The Reluctant Vampire (37 page)

Authors: Lynsay Sands

Tags: #Fiction, #Paranormal, #Romance

BOOK: The Reluctant Vampire

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“Oh, how lovely!” Marguerite didn’t sound at all surprised. “I hoped the two of you would meet. Isn’t he a handsome man?”

“Yes,” Katricia breathed. Teddy Brunswick was the most beautiful man she’d ever met. Of course she might be biased since she couldn’t read him and suspected he was her life mate. It tended to color things. Still, he
was
handsome.

“He’s so dignified-looking and such a gentleman. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was younger and I promise you he’ll be even more gorgeous after he’s turned. He—”

“Does he know about us?” Katricia interrupted, zeroing in on what was most important to her. If he knew about them, she could just tell him she couldn’t read him, then jump his bones and find out for sure whether he was her life mate or not.

“Yes, he does, dear. He’s the police chief in Port Henry, a nice little town where your Uncle Victor now lives with his Elvi. Many people know about us there. You can let him know what you are. He won’t be horrified.”

“How much does he know exactly?” Katricia asked. “I mean, does he know about life mates and such?”

Marguerite hesitated briefly, and Katricia was sure she was about to say no, but instead, her aunt said, “Well . . . yes, he does know about that, dear. However, it might be a good idea if you don’t blurt out that you can’t read him until he’s gotten a chance to get to know you a little better.”

“What?” Katricia asked with alarm and then almost whined, “But why?”

Marguerite chuckled softly, “I know it’s tempting to just tell him that he’s your life mate and so on right away, but—”

“Is he?” Katricia interrupted eagerly.

“Is he what? Your life mate?” Marguerite asked with surprise. “I thought you said you couldn’t read him?”

“Well, I can’t, but sometimes mortals can’t be read because— ”

“Teddy is very readable,” Marguerite interrupted soothingly. “In fact, you’re the first immortal I’ve heard of who can’t read him. Even Elvi and Mabel are beginning to be able to read him, and they’re still quite new to this business.”

“Oh,” Katricia breathed and bit her lip. “But then why shouldn’t I tell him—”

“He’s mortal, dear,” Marguerite interjected gently. “It might be a little much for him to handle so soon. Maybe just let him get to know you a little better first. You don’t want him jumping in his truck and heading back to Port Henry in a panic.”

“He can’t,” Katricia assured her, and then quickly told her about the tree blocking the road and the power outage.

“Oh dear,” Marguerite breathed when she finished. “I’ll call Lucian and have him send some men to clear the road and—”

“Oh, no, don’t do that,” Katricia said at once, and then explained, “If the road’s cleared he might leave. Besides, right now I’m staying at his cottage and sharing Decker’s food with him. If you clear the road—”

“There won’t be any need for you to both be at his cottage,” Marguerite finished for her with understanding, and then paused briefly before asking, “So you have heat and food?”

“Yes.”

“I suppose there’s no real urgency to clear the road and get the power back on then,” Marguerite murmured. “But call at once if the situation changes and you need things fixed quickly.”

“I will.”

“I’ll call Bastien about the blood delivery though,” Marguerite went on. “They can bring it in by snowmobile. Perhaps they can even arrange for a snowmobile to be brought for the two of you to use. That way you can still share the cottage but also leave to get provisions if you need them, or even just get out for a meal so you don’t get cabin fever.”

“That would be nice,” Katricia said, a smile curving her lips as she imagined Teddy sitting behind her on a snowmobile, his arms wrapped around her as they roared off into town for groceries or dinner. Or even herself on the back holding onto him as he drove them back. In her experience, men tended to prefer to drive and she was willing to share . . . especially if it meant getting to ride with her arms around him and her chest pressed to his back and—

Dear God, I’m pathetic
, Katricia thought with a shake of the head. “Are you sure I can’t just tell him? He might be all right with it if he knew.”

“He might,” Marguerite agreed uncertainly. “I just think it’s better to err on the side of caution. This life-mate business is such a delicate thing. I’m just suggesting you maybe wait a day or two. Right now you’re a stranger to him, dear.”

“Yeah,” she agreed on a sigh, her gaze moving to Teddy out by the truck.

“I’ll suggest Bastien have the blood courier bring food too,” Marguerite said suddenly. “And more blankets and— It might take a while to get everything together, Katricia. Are you okay for blood if it doesn’t show until tomorrow morning or later?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Katricia said on a sigh. “I can go two or three days without if I have to. Twenty-four hours is nothing.”

“All right then, leave it to me. I’ll take care of everything.”

About the Author

LYNSAY SANDS
is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau vampire series as well as numerous historical novels and anthologies known for their humorous edge.

Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Praise for the incomparable
LYNSAY SANDS

and her bestselling

ARGENEAU FAMILY NOVELS

“Sands writes books that keep readers coming back for more. . . . Clever, steamy. . .

[with] a deliciously wicked sense of humor that readers will gobble up.”

Katie MacAlister

“Vampire lovers will find themselves laughing throughout. [Sands’s] trademark humor and genuine characters . . . keep her series fresh and her readers hooked.”

Publishers Weekly

“Inventive, sexy, and fun.”

Angela Knight

“Fun, witty . . . did I mention sexy?”

Susan Sizemore

“Take a bite into fresh, fun vampire comedy . . . read Lynsay Sands.”

Carly Phillips

By Lynsay Sands

The Reluctant Vampire

Hungry For You

Born to Bite

The Renegade Hunter

The Immortal Hunter

The Rogue Hunter

Vampire, Interrupted

Vampires Are Forever

The Accidental Vampire

Bite Me If You Can

A Bite to Remember

A Quick Bite

Tall, Dark & Hungry

Single White Vampire

Love Bites

The Heiress

The Countess

The Hellion and the Highlander

Taming the Highland Bride

Devil of the Highlands

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 9780061894596

EPub Edition JUNE 2011 ISBN: 9780062087966

FIRST EDITION

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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