I opened a pair of French doors and stepped out onto a small balcony, then leaned back inside to look at the walls. The landscape perfectly matched the paintings. They depicted a gorgeous sunny day, complete with the busy little port town down below, boats dotting the water, and seabirds wheeling overhead.
“What a clever idea for a man who can’t go out into the sun. And it’s just more proof that there’s a whole lot more depth to Merrick than he likes people to know.”
Kelso jumped on the bed, and curled up at the foot of it.
I pursed my lips at the sight of the bed, thought about my blue and white room, and two minutes later, having locked the doors and turned out the lights, snuggled down into Merrick’s bed, the faint scent of him rising from the pillow.
Good night, wherever you are,I sent out into the Merrick-sphere.
There was no answer.
Three days later, I was zipping along in a red convertible, on a road leading from Genoa toward the French border, the wind whipping my hair around my face. “You’re probably tired what with the jet lag and all, huh? We can find a hotel once we get to Nice.”
“Nice?” Ellis looked around us as if he’d just noticed we’d left Genoa proper. “I thought we were going to stay in Genoa for a few days, then go to Florence?”
“Change of plans. We’re going to Nice.”
“Why?”
“I need to find someone who’s supposed to be there. At least he was as of last night’s text, when he admitted that he had trouble finding someone he was looking for, but that the person was supposed to roll into town today.” I gave Ellis a sympathetic look. “You can take a nap while I’m trying to find my friend, if you like.”
“Darling, I slept on the plane almost the whole way, thanks to my friend Brady’s handy way with look-alike pharmaceuticals.” Ellis stretched and leaned back against the car seat. “This sun is heavenly, though, just heavenly. It was raining when I left home. And isn’t this road pretty! When did you learn to drive? I wouldn’t imagine your overprotective papa would have allowed it.”
“I had a lesson after Papa died,” I told him, whipping around a corner, enjoying the speed and power of the car. Merrick certainly had excellent taste in vehicles, although I doubted if he got to use a convertible much.
“A lesson? Was that enough to get your driver’s license?”
“Nope. I was supposed to do the whole course to get ready for the driver’s test, but I got distracted by this trip.”
The sound of the wind rushing past us was the only noise for the count of fifteen. “Pull over!”
“What?” I risked a glance at him. “Why?”
“Do as I say!”
Figuring he might suddenly be carsick, I pulled out onto one of the many overlooks that allowed people to take shots of the glittering blue water. “Are you feeling sick? I have some water in a cooler in the back with Kelso.”
Ellis got out of the car and marched around to the driver’s side, pointing at the seat he’d just vacated. “Move.”
“Why?” I repeated, frowning.
“Because you don’t have a license.”
“So? I drove all the way to Genoa without a problem. I picked you up at the airport, and that traffic was brutal. I’m driving peachy keen, so I don’t see why you’re making such a big fuss.”
“Move!” he said louder, his lips narrowed in obstinacy.
I sighed, and moved over to the other seat. “You’re awfully bossy now that you’re on the other side of the world.”
“Self-preservation is not bossiness. Since I see you’re puffing up to tell me that your driving wasn’t going to kill us, I’ll ask you instead how your visit went to your auntie’s friends. Did you meet all the vampires in Europe?”
“Just two of them, actually,” I said, looking over my shoulder to check on Kelso. I’d managed to find a pet store in Genoa that sold not only dog seat belts, but also canine goggles intended for rich people’s dogs, all of which meant that my white furry friend was now strapped securely into the backseat, his blue goggles giving him a particularly dashing appearance as he happily snuffled the air while we zoomed along on the coast road.
“You’re kidding!” Ellis turned a startled face to me, the sun glinting off his dark glasses. “Darling, this is me, your oldest friend. You don’t have anything to prove to me. I’ve seen your coochie glued to a bath mat—there’s nothing to be ashamed of just because you’ve found out that the books you love aren’t based on reality.”
“But they are! No, really, don’t give me that pitying look—I met two vampires. Look, see where Merrick bit me last?” I lifted the hair from my neck, showing him that spot near my ear that made me weak in the knees when Merrick nuzzled it.
Ellis glanced quickly. “There’s nothing there but neck, adorable one. Who’s Merrick when he’s at home?”
