Love Bite (Just One Bite #1) (14 page)

This was certainly the last
place you expected to find a women like her, Lizbeth mused. A year ago she
certainly wouldn't have believed it. At that point she expected she'd be dead
before much longer, simply because being a cop and being street-smart were not
entirely the same thing. While she'd been a cop for years before being kicked
off the force so unceremoniously she had still been rather naïve, still a
little girl on her quest to right the wrongs of the world. A little chuckle
escaped her at that thought and she shook her head at Diandra's look of
puzzlement.

Lizbeth was so grateful for
the twist her life had taken, although she didn't necessarily like the route
she'd taken to get here. Finding a dead body in an alley had led her to the
life she never knew she could have. Funny, she would have figured it would've
been
her
body dead in an alley if
she'd had to survive on the streets much longer. And after last month's story
had hit the news about the drug smuggling case and those involved, a formal
apology had been issued to her, making her life worth living again. She'd also
been given a year's salary at the pay rate she had been receiving at the time
they threw her off the force, and she had been reinstated in full. Of course,
she had already been working as a cop for Alexar Thompson, Bethany Beach's
chief of police, but it was still delightful to finally have her name cleared
of all charges. If nothing else, being reinstated in full had given her back a
measure of self-worth.

A laugh broke through her
concentration. Lizbeth looked up from her musings to find Diandra wiping tears
from the corners of her eyes as RaeLynn cheerfully nibbled on the French toast
she'd obviously swiped from Lizbeth's plate while she was lost in thought. She
chuckled as well, ruffling the baby's hair, all deep thoughts gone in a massive
uprising of love for the two females in her life. It didn't get much better
than this.

Chapter
Two

Later that afternoon a knock
sounded on the door. Diandra set RaeLynn in the playpen and moved to the foyer
to see who was there. The door swung open and her smile faded as the little
color in her face drained. Déjà vu struck her with all the force of a well-aimed
fist. The sight of a wild-looking man at the door shouting accusations in her
face; the pain in her scalp as she was dragged down the hallway by her hair;
finally, the agony of teeth ripping into her throat. All these things ran
through her mind as she let out an unearthly shriek and her fangs elongated.
She dove for Jonah, fingers hooked into claws as she prepared to kill him with
her bare hands.

Jonah held her off with one
arm as he used the other to close the door behind him. "Now Diandra, there's
no need to cause a scene. We have some work to do." She shrieked again,
fury turning her cheeks a bright crimson. All the commotion brought Lizbeth to
the foyer. She took in Diandra's reddened complexion and the arrogant smirk on
Jonah's face and she calmly drew her service pistol from the small of her back.
The smirk was wiped off his face when he saw the
same
gun that had made a hole in him less than six months ago.
 
She bared her own teeth in a smile of
satisfaction.

"Diandra, baby, do us
both a favor and kick this bitch out so we can talk," Jonah said, his eyes
never leaving the gun that was aimed directly between his eyes. He never so
much as blinked as he watched to make sure she didn’t pull the trigger- just
another sign that he was no longer human.

Diandra stepped over and
wrapped her arms around Lizbeth's waist, careful not to compromise her aim.
"Lizzie, if he makes a move you don't like just shoot him." At
Lizbeth's quick grin she clarified her statement. "A move you don't like
other than just standing here." She laughed a little, and it had a mean
sound to it.

"Diandra, you don't mean
that. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know exactly what I was doing, and I
got so angry when I saw her." Jonah was using all the right words to plead
his case, but she noticed that his begging sounded more dutiful than sincere.

"That's absolutely no
excuse, you piece of shit. You no longer live here. Give me one reason not to
have Lizbeth pull the trigger in self-defense. After all, you're an
intruder." Diandra's grin was evil, and she was obviously enjoying
whatever visual accompanied her words. He had the uncomfortable feeling that
the vision was of his brains hitting the floor.

Jonah backpedaled, attempting
to smooth things over. "Honey," he started, but at her vicious glare
he hastily corrected himself. "Diandra, I'm your husband, and the father
of the baby."

"Actually, in the eyes of
the law you're dead and I'm a very rich widow." Diandra smile was full of
teeth and fang. "Granted, the money was ill-gotten, but how was I supposed
to know that? And it's going to such wonderful places, too. You should see the
charity program I've started for the homeless with your money. It looks like
your dying was a very good thing, not just for me but for the state of Delaware
in general." He was furious, she could tell, and she reveled in it.

Just then a small cry reached
them from the parlor. Lizbeth sighed and put her gun away. There was no need to
upset RaeLynn. The two women turned and headed for the sound of the whimpers,
leaving Jonah standing in the foyer feeling very dismissed. He shrugged it off
and followed them. After all, they hadn't thrown him out yet- he might as well
see just how far he could push his luck. He had things to say and he'd be
damned if he'd leave before saying them.

Diandra had already forgotten
him as she drew RaeLynn into her arms- until she heard the gasp from behind
her. So much for her hopes that the bastard would take a hint and leave. He'd
never been very good at taking hints when she dropped them while they were
married, so why should she expect that to change now that he was dead? Sighing,
she turned with the baby settled on her hip.

Jonah was staring at his
daughter as though she were one of the wonders of the world. Diandra had almost
forgotten that he'd yet to see her. He made quite a picture, all wide eyes and
dropped jaw. He couldn't believe this little beauty was half his. He reached
for her without thinking, and then yelled in surprise when the baby just
disappeared.

"What did you do to
her?" he yelled, stepping towards Diandra, fury and fear riding him in
equal measures as reached for her. She backed away, her arms strangely
clutching what appeared to be empty air around her waist.

"Actually, Jonah, it's
what
you
did to her, not me.
Everything you see before you is a result of your own actions. You turned me
while she was still inside me. She's not exactly a normal baby. She disappears,
as you saw, when she gets nervous. Apparently you make her nervous- big
surprise." Diandra's voice was icier than he had ever heard, and he was
surprised to feel a pang in his slow-beating heart at hearing the woman he'd
spent nine years with speaking to him that way.

He held his hands out
beseechingly. "Diandra, what happened to you?"

She fixed that glare on him
again, pinning him in place. "Life happened to me. You died; I struggled
to survive without you. I finally found happiness, but then you came back. I
found out that you were scum and I never even knew it. So say whatever it is you
came to say and then get the flying fuck out of my house!" Her voice rose
on the end of that statement and Jonah was startled to feel a cold breeze hurl
the words at him. He shivered involuntarily, finding it hard to speak the words
he had prepared for this moment.

"Diandra, I came for your
help. I'm in trouble and the only one I know who is powerful enough to help me
is you." Jonah dropped his arms back to his side, forgetting they had even
been raised in the first place.

Diandra walked past Jonah
towards the front door, stopped, and turned to face him. "I'm glad you
came. Truly, I am. You gave me the chance to finally say what I've wanted to
say to you for months now."

Jonah smiled and the relief
was evident on his face. He held out his hands once more. "What's that,
honey?"

"Fuck off and die- for
good this time." The door opened behind him without Diandra even touching
it. A cold wind, perhaps the same one that had heaved those horrid words at
him, blew him back towards the door. The last thing he saw was Diandra's face
staring at him as though he were a stranger, her arms still supporting a baby
he couldn't see as the door slammed in his face.

Chapter
Three

Lizbeth sighed heavily and,
against her better judgment, said, "You need to let him back in." She
held up a hand to stop Diandra's protests as she watched her puff up in anger.
"I know you're furious with him, and you have every right to be, but you
petitioned Eamon to save his life. Now you're going to tell Jonah he's on his
own? Is this what you truly think is best? If it is, I'll support you 100%, but
you need to be sure." She leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss first on
Diandra's lips and then, guessing since the baby had still not reappeared, she
placed a kiss on the top of RaeLynn's curls.

Diandra visibly deflated as
she stepped aside, letting Lizbeth past her to open the door. Jonah still stood
on the doorstep, one hand raised as if he considering knocking again. "As
much as it pains me to say this, you had better come in." She stepped
aside to allow him to enter just as RaeLynn reappeared in her mother's arms,
peering shyly out from amongst Diandra's hair.

Walking stiffly, as though
hating the thought of him being at her back, Diandra led Jonah to her parlor.
He was slightly red in the face with anger and Diandra took a moment to read
his thoughts as they walked- how dare she lead him through this house like a
stranger when this had been his home for nine years? He choked back his rage,
acknowledging to himself that he needed her help even if it galled him that he
had to ask for it to begin with. Instead he forced himself to concentrate on
the sight of his daughter. What a little looker she was! Those strawberry
curls, those gorgeous lavender eyes that were just a slightly different shade
of purple from her mother's own lilac-colored eyes. From head to toe, his
daughter was absolutely amazing to look at.

He grimaced down at himself.
He was certainly nothing special at the moment. He'd found a spot to conceal
himself while on the run, but it hadn't been clean. How long had it been since
his last shower? Jonah shuddered when he realized he needed two hands to count.
When had he brushed his teeth last? He ran his tongue over his teeth and gagged
a little, realizing that was more of a distant memory than his last shower. He
looked at his jeans- they were ripped at the knees, the cuffs were torn in a
way that was obviously from wear and tear and not a fashion statement, and they
were covered in grime from his travels. His shirt was torn at the hem, almost
as dirty as the jeans, and it smelled twice as ripe. He'd kill for a stick of
deodorant right now. Living life on the run was a bitch!

Diandra and Lizbeth seated
themselves on the loveseat with RaeLynn nestled between them, forcing Jonah to
take the overstuffed pink chair in the parlor. While Lizbeth watched him coldly
Diandra visibly winced as he seated all his filth in her pristine chair. He
knew they were enjoying the psychological warfare game on two levels. First
they presented a united front against him by sitting together and leaving him
to sit alone. Second, Diandra knew he always hated that overly girly chair.
He'd bitched about it enough over the years. The powder blue loveseat blended
well with the ivory walls and gleaming wood furniture in the room, and while he
supposed that the pale pink chair did as well he hated the sight of it. Of
course, maybe he was being overly sensitive. Maybe they sat together because it
was habit, and it had nothing at all to do with him.

It has everything to do with you, Jonah.
The thought whispered through his mind, making him shudder
because it wasn't his own voice he heard in his head- it was Diandra's. He
glanced up at her and saw the cold smirk fixed upon her face as she studied him
like he was some sort of bug.

"Well," Jonah said.
"It appears you are just as powerful as rumor has it you are. I guess I
came to the right place after all."

Diandra sat up straighter, her
arm automatically encircling RaeLynn. "What rumors? Who's been talking
about me?"

"I don't know. Some guy
named Ethan or whatever has been talking about you in this underground vamp bar
I hang out at." Jonah shrugged dismissively, surreptitiously trying to
remove a smudge of dirt from the back of his hand.
 

"His name is Eamon, not
Ethan," Lizbeth piped up. It was the first time she had spoken to him
since he'd come back inside, and he gave her a dirty look before hastily
arranging his face into a more neutral expression. He had come here for help;
he couldn't afford to piss Diandra off now.

Lizbeth rolled her eyes at
Jonah's attempt to be pleasant. "What’s the name of this bar? Where's it
located?" she demanded.

"It's called Afterlife-
it's one of those underground bars where tourists can't stumble across it. Only
those 'in the know' will be able to find it- I'll take you if you need to go so
badly." Jonah was eager to help, thinking they had a plan in place to help
them.