Page 63 of Kiss of Wrath

“Shh! Be quiet, woman! You’ll scare the children. All I did was show you a little teeth.” He retracted the fangs and bared his teeth at her. “See. My teeth are normal now.”

“Normal? You have fangs. Well, you had fangs, I know you did. And your brothers did earlier today, too. That is not normal!” She backed away when he tried to reach for her. “Who are you people? Are you people?”

What could he say to that? “Yes and no.”

“Aaarrgh! Get away from me. Don’t you dare touch me. You . . . you . . . vampire.”

“Angel.”

“What?”

“Vampire angel. I prefer to think of myself as an angel, rather than a vampire.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you going to flash a set of wings at me, like you did with the fangs?”

“I would if I could, but I do not have my wings yet. Truth to tell, I might not ever have them. Vikar is the only one of us brothers who has received his, and even he cannot produce them at will. And a lot of trouble they are, too, according to Vikar. Try lugging about two twenty-five-pound weights on each shoulder and fly at the same time! Almost topped off two trees and a telephone wire the first time he attempted the feat. I could show you my shoulder bumps, though. The place where wings will eventually emerge. I hope.” He paused and saw the look of confusion on her face. “I am blathering. You are turning me into a blathering lackwit.”

“Me? You dare to blame me?”

“You asked for proof, and I gave you proof. I hardly think I am to blame for turning you into a chatterling.” At the look of consternation on her face, he went on, “ ’Tis no wonder I am acting the flapping tongue. You torture me by placing me in proximity to children, which I have avoided for ages.”

“I never asked you to come here.”

“Someone did!” He favored her with one of his best scowls.

She just raised her chin haughtily.

And looked damn attractive when she did. “Furthermore, you torture me with seduction, even though I have been immune to bodily pleasures . . . for ages.”

“Me? Seduce you? You’re the one who walks around half naked, flaunting your muscles and bare feet and sexy lips . . .” She stopped talking as she realized how much she revealed and pressed her lips together tightly. That gesture, too, was damn attractive.

She thinks my lips are sexy? And my feet draw her attention? Oh, help. Help, help, help! I am sinking faster than an overladen longship on the high seas. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it of her allure. “And now you torture me with attacks on my normalcy. Dost think I want to have fangs? Dost think it was a choice of mine? I am a Viking. We Norsemen are known for our vanity.”

“Vanity, thy name is Viking?” she scoffed.

“Do you dare mock me, wench?”

“It’s either that, or whack you over the head with my paperweight. And I will if you call me wench again.” She glanced pointedly at the five-sided stone object on the desk with framed pictures of the children on each side. “And I’m a pacifist, for heaven’s sake. I don’t believe in violence.”

“Hah! That is what women always say afore they reduce a man to a gibbering idiot.”

“Huh? How did we go from fangs to pacifism?”

Just then the door flew open—someone must have found a key—and five warriors-in-waiting came to the defense of their lady.

“Why did you scream, Aunt Mir?” Maggie asked, coming up close to examine Miranda to see if she’d suffered some bodily harm.

“Did you see a mouse?” Linda wanted to know, bending over to peek under the desk. “We can set a mouse trap again.”

“What did you do to Aunt Mir?” Ben demanded of Mordr and punched him in the stomach, then began to rub his knuckles with the fingers of his other hand. “Ow, ow, ow!”

“Are you hurt?” Sam asked his aunt, giving her a head-to-toe survey and finding no apparent bruise marks or open wounds.

“Betcha he called her a bad name. Girls cry when boys call them bad names.” This wisdom came from Larry, who was adjusting his little cock under his short pants as he talked. Someone needed to buy the boy bigger undergarments.

“What bad names?” Maggie wanted to know.

“Prissy pants! Big butt! Owl face!”