My Wicked Vampire (3 page)

Reaching down, Sparkle picked up the cat and cuddled him between her impressive breasts. The cat’s expression brightened. A lot. He didn’t mention the cookie again.

“I’m Sparkle Stardust and this is Ganymede. We’re cosmic troublemakers, powerful beings in charge of—”

“
Everything.
” The cat managed to look superior even peering out from between her breasts. “
At least I am. I’m the most powerful of the troublemakers.
”

“Edge thinks
he
is,” Sparkle reminded him.

Ganymede’s whiskers twitched. “
He’s nothing next to me. For tens of thousands of years I’ve created chaos throughout the universe.
”

Dacian narrowed his gaze on the cat. Probably a shifter. “What are you when you’re not being a cat?”

“
Anything I want to be, bloodsucker. But I like being a cat. Cats can sneak around and find out things. People aren’t afraid to tell secrets in front of cats.
” He wiggled his butt into a more comfortable position. “
Usually I’m a black or gray cat, but I decided on black-and-white this time because I’m feeling conflicted about Sparkle’s nutty plan to make herself into someone she’s not.
”

Sparkle’s deep sigh made Ganymede’s eyes glaze over for a second. He recovered quickly, though.

“
Okay, enough of me. This is about you. Here’s the deal. Your brother’s been looking for you for a lotta years. Since he works for Sparkle, we’ve sort of kept an eye out for info about you.

“
A tip came in a few days ago from someone who said he worked for you. He claimed that you’d paid him to keep an eye on Taurin. He swore he was telling me this because it was the right thing to do, that he wanted to reunite you guys. Figured he was playing me, but I decided to check things out anyway. He said you’d holed up in Alaska. Couldn’t give me an address, but I’m an awesome tracker. I found where you’d been, but you weren’t there anymore. Trailed you to Big Bend National Park.
” He paused to study Dacian. “
Remember anything about what happened there?
”

“Nothing.” How had Ganymede tracked him over all those miles between Alaska and Texas? And why had Jim contacted him? Jim hadn’t seemed like a sentimental kind of guy.

“
Good, uh, I mean, that’s tough.
” His cat eyes gleamed.
“
You’d dug yourself a nice cozy grave and put up some halfass puny ward. I took my human form and used my amazing power to blow you right out of that grave. You were out of your head crazy, but with my preternatural strength, I slung you over my shoulder and lugged you back to the castle.
”

Sparkle did some serious eye-rolling. “Last year I would’ve let that lie scoot right past me, but since I’m trying to build character this year, I have to be honest. My sweetie had to dig you up with a shovel and then fight you every inch of the way back here. He never could get you into the nice new coffin I sent along.”

Ganymede hissed at her. “
I liked you a lot better when you had zero character.
”

“And you did all this out of the goodness of your hearts?” Call him cynical, but Dacian figured most people had an angle.

“
Taurin will owe me. Besides, Sparkle wanted you, and I always give my evil lady what she wants.
”

Okay, that was Ganymede’s angle. Now for Sparkle.

“I’m trying to be less shallow, so I guess my quest for personal depth starts with you.” She offered Dacian a smile that should’ve melted the chains right off the wall.

It didn’t. He wondered what Cinn’s smile looked like. His thoughts turned sour. She probably only smiled when she was planting seeds. “Why’d you chain me to the wall?”

Ganymede’s tail whipped back and forth. “
You’re kidding, right? No way could we turn a berserk bloodsucker loose in the castle.
”

Sparkle added, “The tourist board would take away our five-star rating like that”—she snapped her fingers—“if they found drained guests littering the halls. This was the only place secure enough to hold you. Mede broke a sweat chaining you to the wall. Your
clothes—and I use the term loosely—were bloody and torn. Mede had to cut them off you because you were too out of control to unchain. I contributed my scarf to the cause in case of visitors.” She smiled. “What a shame to cover what is definitely your best feature.”

Ganymede hissed.

Sparkle put her finger over her lips. “Oops. Sorry. That was the old me. The new me didn’t even notice your excellent package.”

Dacian had to say something in his own defense. “I feed from animals most of the time.” Except when he needed a power boost. Like now.

Sparkle held up her palms. “See, there you are. An immediate problem. How would we explain all the missing shape-shifters?”

Okay, time to change the subject. “Where’s Taurin?”

“
Away. Somewhere in Europe. He’ll be home soon. But we need to know what you’ve been doing for the last couple of hundred years before we let you join our happy family.
” Something dangerous moved in the cat’s eyes.

Dacian thought about how much to tell them. Bare bones. That was all they needed to know. “I’ve been trying to avoid my maker.”

“Why?” Sparkle leaned forward, and Ganymede sank deeper. He purred.

Dacian thought Sparkle’s excitement didn’t bode well for him. Just a feeling. “Stephan has a god complex. Nothing short of world domination will make him happy. He’s been trying to call me home to help him. I don’t want to go.”

“
Bastard,
” Ganymede commiserated.

Sparkle looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Dacian didn’t give her a chance. “Can I get out of here?”

“
Do you know where ‘here’ is?
” Ganymede sounded wary.

“The Castle of Dark Dreams. Your informant was right about me keeping track of Taurin.”

Ganymede just nodded. Dacian could read all of the cat’s unasked questions in his eyes. He had a few of his own. But now wasn’t the time for any more questions or answers. He needed to feed so he could think clearly.

Ganymede glanced at the door and it opened. “
I’ve sent for Holgarth. He’ll take you to a room. We’ll send something up for you to drink—from a bottle, not the hotel employee. Can we trust you not to go wacko on us while you’re here?
”

“I get some warning. If I feel anything coming on, I’ll let you lock me back up.”

“
Good enough for now. We’ll talk again later.
” Ganymede glanced up at Sparkle. “
You can put me down now, babe.
” He sounded sad about that.

As Sparkle set the cat on the floor, a short thin man wearing a blue robe decorated with stars and a matching pointed hat stepped through the doorway. His long pointed beard almost quivered with distaste, and his eyes were frosty with disapproval.

“Oh, goody, the demented undead has a moment of lucidity.” He strode over to hand Dacian what looked like a monk’s robe. “Put this on. When I take you through the great hall everyone will think you’re part of the ongoing fantasy.” He sniffed. “Ah, the sweet scent of Mother Earth. May I suggest you shower as soon as you get to your room?”

Dacian was just wrapping the robe around himself when Sparkle reached out and whipped the scarf from his hips. “Pure silk. I’m still shallow enough to want this back.”

Holgarth huffed his disdain. “Well, at least I can’t criticize your taste in clothing because you have no clothing. And I’ve never seen a vampire with scars like yours. Where…?”

Dacian didn’t give him a chance to finish his question. Pulling the robe tightly around him, he strode from the dungeon, forcing Holgarth to follow him.

Sparkle narrowed her eyes as she watched the vampire leave. “There’s a lot he didn’t tell us.”

Mede leaped onto the iron maiden and began washing his face. “
I’ll root around in his mind later. He’s powerful, but he won’t be able to keep me out when I want in.
”

“He’s a night feeder, so why is he so powerful? They’re usually the jackals of the vampire world, strictly scavengers. No night feeder should’ve been able to snap those chains.” She was intrigued, and she hadn’t felt this energized since she’d decided to become a woman with depth and character. “And all those scars.” She allowed herself a delicious shudder. “They’re kind of sexy in a primal savage way.”

Before Mede could open his mouth, she waved his comment away. “I know. Thinking about sex was the old me. The new me should get past it. Well, climbing out of the shallow end of the pool is tough. And it’s not fun.” She pursed her lips in a pout. Her puckered lips always drove Mede crazy. Too bad. Let him suffer the way she was suffering.

“
I need a cookie.
” He held her with a fixed stare.

She knew her smile was taunting and sensual, but she didn’t give a damn. She’d climb back on the character-building wagon tomorrow. “I just bet you do.”

He glanced away. “
I think the bloodsucker was headed here when I dug him up. Why? He went to all that trouble to fake his death in that fire two hundred years ago. He never
contacted Taurin in all that time. Now he’s resurrecting himself from the dead. Gotta be something important.
” Ganymede’s expression said he hoped the reason involved death and destruction.

“I wonder what kind of sex life Cinn has?”

Mede blinked at the sudden change of subject.

“Oh, I know it shouldn’t matter to the new me, but I just… wonder.” Sparkle was having a tough time suppressing the meddling instincts she’d honed to a razor’s edge over the centuries. “Not that it’s important.” She forced her thoughts elsewhere. “I can’t wait to explore possibilities with her plants. I bet I can guide her research in all kinds of interesting directions.” She hurried to correct any false impressions. “Not sexual. Umm, maybe her plants could help to foster world peace.”

Mede snorted.

“Just saying.” She shrugged.

Mede had evidently had enough. He leaped from the iron maiden and padded to the door. He paused before leaving. “
Give it up, babe. Look at you, you’re miserable. You weren’t meant to have character depth. You’re the freaking cosmic troublemaker in charge of causing sexual chaos in the universe. You can’t escape your destiny.
”

“But I—”

“
And if you’re doing it for me, forget it. I liked the old you. I miss the whining over a chipped nail, the rush you got from a sale at the mall, the constant nattering about sex.
” He looked mournful. “
I
really
liked the sex talk. And I long for my old playful sweetie who loved finding two people who were completely wrong for each other, exciting them into a sexual frenzy for each other, and then tearing them apart. You were fun back then.
”

If she hadn’t known better, Sparkle could almost be
lieve that it was overflowing emotion making his eyes glisten. But Mede didn’t believe in tears.

“
Forget character. I have the character of a gnat. It’s just not an important quality for a cosmic troublemaker to have.
” He ended with a heartrending plea: “
I want my evil woman back so we can live the wicked life together again. It’s lonely being bad alone.
”

Sparkle stood staring at the doorway long after he’d padded away.
She
had nothing against tears, at least not nowadays. She hadn’t cried for thousands of years, and now she couldn’t seem to stop. She swiped at her eyes. Good thing she hadn’t given up waterproof mascara.

She sighed as she walked toward the door. What to do? Mede wanted the old Sparkle back, but the Big Boss had used the old Sparkle against Mede. And the Big Boss was in charge of them all. She couldn’t give the Big Boss an excuse to interfere in their lives again.

She brightened a little. Maybe she’d do some compromising. Why couldn’t she build character at the same time she did a little meddling? God knew that both Cinn and Dacian needed an upgrade in their quality of life. She could do that.

With renewed purpose, she strode from the dungeon. And if sex happened during her meddling, well, was it her fault? Of course not.

She hummed “Wicked Game” as she made her plans.

Murder was an option. She‘d claim justifiable homicide. No jury in the country would convict her. Cinn took a deep breath before once again rattling the greenhouse door. Yep, locked. The witch. No wonder she‘d been so calm when Cinn had left the dungeon. See, now Sparkle had overplayed her hand. She‘d had Cinn scared witless, but fury had pushed the fear aside for the moment. No one kept her from her plants.

She‘d backed her truck up to the greenhouse, ready to load her plants, so now she climbed into the cab, looking for something she could use to break a window. She came up with a hammer. Good. She‘d free her plants and then maybe she‘d use the hammer on Sparkle‘s head.

Returning to the greenhouse, she flung back her arm, ready to crunch some glass.

“
This is all very entertaining, and I certainly don‘t want to interfere with your breaking-and-entering plans, but I would like to point out that Sparkle
will
prosecute. And since there are security cameras everywhere, Holgarth will have all the proof he needs. Even he couldn‘t lose this case.
”

The voice in Cinn‘s head swung her around.
Not
Ganymede‘s voice. This voice was light and feminine with a built-in snootiness. This woman—she looked down—this
cat
sounded just as superior as the other cat.

Cinn was too angry to feel intimidated. “Let me guess. You‘re Ganymede‘s sister.”

The Siamese cat widened her almond-shaped eyes in horror. “
What a dreadful thing to say to someone you just met.
” She sniffed a delicate cat sniff. “
And here I was, trying to help you.
”

Cinn didn‘t care about the cat‘s bruised feelings. “Look, the plants inside this place are mine. I‘m reclaiming my property.”

“
I don‘t think the judge will see it that way. And if he does, Ganymede will change his mind. Literally.
”

If what Cinn had seen so far at the castle was real and not a hallucination brought on by eating the castle restaurant‘s medieval meat pie—huge, and no, she hadn‘t needed a doggy bag afterward—then the cat was right. Reluctantly, she resigned herself to a less violent solution. “Who are you?” Amazing that she could ask that so calmly.

“
I‘m Asima, messenger of the goddess Bast and the only devotee of the arts in this whole castle.
” She sat and wrapped her tail around her elegant body. She stared at Cinn with deep blue eyes. “
Dare I hope that you‘re interested in the theater or perhaps the opera?
”

“I‘ve seen a few Broadway plays.” Why was Cinn standing here talking to another cat? She had to get her plants away from this freak show. Once she drove across the causeway to the mainland, she was never coming back. “What do you want from me?” Because she had a feeling everyone here wanted something.

Asima lifted her finely chiseled, aristocratic head so she could meet Cinn‘s gaze. “
I‘d like to be your friend.
” She glanced away. “
And Sparkle told me to keep an eye on you.
”

Aha! “You‘re a snitch.”

“
I prefer intelligence agent.
”

Cinn knew she should just get in her truck and leave
now, but she couldn‘t abandon her babies to Sparkle. No way would anyone but Cinn know how to care for them. They‘d die. And that
wasn‘t
an option.

Besides, Cinn had signed a contract. Now that she was calmer, she realized if she drove away, not only would she owe Sparkle for the greenhouse, but she‘d also have to pay back the money Sparkle had advanced her to make the move to Galveston. She didn‘t have that kind of cash to lose.

With a sigh, she surrendered to the inevitable. She‘d give Sparkle her two weeks‘ notice. And if after that Sparkle didn‘t honor her agreement, Cinn would hire a lawyer. One who
didn‘t
have a pointed hat with celestial bodies on it.

“
Well?
” Asima sounded impatient.

“Okay, you can tell Sparkle she won. For two weeks. After that I‘m out of here.” Cinn resisted the urge to bend down and touch the cat, just to make sure she was real. No touching, no thinking, no reacting until she was safe in her room. Well, as safe as she could be in this hotbed of weirdness. Then she‘d try to wrap her mind around the whole bizarre night. She turned toward her truck.

Climbing in, Cinn reached for the ignition key.

“
Personally, I prefer a luxury vehicle. During the few times a year I return to human form, I rent a Lexus.
”

With a startled squeak, Cinn jerked her gaze to the passenger side. Asima sat there. Her aloof expression implied she was a queen riding on a hay wagon.

“How the hell did you get in here?”

Asima yawned. “
I go where I wish to go. Not that I wished to go here, but a good intelligence agent goes where she must.
”

Oh, boy. Cinn tried to ignore the cat as she parked the truck and then took the elevator up to her room. She
wasn‘t in the mood to climb the winding stone steps to her floor.

Cinn stopped at her door. Wicked Intentions. Every room in the castle had a name, and they all began with the word
wicked
. After meeting Sparkle, she found it fitting.

She looked down at Asima, who stared up at her expectantly. “No, you can‘t come in with me. If you beam yourself into my room without my permission, I‘ll crack your little head with a lamp.”

Asima made a disappointed mewling sound. “
Well, if you‘re going to get violent, then I suppose I‘ll have to wait outside your door. In the cold, cold hallway.
”

“The hallway is warm.”

“
And sleep on the hard, hard floor.
”

“It‘s your choice.”

“
You‘re a cruel
…”

Wait for it, wait for it…

“
But I suppose technically Sparkle is the cruel, cruel woman.
”

“What a crappy day.” Cinn paused. “No, make that a crappy, crappy day.” Unlocking her door, she stepped inside and closed it in the cat‘s face.

Flinging herself onto her bed, she covered her eyes with her hand while her brain feverishly played back what had happened tonight. She could keep the Good Ship Denial afloat for just so long before it sank beneath the weight of piled-up proof. Right now she was sinking fast.

Okay, she could dismiss Edge, Bain, and Holgarth because they hadn‘t
done
anything. Talk didn‘t mean anything. But the other stuff…

If Dacian‘s fangs and eyes were fake, then whoever had made them was a genius. She‘d gotten a close-up of
the fangs. They were too long to be human teeth filed to a point, and she would‘ve been able to tell if they were fakes. And his eyes…She shuddered. The last time she‘d looked at him, all the rage in the world lived in those eyes. Nothing phony about them. So put a check in the real column for Dacian.

Next, Sparkle. No matter how much Cinn wanted to believe that the invisible wall hadn‘t been there, she couldn‘t. She‘d pounded and kicked it. Another check beside real.

Finally, the two cats. Even if the cats had been wired for sound, no one could make cats act the way they had. Cinn knew cats. They didn‘t take direction well. Another check beside real.

Cinn wouldn‘t examine what Sparkle had said about Airmid. She‘d accepted all her mind would allow for the night.

The bottom line was that she was stuck here for two weeks. She‘d spend as much time as possible with her plants and as little time as she could with the people living in the castle.

With that decision made, she climbed from the bed, peeled off her coat, and dragged herself into the bathroom.

A short time later she emerged wearing her warm nightgown and her fuzzy slippers. The comforting familiarity of both made her feel better. Climbing into bed, she propped herself up and buried herself in the latest plant journals. She hoped she‘d read until she fell asleep.

An hour later, she‘d read exactly four pages and felt as though she‘d never sleep again. At least not in this place. What if the people she‘d met were just the tip of the iceberg? What if strange beings were staying in the next room, the room across the hall?

But out of everyone she‘d met tonight, it was Dacian‘s image that was superimposed over every page she tried to read. He was the primal scream that lurked in the darkest corner of her mind. He was the ancient symbol of man‘s primitive fear. He was the ultimate terror that stalked the night. And yet…

She shook her head. No, there was nothing else. Cinn refused to even try to look past the horror of what he was.
Vampire.

Finally, she gave up. Reading was impossible. She glanced around the room. An authentic-looking castle chamber: dark woods, rich colors, old tapestries, and a canopied bed. All it needed was the ancestral ghost. She peered into the shadows. Maybe you paid extra for the ghost.

Putting her journal aside, she slid under the covers and closed her eyes. And no, she wasn‘t turning the light out tonight. If she had to visit the bathroom in the middle of the night, she didn‘t want to open her eyes to a spirit perched at the foot of her bed. And yes, she was a giant wuss.

When Dacian was finally able to drag Taurin away from this madhouse, maybe he‘d bring the whole pile of stones down around all of their ears as a parting gift. He could do that when he was at full strength. And he was just pissed off enough to want to.

He hated taking orders. Stephan already knew that. Sparkle, Ganymede, and the sarcastic wizard would find out soon enough. But for now, he‘d pay for his stay here by doing what they wanted.

Powered by a string of silent curses, he took the last few strides to Cinn‘s door. He smiled. Scaring the crap out of her would improve his mood a little.

“
Please watch where you put your big feet. I‘m guarding this door.
”

Dacian glanced down. A cat was curled up in front of the door. What was with all the cats? “You‘re kidding, right?”

The cat looked insulted. “
I‘m a ferocious guard. No one gets past me. Oh, and don‘t step on my tail, please.
”

“Then maybe you need to move your furry little butt out of the way.”

The cat hissed at him. “
My beautiful, elegant butt is staying right where it is.
”

Impasse. Dacian was looking forward to picking up the cat and depositing her in a nearby trash bin when she uncurled herself, stood, stretched, and yawned.

“
On second thought, I‘m tired of sleeping on the floor when I have a nice soft bed waiting for me. Sparkle can hire another intelligence agent to work the night shift.
”

“Intelligence agent?” This place got more bizarre by the minute.

“
Sparkle wanted me to keep an eye on Cinn to make sure she didn‘t sneak offwith her plants in the dead of night. But I think my shift is finished.
” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “
Who are you?
”

“Dacian.”

Her eyes widened. “
Taurin‘s brother?
”

He nodded.

“
What an intriguing reunion that will be. I mustn‘t miss it.
”

“Whatever.” If he were lucky, he‘d have Taurin out of here before any of them knew what was happening.

“
Did Sparkle send you?
”

“Yeah.”

“
Good. You can take the next shift.
” She padded toward the stairs, her tail waving in the air.

“And you are?”

“
Asima. I hope you like sleeping on the floor. Cinn threatened me with violence if I tried to come into her room.
”

Before he could ask her anything else, the cat disappeared. Frustrated, he turned back to the door. Threatened her with violence, huh? His smile returned. He‘d just see about that. He pounded on the door.

No answer. Even if she were sleeping, she would‘ve heard his knock. He glanced around. It was late. He didn‘t want to call attention to himself by shouting through the door at her. Sure, he could get inside in a number of other ways, but he didn‘t want her screaming the place down.

He snarled his frustration. Dacian liked the direct approach. But in this case he‘d go the kinder and gentler route. Focusing, he reached into her mind. “
Open the damn door before I blow it off its freaking hinges.
”

He felt her horrified reaction right through the door. Okay, maybe he needed to tone it down a little. “
Please.
”

All he could sense from her was panicked indecision. When in doubt, lie. “
Sparkle sent me. She has info about your plants that you need to know.
”

Evidently mentioning her plants did the trick, because a few seconds later she flung open the door.

“What about my plants? What has she done to them?” Her eyes were wide and fearful. But the fear was for her plants.

He stared bemused for a moment. Her long nightgown covered her from the neck down. The only things showing were the tips of her toes. Her toenails were painted a pale pink. Feminine. Personally, he liked bold colors. “Nothing about your plants. I just needed you to open the door. But Sparkle did send me.”

“Who…?”

He didn‘t need to be in her head to follow her thought processes. She was adjusting his cleaned-up version to what she‘d seen in the dungeon. He sensed the exact moment she made the connection.

“Vampire!” She tried to close the door.

“Dacian.” He kept it open with his foot.

“No!” Her gaze shifted to a nearby lamp.

“Yes.” He stepped inside and caught her as she made a dive for her weapon of choice. “Asima warned me you had a violent streak.”

Dacian almost smiled. He liked females who weren‘t afraid to bash a few heads. Amazing how she‘d improved his mood.

“Turn. Me. Loose.” Each word was forced through clenched teeth.

“Or?”

“Or I‘ll scream loud enough to shatter your undead eardrums. There have to be some normal people in this place who will come to help me before you can drain me dry.”

He was tempted to let her scream. Throwing a few bodies around would release some of his pent-up emotion. But then he decided against it. Ganymede might try to toss him out, and he needed to last at least until Taurin came home.

“I‘ll let you go, but first look into my eyes. I‘m safe to be around now.” A lie. He was never safe to be around.