He did, though he wasn’t all that pleased. Neither was I. Next time, I would ask for a different helper. Maybe even Henrik.
At some point, a bell in the old-fashioned call system jingled, and Bene cheered from upstairs.
“Lunch! Finally!”
I climbed down the scaffold, then checked over our work. We’d finished a much bigger section than I’d imagined, and while there was still a lot to be done, it was starting to feel manageable.
Obstinate tigers definitely had their plus sides.
Roux sighed, though, as if he’d expected us to have finished by now. “That’s going to take at least another week.”
“It’s going to look stunning when we’re done, though.”
We took in our handiwork for another few seconds, then turned to put away our brushes. And dammit — even in the vast emptiness of the ballroom, we managed to bump butts again.
“Would you cut that out?” I muttered.
Quite unnecessarily, because he jumped away faster than I did.
“Youcut it out,” he said, all offended.
Which went to prove Idefinitelywasn’t his type — if he had one. The man would probably have been happiest married to the military. But the poor guy hadn’t seen that nasty divorce coming, and now, he had to reinvent himself. Hard to do when you weren’t all that creative.
I, on the other hand, was a master at creating. Briefly, I even considering helping him. Then I decided Roux was a big boy, and I had already done my good deed of the month by helping Claudette.
However, that became increasingly challenging, especially when she turned up to breakfast the next morning acting strangely. Giddy, on the one hand, but lethargic on the other.
Henrik, meanwhile, looked rosier than ever.
Seconds later, the terrible truth dawned on me. They’d spent the night together, indulging in more than just sex, hadn’t they?
A closer look revealed the light bruise on Claudette’s neck, along with a faint pair of bite marks.
“Bonjour,” Mina greeted everyone cheerily on her way in. Then she froze. Her cheeks went from pink to furious burgundy, and her hands curled into fists.
Marius was right on her heels, and he stopped too, instantly alert to his mate’s change in mood.
I towed my sister into the adjoining ballroom before either of them exploded.
“I’ll kill Henrik,” she fumed.
Well, she would have to grab her wooden stake and get in line behind me.
“I can’t believe he would do this to her,” Mina ranted.
Herwas Delphine, Henrik’s mistress. The woman was incredibly sweet and hopelessly in love with him.Hopelessbecause he was a vampire and she a mere human. Also because she was a prostitute, and he treated her like one. Well, sometimes. Occasionally, he showed a quieter, more indulgent, and — dare I say — human side. For example, during Delphine’s recent visit for Mina’s wedding. Delphine sang beautifully, and when Henrik accompanied her on piano… Well, the results were heavenly, if such a word could be used in the context of a vampire.
But once Henrik had drunk his fill and tired of her company, he’d sent her away, leaving Auberre a little less sunny — and Henrik even more irritable than usual.
“I hate it too, but there’s another angle to this,” I said, trying to calm my sister.
“You mean, the angle I ram a stake into Henrik’s heart from?”
“No, I mean for Claudette.”
Mina looked shocked. “Are you suggesting there’s an upside to this?”
Not the wording I would choose, no.
