Wanted: Undead or Alive (8 page)

Brynley’s hands balled into fists. Now the bitch was mocking him. She affected a sweet, but loud voice that LaToya would be sure to hear. “Oh, Phineas, darling! When are you coming back to bed?”

He jumped. The receiver popped from his hand and clattered onto the desk as he whirled around.

She smirked at the flabbergasted look on his face. “Oh, please, Phineas! Make love to me one more time! No one makes me scream like you.”

A shriek erupted from the phone. “You see? I knew you were a womanizing asshole! If you ever call me again—”

Phineas snatched up the receiver. “Not a problem. You’ll never hear from me again.” He slammed the receiver down, then glared at Brynley. “What the hell are you doing? You have no right to interfere in my personal life.”

She lifted her chin. “I didn’t want to listen to her anymore. She’s a bitch.”

He glowered at her. “Takes one to know one.”

Ouch.
“Instead of insulting me, you should be thanking me. I helped you get rid of her.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I believe you do. I heard you need someone to guard your dead carcass during the day.”

“My dead carcass is none of your business.”

She scoffed. “Then who’s going to keep the field mice from nibbling on your toes?”

“I’ll keep my boots on.”

She took a step toward him. “It’s not safe for you to be alone during the day.”

“Since when would I be safe with you?”

Ouch.
He really didn’t trust her at all. She planted her hands on her hips. “I can show you around Wyoming and help you with your mission.”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you volunteering?”

“Are you hard of hearing?”

“What about your father? I thought you ran away from him. You’re not afraid—”

“You calling me a coward?” she snapped.

Phineas studied her a moment, his dark eyes searching her own.

She stared back, determined not to back down. But dammit, he could probably hear her heart racing.

“You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met,” he said softly.

Her chest tightened. She didn’t know what to say, so responded by crossing her arms. She had to be crazy, agreeing to go to Wyoming with him. But she hated the way that bitch LaToya had treated him. He deserved better than that.

And there was another reason. Ever since she’d run away from home, her inner wolf had grown increasingly pervasive. She could feel it inside her now, snarling and demanding to go home. It didn’t care about Phineas or Corky. It just wanted to go home.

Phineas cleared his throat, drawing her attention. “Vanda said you would want me to follow a Three-Step rule?”

Her mouth fell open. Holy cow, she’d been set up. She might have to kill Vanda for this. And that would really upset her brother.

“What are your rules?” Phineas asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think they apply to you.”

He stiffened. “Why not? Because I’m a Vamp?”

Because you don’t like me
. She quickly changed the subject. “Before I forget, Marta and Sarah want your autograph.”

“Why?”

Brynley snorted. “Because Marta wants to steal your identity and become the next Blardonnay guy. She’ll look great, topless with a towel around her hips. I don’t think anyone will notice the difference.”

Phineas frowned at her. “I don’t have breasts.”

“Man-boobs.” Brynley motioned toward his chest. “They do stick out a little.”

“That’s muscle!”

She waved her hand dismissively. “The autographs, please. Your rabid fans are waiting.”

He grabbed a pen and pad of paper off the desk. “One to Marta?”

“Yes, and one to Sarah.”

He scrawled their names and his signature on two pieces of paper, then handed them to her. “I don’t suppose you want one?”

She scoffed. “I know who you are.”

“Fine.” He tossed the pen and pad of paper on the desk. “Can you be ready to leave in thirty minutes?”

“Sure.” She stuffed the autographs in her jeans pocket. “I suggest you pack more than a beach towel and your skimpy little swimsuit. You’ll need boots, a hat, and a jacket. You’re only alive at night, and it can get chilly then. And make sure you bring plenty of bottled blood.”

His brow arched. “Afraid I’ll bite?”

“Afraid I will?”

He stepped toward her. “Why are you doing this?”

It was obvious he didn’t trust her. She lifted her chin in defiance. “Are you worried, Phineas? You should be. Who knows what I’ll do to you when you’re completely helpless and totally at my mercy. I painted Connor’s fingernails pink, you know.”

His mouth twisted with a wry look. “Do you enjoy playing with dead bodies, Brynley?”

“Maybe I just enjoy seeing you dead, bloodsucker.”

“Snout-Face.” He stepped closer. “I know you hate Vamps, so why are you doing this?”

She shrugged. “I heard you were desperate. Must be your charming personality. It’s left you all alone with no one to help you.”

“I’m charming enough that you agreed.”

“I was your last choice.”

His jaw clenched. “You think so?”

“You wanted some of the boys to go with you, but they can’t leave school. I’m the last one you wanted.”

His eyes darkened as he stared at her.

She didn’t look away, even though her heart pounded in her ears.

He lifted a hand, then stopped with his fingers a mere inch from her cheek. “You have no idea what I want.”

The intensity of his gaze made her arms pebble with gooseflesh.

He stepped back, lowering his hand. “I’ll return for you in thirty minutes.” His form wavered, then vanished.

She dragged in a deep breath to calm her racing heart, then reached up to press her fingertips against the cheek he’d come so close to touching.

Oh God, what had she gotten herself into? She’d let her emotions dictate her actions. And her inner wolf. It was thrilled to be going home. Excited that in a few nights, it would be running through the forest, feeling completely free.

As a teenager, she’d been trained to pay attention to the desires of the inner wolf. Its instincts were raw and simple. Animalistic, but blatantly honest.
Trust the wolf
, the elders had always told her.
The wolf knows best.

But this time, she feared the wolf was wrong. Going to Wyoming was dangerous. If her father found her, he’d drag her back home. She would end up losing her freedom.

And she couldn’t let Phineas know she was hopelessly attracted to him. She’d have to be strong. And ruthless. Or she might end up losing her heart.

Chapter Six

“W
hat the hell are you wearing?” Brynley demanded.

“Polite, as always,” Phineas muttered. Thirty minutes had passed, and he’d returned to the main office at the Dragon Nest Academy to pick up Brynley.

He glanced down at his stylish new clothes. Maybe a little too stylish, but Leroy of Leroy’s House of Class had personally selected his new Western wardrobe with assurances that he looked one hundred percent authentic.

He hooked his thumbs into the snakeskin belt that sported a huge buffalo-shaped brass buckle. “I’m dressed like a cowboy now. I thought it would be best to fit in—”

“Where? On stage at the Grand Ole Opry?” Brynley moved closer and skimmed her fingertips across his white silk shirt. “Fringe?”

His chest expanded in response to her touch, so he stepped back, out of her reach.

Her gaze lifted to his head. “Oh, God help us. Your hat is . . . sparkly.”

He removed the black Stetson. All the cowboy hats at Leroy’s House of Class had sparkled. Some had sparkled all over. He’d thought he’d done well, selecting a plain black hat with a narrow band of red sequins. “I went with the understated look. It seemed more buck.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. The black hat matches the black fringe on my shirt, and the red sequins go with the embroidered red roses. But Leroy wanted me to pick the red hat, because it had lots of sequins and some feathers—”

“Enough!” She snatched the Stetson out of his hands, ripped the red sequined band off, then tossed the hat onto the desk, where it landed next to her plain leather handbag and duffel bag. “Maybe I can find some scissors to cut off the fringe.” She rummaged in a drawer.

Phineas frowned. “Is it that bad?”

“Do you want to live through the night? If we go into a bar with you looking like—”

“Why would we go into a bar?”

“To ask questions. We’re hunting for Corky, right? You go around looking like that, and I’ll have to break some arms.”

He stiffened. “I can take care of myself.”

“Not during the day. You’ll be totally helpless.”

“I’ll be sleeping in the basement during the day. And my clothes won’t be a problem.” He gave her a pointed look. “I won’t be wearing any.”

She gulped.

Damn but he enjoyed shocking her.

“Well.” Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink as she slammed the desk drawer shut. “You’ll still have to wear clothes when you’re awake, so I’ll run up to my brother’s room and see if he has anything you can borrow.” Her gaze drifted over him once again. “You look about the same size. Actually, those . . . jeans you’re wearing will do just fine.”

Was it his imagination or did her eyes linger on his groin area a little too long? “Are you sure? I didn’t know if I should go with a zipper or a button fly. I’ve got a zipper here—”

“You’re
fine
!” Her blush deepened. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed from the office.

He took a seat, smiling to himself. There was something about Big Bad Wolfie-Girl. He was always tense with excitement around her. Part of him longed to touch her. The other part urged him to run. Fast. No doubt, that was the part controlled by his brain. Unfortunately, his brain never worked well around her.

She was part animal, that was the problem. It gave her a wild, aggressive nature, and that appealed to a primitive need inside him. An ancient and raw caveman need to possess her.

But the civilized part of him knew Brynley was not the kind of woman who should ever be possessed. She was a free spirit. A wolf. A princess.

She would always be beyond his reach.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. In the last thirty minutes, he’d zipped through a bunch of tasks as quickly as possible. He’d stocked an ice chest full of bottled blood, then he’d teleported it to the cabin.

It had been a few years since he’d been to Phil’s cabin in Wyoming, and a quick inspection had left him pleasantly surprised. Phil had modernized the place into a vacation home for himself and Vanda, and it now had electricity and running water. A bathroom and utility room had been added onto the back of the cabin.

It was still basically one room—combination den and kitchen with a table and chairs, and some furniture arranged around a large stone fireplace. A trapdoor led to the basement, which was now furnished with a king-sized bed. A second bed was in the loft above the kitchen, which could be reached by climbing a ladder.

He made several trips to the cabin, teleporting back and forth from Romatech. He brought a laptop and Internet card, plus a stash of weapons and ammo from the security office. Then he raided the cafeteria for food to stock the refrigerator and pantry. Brynley was doing him a big favor, agreeing to go with him, so he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

With the cabin ready, he turned his attention to himself. The MacKay uniform of khaki pants and navy polo shirt wasn’t going to blend in. He needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Freemont told him there was Western wear at Leroy’s House of Class, so he made a quick trip there.

Freemont also remembered there was a great pair of cowboy boots in the wardrobe closet at DVN, so Phineas teleported there to grab them. Back at Romatech, Laszlo had embedded a tracking device into one of the boots while he packed a duffel bag with underwear, socks, T-shirts, jeans, toiletries, and his fancy new shirts from Leroy’s House of Class.

He teleported the duffel bag to the cabin, then back at Romatech, he went over all the job details with Freemont one more time.

“It’s all right, dude,” Freemont assured him. “I got it covered. Besides, you’re just a phone call away.”

“I can’t be sure I’ll always get a connection,” Phineas warned him. “I’ll be out in the middle of werewolf country.”

“With Big Bad Wolfie-Girl.” Freemont snickered.

Phineas winced. He shouldn’t have shared that name with his little brother. “This is a business trip.”

“Yeah, but I know what kind of business the Love Doctor’s into.” Freemont slapped him on the back. “Just don’t let her bite you.”

Phineas groaned inwardly as he waited in the school office. He had to be crazy, taking Brynley with him. He glanced at his watch. She’d been gone ten minutes. Maybe she’d changed her mind about going. To his surprise, that thought didn’t bring him relief, but a twinge of sadness.

He enjoyed being with her, looking at her beautiful sky-blue eyes, creamy skin, and mane of wild hair. He even enjoyed the way she prodded and poked at him. It was a challenge to keep up with her. And fun.

A smile tugged at his mouth when he recalled how she’d given LaToya a shock. She’d been outrageous, calling him back to bed, claiming he made her scream. He’d known, of course, that she was joking, but his groin had still responded. Now he had to wonder—why had she come to his defense? Had she felt angry on his behalf?

No, he pushed that thought aside. She hated vampires. She’d made that clear many times in the past. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder. Had she objected to his clothes because she enjoyed picking on him, or was she trying to protect him? And if she was concerned about protecting him, was she doing it out of a sense of duty or because she actually liked him?

He sighed. He needed to stop looking for emotions that didn’t exist. He’d wasted two and a half years imagining that LaToya actually liked him. How pathetic it would be to make the same mistake twice.

He heard footsteps approaching and rose to his feet.

Brynley entered with a few shirts draped over her arm. Behind her, a group of women hurried into the room. Toni, Caitlyn, Olivia, Marta, Vanda, and Sarah. They greeted him as Brynley dropped the shirts on the desk.

He nodded at them. “Hello, ladies.”

They exchanged looks and giggled.

“I told you he’d say it,” Sarah whispered.

“He sounded just like he does on TV,” Marta added.

Olivia smiled at him. “We really enjoy your commercials, Phineas.”

“Okay.” Brynley shook out a plaid shirt and gave the women an annoyed look. “You heard his sexy voice. You can go now.”

Sexy voice? Phineas studied her, not sure what to think. One time she’d told Connor and Marielle that he had a tight ass, but he could never figure out if she was complimenting him or insulting him.

“Try this on.” She handed him the shirt.

He glanced at the blue plaid shirt, then at the other women. They showed no sign of leaving.

“Come on, guys.” Brynley waved her hands to shoo them away. “You’re embarrassing him.”

“How could he be embarrassed?” Vanda asked. “He has a great chest.”

“And he has to know it,” Marta added. “Why else would he show it off on television?”

He frowned. Did people think he was an exhibitionist? “I’m sure the clothes will fit. Brynley and I need to get going.”

The women all moaned with disappointment.

“Please, Dr. Phang,” Sarah whined. “We’re your biggest fans.”

“Oh, get a grip,” Brynley fussed at them. “It’s just a chest. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

Oh really? Phineas had a sudden desire to prove her wrong. He dropped the blue plaid shirt on the chair, then unbuttoned his fringed shirt with vampire speed and tossed it on the floor.

The ladies squealed and clapped, but he ignored them, focusing only on Brynley to see how she reacted. Her gaze darted over him, then quickly looked away as if she wasn’t interested.

With so many people in the room, he found it difficult to focus on her heartbeat alone, but he could swear that hers was the one that was pounding the fastest. And her cheeks were blushing again. She
was
affected, dammit. He could feel it.

His own heartbeat sped up as he put on Phil’s blue plaid shirt. Instead of buttons, there were snaps. A vision flitted through his mind of Brynley popping all the snaps open as she ripped off his shirt. And then they would get naked and it would be—

“A perfect fit!” Vanda announced.

He jumped. Oh, she meant the shirt. He pushed aside the vision.

“That’s wonderful!” Marta clapped her hands. “Now we can send you off to Wyoming looking your best.”

Toni stepped forward to shake his hand. “Best of luck to you and Brynley.”

“Thank you.” He was going to need luck. And a lot of cold showers.

All the women shook his hand and hugged Brynley. Vanda stuffed her husband’s shirts into a Dragon Nest Academy tote bag and handed it to him.

Brynley swung her handbag over her shoulder and grabbed hold of her duffel bag. “I’m ready.” She approached him hesitantly.

He slipped a hand around her waist to draw her closer. “You’ll have to hold on to me when we teleport.”

“I know how it works,” she muttered, then placed her hands on his shoulders while staring at a white button on his shirt.

“I’m up here,” he whispered.

Her gaze lifted.

“That’s better.”

“That’s debatable. Can we go now?”

He pulled her closer. “You need to hold me tighter.”

She made a face but slipped her hands around his neck. “Are we there yet?”

He glanced over at the ladies, who were still watching with smiles on their faces. “Good-bye, ladies.”

They waved as everything went black.

B
rynley hung her shirts and jeans in the armoire in the loft. She’d packed light for this trip, knowing the cabin now boasted a washer and dryer and a fully stocked bathroom.

She had to admit she was impressed by how much Phineas had managed to do in thirty minutes. The pantry and refrigerator had food, and the kitchen table was covered with pistols, knives, two rifles, and ammo. She’d figured their first task would be a trip to the grocery store and gun shop, but it was all taken care of.

She climbed down the ladder to the ground floor, then peered through the open trapdoor. He’d gone down into the basement a few minutes earlier to settle in.

Since Phil and Vanda came here often on vacation, the basement had been made cozier for Vanda’s death-sleep. It now sported a real bed and bedroom furniture, two recliners, and a flat-screen television. Obviously, Phil spent a lot of time down there with Vanda.

“Need any help?” she asked.

“No, I’m almost done,” he called up.

“You took down the ladder.” She spotted it on the cellar floor.

“I don’t need it. I can levitate in or out.”

But she couldn’t. “You don’t want me coming down there to check on you?”

“No need. Once I fall into my death-sleep, I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re just afraid of what I’ll do.” She straightened with a smile. “I think I’ll draw a rainbow and unicorn on your chest with permanent markers. It’ll be so—”

“Don’t you dare,” he growled, suddenly behind her.

She squealed, jumped away from him, and teetered on the edge of the open trapdoor, her arms flailing.

He grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”