My dead heart did a stupid, traitorous lurch. “What are you doing here?” I growled, because apparently, that was how I greeted the woman who had been living under my skin all day. She made me forget all my manners, and I did not like that one bit. There were rules, you know, if there weren’t, polite society would erupt into utter chaos and decay. Much like my brain was, right now.
She bristled, chin tilting. “You offered. And Gwen said you’re the man to get things in this town.” Ah, damn it, why was her voice that pretty? Like the little bells Mr. Peters came in to buy from me, but better. So much better. Was this...dare I think it, what Gregory had felt last fall, or Jackson this winter? No, no, no, I was not going down that path.
I rubbed a hand down my face. “What things?” Bone-weary exhaustion filled me, while at the same time the blood in my veins buzzed with a kind of eager excitement I couldn’t recall ever feeling before—not even when I finally got my hands on that very special third-century edition of an ancient lore book our local warlock had been after for months. This was different from the thrill of the hunt, the chase, better.
“Wine.” She crossed her arms, matching my scowl with one of her own. “A bottle of red. You know, fermented grape juice, typically alcoholic, sold by stores that boast a wide and unusual selection?” She delivered the words with a sharpness that made them each land like little barbs. The kind of tone that made a man think he was an idiot and should grovel at her knees to apologize for it.
My fangs ached from how hard I was grinding my jaw. Perfect, just perfect. I opened my mouth, probably to snap at her, or snap at myself for not snapping at her, when Belfry chimed in sweetly from behind the counter:Oooh, you’re being charming. Should I leave you two alone?I was going to kill him.
Jade’s eyes went huge—absolutely humongous—and she stared directly past me. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “That’s that bat!” I would have thought she heard him, but that was impossible. It was still a pretty big problem that she’d seen him, her handtrembling as she pointed. I froze, unable to do anything but watch as her gaze tracked upward to Belfry, dangling from his perch. Shock widened her eyes until they shone. “He’s real?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I’m going nuts, aren’t I? I’m actually losing it.”
I shot Belfry a murderous look that promised a long and painful reckoning. He flinched guiltily, but that lasted only half a second, then he had the audacity to wink. Fantastic. “You’re not crazy,” I said quickly. “He’s mine, and he’s perfectly safe! It’s normal.” A lie. That was such a giant lie. Normal? There was nothing normal about a talking bat wearing a red silk vest.
“Here.” I grabbed the nearest bottle of red, unfortunately, a two-hundred-year-old vintage worth more than her car, and shoved it into her hands while steering her toward the exit. No taking that back now; that would be even more rude than I was already being.
“Wait...” she tried. Her hands nearly fumbled the slick glass bottle. I steadied them, my skin tingling at each point of contact. With a little push, she ended up cradling the pricey vintage against her chest, and the next made her turn toward the door. Heat was streaking across her cheeks, and my gaze wanted to drop lower, to the pulse point in her throat. I refused.
“Goodbye,” I said, opening the door and practically depositing her onto the sidewalk. Then I slammed it shut; the silence afterward was deafening. Very slowly, I turned. The blood rushing in my ears indicated the level of my fury.
Belfry dangled upside down, watching me with a smug, knowing expression.You’re welcome,he chirped, as if he had no clue atall what kind of mayhem he’d caused. From Jade’s reaction, it was obvious she’d spotted him in the library earlier that day, and it had rattled her, a lot. Now I’d made things worse by throwing her out of my store like she was the criminal, when in reality, it was me—me and my obnoxious bat companion.
“You,” I said, advancing, “are the reason I can’t have peace for even ten minutes.” I rounded the counter, my hand trailing over the smooth oak surface, grounding me with its steady presence. Belfry did not seem to think he was in any danger, hanging from his branch-like perch, a wooden sculpture of a tree Ísarr had made for us years ago.
Oh please.Belfry fanned his wings dramatically and blinked. Then he straightened his little waistcoat with the thumb claws jutting from his wings.She didn’t even hear me this time. Not like earlier in the…He abruptly trailed off when his brain seemed to catch up with what he was about to reveal.
I froze, horror flashing through me, bright and powerful. She heard him? “What did you just say?” Even though I had heard him just fine, I had to ask, had to hear him say it again. There was no way that could be right; I wanted very badly to be mistaken.
He blinked innocently.I said she didn’t hear me this time. Earlier, she…To his credit, he forged on rather than backtrack, not denying that he’d messed up and shown himself either, although, of course, he didn’t come right out and say it. Perhaps he thought that aiming his big eyes my way and cutely flicking his ears would get him out of trouble.
“Earlier.” My voice scraped low, the anger in my veins simmering until it combusted. “Earlier, she WHAT?” I clutched the counter next to me, and the wood groaned in my tight grip, threatening to splinter if I did not let up. I yanked back my hand as if I’d been burned; control, I needed to stay in control. This was no time to slip up and turn into a savage, whatever my instincts might say.
He flinched, his wings shuffling again, but there was nothing easygoing or casual about him now.Well. She. Might have. Heard. Me. A little?he stuttered out, his words ending on a high note like he was posing a question. Might have heard him, a little? Either she’d heard him, or she hadn’t… We both knew what the answer was to that.
I stared at him; he stared back. Then, for the first time in my entire undead existence, my knees gave out. I dropped hard into the chair behind me. The weight of the truth slammed through me like a falling cathedral. No, this was impossible. It was utterly unthinkable. Unwanted. Inevitable. Ah, hell… now what was I supposed to do?
Oh,Belfry said, head tilting.Why do you look like that? Did I say something wrong?It seemed he had finally caught on that something was seriously not right. His unease spread as he opened his wings and fluttered, soft wind fanning against my overheated forehead.
“No,” my voice was barely a whisper. “You said something impossible.” So impossible that it had been staring me in the face all this time, and I hadn’t been willing to see it—hadn’t believed it—and I’d blamed every inconvenient thought and feeling on her, on this town, and even on poor Belfry.
The bat fluttered down, landing lightly on my shoulder.Luther?he asked, concerned. He butted his furred little head against my jaw, huddling against my skin and offering comfort in his small way. I closed my eyes, because I knew what it meant—what it had always meant—and, thank every ancient power in existence, Belfry hadn’t figured it out yet.
Chapter 11
Jade
I woke up feeling amazing; suspiciously amazing. For a moment, I lay there, blinking up at the soft yellow ceiling of my room in the Sweet Dreams Guaranteed B&B, waiting for the pounding hangover I absolutely deserved after last night’s wine. Nothing; there wasn’t even a twinge. Gwen hadn’t been kidding: the dreams here really were guaranteed.
I sat up, stretching, then reached for the new jeans and soft cream sweater I’d set aside. As I dressed and washed up, I kept replaying how utterly divine that red wine had been. I didn’t know much about alcohol, not really, but that bottle Luther shoved at me must have been expensive. It tasted like velvet, berries, and forbidden fruit.
And sharing it with Gwen… God, that had been fun! We might not have known each other long, but there was this amazing click. That had been actual girlfriend talk—plotting what to do about the library first, laughing too loudly, swearing that no amount of mold would keep us from restoring the reading room.
Then Jackson had arrived, I recalled that moment with perfect clarity. “Jade,” he’d greeted politely before scooping a very tipsy, giggling Gwen over his shoulder like she weighed nothing and carrying her out the door. I’d waved after them, feeling warm and a little mushy about their dynamic. It was sweet, and now I very badly wanted something like that for myself.
Attempting to call my old college roommate afterward had been a mistake. I’d gotten her voicemail and mumbled something barely coherent before giving up. Drunk Jade was not an eloquent Jade. Hey, at least I’d tried, I told myself. That was a start. It would be nice to know how Maggie was doing these days. My artistic friend had always dreamed big, and she would get a kick out of me kicking David, that was for sure.
This morning I felt sparkling, energetic—no hangover in sight. This B&B was magic; I was now fully convinced. It was a better delusion than talking bats, at least. I felt so light and good that I couldn’t even let my failure to reach Maggie get me down. The only damper was the recollection of Luther, quite literally, shoving me out the door last night.
Downstairs, breakfast was a quiet affair. Gwen, looking perfectly normal despite last night’s “Jackson, put me down, I am a dignified adult woman,” served scrambled eggs and fruit before informing me she had errands today. I would never forget the image of her draped over the shoulder of her sheriff’s arm like she was his prize—eyes bright with laughter and cheeks pink from the alcohol. She’d looked so happy.
