed at her or Ethan. "He's fine. He just, well, uh, fell off his balcony and hit the sidewalk below. It's getting a bit of news coverage because he refused medicaltreatment, even though he assured them he had a personal physician who could set his wrists. He claimed eccentric rich man and all of that, but anyway, he wants to see you."

"Then why didn't he call me himself?" She wanted to hear he was okay, damn it. Between Brittany and Ethan, she was going go gray, no doubt about it. "And how the hell did he fall off his balcony? Did he sneeze and lose his balance?"

"He's sleeping right now. But he said to wake him as soon as you got here. And he can explain what happened to you himself.

I'm just the secretary." Seamus spoke with more than a hint of annoyance and impatience.

"What is your problem with me?" she asked him, tired of catching his attitude, when she'd never done a thing to him.

"I don't have a problem," he said coolly.

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Yeah, sure, she believed him. "Thank you for the message. I'll be there in half an hour."

Shoveling two bites of food into her mouth, she toldBrittany , "Ethan had an accident. He's fine, but he wants me to see him." Then she realized how anxious she appeared and tried to temper her reaction.

"You know, it's the least I could do after rejecting him and all."

Brittanyraised an eyebrow. "Oh, Alex, just give it up. You are so gone for him."

She gave her sister her haughty courtroom glare. "I object."

Twenty minutes later, they were entering Ethan's room with the key card he'd given Alexis.Brittany had insisted on coming with her, and Alexis was grateful. She kept having mental flashbacks to the night she'd found Ethan bleeding all over the floor. Seamus said he was fine, but that didn't mean it wasn't gross.

Brittanycame along behind her as they headed toward his bedroom. The whole suite was hushed andstill, and it bugged Alexis that they'd just left him alone. Shouldn't someone be sitting with him at least?

Apparently it was every vampire forhimself , even the President.

Ethandsat straight up in his mahogany four-poster bed when they walked through the door, his eyes snapping open. "Alexis?"

Then he sniffed the air. "What the hell is that? I smell vampire. I smell… the Frenchman. Why do you have another man all over you?" He sounded absolutely outraged.

The fall must have thrown his nose off. "What are you talking about?" She moved closer to the bed, kicking off her high heels and peeling off her suit jacket. He didn't look injured beyond two very faint blackeyes, and a pasty tint to his flesh. Nor did he sound like he was in pain.

But-she still found herself touching his forehead. Crap, what was she doing? He wasn't going to have a freaking fever. After the scene that morning, she'd expected to feel embarrassed, but instead she was just worried about him.

"What the hell happened, Ethan?" Alexis fought the urge to kiss him.

He didn't look to be struggling with the same amorous feelings. His eyes shifted around her. "Brittany?

Come here," he demanded.

"Hey, that's my sister you're bossing around." Alexis glared at him.

Brittanyjust stepped forward, looking miserable."Hi, Ethan. I hope you're feeling better." But her voice sounded small and guilty.

Alexis was getting a bad feeling.

"Take off your scarf,Brittany ."

Her sister sighed, than undid the knot. When the scarf fell away, two puncture wounds leaped out at them, tiny, but an angry red onBrittany 's fair skin.

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Alexis gaped in shock.

"And your jacket."

Brittanywas wearing a white jacket with a teal sleeveless shell , and white cropped pants with sandals.

She peeled her jacket off and there on both shoulders were more puncture wounds. "Uh…" Alexis said, completely stunned. "You've mated with the Frenchman," Ethan said, looking very stern and foreboding.

Alexis didn't know who the hell the Frenchman was, but he obviously wasn't very popular.

"I'm not sure mating is exactly the right word,"Brittany said, folding her jacket over her arm. "And I don't see that it's really any of your business."

Ethan gaped atBrittany . He couldn't believe what he was hearing, seeing. "The Frenchman is banished, you know."

"But you let him stayhere, you let him continue his research."Because Ethan was an idiot, obviously.

Jesus, Alexis was going to kill him. He'd let her sister get involved with a radical, eccentric vampire.

AndBrittany may not realize what had happened between her and Atelier, but Ethan knew. Corbin had marked her. No other vampire could go near her without recognizing she belonged to Atelier.

Just like he had done with Alexis.

Vampires were territorial about their mortal lovers, especially when they loved them, like he did Alexis.

ButBrittany was anIm -pure and that complicated things.Immensely. Ethan wished Sea-mus'sdiscreet inquiries into whoBrittany 's father could be would give them an answer, but so far, Seamus hadn't been able to draw any conclusions, and it made Ethan nervous.Especially if she was involved with Atelier. "I do let him stay. But his views are not always popular with the majority. He is seen as a threat." Ethan turned to Alexis, who was just staring at them. He could smell alcohol on her breath and wondered what she'd been doing all day, what her mood was. "BB, it's time you toldBrittany .Unless Atelier already told her."

He looked atBrittany for confirmation, but she only looked puzzled and annoyed.

"Ethan…" Alexis had a pleading to her voice he didn't understand.

"Tell me what? What is going on? What does Corbin have to do with Alexis?"

"Who's Corbin?" Alexis asked, sounding exasperated.

"The Frenchman," Ethan told her, wishing he could read her thoughts and send her his, so he could explain why it was important thatBrittany have full knowledge about who she was.

"We sort of, you know…"Brittany blushed. "He's a scientist. He's trying to find a way to reverse vampirism."

"You had sex with him?" Alexis yelled.

"So?"Brittany knotted the scarf around and around her finger, before letting it go. "You had sex with
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Ethan."

"You don't know that!"

Ethan cleared his throat. Alexis whirled and pointed her finger at him. "You don't say a damn word."

"Hey, I'm staying out of that discussion. I just thinkBrittany needs to know who she is."

"Who am I?"

"Drop it, Carrick."

Ethan knew that Alexis was worried about losingBrittany, that it was safer to keep her sister in the dark, but the truth was, she was puttingBrittany in jeopardy.

"Alexis." He willed her to understand. He could leak his thoughts toBrittany , but Alexis would kill him.

Never even consider changing her mind about moving in with him. Wouldn't even give him the six weeks she'd promised.

"You're scaring me,"Brittany said, her pulse beating rapidly in her neck. The scarf twisted nervously in her hand.

Alexis looked tortured. "Damn it, I'm sorry, don't be scared. It's just that Ethan has wondered about your biological father."

"What about him?"

"Well… Ethan thinks he might have been a vampire." Alexis grabbed her sister's hand and squeezed it.

"But that's just speculation."

"How could that be possible?"Brittany stared at Alexis, then him. "I didn't think vampires could reproduce."

"Only with a mortal woman.The resulting child is a genetic blend… not immortal, but very healthy, and destined to live to a hundred years old or so. They don't need blood to survive, but they exhibit some other vampire traits—burning easily in the sun, athletic, ability to read people's thoughts." Ethan wasn't sure there was a delicate way to relay the news, so he just laid it all out forBrittany to deal with at once.

"I can sense your vampire blood. I know you're one of us."

Alexis snorted. "You are only guessing."

ButBrittany didn't seem to have Alexis's doubts. She shook her head, looking thoughtful. "It's weird…

but I believe you. It's like I just know you're right. I always knew there was something different about me.And Corbin… Corbin told me that my blood was a link between mortal and vampire, and a way for him to isolate gene mutation in vampires. I didn't know he meant because I had DNA from both…" She rubbed her hand over the bottom of her mouth.

Alexis looked tortured. "Brit, I wasn't sure if I should tell you… Ethan just told me and I didn't know if it was true or not. But this isn't a big deal, sweetie, I promise. You're still you."

Brittanysmiled at Alexis. "I know that, Alex. It's okay, really. I'm fine and I'm glad you told me. It
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doesn't really change anything, but it explains a lot." She looked back at Ethan. "Do you know who my father is?"

"No." He shook his head. "But Seamus is looking into it. I owe you an apology,Brittany . I encouraged you to come to The Ava because I knew you were an Impure and I wanted political leverage with minorityImpures heading into my campaign. It wasn't fair to you, but it was always my intention to tell you when I thought you were ready to hear the news, and I wouldn't have influenced you to do anything you didn't want to."

In fact, just thinking about it, he felt like a first-class cad. Out loud, it sounded much ruder than when he and Seamus had been strategizing.

Just one more reason he was starting to regret he'd agreed to run for reelection. He was getting tired of the entire political process, and the manipulations it required.

But BrittanyBaldizzi was a forgiving sort of woman. She patted his hand. "It'sokay, Ethan. I stayed because I knew you were vampires and I wanted to save you from hell, you know. I'm not sure anymore if you all really are damned, but I do like that Corbin can offer vampires an alternative. They have a choice to bevampire or mortal."

Ethan agreed to a certain extent. Part of the reason he'd supported Atelier's research was because it kept him close athand, and also because he hadn't really thought the Frenchman would ever be successful. But if he were successful, Ethan cautiously felt that it could be very positive for vampires who were turned against their will or older vampires who were ready to die. But it would have to be very controlled, very guarded. Hell, it was an ethical nightmare, and despite his thousand years of life, he wasn't even sure where he stood on the issue.

Did a vampire have a right to choose or was he bound to this earth by his Dark Gift? There were rare vampires who were successful in suicide attempts, and Ethan had always sympathized for their depression or despair, but he wasn't sure if he thought he had the right to take his own life.

It was a very complex, emotional issue, and if necessary, Ethan would be prepared to deal with it, but he had hoped they were years from it being relevant.